Mentimeter is a polished, widely used tool for live polls. Quick Poll is a much smaller free tool built for one job: a question on the board and answers from phones in class. This page compares them honestly, so you can choose the one that fits your lesson.
Open Quick Poll · what school networks must allow
At a glance
| Quick Poll | Mentimeter | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free plan with limits; paid plans from $11.99 per presenter per month, billed yearly |
| The teacher | Builds and previews without an account; signs in once with Google to host live | Presents from a Mentimeter account |
| Students | Scan a QR code or type a 5-letter code on any phone browser; no account | Type a code at menti.com; no account |
| Question types | Multiple choice, word cloud, open text and scale | Many slide types: the plans page lists 23 on the Free plan |
| Participants | No cap set by the tool | The Free plan is capped; its comparison table listed 50 participants a month |
| Results | Save as PDF or as a spreadsheet; signed-in teachers can save polls to run again | See Mentimeter’s plans |
| Interface | English or Italian | See Mentimeter’s site |
Mentimeter details come from mentimeter.com/plans and the University of Bath teaching hub, checked on 11 October 2026. Plans change, so check them before you decide.
When Mentimeter is the better choice
- You present to large audiences, at conferences or across a whole school, and want a paid service with support behind it.
- You need many slide types, presentation features or quizzes with more than four question formats.
- Your school already pays for it, or IT has already allowed it.
When Quick Poll fits
- You want a free poll for everyday lessons, without a monthly participant limit.
- Four question types cover what you ask: multiple choice, a word cloud, open answers or a scale.
- You want the results as a PDF or a spreadsheet straight after the lesson.
- You teach in English or Italian and want the screen in the same language as the class.
Know this before you use Quick Poll
- Sign-in for the teacher. Building and previewing are open, but hosting a poll live asks the teacher to sign in once with a Google account. Students never sign in.
- A public relay carries the answers. Answers travel through ntfy.sh, a public relay service, and anyone with the code can join. That is fine for classroom questions and wrong for confidential surveys.
- Keep the tab open. The poll runs from the teacher’s screen; if you close that tab, the poll stops and phones lose the connection.
On a school network
Quick Poll needs www.abcwebsites.online, the ntfy.sh relay, code libraries from cdn.jsdelivr.net, d3js.org and unpkg.com, and Google sign-in for the teacher. The school filter guide lists what every ABC tool needs, so you can ask IT once.
Other live tools on this site
- Live Polling: the plan version, with answers relayed through this site’s own server instead of a public relay. Free to try with a free ABC account.
- Live Word Cloud: class answers grow into a cloud on screen.
- Live Q and A Wall: a wall of short answers to one open question.
- Live Quiz Show: a points-for-speed quiz students join with a code.
Frequently asked questions
Is Quick Poll really free?
Yes. Building, previewing and hosting polls is free, with no participant cap set by the tool. The teacher signs in once with a Google account to host a poll live.
Do students need an account for either tool?
No. With Quick Poll students scan a QR code or type a 5-letter code; with Mentimeter they type a code at menti.com.
Can Quick Poll replace Mentimeter for everything?
No. Quick Poll has four question types and no presentation features. For large events or many slide types, Mentimeter’s paid plans are built for that job.
Can I use Quick Poll for confidential surveys?
No. Answers pass through ntfy.sh, a public relay, and anyone with the code can join. Use it for classroom questions.
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