The best free alternatives to Mentimeter in 2026 are AhaSlides, Slido, Kahoot, Wayground, Vevox and Beekast. If the free participant limit matters most, Slido and Vevox lead with 100 participants, AhaSlides allows up to 50 live participants at a time, and Mentimeter's own free plan allows 50 participants a month.
Four things are worth checking before you commit to Mentimeter: pricing, support, feature limits and asynchronous quizzes. We cover those first, then compare all six tools:
- Yearly billing: Mentimeter's plans page lists Basic at $11.99 and Pro at $24.99 per presenter a month, billed yearly, excluding tax. Its FAQ says Basic can also be billed monthly. See its plans page.
- Support: the Free plan lists Mentimeter's Help Centre for support, and priority support is a separate item on its plans page. That matters most if something goes wrong just before a session.
- Feature limits: Mentimeter covers polls, word clouds and quiz competitions, but we found no Spinner Wheel or random picker on its features page. Matching your brand sits on its Pro plan.
- No asynchronous quizzes: Mentimeter's quiz slides can't run in Survey mode, so its quizzes run live, while AhaSlides offers self-paced quizzes. You can send polls in Survey mode, but the voting code changes after the presentation has been inactive for 2 days.
We checked each tool's own plan and help pages to build this list. Start with the side-by-side tables, then read the notes on each app.
Mentimeter still has real strengths: polished visuals, strong brand recognition and, on paid plans, unlimited participants, with advance notice above 20,000. If those matter most, it remains a fair choice.
The best free alternative to Mentimeter
We make AhaSlides, so weigh our pick accordingly: for most presenters it is our choice of free Mentimeter alternative, though Slido and Vevox allow more free participants (100 against 50 live at a time). Here's how AhaSlides and Mentimeter compare, feature by feature:
| Features | AhaSlides | Mentimeter |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 50 live participants at a time, unlimited presentations | 50 participants a month Once a month, one session can go over the limit, with 8 hours to finish it. Help Centre support |
| Yearly plans from | See current prices | $11.99 per presenter a month (Basic), billed yearly, excluding tax |
| Spinner Wheel | ✅ | Not listed on Mentimeter’s features page (checked November 2026) |
| Interactive quiz (Pick Answer, Short Answer, Match Pairs, Correct Order) | ✅ | ✅ Select Answer and Type Answer, with a leaderboard |
| Self-paced learning | ✅ | Surveys only Quiz slides can't run in Survey mode |
| Anonymous polls and surveys (Poll, Word Cloud, Open Ended, Rating Scale, Q&A) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customisable effects & audio | ✅ Audio on paid plans | ✕ No custom audio. Quiz Competitions have built-in music |
Checked 5 November 2026. Mentimeter details come from its plans page (prices in US dollars), its features page and its help centre on the free account, quizzes, Survey mode, anonymous voting and audio. AhaSlides details come from our pricing page. “Not listed” means we found no such feature on that page, which is not proof that it does not exist.
Top 6 Mentimeter alternatives free & paid
Slido and Vevox have the highest free limits, at 100 live participants. This table lists the tools by the free limit on a standard account, with Wayground last because we found no published live limit. Kahoot's free teacher limit is unclear, because its own pricing page gives both 10 and 40 (checked 6 November 2026):
| Brands | Free plan | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slido | Free for up to 100 participants | See Slido's pricing page | Live polls for simple meeting needs |
| Vevox | Free for 100 live participants per session | From $143.40/year, billed annually | Live polls and surveys during events |
| AhaSlides | Free for up to 50 live participants at a time, with unlimited presentations | See current prices Monthly and yearly plans | Real-time audience engagement with quizzes and polls |
| Mentimeter | Free for 50 participants a month, plus one session a month that can go over the limit | From $11.99 per presenter a month, billed yearly | Polls and quizzes in meetings and presentations |
| Beekast | Free for 30 participants a month, 3 sessions a month | From €29/month From €21/month, billed yearly | Retrospective meeting activities |
| Kahoot | Free for 10 participants per game (Kahoot! Go) or 15 in 15-minute sessions (Kahoot! 360 Express) | Kahoot! 360 Pro Start: $9 a month, $108 billed annually Personal plans are priced separately | Gamified quizzes for learning |
| Wayground (formerly Quizizz) | No live limit stated on the plan pages we read. The Starter plan stores up to 20 resources | Business: 14-day free trial, then see Wayground for business | Gamified quizzes for homework and assessments |
Limits and prices checked on 5 November 2026 on each vendor's own page: Slido, Vevox, Mentimeter, Beekast, Kahoot! 360, Kahoot! personal plans, Wayground Starter, Wayground for business. Prices can change and may exclude tax, so check before you buy.
