Simply Voting vs StrawPoll (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, StrawPoll grades higher than Simply Voting: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
StrawPoll 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.
Simply Voting
Online election and ballot voting for member organizations
StrawPoll
Free online poll maker with a meeting scheduler
Which one is for you
Pick Simply Voting if
- Fits if you run a union, condo board or association election
- Makes sense if members vote once a year and you want it verifiable
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want surveys or forms, as it only does formal elections
- Pricey if your electorate is large, since cost grows per voter past 250
- Watch out: telephone voting, online nominations, weighted votes and segmentation cost extra
- Watch out: managed elections have no published price, and payment is by card before voting
Pick StrawPoll if
- Fits if you want a poll people vote on from a link, cheaply
- Works for class, club or office votes that don't need an account
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if voters mustn't see ads, because free polls show them
- Tight if you stay free: 10 ad-free votes, 50 email invites and 1,000 embed views a month
- Watch out: StrawPoll branding is only removed on Pro and Business
- Watch out: a banner says a new StrawPoll is coming soon, so the product may change
How we grade them
| 1.8GPASimply VotingWeak | 2.6GPAStrawPollGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$200 per election for up to 250 voters, rising per voter after that. That's priced per election rather than monthly, so we've set it in the middle. | A$4 a month billed yearly, under 60% of the forms category's cheapest quarter ($7.42). Pro is $14 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | DOnly elections with 10 eligible voters or fewer are free, which is a test run, not a plan anyone can live on. | BUnlimited polls and votes free, with ads, and 1,000 embed views a month. One person can live on it, though only 10 votes a month are ad-free. |
| Features | CElection manager, voter authentication, anonymous verifiable ballots, several languages and phone or paper options. It does that one job fully, a smaller job than a survey tool. | CPolls with close dates, permissions, email invites, embeds and a poll API. It does polls fully, but polls only, a smaller job than a form builder. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up each election yourself, or pay for a managed one. | CNo store rating on record. You still build each poll yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on the listing, with no integrations named. | CWeb only on the listing, with an API and webhooks but no integrations named. |
| Best for | formal online elections for associations and boards | quick polls with a share link |
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: Simply Voting and StrawPoll. How we grade
Where they differ
- Simply Voting also covers reports.
- StrawPoll also covers surveys.
At a glance
| Simply Voting | StrawPoll | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $200 per election for up to 250 voters | $4 per month, billed annually ($48 a year) |
| Free plan | None | Free: unlimited polls and votes with ads, 10 ad-free votes a month, 50 email invites and 1,000 embed views a month. |
| Free trial | Elections with 10 eligible voters or fewer are free. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Simply Voting Inc. | StrawPoll |
| Price read from | simplyvoting.com | strawpoll.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Simply Voting
- Cost is per election and grows with the number of eligible voters.
- Telephone voting, online nominations, weighted votes and voter segmentation are premium features with extra costs.
- Managed elections have no published price, and payment is by card before voting begins unless invoice billing is arranged.
- It is built for formal elections, not for general surveys or forms.
StrawPoll
- Free polls show ads to participants, and only 10 votes a month are ad-free.
- Paid plans are also sold as one-time purchases for a chosen number of months at $8 (Basic), $28 (Pro) or $52 (Business) per month.
- StrawPoll branding is removed only on Pro and Business.
- A banner on the pricing page says a new StrawPoll is coming soon.
Key features
Simply Voting
- Election Manager
- Administrators define dates, ballot questions and the voter list, then watch results come in and download reports.
- Voter authentication
- Passwords are generated per voter and sent by email or post, or the system can plug into an existing sign-in.
- Ballot types
- Supports multiple choice, write-in and preferential questions, with photos and descriptions on candidates.
- Anonymous, verifiable votes
- Votes are encrypted and anonymous, and each voter gets a receipt code that can be checked against the published results.
- Multiple languages
- The voting interface can be enabled in up to 18 languages and is audited against WCAG 2.1 and Section 508.
- Phone and paper options
- Telephone voting, postal mailings and mail-in paper ballots are available as add-ons or through managed elections.
StrawPoll
- Unlimited polls and votes
- The free plan has no cap on polls or participants; participants see ads, and 1,000 participants is the limit for unlimited votes per user.
- Poll controls
- Close dates, custom limits per option, email notifications, a permissions system and webhooks are on the free plan.
- Email invites and embeds
- Monthly quotas for email invitations and embedded poll views rise from 50 and 1,000 on Free to 50,000 and 100,000 on Business.
- Branding options
- Pro removes StrawPoll branding and adds custom themes; Business adds a custom header logo and custom CSS.
- Meeting scheduler and Poll API
- The site links a meeting scheduler for finding a time and a Poll API for creating polls from code.
Plans
Simply Voting
Self Administered Elections$200
per election for up to 250 voters
Price rises with voters: the page's calculator adds $0.40 per voter from 251 to 2,000, then $0.15 and $0.11.
Managed ElectionsCustom
Full-service voting with a project manager; quote only.
StrawPoll
Free$0
Unlimited polls and votes with ads, 10 ad-free votes a month, close dates, permissions and webhooks.
Basic$4
per month, billed annually ($48 a year)
No ads for you, 500 ad-free votes and 500 email invites a month, custom poll links. Page shows $96 crossed out.
Pro$14
per month, billed annually ($168 a year)
5,000 ad-free votes a month, 3 shared seats, no StrawPoll branding, themes, CAPTCHA. Page shows $336 crossed out.
Business$26
per month, billed annually ($312 a year)
50,000 ad-free votes a month, 10 seats, custom logo and CSS. Page shows $624 crossed out.
Ways to pay less
Simply Voting
- Other savings
15% or more off with an annual plan
Simply Voting's pricing page says organizations can save 15% or more on multiple elections by buying an annual plan; a quote is needed.
StrawPoll
- Other savings
One-time purchase instead of a subscription
The pricing page offers one-time payments for a chosen number of months: $8, $28 or $52 a month for Basic, Pro or Business.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Simply Voting or StrawPoll?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Simply Voting starts at $200 per election for up to 250 voters, and StrawPoll starts at $4 per month, billed annually ($48 a year).
Which has a free plan, Simply Voting or StrawPoll?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only StrawPoll has a free plan. Simply Voting does not, though it has a free trial.
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.