ARSnova

ARSnova is a free platform for live quizzes, Q&A, and feedback in education, training, events, and meetings. Sessions support groups of up to 500 participants. Hosts can start without an account, and participants join by code or QR without signing up. Quiz options include short answers, numeric estimates, matching, ordering, categorisation, multiple choice, and rating questions; other activities include word-cloud analysis and Pulse Check feedback. The Q&A wall offers pre-moderation, votes, pinning, archiving, and sorting by support, quality, or controversy. Hosts can create quizzes and lead live sessions from a phone, with an optional second device for presenting. Afterward, they can access a PDF results report and export tabular data as CSV. Quiz content remains on the host’s device, while live sessions process data needed for interaction. The open-source platform uses the MIT licence and can be self-hosted with Docker, PostgreSQL, and Redis. Its site states WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance and PDF/UA-1 validation for its results report. Matching, ordering, and categorisation questions are scored as fully correct or incorrect, without partial credit.

ARSnova brings quizzes, Q&A, and feedback into one platform, with phone-based hosting and optional self-hosting. Its no-account sessions reduce joining steps, while three question formats use all-or-nothing scoring.

ARSnova suits schools, universities, continuing education, training, workshops, events, and meetings that need live questions or feedback. It supports sessions of up to 500 participants, with no account required for hosts or participants.

ARSnova is a free, open-source audience-response platform for teaching, training, workshops, meetings, and events. It is best for hosts who want broad live interaction without forcing anyone to create an account. The main compromise is a 500-participant ceiling and all-or-nothing scoring on several structured question types.

Overview

A host can open a session without registering, while participants enter with a code or QR scan and no account of their own. That makes ARSnova a strong fit for classrooms and short-lived events where sign-up friction would cost time or exclude attendees. The service supports groups of up to 500; larger lectures and public broadcasts will need a different scale.

Its scope extends beyond standard polls. A session can combine quizzes, numeric estimates, live questions, word-cloud analysis, and Pulse Check feedback. Hosts can build and run sessions from a phone, optionally pairing a second device to present. Quiz material remains on the host device, while the live session handles the data required for interaction.

Key features

Question types include multiple choice, ratings, short answers, numeric estimation, matching, ordering, and categorisation. That mix suits lessons that move from recall to estimation or classification without changing tools. Matching, ordering, and categorisation receive only fully-correct or incorrect scores, however. There is no partial credit, so ARSnova is less appropriate for assessments where a partly correct arrangement deserves marks.

The Q&A wall is more controlled than a simple chat stream. Hosts can pre-moderate submissions, pin important contributions, archive discussion, and allow upvotes or downvotes. Sorting by support, quality, or controversy helps a facilitator surface useful questions in a busy session. Anonymous responses are supported, which can encourage candid feedback, although anonymity may not suit activities that require verified identities.

Afterward, hosts receive a PDF results report and can export tabular data as CSV. Those outputs are useful for sharing a session summary or continuing analysis in a spreadsheet. The site states that ARSnova conforms to WCAG 2.2 Level AA and that its results report is validated to PDF/UA-1. The platform is open source under the MIT licence, and organisations can self-host it with Docker, PostgreSQL, and Redis when they want infrastructure under their own control.

Pricing

ARSnova has one free plan and no free trial because the service is already free. There are no paid tiers to unlock larger rooms or additional quotas, so the practical limit is the 500-person audience cap and the capabilities of the open-source deployment. Choose it when a no-cost session is the priority; choose another service if you need a larger audience or a commercial plan structure.

Platforms

ARSnova is offered on Android, iOS, and the web, with self-hosting for organisations that want to operate the open-source platform themselves. Phone hosting is particularly useful when a presenter needs to run a session away from a desktop, while optional second-device pairing separates control from display.

Who it's for

Schools, universities, continuing-education providers, trainers, workshop leaders, meeting facilitators, and event hosts are the natural audience. It works especially well when attendees should join quickly, when anonymous feedback matters, or when a facilitator needs moderated questions alongside quizzes. It is a weaker choice for audiences above 500 and for formal grading that depends on partial marks in matching, ordering, or categorisation tasks.

Pros and cons

Pros

• No-account entry: Hosts and participants can start or join by code or QR without registration, reducing setup delays.
• Wide interaction set: Quizzes, estimates, Q&A, word clouds, ratings, and Pulse Check feedback cover varied teaching and meeting formats.
• Serious moderation: Pre-moderation, pinning, archiving, voting, and multiple sorting options give facilitators control over a busy Q&A wall.
• Portable and controllable: Phone hosting, second-device presentation, local content storage, and self-hosting support different operational requirements.
• Useful exports: PDF reports and CSV data make results easier to distribute and analyse.

Cons

• 500-person ceiling: The stated maximum rules it out for larger events.
• No partial credit: Matching, ordering, and categorisation cannot represent degrees of correctness.
• Self-hosting responsibility: Running the open-source edition requires Docker, PostgreSQL, and Redis infrastructure.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Polling Software, Student Response Systems, and Audience Response Systems.

• Poll Everywhere is the better fit if you need macOS or Windows support, a free trial, or an Intro allowance of 40 audience members (or 700 for 30 days).
• PollQR suits buyers who want a free single-live-poll option and a pay-as-you-go plan at $2.99 a month.
• Votinova is worth considering when a 50-participant free session, six question types, and one simultaneous session meet your needs.
• livepoll.io is preferable for sessions of up to 1,000 participants with unlimited questions and sessions on its free plan.
• VoxVote fits organisers who can work within five free events and 10 questions per event.
• Particify offers a free room for up to 200 participants with unlimited rooms and question series.
• EchoPoll is a paid option for organisations seeking annual per-user contracts.
• PointSolutions is a paid alternative with a $40.99 annual participant subscription.

Verdict

Choose ARSnova if you run education, training, or events for up to 500 people and want account-free participation, moderated Q&A, varied question formats, and the option to self-host at no software cost. Look elsewhere if your audience exceeds 500 or your assessments require partial credit; those are the clearest reasons to trade ARSnova’s open, flexible model for another response platform.