ARSnova vs DirectPoll
ARSnova
arsnova.euDirectPoll
directpoll.comSide by side
| Figure | ARSnova | DirectPoll |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | 1.67 CHF/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Student Response Systems | 8.7 (#7) | 7.4 (#40) |
| Spec score · Polling Software | 8.7 (#6) | 7.5 (#29) |
| Spec score · Audience Response Systems | 8.4 (#36) | 7.0 (#112) |
| Anonymous responses | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Erfurt, Germany | Zürich, Switzerland |
| Live polling | Yes | Yes |
| Live Q&A | Yes | No |
| Quiz mode | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
ARSnova
ARSnova provides live quizzes, numeric estimation questions, Q&A, word-cloud analysis, and Pulse Check feedback for education and organizations. Sessions can include up to 500 participants. Hosts can start without an account, and participants join with a code or QR without signing up. Question types include short answers, estimates, matching, ordering, categorization, multiple choice, and ratings. The Q&A wall supports moderation before posting, pinning, archiving, voting, and sorting by support, quality, or controversy. Hosts can create quizzes and run sessions on a phone, with an option to pair a second device for presenting. After a session, results are available in a PDF report, and tabular data can be exported as CSV. Quiz content remains on the host’s device while live sessions process data needed for interaction. The open-source platform is licensed under MIT and can be self-hosted with Docker, PostgreSQL, and Redis. The site states WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance and PDF/UA-1 validation for its results report. Matching, ordering, and categorization questions do not award partial credit.
DirectPoll
DirectPoll has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.