Open Response vs PINGO
Open Response
osu-mc.github.io
PINGO
trypingo.comSide by side
| Figure | Open Response | PINGO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Student Response Systems | 8.7 (#9) | 8.0 (#24) |
| Spec score · Audience Response Systems | 8.4 (#40) | 8.0 (#63) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Live polling | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Open Response is a free, open-source web-based classroom polling system intended to support real-time classroom engagement. | PINGO is a browser-based audience response system for live polls and classroom interaction. |
| Question types | Implemented question types include multiple choice and multiple answer; open-ended, sketch, and location questions are listed as unsupported. | Questions can be open, numerical, single-choice, or multiple-choice, and PINGO supports TeX. |
| Quiz mode | Yes | No |
| Security | The project lists FERPA-compliant SSO integration as pending. | The features page says PINGO is hosted on a German high-performance cluster and sensitive data are systematically encrypted. |
Plans
In their own words
Open Response
Open Response is free, open-source polling software for real-time classroom engagement. Instructors can run polls with multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions, and participants receive live feedback through WebSockets. The project also lists quiz mode, grading, analytics, and role-based access for students, instructors, and administrators. It includes a RESTful API and a WebSocket server. Canvas compatibility comes through CSV export of participation and grades. Open Response is listed for web, Linux, macOS, and Windows, and institutions can self-host it on a server with Docker and Docker Compose. Its interface is described as responsive and mobile-ready. The project was founded in 2021 and is targeting small-scale beta testing in the 2026–2027 academic year. Several items remain incomplete or planned: open-ended, sketch, and location questions are unsupported; roster management and email notifications are in development; test coverage is incomplete; and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and FERPA-related SSO work are pending.