Is Mentimeter or Slido better?

Neither is better across the board. Mentimeter is built around interactive presentations with many question types. Slido is strong in Q&A and integrates with common meeting platforms. Free-tier limits work differently, so the size and frequency of your events often decides.

Can we use live polling for our general meeting?

For open votes on procedural questions and opinion checks, often yes. For elections, statutory amendments or other binding decisions, you need a tool that checks eligibility and allows exactly one vote per member, which live polling tools usually do not.

Are live polls anonymous?

Usually participants join with a code and answer without an account, so responses are anonymous by default. Organisers can often require names or logins, which removes that anonymity. Tell participants which setting you use.

Live Polling Tools for Meetings: Mentimeter, Slido & More

Live polling tools let an audience vote from their phones or laptops during a meeting, workshop or event, with the results appearing on screen within seconds. The best-known tools are Mentimeter and Slido, and several alternatives exist. They are excellent for engagement, quick opinion checks and Q&A. They are not built for elections or binding resolutions, because they do not check who is entitled to vote. This page compares the main options, status October 2026, and shows where their limits lie.

Comparison table

Tool	Free tier	Anonymity	Provider	Particular strength
Mentimeter	Yes, limited participants per month (50 according to the provider’s help centre)	Anonymous by default, names optional	Sweden	Interactive presentations, many question types, word clouds
Slido	Yes, limited polls per event and participants per event, according to published plans	Anonymous questions possible, names optional	Part of Cisco	Q&A, integration with meeting platforms
Built-in polls in video platforms	Included in many plans	Varies; hosts may see individual answers	Platform provider	No extra tool, simple yes/no votes

The free tiers of the two dedicated tools are counted differently. Mentimeter counts participants across a month, so a single large event can use up the allowance. Slido counts polls and participants per event, so frequent small meetings fit better. Check the current price pages, as limits change.

Mentimeter

Mentimeter combines slides and interactive questions in one presentation. Participants join with a code on menti.com and can vote in multiple choice polls, rank options, rate statements on scales or contribute to word clouds. Results appear live. By default, participants do not need an account, which keeps responses anonymous unless you ask for names.

Typical fit: workshops, trainings, conferences and team meetings where the poll is part of the presentation.

Slido

Slido began as a Q&A tool and has grown into a polling platform. Participants submit and upvote questions, answer polls and quizzes, and can stay anonymous if the organiser allows it. Slido integrates with common presentation and meeting platforms, which is convenient if you already run your meetings there.

Typical fit: town halls, panel discussions and recurring team meetings with many questions from the audience.

Alternatives

Other live polling tools exist, for example Wooclap and AhaSlides, and open-source audience response systems from the university sector such as Particify. Many video platforms include a simple poll function as well. For a simple show of hands in a video call, that may be enough.

Where live polling reaches its limits

Live polling tools answer the question “What does the room think?” They do not answer “What has the membership decided?” The difference matters:

No eligibility check: anyone with the code can vote, including guests and people who forwarded the code.
No reliable one-person-one-vote: most tools limit repeat votes per device, not per person.
Limited documentation: results are exported as charts or spreadsheets, not as a formal election report.

For binding decisions during a virtual or hybrid general meeting, use election software that checks eligibility. Live polling can still run alongside it for warm-ups, opinion checks and questions.

Good uses for live polling

opening question to start a meeting;
opinion check before a formal motion;
prioritising agenda items or ideas;
anonymous questions to the board;
quick feedback at the end of an event;
open procedural votes, if your rules allow them.

Tips for better live polls

Keep questions short. People read them on a phone while listening.
Offer balanced options, including “undecided” where appropriate. Our guide to writing clear ballot and poll questions has examples.
Show the code for long enough, and repeat it for latecomers.
Decide in advance whether results are shown live or only after the vote closes, as live results can influence later voters.
Export the results if you want to refer to them in the minutes.

For longer questionnaires before or after a meeting, see our survey tools comparison. To find a date for the next meeting, a scheduling poll is the right tool.