SaaS / business softwareBusiness software & SaaSOriginal by Mentimeter
Mentimeter succeeded by turning a one-way presentation into an interaction where participants answer instantly from their phones. Nobody downloads an app or creates an account; people join from the browser with a short code. Results appear live on stage as a word cloud, chart or ranking. That frictionlessness makes it a staple in meetings, classrooms and conferences, and anonymous answers get shy participants talking.
Building something similar takes three faces: an editor where the presenter creates questions and slides, a presentation screen projected on stage that shows results live, and a lightweight web interface where participants enter with the code. Behind the scenes you need WebSocket infrastructure carrying thousands of simultaneous connections, a service that tallies votes in real time, a profanity filter and result export reports.
How Mentimeter works: the core user flow
How many apps and dashboards do you need?
Presenter editor
The trainer or speaker chooses question types, designs the slides and configures the session.
Stage / presentation screen
The projected screen shows questions in sequence and turns incoming answers into live charts.
Participant web interface
Audience members join with a code without installing anything, vote, ask questions or play the quiz.
Admin panel
The platform team monitors subscriptions, enterprise accounts, abuse reports and usage statistics.
Critical features of a product like Mentimeter
Instant join with a code
Each session gets a short numeric code and a QR code, and participants connect from the browser within seconds.
Live result visualisation
Multiple-choice, scale, ranking and word cloud answers update with animated charts as soon as they arrive.
Moderated Q&A
Participants submit questions and upvote them; the presenter filters out inappropriate ones before they go on screen.
Quiz and leaderboard
In timed quizzes, points are calculated by speed and accuracy and a leaderboard is shown on stage.
Presentation tool integration
Interactive slides embed into PowerPoint or Google Slides so the existing presentation flow stays intact.
Result reports and export
At the end of a session all responses can be downloaded as Excel or PDF, and trends over time are compared.
What goes into the first version, what comes later
First version (MVP)
- Multiple-choice, word cloud and scale question types
- Join-by-code and a live results screen
- A simple presentation editor and session history
- Free and paid plan split with card subscriptions
- Exporting results to Excel
Later releases
- Quiz mode and leaderboard
- PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ins
- Enterprise single sign-on (SSO) and team workspaces
- AI-generated question and presentation drafts
Modules and how the budget is calculated
The budget is calculated with 360 SOFT’s pricing model from the modules below, about 20 screens and the project’s complexity: roughly 114 person-days for the full scope and 85 person-days for the first version. Every module you drop lowers the budget directly.
| Module | Phase |
|---|---|
| Sign-up, login, social login | First version |
| User profile and settings | First version |
| Admin dashboard | First version |
| Subscriptions and recurring billing | First version |
| Online payments (Stripe / PSP) | First version |
| Reporting and analytics | Later release |
| File, photo, video upload | First version |
| Multi-language | First version |
| GDPR and security hardening | First version |
| Third-party API integration | First version |
Hosting, SMS, map APIs, app store accounts and payment-provider fees are separate items. Maintenance and improvements (optional): €400 / month. We send a fixed written price within 24 hours after a free discovery call.
The hard parts
Sudden connection spikes
At a conference thousands of people connect and vote in the same second; WebSocket servers must scale horizontally and vote counting should be batched through a queue.
Abuse and inappropriate content
Anonymous open-ended answers raise the risk of profanity and spam; offer automatic filters and a quick way for the presenter to hide entries.
Poor network conditions
Venue Wi-Fi drops constantly; the participant interface must be very light and retry without losing the answer when the connection is cut.
Business model
A freemium model fits best: a free start with limits on questions and participants, then a monthly or annual individual subscription for unlimited use, branding and export. Discounted bulk licences can go to educational institutions, and an enterprise plan with SSO and admin features to companies. Event-based pricing can be added for one-off large events.
Get a free quote for your project
Let us scope it together and send a fixed written quote within 24 hours. NDA on request; you own the source code.
Choosing a company to build an app like Mentimeter
Most people searching “build software like mentimeter” are really looking for a reliable app development company. When comparing quotes, check four things:
- Can you try similar products they have shipped, in the stores or live?
- Are the source code, design files, servers and store accounts transferred to you by contract?
- Do they show a working demo every two weeks, with written scope and acceptance criteria?
- Are maintenance, scaling and GDPR/security costs written into the quote?
Copyright and trademarks
A business model and features are generally not protected on their own, but the Mentimeter name, logo, interface design, content and source code are. That is why we build a product with similar functionality but your own brand, design and code. This is not legal advice; we recommend a trademark search before launch.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build software like Mentimeter?
A first release with core question types, join-by-code and a live results screen can go live in a relatively short time. Presentation add-ins and enterprise features come in later phases.
Do participants need to download an app?
They should not; the strength of this kind of product is joining by code from the browser. A web editor is enough for the presenter side, and a mobile app is only worth considering at a later stage.
Will there be copyright or trademark issues?
The idea of live polling and interactive presentations is free to use, but the name, logo, interface design, content and code cannot be copied. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should I look for in a company that builds this kind of software?
Choose a team with load-testing experience on real-time systems and knowledge of scaling WebSockets. Experience with subscription billing and GDPR-compliant data storage also matters.
