Side by side
Open Response vs SeminarSmack
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.
Free plan APILinuxMac+3
Open Response combines live classroom polls with quizzes, grading, analytics, and CSV export for Canvas. Its question-format gaps and pending security and accessibility work are important considerations.
Visit Open Response Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
SeminarSmack provides polls, quizzes, prompts, ratings, kanban activities and anonymous questions without requiring student accounts. Its free MIT-licensed project supports web, API and self-hosted use, with security limits suited to informal classroom sessions.
Visit SeminarSmackThe facts
| Open Response | SeminarSmack | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Open Response | Not published |
| Website | osu-mc.github.io | seminar-smack.com |
| On audience response systems | #47 of 118 | #51 of 118 |
Open Response: what it does well
- Free-to-use and licensed under GNU GPL v3.0
- Live feedback through WebSockets
- Includes quiz mode, grading, and analytics
- Canvas grades and participation export as CSV
- Supports self-hosting with Docker and Docker Compose
What to know first
- Open-ended, sketch, and location questions are unsupported
- FERPA-compliant SSO remains pending
- Roster management and email notifications are in development
- WCAG 2.1 AA compliance awaits a full audit
SeminarSmack: what it does well
- Free and open source
- Live polls and quizzes
- Anonymous questions
- QR, link or room-code joining
- JSON response exports
What to know first
- Host token is not full authentication
- Room codes suit informal use
- Self-hosting requires Supabase setup
- Drafts use browser localStorage
Alternatives to Open Response Alternatives to SeminarSmack The whole list