DirectPoll vs Slido (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DirectPoll grades higher than Slido: 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.
Slido
Live polls, Q&A and quizzes for meetings and events
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 Slido if
- Fits if you run town halls or meetings and want anonymous audience questions
- Works for events that can use a one-off plan for up to 7 days
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 100 participants and 3 polls per slido
- Pricey if you want question moderation or branding, as those start at Professional, $600 a year for 2 users
- Skip it if you want monthly billing, as there is none: it is a one-off event plan or an annual one
- Watch out: annual plans do not renew on their own, and one-off plan prices were not read
How we grade them
| 3.0GPADirectPollVery good | 2.2GPASlidoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CEngage is $150 a year, $12.50 a month, for one user and 200 participants. Professional is $600 a year for 2 users and Enterprise $1,800 for 3. Prices exclude VAT. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with no account and no ads, up to 500 concurrent voters per poll, a cap few polls will reach. | CBasic is free with 100 participants and 3 polls per slido. You will reach the poll cap in an ordinary meeting. |
| 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. | CPolls, quizzes, Q&A, word clouds, surveys and AI. Moderation, branding and advanced privacy start at Professional. |
| 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 polls and link them to your slides or meeting tool. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with a PowerPoint add-in. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb, with PowerPoint, Google Slides, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | free live polls in a presentation or classroom | live polls and Q&A in meetings |
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 Slido. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| DirectPoll | Slido | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | Free; Engage $12.50 per month, billed $150 annually |
| Free plan | Creating and running polls is free with no account and no ads, up to 500 concurrent voters per poll. | Basic: up to 100 participants, basic audience Q&A and 3 polls per slido. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DirectPoll GmbH | Cisco Systems, Inc. |
| Price read from | directpoll.com | slido.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.
Slido
- The page says it takes no monthly payments: you buy a one-time plan for an event of up to 7 days, or an annual plan.
- Annual plans do not renew automatically; the vendor emails a reminder 30 days before they expire.
- Participant caps differ by plan: 100 on Basic, 200 on Engage, 1,000 on Professional, 5,000 on Enterprise.
- Prices shown exclude VAT, and one-time plan prices were not read.
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.
Slido
- Live polls and quizzes
- Poll an audience in real time or run quizzes. Basic allows 3 polls per slido; Engage and up are unlimited.
- Audience Q&A
- Participants ask questions from their own devices and vote on them. Moderation of questions starts at Professional.
- Word clouds, ideas and surveys
- Also lists word clouds and idea collection; surveys are in Engage and above.
- Slide and meeting integrations
- The site lists integrations with PowerPoint, Google Slides, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex.
- Slido AI
- Suggests polls and refines their wording, according to the product menu.
- Analytics
- Data exports start at Engage; organization-wide analytics start at Professional.
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.
Slido
Basic$0
Up to 100 participants, basic audience Q&A and 3 polls per slido.
Engage$12.50
per month for 1 user, billed $150 annually
Up to 200 participants, unlimited polls and quizzes, surveys and data exports.
Professional$50
per month for 2 users, billed $600 annually
Up to 1,000 participants, moderation of questions, branding, advanced privacy options and organization analytics.
Enterprise$150
per month for 3 users, billed $1,800 annually
Up to 5,000 participants, SSO for members and participants, member provisioning and spaces.
Ways to pay less
DirectPoll
No public discounts listed.
Slido
- Education
Discounted education plans
Slido lists discounted plans for schools and universities, starting at up to 500 students, for people with an academic email address.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discount
The pricing FAQ says nonprofit organizations can apply for a discount, with eligibility criteria on its site.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DirectPoll or Slido?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DirectPoll publishes no starting price, and Slido starts at Free; Engage $12.50 per month, billed $150 annually.
Which has a free plan, DirectPoll or Slido?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both DirectPoll and Slido 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.