Almost a quarter (21%) of students in 2023 feel unprepared for their college courses, with one in five students struggling due to “pandemic-related learning loss,” a report by McGraw Hill found.
Thankfully, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The same report found that 78% of students believe they’d study more—and 73% believe they’d study more effectively—if learning materials were more convenient and engaging like social media.
Teaching apps help solve this challenge—chances are you’re already using apps like Mentimeter in your classroom to engage students. But if Mentimeter isn’t meeting the needs of your classroom, rest assured several Mentimeter alternatives feature a variety of learning activities for a range of classroom sizes. Some, like Poll Everywhere, even integrate with your learning management system (LMS), Zoom, or presentation tools to make your job as an instructor easier.
Let’s dive into our list of seven Mentimeter alternatives to see which is best suited for engaging your students.
Top 3 best Mentimeter alternatives compared
7 best Mentimeter alternatives for student engagement
1. Poll Everywhere
An interactive presentation tool, Poll Everywhere engages students with various activities like quizzes, leaderboards, and word clouds. Requiring students to pre-register ensures educators have the information to analyze response data and get a clear view of student comprehension. Did we mention Poll Everywhere works with your LMS, presentation tools, and apps like Zoom, too?
Top features:
- Pinned Q&A allows you to continue presenting your slides while your Q&A Activity stays active.
- Works with multiple LMS platforms, presentation software, and video conferencing tools to pull Poll Everywhere response data directly into your LMS.
- Clickable image quizzes provide a unique, visual way to test learners’ comprehension and recall.
- SOC 2 Type 2 security certification ensures students’ data is kept secure and private.
- Foster open dialogue with anonymous responses that allow students to ask questions or share feedback with no risk involved.
Pricing: Free, paid plans start at $120 per year
Take a closer look: See how Mentimeter compares to Poll Everywhere, feature by feature.
2. AhaSlides
AhaSlides spices up your polls with GIFs and unique activity types ranging from spin the wheel to team-based competitions. Along with offering its own slide editor, you can use AhaSlides with PowerPoint or present in Microsoft Teams, Webex, or Zoom.
Top features:
- Versatile quiz and question activities give instructors control over how they engage their class.
- Team-based quizzes put a spin on competitions and encourage students to collaborate.
- A template library gives users a head-start when creating interactive quizzes.
Pricing: Free, paid plans start at $95.40 per year
3. Slido
Slido started as a Q&A tool but now supports multiple interactive responses. Gather students’ most pressing questions, poll them on how they feel about a chapter, or present feedback in a colorful word cloud. If you’re feeling especially stuck creating an icebreaker or fun poll, use Slido’s Magic Cube question generator.
Top features:
- Built-in analytics help educators gauge student participation by activity type.
- Pexels and Giphy image libraries allow you to enhance poll questions visually.
- Specialty Switcher app makes it easier to flip between Slido and your presentation.
Pricing: Free, contact Slido for education plan costs
Do phones belong in classrooms? Get our take and discover tips for effectively using devices in your classroom in our free ebook.
4. Quizizz
Quizizz turns lectures into friendly competitions with built-in gamification features like competition power-ups that range from earning 1.5x points for answering questions quickly to double jeopardy. The built-in library of teacher-created activities covers curriculum from grades K through 12 and over, and accessibility features ensure all students can engage and participate.
Top features:
- Library of over 30 million pre-created activities helps instructors tailor activities to their curriculum.
- Read Aloud feature promotes accessibility for English language learners and other students.
- Included gamification elements incentivize students to participate and add an element of fun.
Pricing: Free, contact Quizizz for information on plans for schools and districts
5. Kahoot!
Known for its vibrant, energetic design, Kahoot! aims to help students study and learn with gamified class reviews. The app allows students to set study goals for each subject and test their knowledge with pre-built quizzes created by instructors or peers.
Top features:
- AI features make creating quiz questions quick and easy—or provide students with a breakdown and explanation of the correct answer.
- Themed activities add an element of fun and help catch student attention.
- Study-focused features like personal goals help students focus on homework and review.
