EngageTime vs Top Hat
EngageTime
engagetime.live
Top Hat
tophat.comSide by side
| Figure | EngageTime | Top Hat |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €9/mo | $35/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 16 | 8 |
| Spec score · Audience Response Systems | 9.0 (#11) | 8.3 (#42) |
| Live Q&A | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy | The privacy policy says attendees can join anonymously without accounts, attendee submissions are not associated with identified individuals, and the service does not sell personal information. | Top Hat says it stores information on servers in the United States and Canada and follows FERPA rules to keep school information confidential. |
| Product | EngageTime turns event sessions into audience contacts, feedback, and follow-up, with live polls and Q&A. | Top Hat is a higher education student engagement and courseware platform for interactive, personalized learning in and beyond class. |
| Security | The privacy policy says EngageTime uses encryption in transit (TLS) and access controls, and notes that it cannot guarantee absolute security. | Top Hat says it holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and encrypts data in transit and data at rest. |
| Support | The support page offers email support, a Discord community, and GitHub issue reporting. | Top Hat lists support by phone, email, and live chat for instructors and students, with support hours of Monday to Friday, 9 AM–9 PM ET. |
Plans
EngageTime
- FreemiumFree
- Plus€9 a month
- Premium€39 a month
- Meetup Starter€19 a month
- Meetup Plus€49 a month
- Event Starter€1,000 a month
- Event Plus€1,499 a month
- Event Premium€2,499 a month
- Meetup Starter€19 a month
- Meetup Plus€49 a month
Top Hat
- 1 Term$35 a month
- 1 Year$58 a month
- 4 Years$96 a month
- Department or Institution-WidePrice not published
- 1 Term (4 months)$35, paid once
- 1 Year (12 months)$58, paid once
- 4 Years (48 months)$96, paid once
- Department or Institution-Wide SolutionsPriced on request
In their own words
EngageTime
EngageTime turns event sessions into opportunities for audience participation, feedback, and follow-up through live polls and Q&A. Attendees can join from any device in a web browser without installing an app. They can ask questions anonymously, vote questions up, and participate in moderated Q&A. Sessions can also include quizzes, trivia, emoji reactions, ratings, and comments. The service reports on engagement, questions, poll responses, and learning outcomes. Speakers can share materials, collect attendee contact details with opt-in for follow-ups, and export contacts or send them to a CRM through the API. EngageTime offers Sessionize CSV session import and a Microsoft PowerPoint add-in for displaying live polls. Event plans include session moderation and CSV exports; higher tiers add multi-track scheduling and branding. The maker presents it for conferences, summits, workshops, training, and virtual or hybrid events. A Freemium pricing card lists one active session and 20 attendees, though other homepage copy advertises free use for up to 100 attendees. Paid plans begin at €9/mo. Listed platforms are API, extension, macOS, web, and Windows.
Top Hat
Top Hat is a higher education student engagement and courseware platform for interactive learning in and beyond class. During lectures, educators can use polls, discussions, quizzes and instant feedback. For coursework, it supports interactive homework and readings, customizable digital textbooks and instructor-created materials. Instructors can create, schedule or upload tests and assignments, and use AI tools to generate questions from course content. Ace helps educators prepare classes and create interactive prompts; students can use it for personalized study and practice based on course materials. Top Hat turns attendance, participation, reading and assessment data into insights about student progress. It lists integrations with Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, Moodle and Sakai; LTI 1.3 integrations for Canvas and D2L Brightspace can provide roster sync, grade sync, deep links and single sign-on. Students can use a browser or iOS and Android apps. Student access plans are $35, paid once for four months, $58, paid once for 12 months, or $96, paid once for 48 months. Eligible paid courses usually offer a five-day free trial.