Our verdict: YOP Poll is the best free WordPress voting plugin for most sites. Its free version blocks repeat votes by cookie, IP address or user account, adds a captcha, and shows clean results bars. Pick Democracy Poll if you want something simpler with sensible defaults and no upsells. Pick Forminator if you also need contact forms. Avoid relying on the free versions of TS Poll and Poll Maker for anything that matters: out of the box, both accepted every repeat vote on our test site.

We installed seven free poll plugins on the same test site in October 2026, built the same three-option poll in each, and voted as two logged-in users and a logged-out visitor. Below is what we saw.

Best WordPress Voting Plugins: Quick Facts

Versions and install counts are from WordPress.org and prices are from each vendor’s site, as of October 2026.

Plugin	Version	Active installs	Repeat-vote check in the free version	Paid plans from
YOP Poll	7.0.12	10,000+	Cookie, IP or user account (off by default)	$27 (1 site)
Democracy Poll	6.5.1	7,000+	User account, plus IP for visitors (on by default)	Free only
Forminator	1.57.3	600,000+	IP (default) or cookie	$50/year (Pro, 1 site)
WP-Polls	3.0.2	40,000+	Cookie and IP (default), or username	Free only
Poll Maker by AYS	6.5.1	7,000+	IP, user ID or cookie (off by default)	$75 one-time
TotalPoll Lite	4.12.0	1,000+	Cookie only (IP and account checks are Pro)	$59/year
TS Poll	2.6.0	3,000+	None (“Vote Once” is Pro)	$15

Our Test Setup

Our test site ran WordPress 7.1.2 with the Twenty Twenty-Five theme. In each plugin we built the poll “Which new bread should we bake next?” with three answers (Sourdough Rye, Cinnamon Swirl, Olive Focaccia) and added it to a page. Then subscriber “voter1” voted and tried again, a second subscriber “voter2” voted, and a logged-out visitor voted, tried again in the same browser, and tried once more from a fresh browser with no cookies.

All three voters shared one IP address, which is also what happens to people in the same home, office or school. That turned out to matter a lot.

What happened when people tried to vote twice

Plugin (settings used)	voter1 again	voter2 (same network)	Visitor again, same browser	Visitor, fresh browser
YOP Poll (cookie + user ID)	Blocked	Voted	Blocked	Voted again
Democracy Poll (defaults)	Blocked	Voted	Blocked	Blocked
Forminator (default, IP)	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked
WP-Polls (default, cookie + IP)	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked
Poll Maker (defaults)	Voted again	Voted	Voted again	Voted again
TotalPoll Lite (default, cookie)	Blocked	Voted	Blocked	Voted again
TS Poll (free)	Voted again	Voted	Voted again	Voted again

The short version: IP checks stop cheating but also block real people who share a connection. Cookie checks let real people vote but are undone by clearing cookies or opening a private window. Checking the WordPress account is the most reliable, but only works for logged-in users.

1. YOP Poll: Best Free Voting Plugin Overall

YOP Poll results bars after three votes on a test page, showing one vote each for Sourdough Rye, Cinnamon Swirl and Olive Focaccia

YOP Poll’s results view after a visitor voted on our test install, version 7.0.12, October 2026.

YOP Poll has been on WordPress.org since 2012 and was last updated in September 2026. It gives you the most free control over who can vote.

Setting it up. The builder has Design, Elements and Options tabs. Only the Classic template is free, but you can change its colors, borders and spacing. A text question and a single-line text field are free; 13 other elements, such as image and video answers, are Pro.

Stopping repeat votes. This is where YOP shines, with one catch: the default is “Don’t Block”. You have to choose a method yourself. The free options are By Cookie, By IP and By User Id, with a block period of forever or a set time. Fingerprint and email checks are Pro. The free version also includes a captcha (its own, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha or Cloudflare Turnstile), scheduling and a GDPR/CCPA option.

