Short answer. Use a standalone tool such as Slido or Mentimeter when one presenter wants polls and Q&A inside slides and there is no event app. Use polls inside the event app when the audience already has it, because there is no second login, results appear on the venue screen and answers can earn points in the same leaderboard.
Disclosure. Sociana publishes this page and sells an event app, so we have an interest in approach two. We say where the other approach wins, use no statistic without a dated source, and last reviewed it on 19 Oct 2026.
What each approach is
Standalone polling tool
A dedicated audience-interaction service. Presenters create polls, quizzes and Q&A, share a code or link, and show results in slides. Pricing is typically per presenter or per audience size.
Polls inside the event app
Polls and quizzes built into the event app and the admin panel, triggered from the stage and shown on the venue screen. Answers are tied to groups, attendance and points.
Decision table: cost, effort, data, risk and scale
| Dimension | Standalone polling tool | Polls inside the event app |
|---|---|---|
| Cost. Cost as audience grows from 100 to 2,000 | Per-presenter or audience-size ladders; published examples run from free tiers to monthly plans that rise with participants | Included in the event app scope; extra audience adds little cost |
| Effort. Effort to set up and run | Minutes per session; each presenter manages their own | One admin set-up; managers trigger questions across sessions |
| Data. Data you keep | Per-poll exports under the tool’s account | Poll results linked to members, groups and the leaderboard |
| Risk. Risk | Joining codes, login friction, scattered accounts, data silos | Needs the app installed or a QR web page; less presenter-tool polish |
| Scale. Scale | Fine for one room; separate subscriptions per presenter | One system across all sessions and days |
When a standalone polling tool wins
- A single talk or webinar.
- Presenters live in PowerPoint and want embeds.
- You have no event app.
When polls inside the event app win
- Many sessions across days with different presenters.
- Results must appear on LED screens with event branding.
- Answers should earn points or be scoped to groups.
- You want one set of event data.
How Sociana fits
Sociana’s live polls collect answers in the app and on a no-login web page opened by QR code, update live on venue screens, and can be scoped by group. Quizzes run as a tile with visibility switched on from the stage. We have no PowerPoint or Teams add-in, so presenter-led slide polling is better served by a standalone tool.
Features involved: Live polls & voting, Venue screens & LED outputs, Quizzes & live trivia, Public web flows (checkout, polls, leaderboards, post links).
Worked example: Lakshya 26
At Lakshya 26, Zydus Wellness’s annual conference, managers wrote quiz questions in advance with Visible switched off and released them from the stage; polls, a message wall and a leaderboard ran in the same app, with Room No. shown on the home screen once allotted. The case lesson: prepare quizzes hidden, then release; a lock on a tile is a scheduling decision, not an error.
Read the case study: Lakshya 26.
What to keep when you switch
Keep Slido or Mentimeter for external webinars and speakers who need slide integration. Use app polls for the physical day.
FAQ
Do I need Slido if I have an event app?
Only if presenters need slide-embedded polls. Otherwise app polls cover most needs.
Can people vote without installing the app?
In Sociana, yes, through a no-login web page opened by QR code.
What about anonymous polling?
Check each tool’s settings; decide before the event whether answers are tied to identities.
What does a polling tool cost?
Published examples: Mentimeter free for 50 participants a month, Poll Everywhere Present $120 a year for 700, Kahoot! from $19 a month. See our guide to live polling apps.
Keep reading
- Buyer guide: /best/live-polling-apps-for-events/
- Buyer guide: /best/employee-engagement-event-apps/
- Case study: Lakshya 26
- How Sociana is priced: pricing
Sources and disclosure
- Polling tool prices: mentimeter.com, polleverywhere.com, kahoot360.com (checked 19 Oct 2026)
- Case study: Lakshya 26
- Method and structure: Sociana’s own comparison, reviewed 19 Oct 2026
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