LimeSurvey has a narrow lead over Google Forms for private surveys with unlimited responses. SurveyPlanet is mentioned for straightforward unlimited surveys, while Youform is suggested for anonymous surveys.
Tally explicitly advertises unlimited forms, questions, and responses for free, subject to fair-use guidelines. It also describes itself as GDPR-compliant and privacy-focused.
One caveat: “does not sell my data” is a stronger claim than “GDPR-compliant” or “privacy-friendly.” I would check Tally's current privacy policy before collecting sensitive information. If you want, I can specifically verify whether Tally's privacy policy says they sell/share survey responses or personal data, rather than relying on their marketing language.
If privacy is your top priority, I'd seriously consider LimeSurvey—especially its self-hosted/open-source version. It supports anonymized responses where even an administrator cannot link responses back to participants, and it provides detailed controls for encryption and personal data.
The hosted free plan isn't unlimited on responses, though, while the paid hosted plans have response caps as well.
Bottom line: For a normal survey, I'd pick Tally. For a survey involving sensitive information where you want the strongest possible control over the data, I'd pick self-hosted LimeSurvey.
Finding a survey tool with unlimited responses that guarantees your data won’t be monetized or sold usually points you toward two solid routes: fully free cloud-hosted tools with privacy-first business models, or open-source, self-hosted software where you own 1 0 0% of the infrastructure and data.
Here are the best options matching your criteria:
1. Google Forms (Cloud / Free)
Response Limit: Unlimited (constrained only by your connected Google Drive storage/Sheets cell limits).
Data Privacy: Google does not sell your personal data or survey responses to third parties. Data processing strictly adheres to Google Privacy Policy terms.
Pros: Completely free, highly reliable, easy to share, and instantly dumps data into a spreadsheet.
Cons: Very basic design customization and limited conditional logic unless you use third-party add-ons.
2. Formbricks (Open-Source / Privacy-First)
Response Limit: Unlimited when self-hosted (or generous free tiers depending on cloud setup).
Data Privacy: Being a privacy-first, open-source tool, you can self-host it on your own server, meaning your data never touches a third-party commercial database. Their official stance prioritizes data ownership and GDPR compliance.
Data Privacy: Completely open-source (GPL license). When you download and host the Community Edition on your own server, you have complete data sovereignty —no outside company can access, view, or sell your data.
Pros: Extremely powerful; handles advanced survey logic, branching, anonymous responses, and over 28 question types.
Cons: The interface feels a bit corporate and traditional, and it requires hosting setup on your own web server. You can download it directly from LimeSurvey.
To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:
Do you have the ability to self-host on a private server , or do you need a ready-to-use cloud website?
Do you need advanced features like conditional logic/branching, or just a simple questionnaire?
LimeSurvey (Self-Hosted) is the best choice for unlimited response capacity combined with an absolute guarantee that your data will never be sold.
When you host an open-source platform on your own server, you retain total ownership, control, and physical jurisdiction over your data. Commercial Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms—even paid ones—often have complex terms of service regarding analytics, telemetry, or third-party cloud sub-processors.
Comparison of Privacy-Focused, High-Capacity Options
Platform
Response Capacity
Data Ownership & Privacy Guarantee
Best Use Case
LimeSurvey (Self-Hosted)
Unlimited (limited only by your server storage/bandwidth)
Complete ownership. Data resides on your hardware; third parties never touch it.
Secure, confidential, and high-volume research.
Google Forms
Unlimited (free personal accounts)
Google Privacy Policy. Google does not sell your personal data or survey results, but uses data under its privacy terms for service operation and ad profiling ecosystems.
Quick, casual, or non-sensitive data collection.
Tally
Generous free/unlimited tier for core form building
GDPR compliant. Privacy-focused, though hosted on their cloud infrastructure.
Modern, notion-style clean surveys.
Why Self-Hosted LimeSurvey Fits Your Requirements
No Artificial Caps: Because you deploy the software on your own infrastructure via LimeSurvey Cloud/Community , there is no commercial pricing tier cutting you off at a specific response threshold.
Zero Data Monetization Risk: Commercial vendors cannot monetize data they do not possess. By managing the database locally, you comply strictly with institutional or personal privacy mandates (such as HIPAA or GDPR) without relying on corporate promises.
If your two main requirements are unlimited survey responses and a commitment not to sell your data, I’d prioritize platforms that explicitly address both in their official terms and privacy policies—not just platforms that advertise themselves as secure.
One important distinction: a company may promise not to sell your data while still using service providers to process it or sharing certain information for advertising. Also, “unlimited responses” can mean unlimited collection, unlimited access to results, or both.
My top recommendations
1. SurveyPlanet
(Best free option)
SurveyPlanet explicitly offers unlimited surveys, questions, and responses on its free plan. It also advertises anonymous surveys, SSL security, and no data mining or information selling.
Best for: Personal research, students, nonprofits, and anyone who wants to collect lots of responses without paying per response.
Trade-off: Exporting results to CSV and other advanced features require Pro. Review the full privacy policy to understand what information beyond your survey responses is collected.
Zoho makes an explicit company-wide commitment that it does not sell user information for advertising. Its survey pricing lists plans with unlimited annual responses, although limits can apply to monthly plans.
Best for: Organizations that need more survey logic, reporting, integrations, and data management.
Trade-off: Check the exact plan's response limits, billing cycle, and current price before subscribing.
SurveyMonkey explicitly says it does not sell customers' or respondents' data and offers substantial security and compliance controls. However, standard plans have response limits or additional-response charges, so unlimited capacity must be negotiated or confirmed for your specific plan.
Best for: Professional research teams that need mature analytics, collaboration, and security controls.
I'd start with SurveyPlanet if you want unlimited responses at no cost and a clear no-selling claim. If you need more advanced reporting or organizational features, investigate Zoho Survey next.
Before uploading sensitive or confidential information, verify that the provider's privacy policy covers survey responses, respondent identifiers, and any use of third-party service providers. No platform can guarantee absolute privacy in every circumstance.
One question that would help me narrow this down: Do you need the platform to be completely free, or are you willing to pay for unlimited responses?