Top 15 Audience Response Tools for 2025

The era of the passive webinar is dead. If your audience is merely watching, they are not buying. Current 2024-2025 benchmarks from ON24 and HubSpot indicate that webinars incorporating high-frequency interactivity (polls every 7-10 minutes) generate 2x the pipeline volume of passive presentations. Yet, the majority of B2B events fail to bridge the gap between attendance and intent.

You do not need more attendees; you need active participants. The solution is deploying the right Audience Response Software (ARS). These tools transform passive viewers into qualified leads by capturing intent data in real-time.

This is your definitive guide to the top 15 Audience Response tools that will secure your engagement metrics and drive revenue.

How to Select Your Tool: The Evaluation Criteria

Do not choose software based on “cool features.” Choose based on business outcomes.

• Lead Capture & Qualification: Does it sync data to your CRM? You need tools that map poll answers to contact fields in Salesforce or HubSpot. Intent signals gathered during live events predict closed-won deals with 68% greater accuracy than email clicks.
• Engagement Friction: How hard is it to participate? We prioritize browser-based solutions. For every additional click or download required, you lose 15-20% of your audience.
• Analytics Depth: You need more than attendance numbers. You need “Engagement Scores“, a composite metric of chat, polling, and duration.
• Scalability: Can the tool handle a 50-person workshop and a 5,000-person summit without crashing?

The 15 Best Audience Response Tools

InEvent: The Broadcast Studio

Best For: Enterprise Marketers demanding TV-quality production and deep CRM integration.

InEvent separates itself from the pack by transforming standard webinars into professional, “TV-like” broadcasts. It combines a powerful backend for engagement with a frontend that supports dynamic overlays, lower thirds, and seamless video switching.

• The Benefit: Brand Authority. You escape the “generic video call” look. When production value increases, audience retention metrics stabilize, keeping viewers locked in for the polls and Q&A.
• Key Feature: Real-Time Interactivity Hub. Trigger polls, quizzes, and chat overlays that sync bidirectionally with Marketo, HubSpot, and Salesforce in real-time.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $6000/Single Event, $9,000/Year (subscription-based)
• Review Rating: 4.5/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, PayPal, Stripe (and many more).

Crowdpurr: The Enterprise Standard

Best For: Large-scale hybrid events (500+ attendees).

Crowdpurr is the stability king. Trusted by Fortune 500s for town halls and massive conferences, it focuses on mobile-first experiences. It allows you to run “Projector View” for in-person screens while virtual attendees vote via mobile browser.

• The Benefit: Zero Latency. When you have 5,000 people voting, Crowdpurr does not lag.
• Key Feature: Q&A Moderation. Filter incoming questions before they hit the main screen, preventing PR disasters during executive AMAs.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: Classroom Plan $49.99/month, Seminar Plan $149.99/month, Conference Plan $249.99/month, $499.99/month
• Review Rating: 4.9/5 (G2 – Rated High Performer).
• Integrations: Zapier (connects to CRMs), Zoom, Webex.

Demio: The ROI Engine

Best For: B2B Marketers focused on lead conversions at a higher success rate.

Demio is not just a hosting platform; it is a conversion tool. Its “Featured Actions” capability allows you to push a buy button, calendar link, or download directly to the attendee’s screen at the exact moment of highest interest.

• The Benefit: You capture leads while enthusiasm is at its peak.
• Key Feature: Automated Intent Tagging. If an attendee clicks a specific offer, Demio tags them in your CRM for immediate sales follow-up.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $49/month (Starter, 100 attendees)
• Review Rating: 4.6/5 (G2).
• Integrations: HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, Pardot, Drip.

Mentimeter: The Visual Engagement Leader

Best For: Sentiment analysis and workshops.

Mentimeter kills “death by PowerPoint.” It is famous for its Word Cloud feature, which visualizes audience sentiment instantly.

