- Slido alternatives at a glance
- Eleven Slido alternatives to try
- Are poll answers personal data?
- Serious Q&A or games and quizzes?
- Questions to ask before you pick a polling tool
- Running your first live poll
- Signs your audience engagement needs a refresh
- My plain advice on choosing a Slido alternative
- Frequently asked questions
The best Slido alternatives let your audience vote, ask questions and join quizzes from their phones during a talk, class or event. Some focus on serious Q&A for town halls and conferences, while others lean on games, trivia and word clouds. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
A room full of people looking at their phones is usually bad news for a speaker, unless they're answering your poll. Live polling turns a one-way talk into a conversation and tells you what the room is thinking.
The eleven tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the tool's own website, read this week. If you're nervous about presenting at all, my piece on beating stage fright is worth a read first.
Slido alternatives at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version, a free account or open source software. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start for free.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| AhaSlides | Interactive presentation software | Quizzes and polls inside one deck | Yes |
| ClassPoint | Student engagement add-in for PowerPoint | Teachers who live in PowerPoint | Not stated |
| Crowdpurr | Trivia and leaderboards for events | Trivia nights and fun event games | Not stated |
| Kahoot! | Learning games and quizzes | Game-style quizzes | Not stated |
| Mentimeter | Interactive presentation and audience engagement tool | Polished interactive presentations | Not stated |
| Particify | Open source interactive education tool | Accessible, open source audience response | Yes |
| Pigeonhole Live | Audience engagement platform for events | Q&A at conferences and town halls | Not stated |
| Poll Everywhere | Live polling and audience engagement | Classic live polling | Not stated |
| Sendsteps | Learning and engagement platform for education | Lessons with AI recommendations | Yes |
| StreamAlive | Audience engagement for live sessions | Engaging chat-based live audiences | Not stated |
| Vevox | Polling and Q&A platform | Anonymous Q&A in classes and meetings | Not stated |
Eleven Slido alternatives to try
AhaSlides
Best for: Trainers who want live quizzes, polls, word clouds and spinner wheels in a single presentation, free to start.
ClassPoint
Best for: Teachers who want quizzes and student responses inside the PowerPoint slides they already use, without switching apps.
Crowdpurr
Best for: Event hosts who want live trivia, leaderboards and games to warm up a crowd rather than serious Q&A.
Kahoot!
Best for: Schools and training teams that want game-based quizzes people answer on their phones, with a big library of ready-made games.
Mentimeter
Best for: Speakers who want interactive slides with polls, quizzes and templates, plus AI help to build a deck fast.
Particify
Best for: Universities and trainers who want audience response built on open source software, with accessibility to WCAG 2.1.
Pigeonhole Live
Best for: Event and internal comms teams running Q&A, polls and surveys for in-person, online or hybrid events.
Poll Everywhere
Best for: Lecturers and presenters who want simple live polls people join through a short web link.
Sendsteps
Best for: Educators who want interactive lessons with AI suggestions, free to start with no credit card.
StreamAlive
Best for: Webinar and livestream hosts who want polls and word clouds that pull in audience chat, including inside PowerPoint.
Vevox
Best for: Universities and companies that want live polling, Q&A, word clouds and surveys for classes and meetings.
Are poll answers personal data?
They can be. The Information Commissioner's Office explains that personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable person, who can be identified directly or indirectly by reference to an identifier such as a name or an online identifier.
So a Q&A that shows names next to questions, or a quiz leaderboard with email addresses, is handling personal data. For sensitive sessions, such as staff surveys or health topics, use anonymous modes and only collect what you need.
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Serious Q&A or games and quizzes?
Conference organisers and internal comms teams usually want moderated questions, upvoting and clean visuals on a big screen. Teachers and trainers often want quizzes, leaderboards and a bit of competition to keep energy up.
Think about where you present, too. Some tools live inside your slides, others run in a browser tab, and a few work best for online sessions where the audience is already typing in chat.
Questions to ask before you pick a polling tool
- Can people join without downloading an app?
- Does it work inside the slides I already use?
- Can I moderate questions before they appear on screen?
- Is there an anonymous mode for sensitive topics?
- How many participants does the free option allow?
- Can I export results after the session?
Running your first live poll
Put the joining code on screen for longer than you think you need, and say it out loud. People are slower to reach for their phones than presenters expect, especially at the start of a session.
Ask an easy question first, such as where people are joining from or how they're feeling about the topic. Once everyone's in, move to the questions that shape your talk. And don't forget to read the answers out, because people love hearing their own views reflected back in the room.
If you're presenting online, it's worth asking a colleague to watch the chat and the poll results while you talk. You'll stay focused on the audience, and they'll flag anything you've missed.
Signs your audience engagement needs a refresh
- Nobody asks questions. Let them ask anonymously.
- The same people always speak. Polls give everyone a voice.
- Results vanish after the talk. Export and follow up.
- Joining takes too long. Use a short code.
Do you make a live polling or audience engagement tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a Slido alternative
Use polls with a purpose. One good question at the start that shapes the rest of your talk beats ten novelty polls that nobody remembers.
And test it on your actual setup before the day, including the venue Wi-Fi and the screen. If you're building the deck itself, my guide to free AI presentation makers can speed up the slides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Slido?
It depends on whether you run conferences, classes or online sessions. The list above is in no particular order for that reason.
Are there free Slido alternatives?
Several tools are free to start or offer free plans. The free plan column shows what each tool's own site says.
Do participants need an app?
Most of these tools let people join from a browser with a short code or link.
Are poll responses personal data?
They can be. The ICO says personal data includes information that identifies someone directly or indirectly, such as a name.
Can I use polls in online meetings?
Yes. Several tools work in webinars and video calls as well as in rooms.
Which tools suit teachers?
Tools built for education, including PowerPoint add-ins and quiz games, are marked in their descriptions above.