1. AhaSlides for live engagement
AhaSlides is an all-in-one engagement platform for teams and classrooms, with features comparable to Mentimeter such as live polls, quizzes, Word Cloud and Q&A. To set up your first poll, see our step-by-step guide.
Key features
- More than 40 slide types, from the classics like Pick Answer (multiple-choice quiz), Word Cloud, Open Ended, Q&A, Poll, Rating Scale and Spinner Wheel, to newer formats like Draw Answer, Radar, Split the Points, Fill in the Blanks and Duck Race
- AI-powered presentation maker from prompts and documents
- Thousands of ready-to-use templates
- Self-paced mode to run quizzes, polls and surveys anytime
- Integrate with Google Slides, PowerPoint, MS Teams and Zoom
- Editable PowerPoint import: bring in a .pptx and edit its text, bullets, tables, shapes, chart data and speaker notes in AhaSlides. Some formatting, such as chart styling and grouped shapes, may not carry over. Mentimeter's help centre says imported slides become static images that can no longer be edited as text in Mentimeter, and that import isn't on its Free plan (checked 5 November 2026)
Limitations
- The free plan covers up to 50 live participants at a time, half of Slido's and Vevox's
- Post-event reporting functionality could be more comprehensive
- Requires internet, like Mentimeter
Word Cloud is a simple way to open a workshop: everyone submits a word or two, and the most common answers grow on screen, so you see where the group stands before you start. You can start from the word cloud to open a workshop template.
Radar suits team health and skills checks. Everyone scores the same 3 to 8 criteria on their phone, and a live spider chart shows the group's strong and weak areas at a glance. You can also compare up to 3 subjects on one chart, such as this quarter against last. See the Radar guide.
Formats Mentimeter doesn’t list, or handles differently
Split the Points gives everyone a pool of points to share across options, so you see priorities instead of single votes. It suits budget and roadmap decisions, and you can start from the how should we spend next quarter’s budget template. Mentimeter has a similar slide, 100 Points, with the total fixed at 100. In AhaSlides you can set any whole number from 10 to 10,000 with points or a custom unit, or fix the total at 100 with percentages.
Here is Split the Points in action, with a team sharing a budget live.
Team members split 100 points across budget options on their phones while the presenter's bar chart updates live with the average split.
Pin on Image asks people to tap a spot on a picture, which works for icebreakers, map questions or labelling a diagram. You can start from the icebreaker with Pin on Image template. Mentimeter has a Pin on Image slide too, with an optional correct area.
Duck Race is a playful random picker: a line of cartoon ducks races across the screen and one wins at random. Use it to choose who goes next, assign a task or hand out a prize, without the setup of a scored quiz. Mentimeter has polls and quiz competitions, but we found no built-in random winner-picker like this.
Draw Answer lets the audience sketch a response on their phone, which then appears live on the big screen. It works well for quick diagramming, labelling or visual brainstorming. For example, ask a workshop group to draw how they picture a process before you reveal the model. We found no drawing question in Mentimeter's list of question types.
One more slide type worth seeing:
Fill in the Blanks has participants type the missing word or words to finish a sentence, graded the instant they submit.
This clip shows notes pinned to the key points on an image, so the audience can tap through and explore each at their own pace.
That range is the practical case for an all-in-one platform: a poll, a quiz and a game can run in one session on one tool. The Free plan includes interactive slides like quizzes and word clouds, with some limits. Paid plans remove those limits and unlock every slide type.
2. Slido for simple polling needs
Slido is a tool like Mentimeter for meetings and training, with live polls and Q&A that give employees a way to take part. Its free Basic plan allows up to 100 participants, more than AhaSlides' free plan, so it's a strong pick for larger free polls.