YOP Poll Access options with Guest and WordPress voting enabled and blocking by cookie and user ID

The Access options we used in YOP Poll 7.0.12: guests and logged-in users can vote, blocked by cookie and user ID, October 2026.

What we saw. With cookie and user ID blocking on, voter1’s second attempt and the visitor’s second attempt both just showed the results. voter2 could still vote even though everyone shared an IP. A fresh browser could vote again, because cookie checks can’t catch that.

Two small surprises: when both guest and logged-in voting are on, clicking Vote shows a choice between “Anonymous Vote” and “Sign in with WordPress”, even to someone already logged in. And by default, results are shown to guests but not to registered users, so tick both boxes in the Results tab.

Upsells and price. No dashboard notices, just an “Upgrade to Pro” menu item and PRO badges. YOP lists Pro at $27 for one site, $97 for five and $197 for unlimited sites, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The pricing page does not say whether that is a yearly fee.

Best for: most blogs and community sites that want a real one-vote-per-person poll for free.

2. Democracy Poll: Best Simple Poll With Smart Defaults

Democracy Poll results with a tick next to the visitor’s choice and a Revote button

Democracy Poll’s results after voting, with the Revote button, on our test install, version 6.5.1, October 2026.

Democracy Poll is a free plugin by Timur Kamaev with no Pro version and no upsells. It lives under Settings, not in its own menu.

It was the only plugin in our test that let both account holders vote while blocking every repeat attempt, without changing a setting. Logged-in users are checked by their WordPress account, so voter2 could vote even on a shared connection. Logged-out visitors are limited to one vote per IP address, so the fresh browser was blocked. If that is too strict for your audience, one setting allows several votes from the same IP and tells visitors apart by a browser fingerprint instead.

A few defaults to know about:

Visitors can add their own answers. “Allow users to add answers” is on for new polls. Turn it off if you want a fixed list.
Revote is on. After voting, people see a Revote button to change their answer. On our shared IP, a second visitor in a fresh browser also saw Revote, and using it cancelled the first visitor’s vote and replaced it. Turn Revote off if many of your visitors share a network.
The sample poll has made-up votes. Activation adds “What is the capital city of France?” with 178 votes already filled in. Delete it before you go live.

Results show as bars with vote counts and a tick next to your own choice. There’s also a widget and a mode for sites that use page caching.

Best for: small sites that want a lightweight, free poll that behaves sensibly with no setup.

3. Forminator: Best if You Also Need Forms

Forminator poll Behavior tab showing the Voting Limit options: once per user, by user IP or browser cookie

Forminator’s Voting Limit settings, here switched to Browser Cookie (the default is User IP), version 1.57.3, October 2026.

Forminator by WPMU DEV is a free form builder with 600,000+ active installs that also does polls and quizzes. If you need a contact form too, it saves you a plugin. Compare it with our top WordPress form plugin picks or our Gravity Forms review if forms are the main job.

Setting it up. The poll editor walks you through Details, Appearance, Behavior and more. Five design styles, custom colors, custom CSS and image answers are all free. Nothing in the poll editor is locked behind Pro.

Check the defaults. New polls hide results (“Do not show”) and hide vote counts. Switch Results Display to “Show after voted” and Vote Count to “Show” if you want visitors to see the outcome. The voting limit is once per user, checked by IP.

What we saw. With the default IP check, voter1 got “Your vote has been saved” and a bar chart. After that, voter2 and both visitor browsers were told “You have already voted for this poll”, because they shared voter1’s IP. Switching to Browser Cookie let them vote, but voter1 could then vote again from a new browser. There is no option to limit by WordPress account.

Upsells. One dashboard notice about free templates, a “Get Forminator Pro” menu link, and an Add-ons page for Pro features like PDFs and geolocation. Pro starts at $50 a year for one site, $75 for three and $100 for ten, according to WPMU DEV.

Best for: sites that want forms and polls in one free plugin.

