If you want to gauge the opinions of a group of people quickly, a poll is an easy way to do it. Just create the ballot and send it to everyone who is interested to see what they think. There are many poll services online, so which one is the best for your poll? We’ve done the legwork for you and compiled this list of the best sites to create a free online poll.
Tip: if you’re looking for a limited audience, you can create a poll on Facebook.
1. Poll Maker
Poll Maker allows you to create a quick and simple survey with some advanced options by asking a single question. You have a main field for the questions and some fields below it for the answers. However, you can add images to each answer by clicking the picture icon, which lets you upload a picture or add one from an online library.
If you want even more customization, you can click the headers along the top to see advanced features, including Themes and Settings.
Under the Settings header, you can allow users to comment on your quiz. You can also set it so that people can select multiple answers. If you don’t want people peeking at the results, disable it to keep the votes blind.
In the Advanced tab, set a time period for when the quiz will be active, track where voters come from, randomize the answer positioning, add instructions above or below the poll, and more.
FYI: looking to help people express their dissatisfaction? Check out these websites where you can start an online petition.
2. EasyPoll
EasyPoll is similar to Poll Maker but doesn’t have as many advanced options to tweak details and interactions. You also need to sign up for an account to save and share your poll with others.
However, creating a survey is super simple once you have an account. Type in your question, then add the answers. Click the image toggle on the right side of the question to insert URLs for images and YouTube videos.
By default, you land on the Edit header at the top, but you can select a different header to customize the poll. For example, the Options header allows you to set the number of choices, whether a person can vote again, and whether they can comment.
Unlike Poll Maker, where every feature is completely free, EasyPoll has plans. The free plan does not allow you to, for example, include location tracking, filter IPs, or add a comment field. It also doesn’t let you download data to analyze or use advanced anti-cheat algorithms.
However, you still get unlimited polls, votes, and views on the free plan, which is great.
3. DirectPoll
Asking a single question can get you the quick responses you need. But if you want to dig a little deeper, asking one question may not be enough. You may even decide you need something similar to a survey, which is where DirectPoll comes in.
To ask questions, enter them in the text box that says Enter question, then enter your answers in the text boxes below. You can ask as many questions as you would like.
After you create the poll, scroll down to the Links section. Get the links to send to voters, view the results, and edit the survey.
After you’ve created the poll or survey, click Start at the top to run the survey. It will be live for 29 days, and you’re limited to 500 responses.
Good to know: if you want more control in your free online poll, learn how to create a fillable form in Microsoft Word.
4. Survey Monkey
If you’re looking for a more customizable and user-friendly tool for creating quick online polls, look into Survey Monkey. It has options to design an aesthetic survey, allowing you to preview how it will look on multiple devices. However, you’ll need to create an account on Survey Monkey, and the free version limits you to 10 questions per survey.
Once you create a poll, enter your questions and answers, and design the poll further, if desired.
Once you’re ready to share the poll, click on Collect Responses at the top and select how you want to receive the responses.
To analyze the responses after you’ve sent the poll, click on the Analyze Results header.
5. Google Forms
Another option to create a survey-style poll is Google Forms. It lets you add as many questions and collect as many responses as you would like, as well as change how it looks. The best part is that it’s totally free, meaning you won’t have to worry about the limitations of the other options above.
If you’re unsure about making your own form, don’t worry. Google Forms has a few templates to help you get started. But even if you start from scratch, it’s not that hard to create a poll.
However, if you do want to dig deeper to go beyond a poll and make your own survey, Google Forms will not disappoint. You can set up your survey to have multiple choice answers, drop-down selections, or allow the user to type their own answer. If you need to collect the date and/or time, you can easily add fields that people can use to quickly enter their answers.
When you share your Google Form with others, you can monitor how it’s doing in the Responses tab. Once you’ve gathered enough data, click a button and export your answers into a Google Sheet without any effort.
You can also send your poll or survey to people as a link or embed your poll in an email.
If you want to make a quick poll for others to respond to, there are plenty of options. But if you’d like to keep this a free venture, try the options listed above. If you liked Google Forms for its potential to create surveys, you may also be interested in these Google Forms alternatives.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Chifundo Kasiya.
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