{"category":{"slug":"open-source-survey-tools","label":"Open-source survey tools"},"methodology_url":"https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology","license":"Free to use with attribution to orbator.io","date":"2026-08-18","engine":null,"available_dates":["2026-09-07","2026-09-06","2026-08-19","2026-08-18","2026-08-10","2026-08-09","2026-07-29","2026-07-25","2026-07-22","2026-07-05","2026-07-04","2026-06-17","2026-06-16"],"policy":{"quotable_engines":["anthropic","openai","gemini"],"max_excerpt_chars":400,"full_text_public":false,"customer_runs_public":false,"full_text_retention":"retained at least 24 months, then operator review","notes":["Only Index category runs are archived publicly — customer scans never appear.","The quotable unit is a short excerpt of at most 400 characters, never the full answer.","Engines outside the verbatim allowlist are recorded as having answered, with the excerpt withheld under their terms.","Prompt intent is published; the prompt text itself is not."]},"status":"ok","count":28,"limit":50,"truncated":false,"engines":[{"engine":"gemini","count":7,"withheld":false,"answers":[{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For collecting user feedback with an open-source, self-hosted survey tool, several robust options offer flexibility, data privacy, and extensive customization. Among the top recommendations are Formbricks, LimeSurvey, and SurveyJS.\n\n**Formbricks** is a rapidly growing open-source survey platform designed for in-app micro-surveys and broader experience management. It allows you to run link, email,","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":194,"end":204,"name":"Formbricks"},{"start":206,"end":216,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":222,"end":230,"name":"SurveyJS"},{"start":235,"end":245,"name":"Formbricks"}]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For enterprises requiring a self-hosted survey platform that ensures response data is not sent to third parties, several robust solutions offer comprehensive data control and privacy. Key options include Checkbox, LimeSurvey, Formbricks, and SurveyJS.\n\n**Checkbox** is specifically designed for enterprises with stringent data control and compliance needs. It allows for on-premise or private cloud h","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":204,"end":212,"name":"Checkbox"},{"start":214,"end":224,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":226,"end":236,"name":"Formbricks"},{"start":242,"end":250,"name":"SurveyJS"},{"start":255,"end":263,"name":"Checkbox"}]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For academic research requiring full data ownership, open-source survey software that allows for self-hosting is the most suitable choice. This approach ensures complete control over data, critical for privacy, security, and compliance with regulations like GDPR. Key options include LimeSurvey, SurveyJS, and Formbricks.\n\nHere's a breakdown of recommended open-source survey software:\n\n*   **LimeSur","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":284,"end":294,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":296,"end":304,"name":"SurveyJS"},{"start":310,"end":320,"name":"Formbricks"}]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For nonprofits seeking lightweight, self-hosted survey tools that offer unlimited responses on a budget, several open-source and self-hostable options provide significant control over data and costs. These tools eliminate per-response fees and allow organizations to maintain data privacy.\n\nRecommended self-hosted survey tools include:\n\n*   **Nextcloud Forms** Nextcloud Forms is an application with","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":344,"end":359,"name":"Nextcloud Forms"},{"start":362,"end":377,"name":"Nextcloud Forms"}]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":"If you're looking for open-source alternatives to expensive hosted survey platforms with per-response limits, several robust options offer self-hosting capabilities and freedom from such restrictions. These platforms provide flexibility, data ownership, and often a rich set of features comparable to their commercial counterparts.\n\nHere are some of the top open-source survey alternatives:\n\n*   **Li","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":"For a healthcare organization selecting a survey tool, the choice between a self-hosted open-source solution and a hosted Software as a Service (SaaS) platform involves weighing critical factors such as data privacy, security, regulatory compliance (especially HIPAA), cost, customization needs, and IT resources. Both options present distinct advantages and disadvantages.\n\n### Self-Hosted Open-Sour","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"gemini","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":"Deploying a self-hosted survey tool that supports conditional logic and response exports gives you full control over your data, customization, and infrastructure. Several open-source options are available that meet these requirements.