• The Benefit: Seeing a word cloud grow dynamically validates the audience’s opinion, increasing participation rates by up to 30%.
• Key Feature: Pin on Image. Upload an image (e.g., a product UI or map) and ask users to place a pin on a specific area. Perfect for product feedback.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $13/month (Basic), $27/month (Pro, per seat)
• Review Rating: 4.7/5 (G2).
• Integrations: PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, Zoom.

Slido: The Q&A Specialist

Best For: Crowdsourcing the most relevant questions.

Slido (now part of the Cisco Webex ecosystem but standalone-compatible) democratizes Q&A. Attendees submit questions anonymously and upvote others. The most pressing issues rise to the top automatically.

• The Benefit: You stop guessing what the audience wants to know. You answer the questions that matter to the majority, keeping retention high.
• Key Feature: Seamless Slide Integration. Integrates directly into PowerPoint and Google Slides, so you never have to tab-switch out of your deck.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $49/month (Engage), up to $200/month (Enterprise)
• Review Rating: 4.7/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Webex, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Teams, Zoom.

Zoom Apps: The Native Integrator

Best For: Teams already entrenched in the Zoom ecosystem.

Zoom’s native polling is basic, but its App Marketplace is powerful. You can now run sophisticated apps like Slido or Kahoot inside the Zoom client.

• The Benefit: Friction Reduction. Attendees do not need a second device or a new browser tab.
• Key Feature: Zoom Events “Backstage”. Coordinate polls and Q&A behind the scenes before pushing them live to the audience.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $13.33/user/month (Meetings), $79/month (Webinars 500 attendees).
• Review Rating: 4.5/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, Eloqua.

Poll Everywhere: The Educator’s Choice

Best For: Corporate training and certification tracking.

Poll Everywhere focuses on assessment. It allows you to “grade” responses, making it vital for compliance training or educational webinars where verifying knowledge transfer is mandatory.

• The Benefit: Turns webinars into verified learning events.
• Key Feature: LMS Sync. Grades and participation data flow directly into Learning Management Systems like Canvas or Blackboard.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $120/year (Present, up to 700), $79/month (Engage).
• Review Rating: 4.5/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Canvas, Blackboard, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote.

EasyWebinar: The Automation Powerhouse

Best For: Simulated or Evergreen Live funnels.

With EasyWebinar, you record a perfect webinar once, and the system plays it as if it were live, including pushing polls and offers at specific timestamps.

• The Benefit: Infinite Scalability. You generate leads 24/7 without being physically present.
• Key Feature: Local Time Scheduling. Set the webinar to play in the user’s local time zone to maximize attendance.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $66/month (Standard, Live + Automated), $32/month (Live).
• Review Rating: 4.4/5 (G2).
• Integrations: ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, HubSpot.

GoToWebinar: The Compliance Heavyweight

Best For: Regulated industries (Finance, Healthcare).

GoToWebinar remains a staple because of its robust reporting and security. It provides detailed “Attentiveness Scores” that track if an attendee has the webinar window in focus or is multitasking.

• The Benefit: Precision Targeting. You know exactly who is paying attention. Use this gold-standard data to prioritize calling prospects with high attentiveness scores.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $109/month (Starter, annual for 100), higher tiers up to $499.
• Review Rating: 4.2/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Zoho CRM.

Livestorm: The UX Champion

Best For: Modern SaaS companies requiring zero-download access.

Livestorm is entirely browser-based (WebRTC). There are no downloads, plugins, or barriers.

• The Benefit: Higher Attendance. By removing the “Install App” barrier, you capture the audience on restricted corporate devices (firewalls).
• Key Feature: Automated Replays. Automatically captures chat context and polls for replay viewers, extending the life of your content.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $109/user/month (Pro, annual; low attendee limit).
• Review Rating: 4.4/5 (G2).
• Integrations: HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, Pardot.

WebinarNinja: The Coach’s Toolkit

Best For: Selling courses and paid workshops.

