Live events · 10 min read

Best live quiz apps for events in 2026

Mentimeter is our presentation-led pick, Slido is strongest when Q&A matters, Crowdpurr fits leaderboard-driven trivia, and TriviaMaker offers the broadest game-show style variety in this shortlist.

Short answer: choose the live quiz app based on the host format. Presentation, conference Q&A, trivia competition, and projected game show are four different event jobs.

Quick comparison

AppBest event fitParticipation modelDistinctive strength
MentimeterWorkshop or interactive presentationJoin code, presenter pacedQuiz slides mixed with presentation content
SlidoConference, all-hands, or panelBrowser, link or codeLive Q&A, polls, and meeting integrations
CrowdpurrHosted trivia competitionPhones plus shared displayLive rankings and presentation view
TriviaMakerGame-show event or team buildingBrowser crowd modeSeven documented visual game styles

Best for presentation-led quizzes: Mentimeter

Mentimeter treats the quiz as part of an interactive deck. Official documentation describes live quiz questions, real-time scoring, leaderboards, fixed or time-based points, and join-code participation. The same session can include polls, word clouds, Q&A, and explanatory slides.

Choose it when a facilitator wants to teach, explain, ask, reveal, and discuss within one narrative. The live quiz format is designed for synchronous presentation, so it is less appropriate for asynchronous lead capture or repeat study.

Primary source: Mentimeter quiz presentations.

Best when Q&A is central: Slido

Slido combines live quizzes with audience Q&A, polls, and word clouds. Participants can join without downloads or logins, while organizers can run Slido standalone or connect it with PowerPoint, Google Slides, Teams, Zoom, and Webex.

Choose it for conferences, panels, company meetings, and hybrid events where the quiz is one engagement element among questions and audience feedback.

Primary source: Slido live quizzes.

Best for leaderboard-driven trivia: Crowdpurr

Crowdpurr centers the host-controlled trivia experience. Players use mobile devices, while a presentation view can show the active question, live answer results, correct answer, and rankings. That division between participant screen and room display fits pubs, conferences, corporate events, and hybrid trivia.

Choose it when competition and a shared leaderboard are the main event, not a short interaction inside a slide deck.

Primary source: Crowdpurr trivia.

Best for game-show format variety: TriviaMaker

TriviaMaker documents seven styles: Grid, Trivia, List, Wheel, TicTac, Hangman, and Fusion. It also supports crowd, presenter, classroom, solo, assignment, embedded, and basic modes. Players can join through a browser without installing an app.

Choose it when the room needs a projected game-show identity, teams, or visual variety beyond standard multiple-choice leaderboards.

Primary source: TriviaMaker game styles.

Event checklist

  • Confirm the maximum participant count for the exact plan.
  • Test the venue network and a cellular backup path.
  • Decide whether participants need the question on their phones or only on the shared screen.
  • Set scoring for accuracy, speed, or teams before the audience joins.
  • Run a complete rehearsal from join code to final leaderboard.
  • Prepare an accessible way to read questions and answer without relying only on color.

For a meeting that must choose between scored knowledge checks and unscored audience input, use the quiz-versus-live-polling decision guide. For distributed colleagues rather than a conference audience, compare asynchronous delivery and meeting-led play in the remote-team trivia guide. For a smaller living-room setting, use the family game-night room-setup guide.

Verdict

Mentimeter is best for presentation-led quizzes, Slido for conference interaction with Q&A, Crowdpurr for live trivia leaderboards, and TriviaMaker for game-show variety. The correct winner is determined by the event format, not by one universal feature count.