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POLYAS

polyas.com

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Spec score 8.7 #3 of 31 in Online Voting Software

What it is

POLYAS provides online and live voting for elections, meetings, and organizational decisions. Its Online Voting Manager lets organizers create ballots, manage an electoral roll, schedule an election, and monitor turnout in real time. A free test election supports up to five test voters. Live Voting supports meeting votes and elections with remote participation, and results appear after voting closes. Self-service options include custom logos, voter groups, ballot weighting, email reminders, and iFrame embedding for Live Voting or CORE 3 voting. POLYAS says voting data is stored and processed within the European Union; its architecture separates identifying information from electronic ballots and anonymizes vote counting. The company says CORE 2.5.0 meets Common Criteria protection profile requirements. Its free Standard online voting plan covers up to 50 voters with CORE 3 Base, but excludes features and service. Listed paid plans have a €50 base price, with voter-count pricing applying. POLYAS is headquartered in Kassel, Germany, and was created as a corporate spin-off in 2012.

Spec sheet

What it does
POLYAS provides online and live voting software for organizational elections, ballots and meetings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Product
POLYAS provides online and live voting for elections, meetings, and organizational decision-making.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Security
POLYAS says all voting data is stored and processed within the European Union and that CORE 2.5.0 meets the Common Criteria protection profile requirements.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Support
Self-service customers can use the Help Center, free video recordings, and email support; large or complex projects can use a personal Election Manager.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Headquarters
LinkedIn lists the headquarters at Marie-Calm-Straße 1-5, Kassel, Germany.Read 15 Oct 2026 · de.linkedin.com
Founded
2012Read 28 Sep 2026 · polyas.com
Automatic counting
POLYAS automatically counts votes and provides election results after voting ends.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Ballot creation
Administrators can create candidate, list and other ballot types online and configure vote rules.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Ballot secrecy
POLYAS separates voter eligibility data from the ballot box and anonymizes the voter before vote submission.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Company founding
The company was spun out from Micromata and POLYAS GmbH was created in 2012.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Company history
POLYAS says its first online election took place in Finland in 1996 and that POLYAS GmbH was created as a corporate spin-off in 2012.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Company size
LinkedIn lists POLYAS Software für Online-Wahlen as having 11–50 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · de.linkedin.com
Customization
Listed self-service features include custom logos, voter groups, ballot weighting, email reminders, and iFrame integration.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Data residency
POLYAS says voting data is stored and processed within the European Union.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Documentation
The Help Center contains guides for setup, features, authentication, communication, customization, design, rights management and results.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Election privacy
POLYAS describes its voting architecture as separating personal identifying information from electronic ballots and anonymizing vote counting.Read 5 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Election scheduling
Organizers set the voting period and send personalized invitations when the election starts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Electoral roll
Eligible voters can be entered manually or uploaded from an Excel spreadsheet.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
External authentication
Independent documentation reports support for LDAP and single sign-on authentication integrations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · en.wikipedia.org
iFrame integration
Live Voting and CORE 3 elections can be embedded in another website or event portal with a domain restriction.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Integration
The iFrame feature can embed Live Voting or CORE 3 online voting in a website, event portal, or other system.Read 5 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
ISO certification
POLYAS GmbH holds ISO/IEC 27001:2017 certification for development, operation and support of online-election platforms, valid through 11 October 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Limit: hosted infrastructure
Critics cited by Wikipedia object that elections run on company-managed servers instead of infrastructure controlled by organizers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · en.wikipedia.org
Limit: maintenance access
During monthly Online Voting Manager maintenance, administrators cannot log in, edit projects or view or download results, although voting remains available.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Limit: pricing transparency
Independent reviewers characterize POLYAS pricing as opaque, relatively expensive and prone to higher totals when add-on features are included.Read 15 Oct 2026 · blog.nemovote.com
Limit: proprietary software
POLYAS is proprietary rather than open source, and critics say unavailable source code limits independent auditing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · en.wikipedia.org
Limit: sealed elections
After an election is sealed and paid, its configuration cannot be changed.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Limit: setup time
The same comparison says configuration can require sales contact and take days rather than minutes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nemovote.com
Limit: usability
An independent comparison rates POLYAS user-friendliness 1.0/5 and describes the interface as difficult for new users.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nemovote.com
Live Voting
The Live Voting Cockpit lets meeting operators edit ballots, present questions and publish results during an event.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Mobile access
The voting system supports current Chrome on Android and iOS and Mobile Safari on iOS, as well as listed desktop browsers.Read 5 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Notable news
Wikipedia records that Germany’s SPD used POLYAS for a membership vote on its federal coalition agreement in 2025.Read 15 Oct 2026 · en.wikipedia.org
Online election setup
Its Online Voting Manager supports creating ballots, managing an electoral roll, scheduling an election, and viewing turnout in real time.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Partner integrations
Named partners include Telekom Open Telekom Cloud, VR-NetWorld, Austrian Post, ECKD KIGST and STERNBERG.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Praise: secure elections
OMR describes POLYAS as secure, easy to manage and capable of legally binding results with global voter access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · omr.com
Praise: security
Independent comparison coverage gives POLYAS its strongest score for security and highlights BSI, ISO 27001 and GDPR credentials.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nemovote.com
Pricing limit
The online voting price calculator excludes features and service, and projects with more than 20,000 people should contact POLYAS service.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Product history
The first POLYAS online election took place in Finland in 1996 with about 30,000 voters in three languages.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Rating on NemoVote comparison
2.9 out of 5 from an independent 2026 comparison rating.Read 15 Oct 2026 · nemovote.com
Rating on OMR Reviews
4.8 out of 5 from 2 reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · omr.com
Security certification
POLYAS states that CORE 2.5.0 meets the Common Criteria protection-profile requirements.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
System requirements
POLYAS recommends current Safari, Edge, Firefox or Chrome browsers and says Internet Explorer is unsupported.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Test election
Users can run a free test election with up to five test voters before the actual election.Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Testing
A free test election can be run with up to nine test voters before sealing the paid election.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Turnout monitoring
The product shows voter turnout while an election is running.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Verifiability
CORE 3 uses cryptographic mixing, encryption and zero-knowledge proofs to support verification of the voting process.Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Voter authentication
Voters normally authenticate with an election-specific ID and password, with optional additional methods such as two-factor authentication.Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com

