AhaSlides vs DirectPoll (2026): which should you pick?

Pick AhaSlides if

• Fits if you train, teach or run meetings and want people answering on their phones
• Works for dropping polls into a PowerPoint or Google Slides deck you already have

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're staying free and running a proper quiz, with 5 quiz questions and 3 poll questions a presentation
• Pricey if you pay monthly, at $23.95 for Essential against $7.95 on the yearly plan
• Skip it if your crowd is over 100 and you're on Essential, because that plan is capped at 100 participants
• Watch out: AI, custom branding and Q&A moderation need Pro at $15.95, and SSO needs Enterprise
• Not for you if you want a refund after trying it live, as the 14-day refund only applies before any live event

Pick DirectPoll if

• Fits if you poll a room live, in a lesson or a talk
• Works for presenters who want a PowerPoint add-in and no sign-up

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want surveys people answer later, as it is for live polling
• Tight if your poll runs long, because polls expire 30 days after the last save
• Watch out: extending or renewing a poll is paid and the Plus page gives no prices
• Watch out: it uses WebSockets, which some school or company networks filter
• Not for you if you need a service guarantee, as it runs best-effort with no SLA

AhaSlides

• The Free plan allows 50 participants and at most 5 quiz questions and 3 poll questions per presentation.
• Essential is capped at 100 participants; AI features, custom branding and Q&A moderation start at Pro.
• SSO and SCIM user management are available only on the Enterprise plan.
• A full refund within 14 days is offered only if the subscription has not been used at a live event.

DirectPoll

• Each poll is capped at 500 concurrent voters and runs best-effort with no service-level agreement.
• It is for live polling, not surveys that people answer at different times.
• Polls expire 30 days after the last save; extending, renewing or supporter status are paid, and the Plus page does not state prices.
• It uses WebSockets, which some school or company networks filter.

AhaSlides

Interactive slide types

Presentations mix content slides with quizzes, polls, word clouds, live Q&A, ranking, pin-on-image questions and a spinner wheel. Every slide type is available on the Free plan.

Join by QR code or link

The presenter works in a web browser and the audience joins on their own devices through a QR code or link, with nothing to download and no account to create.

AI tools

An AI slides generator drafts a presentation from a prompt, a generator turns a PDF or PowerPoint file into quiz questions, and smart grouping clusters audience responses.

PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ins

Add-ins place polls, quizzes and Q&A inside existing PowerPoint or Google Slides decks, and PPT, PPTX and PDF files can be imported into AhaSlides instead.

Video-call integrations

Zoom, Microsoft Teams and RingCentral integrations run activities inside a call. The vendor says all integrations are included on every plan, including Free.

Reports and analytics

After a session, event analytics and participant reports show how people responded, with exports to PDF, JPG and Excel. Analytics and exports start at the Essential plan.

DirectPoll

Vote, Result and Cockpit links

Voters use the Vote link, the big screen shows the Result link, and the presenter steers from the Cockpit link.

Restricted polls

Voters must enter a token, and each token gives one vote per question.

Classroom options

Mark correct answers and hide the vote distribution while voting is open.

PowerPoint add-in

Shows results on slides and moves the poll as the deck advances.

Excel export

Poll results can be exported to Excel.

AhaSlides

• Free$0

  Up to 50 participants, all slide types and unlimited events, limited to 5 quiz questions and 3 poll questions per presentation.

• Essential$7.95

  per month, billed yearly ($95.40); $23.95 billed monthly

  Up to 100 participants, unlimited interactive slides, analytics and exports, and folder management.

• Pro$15.95

  per month, billed yearly ($191.40)

  Up to 2,500 participants, AI features, custom branding, Q&A moderation and priority support.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Up to 100,000 participants, with SSO, SCIM user management, custom features and a dedicated account manager.

DirectPoll

• Free$0

  All question types, live result screen, restricted polls with tokens, Excel export and up to 500 connected voters; polls expire 30 days after the last save.

AhaSlides

• Annual discount

  Save 67% with yearly billing

  The pricing page toggle advertises a 67% saving for yearly billing. Essential is $95.40 a year, or $7.95 a month, against $23.95 a month on monthly billing.

• Other savings

  Team plans save up to 20%

  Buying several yearly licences lowers the bill by up to 20%. The page's example prices 3 Pro Yearly licences at $516.78 instead of $574.20, a 10% saving.

• Education

  Edu plans for teachers and nonprofits

  Separate Edu plans carry special rates for teachers, students and nonprofit organisations. AhaSlides' comparison page lists Edu Small for educators at $35.40 a year.

DirectPoll

No public discounts listed.