Is Doodle free? What you get without paying, and where the wall is

Short answer: yes, you can still make and share a group poll on Doodle without paying, and the people you send it to never pay. The longer answer is about what the free version feels like, which is where most people's frustration actually comes from.

What the free plan covers

Creating a group poll with dates or dates and times, sharing it by link, and collecting answers from people who have no account. For a one-off 'which night suits?' that is the whole job, and it is free.

What you pay for

Removing adverts, custom branding, automatic reminders and some deadline, notification and calendar-connection features sit on paid tiers. Doodle changes the exact boundary from time to time, so treat any list — including this one — as a guide rather than a contract.

Why free feels worse than it is

The cost of the free plan is not the features, it is the answer page: adverts and upsells shown to your friends, on a phone, at the exact moment you need them to tap three boxes. Every extra thing on that page loses you answers.

Free alternatives worth knowing

A WhatsApp poll is free and instant, but scrolls away. When2meet is free and precise, and hard work on a phone. Our date poll is free on both sides, has no adverts and asks for no email — and if the date is only half the problem, the winning night can become a full plan with a place, a rough cost and a reminder.

Common questions

Is Doodle still free in 2026?
Yes, for creating and sharing a basic group poll. Adverts and several convenience features are the trade-off, and some things have moved to paid plans over time.
Does Doodle show adverts to the people answering?
On the free plan, yes. That is the main practical difference between it and an ad-free poll.
What is the best free Doodle alternative?
For a pure date poll with no account and no adverts, ours. For finding an exact hour across a working week, When2meet.