DirectPoll vs Poll Everywhere (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DirectPoll grades higher than Poll Everywhere: 3.0 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
DirectPoll grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Poll Everywhere
Live audience polling that works inside slide decks
Which one is for you
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
Pick Poll Everywhere if
- Fits if you ask a room of up to 40 questions from inside your slides
- Works for presenters who need 700 people on one poll, on Present
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 40 people in the audience and 10 AI prompts a month
- Pricey if you want to drop the Poll Everywhere logo, as that starts at Teams, $84 a month for 2 seats
- Skip it if you want monthly billing at the low end, as Present is annual only
- Watch out: these are business prices, and the Education tab has its own list that we did not read
How we grade them
| 3.0GPADirectPollVery good | 2.2GPAPoll EverywhereFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ACreating and running polls is free with no account and no ads, so there is nothing to put against the category's $10 middle subscription. | CPresent is $10 a month for one seat, billed yearly, which is the category's middle. Engage is $49 and Teams $84, each for 2 seats, and extra seats cost $120 to $499 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with no account and no ads, up to 500 concurrent voters per poll, a cap few polls will reach. | CIntro is free with unlimited questions, but the audience stops at 40 and AI prompts at 10 a month. |
| Features | CVote and result links, restricted polls, classroom options and Excel export. It does live polling fully, but it is a smaller job: it is not for surveys answered at different times. | CMany question types, slide integrations, AI prompts, reporting and attendance. Archived results and attendance management are on Engage. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating is on record, and you create each poll yourself, though nothing needs installing. | CNo store rating on record. You build questions and link them into your slide software before you present. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with a PowerPoint add-in. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb, with PowerPoint, Google Slides and Canva connections. No desktop or phone app is listed. |
| Best for | free live polls in a presentation or classroom | live polls inside PowerPoint and Slides |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: DirectPoll and Poll Everywhere. How we grade
Where they differ
- Poll Everywhere also covers reports.
At a glance
| DirectPoll | Poll Everywhere | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | Free; Present $10 per month, billed annually ($120) |
| Free plan | Creating and running polls is free with no account and no ads, up to 500 concurrent voters per poll. | Intro plan: all basic features, a 40-person audience, 10 AI prompts a month and unlimited questions. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DirectPoll GmbH | Poll Everywhere |
| Price read from | directpoll.com | polleverywhere.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Poll Everywhere
- The free Intro plan caps the audience at 40.
- Additional seats cost extra: $120, $294 and $499 a year on Present, Engage and Teams.
- These are the Business & non-profit prices; the page has a separate Education tab whose prices were not read.
- Present is sold annually only, and the Teams plan is the first to remove Poll Everywhere branding.
Key features
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.
Poll Everywhere
- Every question type
- All plans list every question and poll type, folders for organizing polls, and worldwide response coverage.
- Slide integrations
- The homepage says live polls embed into PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva and PDFs. PowerPoint integration is listed on every plan.
- AI prompts
- Monthly AI prompts: 10 on Intro, 100 on Present, unlimited from Engage.
- Reporting and attendance
- Reporting starts at Present; attendance management and importing participant groups start at Engage.
- Branding
- Removing the Poll Everywhere logo, custom themes and custom usernames start at Teams.
- Two experiences
- The site offers both the classic Poll Everywhere and a refreshed Poll Everywhere 2.0, each with its own join address.
Plans
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.
Poll Everywhere
Intro$0
Basic polling for up to 40 audience members, 10 AI prompts a month, unlimited questions.
Present$10
per month for 1 seat, billed annually ($120, annual only)
Up to 700 audience members, 100 AI prompts a month, reporting and full email support.
Engage$49
per month for 2 seats, billed annually ($588; $99 billed monthly)
Audience up to 700, unlimited AI prompts, attendance management and access to archived results.
Teams$84
per month for 2 seats, billed annually ($999; $249 billed monthly)
Everything in Engage plus removal of the Poll Everywhere logo, custom branding, custom username and URL, phone support.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom audience size, shared polls, single sign-on (SAML) and a dedicated success manager. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
DirectPoll
No public discounts listed.
Poll Everywhere
- Annual discount
Save up to 50% with annual billing
The plans page says paying annually saves up to 50%, for example $588 a year on Engage against $99 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DirectPoll or Poll Everywhere?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DirectPoll publishes no starting price, and Poll Everywhere starts at Free; Present $10 per month, billed annually ($120).
Which has a free plan, DirectPoll or Poll Everywhere?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both DirectPoll and Poll Everywhere have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.