\n\n### Recommended Self-Hosted Survey Tools\n\nHere are some popular self-hosted survey tools known for supporting conditional logic and data export:\n\n*   **LimeSurvey:*","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":388,"end":398,"name":"LimeSurvey"}]}]},{"engine":"grok","count":7,"withheld":true,"answers":[{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"grok","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]}]},{"engine":"openai","count":7,"withheld":false,"answers":[{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For collecting user feedback specifically, I’d pick Formbricks.\n\nIt’s closer to an open-source alternative to Qualtrics/Sprig than just a generic form builder. It supports self-hosting and is designed around in-app, website, link, and email surveys, which makes it particularly suitable for product feedback, NPS, churn surveys, and UX research. ([github.com](https://github.com/formbricks/formbricks","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":52,"end":62,"name":"Formbricks"},{"start":110,"end":119,"name":"Qualtrics"},{"start":379,"end":389,"name":"Formbricks"},{"start":390,"end":400,"name":"Formbricks"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"For an enterprise with a hard requirement that survey responses never go to a third party, I'd shortlist LimeSurvey, Formbricks, and SurveyJS. My default choice would be LimeSurvey unless you're primarily collecting in-product/customer-experience feedback.\n\n- LimeSurvey — best general-purpose choice. Mature open-source survey application that you can install entirely on your own infrastructure. It","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":105,"end":115,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":117,"end":127,"name":"Formbricks"},{"start":133,"end":141,"name":"SurveyJS"},{"start":170,"end":180,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":260,"end":270,"name":"LimeSurvey"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For academic research where “full data ownership” means you can self-host the application and keep respondent data entirely on infrastructure you control, I’d choose LimeSurvey Community Edition in most cases.\n\nLimeSurvey is genuinely open source (GPL), can be installed on your own server, and is explicitly designed for survey research, including academic studies. Self-hosting means the survey dat","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":166,"end":176,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":211,"end":221,"name":"LimeSurvey"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For a nonprofit prioritizing low cost, unlimited responses, and modest server requirements, I’d look primarily at LimeSurvey, Formbricks, and OhMyForm. I can compare their current self-hosting/licensing requirements and resource footprints if you'd like.","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":114,"end":124,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":126,"end":136,"name":"Formbricks"},{"start":142,"end":150,"name":"OhMyForm"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":"Yes. If the problem is “SurveyMonkey/Typeform/Qualtrics gets expensive once responses increase,” self-hosting is one of the better ways to turn response volume into mostly a fixed infrastructure cost.\n\nThe options I'd look at first:\n\n- LimeSurvey Community Edition — probably the strongest choice for traditional surveys. It's genuinely free/open source and self-hosted, with sophisticated question t","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":24,"end":36,"name":"SurveyMonkey"},{"start":37,"end":45,"name":"Typeform"},{"start":46,"end":55,"name":"Qualtrics"},{"start":236,"end":246,"name":"LimeSurvey"}]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":"For a healthcare organization, the choice between a self-hosted open-source survey platform and hosted SaaS is less about “open source vs. commercial” and more about where you want operational and compliance responsibility to sit.\n\nIf surveys may contain PHI, I would generally favor a mature healthcare-capable hosted SaaS with a BAA unless your organization already has a strong internal infrastruc","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"openai","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":"A good default is LimeSurvey Community Edition. It is self-hostable, supports fairly sophisticated conditional/branching logic, and exports responses to formats including CSV, Excel, PDF, SPSS, R, and Stata. ([limesurvey.org](https://www.limesurvey.org/manual/Setting_conditions/en?utm_source=openai))\n\nA typical deployment looks like:\n\nInternet → HTTPS/reverse proxy → LimeSurvey → database","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":18,"end":28,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":210,"end":220,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":238,"end":248,"name":"LimeSurvey"},{"start":370,"end":380,"name":"LimeSurvey"}]}]},{"engine":"perplexity","count":7,"withheld":true,"answers":[{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]},{"engine":"perplexity","answered_on":"2026-08-18","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":null,"excerpt_withheld":true,"withheld_reason":"source_terms","highlights":[]}]}]}