Comparison
An open-source alternative to Mentimeter
Live word clouds, live results on the projector and a quiz the room plays along with — the audience-interaction formats, in a tool that is free, open source and can run on your own server.
Opening word cloud
One word about the topic. The room's answer assembles on the projector before you have finished explaining the agenda.
Can Jackpoll do live word clouds and quizzes like Mentimeter?
Yes — Jackpoll has live word clouds, live results on the projector and a presenter-led quiz game, the audience-interaction formats people use Mentimeter for. A word cloud question collects words from every phone in the room and arranges them live on a shared screen, sized by how often they were said. A results view can go on the projector while people are still answering, so the audience watches its own opinion take shape.
For quizzes there is a presenter-led live game: questions on the big screen, phones acting as colour-and-shape buzzers, a timer with a speed bonus, a leaderboard between rounds and a top-three podium at the end.
jackpoll.org/s/…12 words inProfanity filter on
Live word cloud
Words arrive from phones and grow on the projector.
Live results
Bar, donut and line views updating as answers land.
Presenter-led quiz
Buzzers, speed bonus, leaderboard and podium.
How is Jackpoll different from Mentimeter?
Jackpoll differs from Mentimeter in shape: it is a survey platform that presents, rather than a tool focused on live presentation. The same questions you put on a projector can be sent out as a normal form afterwards — to the people who missed the session, or as a follow-up a week later — and the answers land in the same results.
That also means the serious survey machinery is there when you need it: conditional logic, fifteen question types, file uploads, exports to CSV, Excel and PDF, signed webhooks, and retention rules that clear responses out on a schedule.
- Live word clouds and pollsalso covered
- Presenter-paced quiz roundsalso covered
- 15 question typessurvey platform only
- Conditional logicsurvey platform only
- CSV, Excel and PDF exportsurvey platform only
- Signed webhookssurvey platform only
- Retention rulessurvey platform only
Jackpoll compared with Mentimeter
| Feature | Jackpoll | Mentimeter |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Open source — the full source is public | Proprietary |
| Self-hosting | Yes, Docker and Docker Swarm ready | Not offered |
| Cost model | Free, no paid tiers | Free tier plus paid subscription plans |
| Participants per session | No limit, no per-participant pricing | Depends on the plan |
| Live word cloud | Built-in question type with presenter view | Core feature |
| Full survey platform | 15 question types, logic, exports, webhooks | Focused on live presentation |
| Where responses are processed | EU-hosted, or your own server | Vendor-hosted |
About this comparison
This table compares structural properties — licence, hosting model, pricing model — because those rarely change. It deliberately avoids specific prices and plan limits, which vendors change without notice. Last reviewed July 2026; check the vendor's current pricing page before deciding.
Does Jackpoll limit participants or charge per event?
No — Jackpoll has no participant limit and no per-event pricing, which is usually the deciding factor for conferences and large lectures. Nothing is metered, so a session with four hundred people costs exactly what a session with four does.
For universities and public bodies the second factor is where the answers live. Jackpoll is EU-hosted, and if that is still not close enough, the whole application is open source and runs on your own infrastructure with Docker.
No cap
participants
EU
hosted, or your server
€0
per event
Frequently asked questions
- Can Jackpoll do live word clouds like Mentimeter?
- Yes. The word cloud is a standard question type with a dedicated presenter view that updates live as submissions arrive, and a profanity filter runs before words reach the shared screen.
- How many people can take part in a live session?
- There is no participant limit and no per-participant pricing. For very large events you can self-host and size the server to match.
- Do participants need an app?
- No. They open a link or scan a QR code — for a live quiz, they join with the PIN shown on the presenter screen.
Keep reading
Related pages on the same topic.
Start building your survey today
Free, open source, and privacy-first. No credit card, no lock-in — create your first survey or quiz in minutes.
New versions land in TestFlight first, ahead of the stores.