Plans and prices

Standard (Online Voting) Free free for up to 50 voters · CORE 3 Base · features and service not included Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Standard (Online Voting) Free up to 50 voters · candidate and standard voting Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Certified (Online Voting) $50, paid once Base price; voter-count pricing applies CORE 2.5 certified system · elections over 20,000 people require contacting service Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Live Voting $50, paid once Base price; price depends on number of voters; net prices plus applicable statutory sales tax Ballot paper count and election duration do not affect price · projects over 20,000 people require contacting service Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Verifiable (Online Voting) $50, paid once Base price; voter-count pricing applies CORE 3 Verifiable · individually and universally verifiable · elections over 20,000 people require contacting service Read 5 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Certified (Online Voting) Priced on request for elections requiring certification · CORE certified system Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com
Live Voting Priced on request meeting and event voting · price calculated through project pricing Read 15 Oct 2026 · polyas.com
Verifiable (Online Voting) Priced on request for security-critical elections · individually verifiable system Read 15 Oct 2026 · support.polyas.com

Every POLYAS plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free online voting plan covers up to 50 voters.
  • Test election allows up to five test voters.
  • Turnout can be monitored in real time.
  • Supports remote participation in Live Voting.
  • Voting data is stored and processed within the EU.

Limits

  • Free plan excludes features and service.
  • Paid plans have voter-count pricing in addition to the base price.
  • Projects over 20,000 people require contacting service.

Who it suits

POLYAS suits organizations that need online or meeting-based voting, including remote participation. Self-service customers can use its Help Center, video recordings, and email support; large or complex projects can use a personal Election Manager.

POLYAS in depth

Read the full write-up

POLYAS is a platform for online elections and live votes in meetings, built for organizations that need a managed voting process rather than a simple poll. Its strongest case is configurable election setup paired with privacy-focused voting architecture; the trade-off is voter-count pricing and features or service outside the base price.

Overview

The Online Voting Manager brings ballot creation, electoral-roll management, scheduling and live turnout monitoring into one workflow. A free rehearsal with up to five test voters gives organizers a chance to check the setup before launch. Live Voting extends the product to meetings and elections with remote participation, showing results once voting closes. That combination suits formal decisions across online and live settings, but does not make POLYAS the obvious pick for occasional, very small votes.

POLYAS supports anonymous ballots, audit trails, two-factor authentication and PDF result exports. Its described architecture separates personal identifiers from ballots and anonymizes vote counting. The company says voting data is stored and processed in the European Union, and that CORE 2.5.0 meets Common Criteria protection-profile requirements—useful assurances for organizations weighing privacy and security controls.

Key features

Self-service customization covers logos, voter groups, ballot weighting and email reminders. These options help adapt the election to an organization's identity and voting rules without requiring a custom build. iFrame integration can place Live Voting or CORE 3 online voting inside a website, event portal or other system, which is useful when voters should stay within an existing event or member experience.