WebinarNinja is built to sell. It has a hybrid focus that combines standard webinar features with course hosting capabilities (CourseNinja).

• The Benefit: Consolidated Tech Stack. Host the webinar, sell the course, and host the course content all in one ecosystem.
• Note: While convenient, users report a steeper learning curve compared to competitors.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $49/month (Basic, 100 attendees), up to $249/month for the Power tier.
• Review Rating: 3.0/5 (G2), Check recent reviews for stability updates.
• Integrations: ConvertKit, AWeber, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot (via Zapier).

Nearpod: The Interactive Canvas

Best For: Technical demos and visual collaboration.

Nearpod allows you to synchronize devices. When you advance a slide, it advances on every attendee’s device. It supports 3D models and “Draw It” activities.

• The Benefit: Total Focus Control. You control exactly what the viewer sees on their screen at all times.
• Key Feature: VR Field Trips. Embed 360-degree virtual reality images directly into the presentation stream.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $159/year (Gold, 75 students), $397/year (Platinum).
• Review Rating: 4.6/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Microsoft Teams.

Kahoot!: The Gamification Engine

Best For: Injecting energy and competition.

Kahoot! uses game mechanics (points, speed, leaderboards) to spike dopamine and attention.

• The Benefit: The “Wake Up” Call. Use this 20 minutes into a long session to reset the audience’s attention span.
• Key Feature: Ghost Mode. Attendees can compete against previous high scores, driving engagement even during on-demand replays.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $39/host/month (Presenter), tiers $10–$79/host/month.
• Review Rating: 4.6/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Hopin.

RingCentral Events (Formerly Hopin): The Virtual Venue

Best For: Full-scale virtual summits with networking.

Note: Hopin’s events portfolio was acquired by RingCentral. This platform goes beyond webinars; it is a virtual convention center. It includes “Booths” for sponsors, “Stages” for keynotes, and “Networking” for 1:1 roulette-style meetings.

• The Benefit: Replicating the Hallway Track. The networking features keep people logged in between sessions.
• Key Feature: Sponsor Analytics. Prove ROI to sponsors by showing them exactly how many people visited their virtual booth and downloaded collateral.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: Starter: $99/org/month; Growth/Business: sales consult.
• Review Rating: 4.3/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot.

Airtable + Zapier: The DIY Customizer

Best For: Operations teams needing bespoke workflows.

If you need to trigger complex workflows based on a specific answer (e.g., “If they answer ‘Enterprise,’ Slack the VP of Sales immediately”), this is your stack.

• The Benefit: Infinite Flexibility. You are not limited by the native integrations of a webinar platform.
• Key Feature: Interfaces. Build a real-time dashboard in Airtable that updates live as Zapier feeds in answers from your webinar tool.

Vital Stats

• Pricing: $20/user/month (Team), $45/user/month (Business).
• Review Rating: 4.6/5 (G2).
• Integrations: Connects with 5,000+ apps via Zapier.

Comparison: Features at a Glance

Platform	Best For	Key Strength	Scalability	Pricing Model
Demio	ROI	Featured Actions	Mid-Market	Subscription
Crowdpurr	Large Events	Stability	Enterprise	Tiered
Mentimeter	Visuals	Word Clouds	Flexible	Freemium
Slido	Q&A	Upvoting Logic	Enterprise	Freemium
Zoom	Integration	Ubiquity	Massive	Subscription
Livestorm	UX	Browser-Based	Mid-Market	Subscription
RingCentral	Virtual Summits	Networking	Enterprise	Subscription

Final Directive: Execute the Strategy

The tool you choose defines the data you collect.

• If you need leads: Use Demio or EasyWebinar.
• If you need massive scale: Use Crowdpurr or Slido.
• If you need total networking: Use RingCentral Events.

Do not let your next webinar be a one-way broadcast. Implement one of these tools, configure your integration, and start mining your audience for intent.