Slido alternatives: audience Q&A in a livestream without registration

Slido is the best-known tool for audience questions – but not the only one, and not the right fit for every event. Anyone streaming a conference, a lecture series or a general meeting usually asks first: can viewers ask questions without an account? Where are the servers? Does the page need a cookie banner? Can the moderator check questions in advance? This comparison ranks seven tools on exactly these points. We run one of them ourselves – NextKon Chat – and therefore also say what the others are better suited to. All details on other tools come from their own pricing, help and privacy pages (as of 8 November 2026); the provider's current information always counts.

How can online participants ask speakers questions – without an account?

The simplest way is a Q&A tool reachable via a link, QR code or access code: participants open it in the browser, type their question – anonymously if they wish – and vote on other people's questions. The moderator sees the list sorted by votes and passes the most important ones to the speaker. Slido, Particify, Tweedback, frag.jetzt, Vevox, Mentimeter and NextKon Chat all work this way, without registration and without an app.

The difference lies in the detail: some tools run in a separate window next to the stream, others can be embedded as a frame directly next to the player. Some require a numeric code, others just a name. And not every tool lets you check questions before they are published on the free plan – often the most important point for a public broadcast.

The tools at a glance

The table summarises what the providers state on their own websites. “Not stated” does not mean a feature does not exist – only that we did not find it documented there.

Sources: legal notices or terms and conditions, pricing, help and privacy pages of the providers, accessed on 8 November 2026 (list at the end). According to the providers, tax is added where “net” is stated; Mentimeter shows its prices in US dollars. Brand names belong to their owners. The prices are not directly comparable – per account, per presenter, per day or per event.

Where are the servers – and who is the contracting party?

According to their own statements, Particify, Tweedback and NextKon Chat (Frankfurt am Main) have servers in Germany. Mentimeter hosts customer data in the EU on Amazon Web Services by default, Slido stores data in a European data centre by default, and Vevox uses the AWS Ireland region for customers outside the USA. frag.jetzt is developed by Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen; we did not find a server location in the accessible sources.

• Data processing: The tool processes names, questions and IP addresses on your behalf. For this you need a data processing agreement (DPA) under Art. 28 GDPR – with NextKon Chat you conclude it with one click in the admin area.
• Third countries: If data or service providers are located outside the EU, the transfer requires a legal basis under Art. 44 et seq. GDPR. Vevox is based in the UK, i.e. outside the EU; Slido has belonged to Cisco (USA) since 2021. Ask to see the list of sub-processors.
• Organiser account: Even if participants need no account, whoever sets up the Q&A session has a login with every tool. Clarify who in the team gets which rights and how long questions are stored.

Cookies on the participant page

If a tool stores identifiers on participants' devices that are not strictly necessary, it needs consent under § 25 TDDDG (German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act) – that is, a banner before the Q&A loads. The providers describe this in varying detail: for its participant page menti.com, Mentimeter lists necessary cookies and one analytics cookie (Hotjar). Slido's cookie policy lists, for its website and app, analytics and advertising cookies alongside necessary ones, which can be deselected. Particify, Tweedback and Vevox describe cookies and analytics mainly for their websites; we did not find a separate list for the participant view. NextKon Chat sets no cookies and loads nothing from third-party servers.

How to check a tool for cookies and third-party servers yourself is explained in the guide Livestream chat without a cookie banner (in German).

Moderation: what a Q&A session in a stream needs

In the hall, the moderator hears every question before everyone else does. In a stream, not – which is why pre-moderation is the most important point for public broadcasts. Particify allows it even on the free plan, Slido from Professional, Mentimeter and Vevox from Pro or in the packages for single events. With NextKon Chat it is part of every package, along with removing individual posts, moderator notices and exporting all questions including votes as CSV.

• Let the audience vote on questions so the most important rise to the top – all seven tools can do this
• Approve questions in advance or hide them afterwards
• Tick off answered questions so nothing is asked twice
• A view for the moderator or speakers, e.g. on a tablet at the lectern
• One room per hall for parallel sessions
• The history as an export for minutes and follow-up

Audience questions at a hybrid university event

At a hybrid lecture, lecture series or specialist conference at a university, a Q&A session works best with a single link for everyone: those in the lecture hall ask their question by smartphone, those watching online in the browser next to the stream. The moderator sees both in one list and reads them out so the stream hears them too. Questions from the hall via microphone are added – the only important thing is that they also reach the stream via the sound system.

Several of the tools come from university teaching: frag.jetzt is developed at Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen and is open source, Particify is based on the open-source software ARSnova and offers its own education plans, and Tweedback is explicitly aimed at teaching staff as well. Some universities provide one of these tools centrally – ask your computing centre or e-learning team first. How livestream, AV technology and Q&A come together at a university event is shown on the page NextKon for universities (in German).

What do the tools cost?

Six of the seven tools have a permanently free entry plan, usually with limits on participant numbers, duration or moderation. Particify costs from €18 per account per month for businesses (€12 for education), billed annually and from five accounts. Vevox starts at €143.40 per year (Starter, up to 250 participants) and offers 7-day packages from €175. Mentimeter costs from US$11.99 per presenter per month when paid annually, a conference plan for 30 days US$350. Alongside the free Basic plan, Slido offers paid plans; current prices are on the provider's pricing page. frag.jetzt is free.

NextKon Chat costs €19 net as a day pass for up to 100 participants, €59 for up to 300 and €129 for up to 1,000; the annual subscription starts at €490 net. Introductory prices apply to bookings until 31.12.2026: €39 instead of €59, €89 instead of €129 and €349 instead of €490 in the first subscription year. You can try the chat free of charge with a NextKon account. All prices net, as of 8 November 2026 – the pricing page is binding.

Which tool suits whom?

NextKon Chat is the livestream chat from NextKon, a service of TS Veranstaltungstechnik from Birenbach near Stuttgart (since 2002, more than 750 events). Participants enter a name, ask questions and vote on other people's questions; the moderator sees the list sorted by votes, approves posts in advance and ticks off answered ones. The chat runs via a link or code snippet next to any player, in German or English. It deliberately does not offer polls, quizzes or word clouds – for those, the other tools in this comparison are the better choice. How NextKon Chat compares with the built-in chats of YouTube, Vimeo and Zoom is covered in the comparison Livestream chats compared (in German); you will find the chat itself at NextKon Chat.

Frequently asked questions

Daniel TospannOwner, TS Veranstaltungstechnik · NextKon – more than 750 congresses, conferences and online events.