The mobile system supports current Chrome on Android and iOS and Mobile Safari on iOS, alongside listed desktop browsers. That gives participants a browser-based route from common phones without a separate app requirement in the stated platform set. Self-service customers can turn to the Help Center, free video recordings and email support; large or complex projects can use a personal Election Manager, a more suitable path when an election needs dedicated coordination.

Pricing

POLYAS uses a freemium model, with a free plan and paid plans from €50. The Standard (Online Voting) plan is free for up to 50 voters and includes CORE 3 Base. Features and service are not included, so this is a narrow entry point for smaller elections rather than a complete package for every requirement.

Verifiable (Online Voting) is $50, paid once at the billed Base price, with voter-count pricing applying. It adds CORE 3 Verifiable, described as individually and universally verifiable. Certified (Online Voting) is also $50, paid once at the billed Base price, plus voter-count pricing, and uses the CORE 2.5 certified system. Choose between them based on the verification or system requirement; the base price alone does not establish the total project cost.

Live Voting is $50, paid once, with the price depending on voter count. Prices are net plus applicable statutory sales tax, while ballot-paper count and election duration do not affect the price. The online voting calculator excludes features and service, and projects with more than 20,000 people should contact POLYAS service. Those limits make a quote important for larger elections or projects needing support. A free test election is available for up to five test voters; it is a rehearsal, not a substitute for the Standard plan's voter allowance.

Platforms

POLYAS is available on web, Android and iOS. Mobile participation uses supported browsers, including current Chrome on Android and iOS and Mobile Safari on iOS. That broadens voter access across common devices, though the stated mobile route is browser-based.

Who it's for

POLYAS is a strong fit for associations, organizations and meeting hosts that need scheduled elections, managed voter rolls, configurable ballots or remote participation. Its verification options, anonymous-ballot design and EU-based data processing are relevant when privacy and election integrity carry weight. Smaller groups can start with the 50-voter Standard plan, while projects requiring certified or verifiable voting should budget for voter-count pricing. It is less compelling for a low-stakes vote where a small free allowance and minimal setup are the priority.

Pros and cons

Pros: The workflow covers ballots, electoral rolls, scheduling and turnout monitoring, so organizers can manage the election process in one place.

Pros: Live Voting supports remote meeting participation, and iFrame embedding can bring voting into an existing website or event portal.

Pros: Anonymous ballots, audit trails, two-factor authentication and stated EU data processing address meaningful governance and privacy concerns.

Cons: The free Standard plan stops at 50 voters and excludes features and service, limiting its usefulness as a full-service option.

Cons: Paid base prices are only a starting point because voter count affects pricing; features, service and applicable sales tax can also affect the cost.

Cons: Projects above 20,000 people require contact with service, so the self-service route does not cover the largest elections.

Alternatives

ElectionBuddy is worth considering for small meeting votes: its free MeetingVote plan covers up to 20 voters and five motions per meeting, though that is a tighter stated cap than POLYAS Standard's 50 voters.

AssociationVoting has a free single-election tier for 1–25 eligible voters and a 99.00 USD per-election tier for 26–125, making its voter bands a straightforward comparison for smaller association elections.

Simply Voting offers a free election for 10 electors or less, while its Self Administered Elections plan uses election-sized fees; it may suit readers whose immediate need is a very small vote.

SnapBallot starts with a free per-election plan for up to 15 voters and three voter emails, then charges $49, paid once for 16–250 voters. Choose it for a smaller, explicitly capped election rather than POLYAS's broader setup and meeting-voting workflow.

VoterTerminal is an alternative for readers who want a self-hosted option.

Assembley is an alternative for readers comparing assembly-focused voting tools.

Election Runner offers a free tier for elections with up to 20 voters and a 19.00 USD per-once tier for up to 100 voters, useful for a smaller election with a clear voter cap.

ElectIQ is an alternative for readers comparing online voting tools.

For a broader comparison, see Online Voting Software.

Verdict

Choose POLYAS when your organization needs a structured election workflow, meeting votes and privacy-oriented controls in one platform. Its combination of voter management, embedding and verification choices is the main reason to shortlist it. Look elsewhere if you need a fully usable free tier beyond 50 voters or predictable pricing before voter count and service needs are settled.

Verdict

POLYAS covers election setup and live meeting votes, with self-service options for branding, voter groups, and embedding. Review the feature and service exclusions and voter-count pricing when estimating project costs.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to POLYASAll alternatives →