TL;DR: Trivia Anywhere is the only truly unlimited free option for live polls, Q&A, and quizzes. Mentimeter limits free to 2 slides; Slido to 3 polls; AhaSlides to 7 participants.
Mentimeter charges $12/month. Slido starts at $12/event. AhaSlides limits free users to 7 participants. If you need live polls, audience Q&A, or interactive quizzes without spending hundreds per year, here are the best free alternatives — ranked and compared.
Free tier: Unlimited participants, all features, forever Best for: Live quizzes, bingo, polls, Q&A, team building, events
Trivia Anywhere goes beyond typical presentation tools by combining live polls, audience Q&A, trivia games, interactive bingo, and Wheel of Words in a single free platform. It’s the only tool on this list that offers all engagement types with zero participant limits and zero cost.
Standout features:
Limitations: No word clouds, no embedded slides/PowerPoint integration, limited to quiz-style interactions
Free tier: Unlimited audience, 2 question slides + 5 quiz slides per presentation Paid: $12/month (Basic), $24/month (Pro) Best for: Corporate presentations, word clouds, scaled rating questions
Mentimeter is the polished choice for professional presentations. Its word cloud feature is iconic, and the interface is beautifully designed for corporate settings.
Standout features: Word clouds, scaled questions, Q&A, beautiful design Limitations: Severely limited free tier (2 question slides), paid plans get expensive for teams
Free tier: Up to 100 participants per event, 3 polls per event Paid: $12-200+/event Best for: Meeting Q&A, conference sessions, town halls
Acquired by Cisco (Webex integration), Slido specializes in audience Q&A with upvoting and moderation. Great for town halls and conference sessions.
Standout features: Q&A upvoting, Webex/Teams integration, moderation controls Limitations: Per-event pricing on paid plans, limited free polls, no trivia/games
Free tier: 7 participants per session Paid: $8-16/month Best for: Classroom presentations, word clouds, spinning wheel
AhaSlides replicates most of Mentimeter’s features at a lower price point, including word clouds, polls, and quizzes.
Standout features: Word clouds, spinning wheel, quiz mode, PowerPoint integration Limitations: Only 7 free participants (basically a demo), requires paid plan for real use
Free tier: 25 responses per activity Paid: $120+/year Best for: Large enterprise presentations, university lectures
Poll Everywhere integrates directly into PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides. Popular in universities and large enterprises.
Standout features: Native slide integration, SMS voting, extensive analytics Limitations: Expensive, complex setup, 25 response cap on free tier
| Feature | Trivia Anywhere | Mentimeter | Slido | AhaSlides | Poll Everywhere |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Participant Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 | 7 | 25 |
| Free Feature Limit | None | 2 question slides | 3 polls/event | Full (7 ppl) | 25 responses |
| Live Polls | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Audience Q&A | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Word Clouds | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Live Quizzes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Trivia Games | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Interactive Bingo | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Wheel of Words | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Custom Branding | ✅ Free | Paid | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| Lead Capture | ✅ Free | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| QR Code Join | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| PowerPoint Embed | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team Mode | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Yes! Run a quick trivia round, poll, or Q&A session during your presentation. Share the presenter view on your projector alongside your slides. Players join via QR code on their phones.
Trivia Anywhere doesn’t offer word clouds (yet). If word clouds are essential, Mentimeter or AhaSlides are your best options. For everything else (quizzes, polls, Q&A, bingo), Trivia Anywhere is free and unlimited.
Trivia Anywhere works on any platform — share your screen and participants play from their phones. Slido has native Webex integration. Poll Everywhere integrates with Teams.
No participant limits. No per-event fees. Live polls, Q&A, trivia, bingo, and more.
Related: vs Mentimeter · vs Slido · vs AhaSlides · Conferences