4. WP-Polls: The Classic, Fully Free Option

WP-Polls results on a test page showing vote percentages, counts and total voters

WP-Polls results seen by a visitor who was blocked from voting, on our test install, version 3.0.2, October 2026.

WP-Polls by Lester Chan has been around since 2006 and has 40,000+ active installs. It’s completely free and was last updated in September 2026. It now needs WordPress 6.8 and PHP 8.2, so check your host first.

The Add Poll screen is a plain WordPress form: question, answers, multiple-answer option and start and end dates. You get a shortcode, a block and a widget. Activation also adds a sample poll, “How Is My Site?”.

Repeat-vote rules are global, not per poll. Who can vote defaults to registered users and guests, and the check defaults to “Cookie and IP Address”. Other choices are cookie only, IP only, username, or no check. On our shared IP, the default blocked everyone after voter1. “Check By Username” let voter2 vote, but then guests could not vote at all, which the plugin’s own code confirms.

Results show each answer with a percentage, vote count and bar, plus “Total Voters”. There are no upsells and no admin notices.

Best for: members-only sites (use the username check) or anyone who wants a no-frills, ad-free poll.

5. Poll Maker by AYS: Most Poll Types, Most Upsells

Poll Maker Limitations tab with a sale banner, upgrade buttons and the Detects users by IP, User ID or Cookie options

Poll Maker’s Limitations tab with the per-user limit turned on, version 6.5.1, October 2026.

Poll Maker offers seven poll types: Choosing, Rating, Text and Voting are free, while Dropdown, Range and Versus are Pro. Results use a Google bar chart by default with counts and percentages; pie and column charts are Pro.

The problem is the defaults. Every limit is off, and our test accepted all six votes from four people. You can turn on “Maximum number of attempts per user” for free and pick how to spot repeat voters: IP (the default), user ID, cookie, or cookie and IP. With user ID, both subscribers were blocked from voting twice, but a visitor could keep voting. “Only for logged in users”, user roles and a password are also free. Session limits, limits by country and custom attempt counts are Pro.

This plugin had the most upsells in our test: an Upgrade button, a “Get 50% discount” link, a large “Back to School Sale” banner, a green “PRO features” menu, Upgrade tags on locked settings and a paid “Add fake votes” option.

Price. AYS sells one-time licenses: Business at $75 (5 sites, 12 months of updates), Developer at $250 and Agency at $450. When we checked, the page showed lower sale prices under an “Until September 1” label.

Best for: people who want rating or versus polls and don’t mind the sales pitches. Turn on a voting limit before you publish.

6. TotalPoll Lite: Fine for Casual Polls

TotalPoll Lite from TotalSuite has a tidy tabbed editor. Only text answers are free; image, video, audio and HTML answers are Pro.

In the free version, repeat votes are blocked by cookie only, for 3,600 minutes (about 60 hours) by default. IP and logged-in user checks have PRO badges. On our test site that meant same-browser repeats were blocked and fresh browsers got through. Results showed percentages only, sorted by votes.

Two warning signs: WordPress.org says TotalPoll Lite was last updated in September 2025 and tested up to WordPress 6.8. On our WordPress 7.1.2 site, with PHP warnings switched on, its edit screen showed a notice about a function WordPress deprecated in version 6.7. Polls still worked. TotalPoll Pro costs $59 a year for one site, according to TotalSuite.

Best for: casual “fun” polls where a few repeat votes don’t matter.

7. TS Poll: Good Looks, No Vote Limit in the Free Version

TS Poll Settings panel with the Vote Once option marked Pro

TS Poll’s Vote Options, where “Vote Once” carries a Pro badge, version 2.6.0, October 2026.

TS Poll was formerly called Responsive Poll. It’s still made by Total Soft and now has standard, image, video and versus polls. The template picker lists 46 designs, 26 of them marked Premium. Importing one creates a sample poll that you edit in a full-screen builder.

