The 6 Best Live Q&A Tools for Events
Updated June 9, 2026
The best live Q&A tools in 2026 are Formkii (unlimited audience Q&A with upvoting and no participant cap, free), Slido (the gold standard for moderated event Q&A with deep meeting integrations, free for 100 participants), and Mentimeter (Q&A alongside live polls in one polished tool, free for 50 participants a month). Audience upvoting and moderation controls separate the serious tools from the rest.
| Tool | Free responses | Paid from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formkii | Unlimited | $0 — free | unlimited free responses across forms, surveys, quizzes, polls, and Q&A |
| Slido | 100 participants/event | $12.50/mo (annual) — Engage | Audience Q&A and polls in corporate meetings and events |
| Mentimeter | 50 participants/month | $11.99/mo (annual) — Basic | Live interactive presentations and meeting polls |
| Poll Everywhere | 40 audience max | $10/mo (annual) — Present | Live polling embedded directly in PowerPoint lectures |
| AhaSlides | 50 participants/presentation | $7.95/mo (annual) — Essential | Budget-friendly Mentimeter alternative for interactive presentations |
| Crowdpurr | 20 participants/experience | $24.99/mo (annual) — Classroom | Live trivia nights and event gamification with lead capture |
Live Q&A tools let an audience submit and upvote questions during a talk, so the best ones rise to the top instead of getting lost in chat. We ranked these six on upvoting and moderation, free participant caps, meeting and slide integration, and the honest limits of each free plan.
- Audience question submission and upvoting
- Moderation controls (approve, dismiss, mark answered)
- Free participant cap per session
- Meeting/slide integration for hybrid events
- Honest limitations of each free tier
Formkii is our product and leads on unlimited free Q&A with upvoting, but Slido is the established gold standard for event Q&A and its moderation depth is hard to match — we say so. Mentimeter and AhaSlides bundle Q&A with polling if you want both in one tool.
Formkii
Best for unlimited free Q&A with upvotingThat's usFormkii runs live Q&A with audience upvoting and no participant cap, free, so the best questions surface no matter how big the room. It sits alongside polls, quizzes, surveys, and forms in one account, and the audience joins with no app. It lacks Slido's advanced moderation controls and the native Teams/Zoom/Webex embedding that large corporate events often rely on.
Unlimited responses · Unlimited forms
No payment collection · No native integration marketplace · No enterprise compliance suite
From $0 — free
- Unlimited forms, questions, and responses for free
- Five tools in one: forms, surveys, quizzes, polls, and Q&A
- Conditional logic and one-question-at-a-time mode included free
- No payment collection
- No native integration marketplace or enterprise compliance suite
- Younger product with a smaller template library than incumbents
Best for: unlimited free responses across forms, surveys, quizzes, polls, and Q&A
Slido (Cisco-owned) is the benchmark for live event Q&A, with audience upvoting and deep integrations into Teams, Zoom, Webex, PowerPoint, and Google Slides, plus instant code/QR join. The free plan allows 100 participants but locks Q&A moderation controls and branding behind the $50/mo Professional tier, and billing is annual only.
100 participants/event responses · 3 polls + 1 quiz per event forms
Max 3 polls and 1 quiz per event · No Q&A moderation controls · No custom branding · 1 member account (unlimited co-hosts) · No data exports
From $12.50/mo (annual) — Engage
- Best-in-class live Q&A with upvoting
- Deep integrations: PowerPoint, Google Slides, Teams, Zoom, Webex (Cisco-owned)
- Very fast participant join via code/QR, no app needed
- Q&A moderation and branding locked behind $50/month Professional tier
- Annual billing only — no monthly option
- Free plan limited to 3 polls and 1 quiz per event
Best for: Audience Q&A and polls in corporate meetings and events
Mentimeter pairs live Q&A with its polished polls, word clouds, and quizzes, so you can take questions and run audience votes in one flow. The free plan caps at 50 participants a month with no advanced Q&A moderation and no exports; paid starts at $11.99/mo (annual) for unlimited participants. It's a strong all-in-one for interactive sessions.
