Overview

PollsLive is a browser-based platform for live polls, quizzes and Q&A, with responses delivered to presenters in real time. It suits educators, event producers and team leads who want participants to join without an app or account. Its combination of asynchronous sharing and developer connections is useful, but the free plan’s three-person live cap is too low for most real sessions.

Key features

Participants can join through a link, QR code or six-digit PIN, without installing software or creating accounts. That keeps the audience entry point lightweight for classrooms, meetings and events. PollsLive supports multiple choice, quizzes, scales, rankings, Planning Poker, open-ended questions, Q&A and content slides; word clouds and moderation tools are also supported.

Polls can run live or asynchronously, and the same poll can be shared for responses over time. Published polls can be embedded in a site using an iframe or JavaScript widget, or shared through services such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and Microsoft Teams. For presenters, PollsLive works alongside PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and Google Meet.

Developer teams get a REST API, OAuth 2.0, signed webhooks, Slack incoming webhooks and Zapier workflows through Webhooks by Zapier. A native Zapier app is on the roadmap, so teams should not treat that integration as an existing capability. The API and embeds make PollsLive more adaptable than a meeting-only polling tool, though its enterprise identity and provisioning options are not ready: LTI production credentials are not configured, while SAML SSO, SCIM and custom domains are still in build.

The application, database and cache run on EU infrastructure, and traffic is encrypted in transit with TLS and HSTS. Voters need no account, names are off by default, and deduplication uses a salted one-way hash rather than retaining IP addresses in vote records. Whop handles billing as merchant of record; PollsLive says it neither sees nor stores card numbers.

Pricing

The Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free, requires no card and includes three published polls, 500 responses per poll, three live participants, three live sessions per month and one presenter. That is enough to try formats or collect asynchronous input, but the participant cap makes it unsuitable for a typical live class or team meeting. Despite a pricing note mentioning a 7-day trial, the plan details say there is no free trial.

Pro costs 5.00 USD per month, billed monthly, and raises the live audience limit to 100 while retaining one presenter licence. It is the practical step up for smaller sessions. Premium costs 15.00 USD per month, billed monthly, and allows 500 live participants and two concurrent rooms; choose it when a larger audience or simultaneous sessions justify the extra spend.

Event Pass Standard costs 29.00 USD per month and supports up to 1,000 live participants; Event Pass Large costs 79.00 USD per month and supports up to 1,500. Both remain active for seven days after activation and must be used within six months of purchase, making them a better fit for occasional events than recurring meetings. A separate Event Pass is priced at 49991500.00 USD per once for one event and up to five decks; it covers 1,000 attendees on Standard or 1,500 on Large, with two rooms at once on Large, and must also be used within six months.

Enterprise has custom pricing and includes unlimited presenters, a workspace audit log, and dedicated infrastructure and SLA by agreement. Its support includes a real person who knows the account; Free instead includes community support. The one-presenter licence on Pro and the two-room Premium ceiling matter for teams that share presenter duties or run parallel sessions.

Platforms

PollsLive is available on web and through an API. Audience members use a browser, with no app download required. Slide integration is supported, and the platform can be used alongside major presentation and meeting tools rather than requiring a separate audience app.

Who it's for

Educators can use it for classroom activities such as exit tickets; event producers can use it for icebreakers; and team leads can collect input in weekly retrospectives. The best fit is a group that values varied question formats, low-friction audience access and the option to embed or connect poll workflows. Teams requiring configured SAML, SCIM, custom domains or production LTI should look elsewhere until those integrations are ready.

Pros and cons

Pros: Broad question formats, including Planning Poker and content slides, support more than basic multiple-choice polling.
Pros: Browser access by link, QR code or PIN avoids audience downloads and account creation.
Pros: API, OAuth, signed webhooks, Slack webhooks and Zapier workflows give builders several integration paths.
Cons: The free plan allows only three live participants, so it is a trial ground rather than a useful free tier for most live audiences.
Cons: Pro has one presenter licence, while Premium permits only two concurrent rooms; larger or multi-presenter teams may need Enterprise.
Cons: SAML SSO, SCIM, custom domains and production LTI credentials are not ready, limiting its fit for organizations with established identity or learning-platform requirements.

Alternatives

For a different mix of pricing, audience limits and platform coverage, compare Polling Software and Audience Response Systems.

Pigeonhole Live is worth considering if a free plan with 100 participants and unlimited Q&As, polls, chats and surveys is a better match than PollsLive’s three-person free live cap.
Votinova may suit teams wanting Android and iOS apps as well as web and API access; its free plan allows 50 participants per session and one simultaneous session.
Opinion Stage is a better fit for a small free response allowance paired with two users: its free plan permits 25 responses per month and unlimited items and questions.
Polly is an option for teams that prioritize unlimited responses on a free plan, with results history limited to 45 days.
QuestionPro offers a free plan with 200 responses per survey, one user and 30 question types for survey-focused use.
Crowdpurr has a free plan for up to 20 participants, 15 questions and three simultaneous experiences, which may fit smaller audience activities.
Poll Everywhere is the alternative to consider if native coverage across mobile, desktop and web platforms matters; its free plan has a 40-person audience limit.
AhaSlides offers up to 50 participants on its free plan, with five quiz questions and three poll questions per presentation.

Verdict

PollsLive is a strong choice for educators, event producers and team leads who need more than simple live voting, especially when browser-based access, asynchronous polls, embeds or API connections matter. Pro is the sensible entry point for a live audience up to 100; Premium and the event passes cover larger or occasional sessions. Look elsewhere if you need a useful free live tier, or if your organization depends on SAML, SCIM, custom domains or production LTI now.

	HotSeat.im	PollsLive
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	$5/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web	api, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Live polling	Yes	—
Live Q&A	Yes	—
Quiz mode	Yes	Yes
Paid from	—	$5/mo
Audience limit	—	100 participants
Anonymous responses	—	Yes

HotSeat.im vs PollsLive

HotSeat.im

PollsLive