Key features
- Direct PowerPoint integration
- Audience Q&A, with moderation on the Professional plan
- Basic polls and quizzes
- Multiple choice polls
Limitations
- The free plan allows 3 polls per slido; unlimited polls and quizzes start on the Engage plan
- Question moderation and branding start on the Professional plan
- Slido for PowerPoint doesn't support PowerPoint Online
3. Kahoot for low-stakes quizzes
Kahoot is a game-based quiz platform for learning and training.
Key features
- Game-based learning platform
- Competitive quiz system with leaderboards
- Ready-made content library
- Remote-friendly features
Limitations
- Free plans are small: up to 10 participants per game on Kahoot! Go and 15 participants in 15-minute sessions on Kahoot! 360 Express
- Best known in education, although Kahoot! 360 offers plans for workplaces
4. Wayground (formerly Quizizz) for fun assessments
If you want a simple interface and plenty of ready-made quiz resources, Wayground is worth a look. It's a good alternative to Mentimeter for academic assessments and exam preparation.
Key features
- Student-paced quizzes
- Extensive question bank
- Homework assignments
- Gamification elements
Limitations
- Business plans start with a 14-day free trial
- The free Starter plan stores up to 20 resources
- We found no live participant limit on the plan pages we read
5. Vevox for corporate events
Vevox focuses on meetings and events, with anonymous live polling and Q&A. Its free plan covers up to 100 participants per session, level with Slido, and paid plans start at $143.40 a year, billed annually.
Key features
- Anonymous polling and feedback
- Unlimited basic multiple-choice polling, quizzing and Q&A on the free plan
- Word clouds on the Starter plan
- Integration with PowerPoint and Microsoft Teams
Limitations
- Word clouds, surveys and exports start on the paid Starter plan
- Q&A moderation starts on the Pro plan
- The free plan covers 1 user
6. Beekast for small event polling
Beekast focuses on meetings and workshops, with activities for retrospectives, ideas and decisions. Its free plan allows 30 participants a month across 3 sessions, so it suits small groups and occasional use.
Key features
- Retrospective meeting templates
- Workshop facilitation tools
- Decision-making activities
- Ideation and brainstorming features
Limitations
- Free sessions are limited to 5 activities each, from 9 activity types
- Unlimited monthly participants start on the paid Plus plan
- The paid Plus plan allows up to 50 participants per session
Our pick for most presenters is AhaSlides, and yes, we're biased. If all you need is the highest free participant count for polls, Slido and Vevox allow more.
AhaSlides takes the heavy lifting out of engagement, making it easier to get people participating and understand what they really think.
AhaSlides covers live polls, quizzes, Q&A and feedback in one place, so you don't need a separate tool for each, and AI can draft slides for you to edit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AhaSlides and Mentimeter?
Mentimeter's quiz slides can't run in Survey mode, so its quizzes are live, while AhaSlides also offers self-paced quizzes. On free plans, AhaSlides allows up to 50 live participants at a time and Mentimeter allows 50 participants a month.
How many participants does Mentimeter's free plan allow?
50 participants a month. Once a month, one session can go over that limit, and you have 8 hours to finish it. After that you wait for the monthly reset or upgrade.
Is there a free alternative to Mentimeter?
Yes. AhaSlides, Slido, Kahoot, Wayground, Vevox and Beekast all have free plans, with different limits. The tables above compare them.
Which Mentimeter alternative is best for education?
Kahoot and Wayground are the two education-first tools in this list, built around classroom quizzes and assessments. AhaSlides also suits classrooms and training, with live and self-paced quizzes in one tool.
Which Mentimeter alternative suits small businesses?
Start with a free plan: Slido and Vevox allow 100 participants, and AhaSlides allows up to 50 live participants at a time. For larger audiences, see the paid plans and their limits on our pricing page.
Our verdict
For presenters who want self-paced quizzes, AhaSlides is a direct Mentimeter alternative. If you need the largest free audience, start with Slido or Vevox. If you already pay for Mentimeter and it covers your use case, stay; if you are choosing for the first time, try AhaSlides on the free plan first.
More alternatives guides
These guides compare other audience engagement tools:
