Side by side
Acadly vs PollUnit
Both stand on audience response systems. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose Acadly if course attendance and live classroom participation need to work together, especially when instructors want scheduled attendance or slide-based polling. Institutions needing fraud alerts, LMS or SSO integration, or bulk course setup should look at the institutional offering. The First Course Free option can cover an initial course for up to five months.
Visit Acadly
PollUnit covers polls, surveys, contests, and result analysis with broad question formats and cross-platform access. Its tiered plans and free allowance make capacity limits clear before choosing a plan.
Visit PollUnitThe facts
| Acadly | PollUnit | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, iPhone, Mac, Web | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Premium: $11 a month |
| Plans published | 9 | 7 |
| Maker | Not published | PollUnit |
| Website | acadly.com | pollunit.com |
| On audience response systems | #14 of 118 | #18 of 118 |
Acadly: what it does well
- Automates attendance after instructors configure the roster, schedule, and rules.
- Verifies physical presence without GPS or QR codes.
- Includes live polls, quizzes, word clouds, discussions, and Q&A.
- PowerPoint add-in can launch attendance and polls from slides.
- Institutional deployments support LTI with four named learning platforms.
What to know first
- Fraud alerts, LMS and SSO integration, and bulk course setup are institutional features.
- The First Course Free option excludes fraud alerts.
- Acadly Basic Course excludes PowerPoint polling and Zoom integration.
PollUnit: what it does well
- Supports live polling and anonymous responses
- Offers surveys with branching and Likert scales
- Provides real-time charts, filters, and word clouds
- Works across web, desktop, Linux, iOS, and Android
- Free plan includes 40 participants and 1 GB storage
What to know first
- Free plan is limited to 40 participants
- Beta API lists voter endpoints as coming soon
- Support response times depend on workload
- Audience limit is 200
Alternatives to Acadly Alternatives to PollUnit The whole list