Pricing: Paid plans start at €11.99
6. Typeform
While it doesn’t include many of the more advanced features of other apps on our list, Typeform still adds an element of professionalism to surveys. Interactive elements and personalization features like colors, fonts, backgrounds, and images are easy to create in Typeform’s drag-and-drop quiz builder.
Top features:
- Photo, video, and quiz template libraries help educators design eye-catching surveys and quizzes.
- Integrations with Slack, Zapier, Google Sheets, and more make it easy to share quizzes and collect data.
- Use multiple choice, ratings, and more to assess students’ comprehension or ask them for feedback.
Pricing: Free, paid plans start at $300 per year
7. Vevox
Vevox helps turn lectures into interactive discussions with polls, Q&As, and quizzes that work with multiple classroom tools. Educators can sift through and download analytics reports to identify areas where more attention is needed or which students might need an intervention.
Top features:
- Customize questions with images to catch students’ attention and make class time more memorable.
- Detailed reports highlight active participation and results so educators can spot students needing extra attention.
- Multiple integrations with Blackboard, Zoom, and more keep students focused on the lecture or presentation while they participate.
Pricing: Free, paid education plans start at $81 per year
Improve engagement with interactive polls and presentations
Ultimately, your choice of Mentimeter alternatives depends on your goals as an educator as well as the needs of your classroom. It’s likely beneficial to assess how well different audience response and engagement tools align with how you conduct class and how your students learn best.
Additionally, consider price, features, ease of use, and available support:
- Gamified activities: Using gamification in education, like Poll Everywhere’s Competitions, can drive student motivation and audience engagement.
- Anonymous responses: Another key consideration—an anonymous response functionality encourages honest feedback and motivates quieter or less confident students to participate.
- Integrations: Apps that work seamlessly with Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and more allow you to create interactive presentations that turn a boring lecture into a participation-driven activity. (PS: Poll Everywhere integrates with LMSs like Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and more.)
- Real-time quizzes and polls: Nothing beats real-time feedback. Instructors can quickly assess the learning needs of students through comprehension checks using live polling features.
- Customizations and templates: Take some of the legwork off your plate with templated icebreakers and quizzes. Customizations ensure even pre-made activities speak to your learning objectives and student preferences.
Discover more reasons why Poll Everywhere is the perfect way to get honest feedback and encourage your students to participate in class.
Best Mentimeter alternatives FAQ
Is there a free alternative to Mentimeter?
Yes, there are a few free alternatives to Mentimeter, but we believe Poll Everywhere is the best option. Here’s why:
- No limit to questions: Poll Everywhere’s free plan doesn’t restrict the types or number of questions or activities you can create.
- Straightforward: While Mentimeter lets you share polls with an audience of 50 each month, Poll Everywhere takes a more straightforward approach by allowing you to gather 40 responses per poll—no matter how many polls you present.
- Integrations with apps that matter: Poll Everywhere works with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote straight off the bat so you don’t have to juggle multiple browser windows while you present during class.
Which is better, Poll Everywhere or Menti?
Poll Everywhere has our vote as the better teaching app thanks to a handful of features built with instructors, students, and today’s unique classroom challenges in mind:
- LMS integrations: Poll Everywhere is one of the few live polling apps that works with your LMS so you can analyze audience interaction data and track progress toward learning objectives in one area.
- ISO and SOC 2 Type 2 security: We take your students’ data privacy seriously, so rest assured it’s safe in our hands—we’re also ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certified and use cloud-based data storage located in the US.
- Registered participants: Ensure all students get credit for participation by requiring them to register before answering your poll.
- In-app reports: Analyze in-depth reports on poll participation, including engagement stats by question, individual question responses, and more that can all be exported as a .CSV file as needed.
- Auto-graded responses: Get a clear view of student comprehension with the automatically graded responses and downloadable grade book reports that you can connect to your LMS.
- Import your student roster: Remove the need for students to self-register by importing your students’ information straight from your LMS to Poll Everywhere.
- Attendance management: Track in-person student attendance and automate attendance.