Slido AI

What is Slido AI?

Slido is an audience engagement platform that integrates with presentation tools to make meetings, conferences, and events more interactive. Founded in 2012 by Peter Komorník and Matúš Berec in Slovakia, Slido was acquired by Cisco in 2021 and operates as part of Cisco's Webex portfolio. Its AI-powered features include intelligent Q&A moderation, AI-generated poll questions, sentiment analysis, and live word cloud generation.

Slido's key differentiator is its seamless integration with existing presentation workflows. Unlike standalone audience response systems that require separate platforms, Slido integrates directly into PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Webex. Presenters can add polls, Q&A, and quizzes directly within their slide deck without switching between applications. Audience members participate through their phones using a simple code — no app download required.

The AI capabilities in Slido include automatic Q&A moderation that flags inappropriate or duplicate questions, AI-generated poll questions based on presentation content, sentiment analysis of audience responses, and intelligent question prioritization that surfaces the most relevant questions based on audience upvotes and AI analysis of question quality.

Key Features

• AI Q&A Moderation: Automatically moderate audience questions in real time. The AI flags inappropriate language, identifies duplicate questions (merging them into a single thread), and prioritizes questions based on audience upvotes and relevance. Moderators can review flagged questions before they appear publicly.
• AI-Generated Poll Questions: Automatically generate poll questions based on presentation content and context. The AI analyzes the presentation topic and suggests relevant multiple-choice, rating, or open-text questions that speakers can add to their slides with one click.
• Live Polling and Voting: Create and launch live polls during presentations. Audience members vote via their phones, and results are displayed in real time. Poll types include multiple choice, rating scales, ranking, and open text. Results can be displayed as bar charts, pie charts, or word clouds.
• Live Word Clouds: Collect audience responses to open-ended questions and display them as a live word cloud. The AI filters common stop words and groups related terms. The word cloud updates in real time as more responses come in.
• Quiz and Trivia: Create interactive quizzes with leaderboards and timers. The AI can suggest quiz questions based on the presentation topic and audience demographics. Quizzes are popular for training sessions, educational events, and team-building activities.
• Audience Sentiment Analysis: Analyze audience sentiment through poll responses, Q&A questions, and feedback. The AI detects positive, negative, and neutral sentiment and provides presenters with real-time feedback on audience engagement and satisfaction.
• Presentation Integration: Slido integrates directly with PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, and Webex. Polls and Q&A appear as slides within the presentation, and audience responses are displayed without leaving the presentation software.

Who Should Use It

Conference and event organizers who want to make large-scale events more interactive will find Slido essential. The platform handles thousands of concurrent participants and provides moderation tools for managing Q&A at scale.

Corporate presenters and meeting facilitators who want to increase engagement in internal meetings, town halls, and training sessions can use Slido to gather real-time feedback and make presentations more interactive.

Educators and trainers who teach in classroom or webinar settings will find Slido's quizzes, polls, and Q&A features valuable for assessing understanding and maintaining student engagement.

Keynote speakers and panel moderators who need to manage audience Q&A at live events can use Slido's AI moderation to filter and prioritize questions, ensuring the most relevant questions are addressed within limited time.

Webinar hosts and virtual event producers who need to maintain engagement in remote presentations will find Slido's live polls and word clouds effective for keeping virtual audiences involved.

Pricing

Slido offers a free tier and several paid plans:

• Free Plan: Up to 100 participants per event, 3 polls per event, 3 Q&A sessions, and basic analytics. Suitable for small meetings and testing the platform.
• Engage Plan: Approximately $25/month (annual) or $35/month (monthly). Up to 1,000 participants, unlimited polls and Q&A, custom branding, and advanced analytics. Includes AI moderation and AI-generated questions.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing. Unlimited participants, SSO, dedicated support, advanced moderation, and integration with enterprise tools. Suitable for large conferences and organizations.
• Cisco Webex Bundle: Slido is included with Webex plans, providing integrated audience engagement for Webex users at no additional cost.

The free tier is useful for small meetings and testing, but most professional users will need the Engage plan. The Enterprise plan is priced based on event size and organizational needs.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Seamless presentation integration: Slido's integration with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Webex is its strongest feature. Polls and Q&A appear as native slides, and results display without switching applications.
• AI Q&A moderation is genuinely useful: The automatic flagging of inappropriate content and merging of duplicate questions saves moderators significant time, particularly at large events with hundreds of questions.
• No app required for audience: Audience members participate through their phone's browser using a simple code. No app download, account creation, or login is required, which dramatically increases participation rates.
• Scalable for large events: Slido handles thousands of concurrent participants reliably. The platform is used at major conferences including Web Summit, SXSW, and TEDx events.
• Real-time results and analytics: Poll results and Q&A data are available in real time during the presentation, and detailed analytics are available afterward for reporting and analysis.

Cons

• Free tier is very limited: With only 3 polls and 3 Q&A sessions per event, the free tier is too restrictive for most professional use cases. The Engage plan at $25/month is required for meaningful use.
• AI features require paid plans: AI moderation and AI-generated questions are only available on paid plans. Free users get basic Q&A and polling without AI assistance.
• Audience needs internet access: Participants need a smartphone with internet access to participate. This can be a limitation in venues with poor connectivity or for audiences without smartphones.
• Less suitable for small, informal meetings: For small team meetings or informal gatherings, Slido's features may feel excessive. Simple hand-raising or verbal Q&A may be more appropriate.
• Cisco acquisition concerns: Since being acquired by Cisco, some users have expressed concerns about future pricing changes, feature restrictions, or integration priorities favoring Webex over other platforms.

Alternatives

Mentimeter: A direct competitor with similar polling, Q&A, and quiz features. Mentimeter offers a more visually polished interface and a wider variety of question types, but Slido has stronger presentation integration and better AI moderation. Choose Mentimeter for visual polish; choose Slido for PowerPoint integration and AI moderation.

Kahoot!: A game-based learning platform popular in educational settings. Kahoot! focuses on quiz-based engagement with music, timers, and leaderboards. It is better for fun, competitive learning activities, while Slido is better for professional presentations and meetings. Choose Kahoot! for education and gamification; choose Slido for professional presentations.

Poll Everywhere: An audience response system with polling, Q&A, and word cloud features. Poll Everywhere offers similar functionality to Slido with strong integration with PowerPoint and Keynote. It has a more generous free tier but less sophisticated AI moderation. Choose Poll Everywhere for a more generous free plan; choose Slido for AI features and Webex integration.

For more AI-powered presentation tools, explore the Presentations category on PureAINav.

Try Slido today — starting with the free plan — if you want to make your presentations, meetings, and events more interactive with AI-powered audience engagement.