It looks good, but “Vote Once” is a Pro feature. In the free version anyone can vote as often as they like: our test recorded six votes from four people. The plugin’s upgrade page lists Pro at $15 for one site with six months of updates, $25 for five sites, and a Developer plan. The vendor’s website did not load when we tried it in October 2026, so we could not check those prices anywhere else.

Best for: decorative polls where accuracy doesn’t matter, or buyers who plan to pay for Pro.

Hosted Poll Services: Opinion Stage and Crowdsignal

These plugins connect WordPress to an outside service. You build polls on the vendor’s platform, and nothing works until you create an account there. We installed both but did not sign up, so this section is based on the vendors’ published details.

Opinion Stage (6,000+ installs) makes polls, quizzes and surveys, including with AI. Its plugin opens on a “Get Started” or “Login” screen. The free plan allows 25 responses a month, and Pro starts at $32 a month for 1,000 responses, according to Opinion Stage.
Crowdsignal Dashboard (200,000+ installs) is by Automattic. The plugin says its features are “unavailable until you link your Crowdsignal.com account”. The free plan collects up to 2,500 “signals” (responses). The vendor lists restrictions against duplicate responses as a Premium feature, at $25 a month, or $15 a month billed yearly. The plugin has a 2.7 out of 5 rating on WordPress.org.

Choose one of these if you already use the service or want poll data kept off your own server.

Form Builders With Poll Add-Ons

If you already pay for a form builder, check its poll features before adding another plugin:

WPForms: the Surveys and Polls addon comes with the Pro plan (listed at $399 a year, shown on sale for $199.50 when we checked) and Elite.
Gravity Forms: the Poll Add-On needs an Elite license ($259 a year) or a Nonprofit license. See our Gravity Forms review and our list of Gravity Forms alternatives.
Fluent Forms: if you’re comparing form builders, read our Fluent Forms review.

For a fuller community setup with voting, profiles and groups, see our BuddyPress alternatives.

How to Choose a WordPress Voting Plugin

Decide who votes. If voters log in, pick a plugin that checks the WordPress account: YOP Poll, Democracy Poll or WP-Polls with the username check.
Think about shared connections. For public polls, IP-only checks will block real voters on the same network. YOP Poll with cookie blocking, or Democracy Poll with fingerprinting on, works better.
Turn on a limit. YOP Poll and Poll Maker ship with none, and TS Poll’s free version can’t limit votes.
Check updates and upsells. WP-Polls and Democracy Poll have no upsells. TotalPoll Lite hasn’t been updated in over a year.

No free plugin can stop a determined person with several devices. For votes that really matter, such as elections or prize contests, require a login.

FAQ

What is the best free voting plugin for WordPress?

YOP Poll, for most sites. Its free version can block repeat votes by cookie, IP or user account and adds a captcha. Democracy Poll is the best simple option and does the right thing without any setup.

How do I stop people from voting twice on my WordPress poll?

Turn on the plugin’s repeat-vote check. Checking the WordPress account is the most reliable, but it only works if voters log in. Cookie checks are easy to get around by clearing cookies, and IP checks can block different people who share a network.

Can I limit voting to logged-in users?

Yes. Poll Maker has a free “Only for logged in users” option, Democracy Poll has “Only registered users allowed to vote”, WP-Polls can be set to “Registered Users Only”, and YOP Poll lets you allow only WordPress accounts.

Are WordPress voting plugins free?

Most have a free version. WP-Polls and Democracy Poll are completely free. As of October 2026, the cheapest paid plans are $15 for TS Poll, $27 for YOP Poll, $50 a year for Forminator Pro, $59 a year for TotalPoll Pro and $75 one-time for Poll Maker.

Can visitors see poll results after voting?

Yes, but check the defaults. Most plugins on this list showed results right after voting on our test site. Forminator hides results until you switch them on, and YOP Poll hides them from logged-in users until you tick “Registered”.