Mentimeter vs Slido vs XTriv: Which Is Best for Your Event? (2026)

If you are shopping for an audience engagement tool in 2026, three names come up constantly: Mentimeter, Slido, and XTriv. All three let you run live polls, collect audience questions, and display results in real time. But they differ significantly in pricing structure, feature depth, and where they fit best.

This guide breaks down the comparison across the five areas that matter most: pricing, features, ease of use, audience limits, and integrations. By the end, you will know which platform is the strongest match for your specific use case, whether that is a corporate all-hands, a university lecture, or a 3,000-person conference.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	Mentimeter	Slido	XTriv
Live Polls	Yes	Yes	Yes
Q&A with Upvoting	Yes	Yes	Yes
Word Clouds	Yes	Yes	Yes
Quizzes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Free Tier	2 question slides	Up to 100 participants	250 credits/month
Paid Plans Start At	$11.99/mo	Included with Webex	$9/mo
Per-Participant Fees	No (but slide limits)	Yes (tiered caps)	No (credit-based)
PowerPoint Plugin	Yes	Yes	Screen share
Best For	Workshops, training	Cisco/Webex orgs	All-around events

Pricing Comparison

Pricing is where these three platforms diverge most sharply.

Mentimeter uses a per-presenter model. The free tier limits you to two interactive question slides per presentation, which is enough for a quick demo but not a real session. Paid plans start at $11.99/month per presenter and unlock unlimited questions, but advanced features like data export and branding require the $24.99/month tier.

Slido was acquired by Cisco in 2021 and is now bundled with Webex. If your organization already uses Webex, you may have Slido included at no extra cost. Standalone Slido pricing starts around $12.50/month, but participant caps on lower tiers mean you may need a higher plan for larger audiences. The per-event pricing model can also make costs unpredictable for teams running frequent sessions.

XTriv uses a credit-based model where 1 credit equals 1 participant joining 1 session. The free tier includes 250 credits per month, which covers a 50-person meeting with room to spare. The Starter plan at $9/month provides enough credits for regular team meetings, while the Pro plan at $29/month handles larger events and conferences. There are no per-participant surcharges or feature gates: every plan includes polls, Q&A, quizzes, and word clouds.

Bottom line: XTriv offers the lowest entry price and the most predictable cost scaling. Slido can be free if you are already paying for Webex. Mentimeter sits in the middle but gets expensive for teams that need data export or custom branding.

Features

All three platforms cover the core interaction types: live polls, Q&A, word clouds, and quizzes. The differences show up in depth and flexibility.

Mentimeter is presentation-first. You build your interactive slides inside Mentimeter's editor, which means your polls and questions are tightly integrated into the visual flow. This works beautifully for structured workshops and training sessions where every question is planned in advance. It is less flexible for spontaneous interaction or free-form Q&A during a keynote.

Slido excels at moderated Q&A. Its question moderation workflow lets organizers review, approve, and group questions before they appear on screen. This is especially valuable at large conferences where unfiltered audience input could derail the session. Slido also offers good survey and feedback collection tools for post-event follow-up.

XTriv takes a balanced approach. Every interaction type is available in every plan with no feature gating. The platform is designed for speed: presenters can launch a session and have participants engaged in under 30 seconds. XTriv's real-time word clouds and competitive quizzes with leaderboards are standout features, and the moderated Q&A with upvoting surfaces the most relevant questions automatically. For a deeper feature breakdown, visit the features page.

Ease of Use

Setup speed matters. If a tool takes more than a few minutes to configure, presenters default to skipping interaction entirely.

Mentimeter has a learning curve because you need to build your presentation inside their editor. If you are already comfortable with the tool, it is efficient. For first-time users, expect 15-20 minutes to create your first interactive presentation.

Slido is straightforward for basic polls but the admin panel can feel heavy for event organizers managing multiple sessions, rooms, and moderators. The Webex integration simplifies things for Cisco shops.

XTriv is built around a minimal setup flow. Create a session, share the join code, and your audience is in. There is no presentation builder to learn and no complex admin panel to navigate. Participants join on any device by entering a short code, with no app download required.

Audience Limits

This is where pricing and features collide. Running a 20-person team standup is very different from running a 2,000-person keynote.

Mentimeter does not enforce hard participant caps on paid plans, but the free tier is limited to small groups by its two-question-slide restriction.

Slido sets explicit participant caps per plan tier. The free plan allows up to 100 participants per event, which is generous for small meetings but limiting for company-wide events. Higher tiers unlock more participants but at a significantly higher price.

XTriv handles scaling through credits rather than hard caps. A single session can accommodate any number of participants as long as you have credits available. This makes it straightforward to plan costs: if you know your typical audience size and session frequency, you can pick the right plan once and not worry about overages. Compare plans on the pricing page.

Integrations

Mentimeter integrates with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Zoom. The PowerPoint plugin is well-built and lets you embed interactive slides directly into your deck.

Slido has native integrations with Webex, Microsoft Teams, Google Slides, and PowerPoint. The Webex integration is the tightest since Cisco owns both products.

XTriv works via screen share in any video conferencing tool, which means it is platform-agnostic. You can use it in Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or any other conferencing tool without installing a plugin. For details, see our guide on running live polls in Microsoft Teams.

Which Should You Choose?

Here is the decision framework:

• Choose Mentimeter if you run structured workshops where the presentation and interaction are tightly scripted, and you want an all-in-one slide builder. See our full XTriv vs. Mentimeter comparison for more detail.
• Choose Slido if your organization is already in the Cisco/Webex ecosystem and you need enterprise-grade moderation for large events. Read our XTriv vs. Slido breakdown.
• Choose XTriv if you want all interaction types included at every tier, predictable credit-based pricing, and a setup flow that takes seconds rather than minutes. It is the best fit for teams that run a mix of meetings, events, and classroom sessions.

Not sure yet? Try XTriv free and run a test session with your team. The free tier includes 250 credits per month, which is enough to evaluate the platform thoroughly before committing to a paid plan.