ARSnova

ARSnova is a free, open-source audience-response platform for teaching, training, workshops, meetings, and events. It suits hosts who need quizzes, discussion, and feedback without forcing anyone to create an account, especially when self-hosting or phone-based delivery matters. The 500-participant ceiling and all-or-nothing scoring on three question formats are the main constraints to weigh.

Overview

A host can launch a session without registering, while participants join with a code or QR scan and no account. That makes the start of a class or meeting considerably less administratively demanding. The service supports groups of up to 500, a practical ceiling for many schools, university classes, training cohorts, and mid-sized events, but not for large conferences or mass broadcasts.

ARSnova combines live quizzes with numeric estimation, word-cloud analysis, Q&A, and Pulse Check feedback. Hosts can build quizzes and run sessions on a phone, then optionally pair a second device for presenting. Quiz content remains on the host’s device, while live interaction requires processing of session data. Organisations that need control over deployment can run the open-source platform themselves with Docker, PostgreSQL, and Redis.

Key features

Broad response formats

Questions can use multiple choice, ratings, short answers, numeric estimates, matching, ordering, and categorisation. This lets one session move from knowledge checks to estimation and structured sorting rather than relying on a single poll style. Matching, ordering, and categorisation are scored only as completely right or wrong. There is no partial credit, so ARSnova is a weaker choice for graded assessments where partly correct reasoning should earn marks.

Moderated participation

The Q&A wall includes pre-moderation, pinning, archiving, upvotes, downvotes, and sorting by support, quality, or controversy. Those controls help a teacher or facilitator surface useful questions and keep a busy discussion orderly, rather than simply displaying an unfiltered stream.

Reports and data

After a session, hosts can obtain a PDF results report and export tabular results as CSV. The PDF report is validated to PDF/UA-1, and ARSnova states conformance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA. These features make results easier to review, share, and process outside the live session.

Open deployment

MIT licensing and self-hosting give institutions the option to operate ARSnova on their own infrastructure. That is particularly relevant where internal governance or deployment control outweighs the convenience of a hosted commercial service.

Pricing

ARSnova has one free plan, with no free trial because the product is already free. The absence of a subscription charge suits schools, trainers, and volunteer organisers running occasional or regular sessions. The meaningful limit is audience size: sessions stop being a fit once attendance exceeds 500. There are no paid tiers or seat-based terms to compare, so organisations needing larger capacity must consider another product or deploy their own ARSnova instance without changing that stated participant ceiling.

Platforms

ARSnova is offered on Android, iOS, the web, and as self-hosted software. Phone hosting is useful when a presenter wants to run a session away from a laptop, while optional second-device pairing separates control from presentation. Self-hosting adds infrastructure responsibility but gives organisations a deployment path under the MIT licence.

Who it's for

ARSnova is a strong match for schools, universities, continuing-education providers, corporate trainers, workshop leaders, and meeting or event facilitators who want anonymous participation and fast joining. It is also well suited to organisations that need moderated questions, downloadable reports, or control over where quiz content is stored. Look elsewhere for audiences above 500 or for assessments that depend on partial marks in matching, ordering, or categorisation.

Pros and cons

• Pros: account-free hosting and joining reduce setup friction; anonymous responses can encourage participation; quizzes, estimates, Q&A, word clouds, and Pulse Check cover varied session goals; moderation tools give facilitators control over discussion; PDF and CSV exports support follow-up; Android, iOS, web, and self-hosting provide deployment flexibility; WCAG 2.2 AA and PDF/UA-1 claims address accessibility.
• Cons: the 500-person maximum excludes larger events; matching, ordering, and categorisation cannot award partial credit; self-hosting requires Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, and the associated operational work; content and session-data handling may still require an organisation’s own privacy review.

Alternatives

Choose Poll Everywhere instead if you need a freemium service with a free trial and desktop coverage including macOS and Windows, though its free Intro plan allows 40 participants (or 700 for 30 days). livepoll.io is the better pick when a free plan supporting up to 1,000 participants, unlimited questions, and unlimited sessions matters.

Particify suits users wanting a freemium alternative with 200 participants per room and unlimited rooms on its Free plan. Pick PollQR when a single free live poll or pay-as-you-go purchasing is preferable. AhaSlides is aimed at presentations whose free tier supports up to 50 participants with defined quiz and poll quotas. Votinova offers a free 50-participant session tier with six question types. VoxVote fits users who want five free events with 10 questions per event and unlimited audience size. Crowdpurr is an option for web-only experiences with a 20-participant Basic plan.

Verdict

Choose ARSnova for account-free, anonymous interaction across quizzes, moderated Q&A, and feedback, particularly when accessibility, exports, or self-hosting are priorities. Its free access removes budget barriers for groups up to 500. Choose another platform for larger audiences or for scored activities where partial credit is essential.