50 participants/month responses · Unlimited presentations forms
50 participants/month cap · No import from PowerPoint/Keynote/Google Slides · No export of results (images, PDF, Excel) · Limited design customization, no custom branding · No team collaboration or advanced Q&A moderation
From $11.99/mo (annual) — Basic
- Polished live-presentation polling with word clouds and scales
- Strong slide-style editor with 20+ interactive slide types
- Built-in AI presentation builder (Menti AI)
- Free plan's 50 participants/month cap is restrictive for regular use
- No result export on free plan
- Pricing is high for individuals needing only occasional polls
Best for: Live interactive presentations and meeting polls
Poll Everywhere supports audience Q&A alongside its polls and embeds natively into PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides, with SMS submission — well suited to lecture halls. The free tier caps the audience at 40 (700 for the first 30 days) and includes no reporting. Paid starts at $10/mo (annual) for a 700-person audience and reporting.
40 audience max responses · Unlimited questions forms
40-person audience cap after trial period (boosted to 700 for first 30 days) · No reporting capabilities · No attendance management · No custom branding · Single user only · 10 AI prompts per month
From $10/mo (annual) — Present
- Deep PowerPoint/Keynote/Google Slides embedding of live polls
- Wide question variety incl. clickable images and competitions
- SMS/text-message voting in addition to web
- Free tier has no reporting at all
- Dated UI compared to newer rivals
- Per-user pricing gets expensive for teams (Engage $49/month)
Best for: Live polling embedded directly in PowerPoint lectures
AhaSlides includes audience Q&A within its interactive presentation suite at one of the lowest entry prices ($7.95/mo annual), with a free tier for up to 50 participants per presentation. It's an easy, affordable way to add Q&A to a talk. Design polish and moderation depth trail Slido, and the free plan caps interactive slides per presentation.
50 participants/presentation responses · Unlimited presentations forms
5 quiz + 3 poll slides per presentation cap · No analytics or exports · No folder organization · Fewer customization options than paid tiers
From $7.95/mo (annual) — Essential
- One of the cheapest paid entry points in the category
- Generous free tier: unlimited presentations for up to 50 people
- Wide range of interactive slide types (spinner wheel, brainstorm, quiz)
- Less polished design/brand than Mentimeter or Slido
- Free plan caps interactive slides per presentation
- Smaller integration ecosystem
Best for: Budget-friendly Mentimeter alternative for interactive presentations
Crowdpurr brings audience interaction — including question prompts and lead capture — to live trivia and event experiences, with OBS/live-stream integration for hybrid shows. The free tier caps at 20 participants and 15 questions per experience, too tight for a real event, and paid starts at $24.99/mo (annual). It's an event-engagement platform rather than a dedicated Q&A tool.
20 participants/experience responses · 3 experiences, 15 questions each forms
20-participant and 15-question caps · Crowdpurr branding displayed · 15 minutes/month live streaming · 45 AI question credits · No custom logo or image uploads
From $24.99/mo (annual) — Classroom
- Purpose-built for live trivia events with leaderboards
- Strong event features: lead capture, VIP lists, tournament mode
- OBS/live-stream integration for hybrid events
- Expensive jump from free to paid ($24.99+/month annual)
- Niche trivia/event focus — not a general form or survey tool
- Free tier caps (20 players, 15 questions) too tight for real events
Best for: Live trivia nights and event gamification with lead capture
How to choose a live Q&A tool
If moderation matters — screening questions before they hit the big screen at a high-stakes event — Slido is the safest choice, though its moderation controls require a paid tier. If you want unlimited free participants with upvoting and don't need deep meeting embedding, Formkii covers it at no cost. For sessions that need both Q&A and live polls, Mentimeter or AhaSlides bundle them; just mind the free participant caps.
Assign a moderator who isn't the speaker. The presenter can't read, screen, and answer questions while talking — a second person curating the upvoted queue keeps the Q&A sharp and on time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best live Q&A tool for events?
Slido is widely considered the gold standard for live event Q&A thanks to audience upvoting and deep meeting integrations, while Formkii is the best free option with unlimited participants and upvoting. Mentimeter is best if you want Q&A and live polls combined in one polished tool.
Which Q&A tool is free for large audiences?
Formkii offers unlimited audience Q&A with upvoting and no participant cap on its free plan, making it the best free choice for large events. Slido allows 100 free participants, Mentimeter 50, and Poll Everywhere 40, so larger crowds require paying or using Formkii.
Can audiences upvote questions in these tools?
Yes. Formkii, Slido, Mentimeter, and Poll Everywhere all support audience upvoting so the most popular questions rise to the top. Formkii includes upvoting free with no participant cap, while Slido's advanced moderation controls require a paid tier.
Do attendees need an app to join a live Q&A?
No. Formkii, Slido, Mentimeter, and Poll Everywhere all let attendees join via a code or QR link in their browser with no app or login. This no-app join is standard for modern live Q&A tools and keeps participation friction low.