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Errors when counting participants – causes

  • November 11, 2025
  • 7 comments
  • 42 views

We have been informed that individual events would exceed 1,000 participants (we have the PRO subscription). However, we know from our registrations for these events and from simultaneous video stream embedding analytics that the numbers are much lower. Like 4 to 5x times lower. We would now like to understand where these massive discrepancies come from.

First, we would like to confirm how you count “participants.” Our understanding is that it refers to views of the embeded slido in different browsers or on different devices? This means that opening another tab in the same browser, reloading the website, or closing and re-opening it in the _same_ browser does not result in it being counted as a “new participant.” In contrast, opening the website on a new device, using a different browser on the same device, or changing the cell tower on a smartphone or maybe even changing Wifi-Networks(?) would all result in a new participant being counted. Can you confirm this, or is there something incorrect or incomplete about it?

If this is the case, as described above. What potential sources of error are you aware of? Are there any errors that we may have caused when embedding in our website? Does it affect the number of participants that we repeatedly duplicate these different events in slido because we don't want to recreate the styling (colors and settings) from scratch every time and also because surveys often share similar formats or questions.

Also, in the Forums

Thank you for your help.

Best answer by Kat from Slido

Hello ​@HWM 

Happy to answer your questions and help. 

The participant limit applies to the overall number of people joining your slido, no matter if they ask a question or vote in polls. The participant limit depends on your Slido plan.

If there’s no Privacy setting enabled on an embedded slido, anyone who opens the website will automatically count as a joined participant in the Analytics.

If there’s any authentication required in Privacy settings (e.g. required name or email), only those visitors who fill in these details and then enter your slido session, will count as joined participant.

If you’d like to discuss your case further on, or in case of additional questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@slido.com. We’ll be happy to assist more. 

I hope this helps!

All the best, 

7 replies

Kat from Slido
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  • Customer Care
  • Answer
  • November 11, 2025

Hello ​@HWM 

Happy to answer your questions and help. 

The participant limit applies to the overall number of people joining your slido, no matter if they ask a question or vote in polls. The participant limit depends on your Slido plan.

If there’s no Privacy setting enabled on an embedded slido, anyone who opens the website will automatically count as a joined participant in the Analytics.

If there’s any authentication required in Privacy settings (e.g. required name or email), only those visitors who fill in these details and then enter your slido session, will count as joined participant.

If you’d like to discuss your case further on, or in case of additional questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@slido.com. We’ll be happy to assist more. 

I hope this helps!

All the best, 


  • Author
  • Participant
  • November 13, 2025

Hello Kat, 

Thank you for your reply. 

I have one more question. You wrote:


“ anyone who opens the website will automatically count as a joined participant in the Analytics. ”


For which time period does this apply? Only when the slido event is active, or even when the event has not yet started (in Slido, you enter a date and it is active only when you start the first poll, for example—that's what I mean by “started”).

So, could the incorrect count be due to the fact that the website is already online with the embed code days in advance, even though no poll or chat is active yet? 

Thanks for your help.


Kat from Slido
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Hello ​@HWM 

Great question!

When embedding slido into your website, you use an URL link, which acts as a permanent link to your session. Thus your participants can join it even outside of your Slido dates when your slido is not active yet.

I believe the low number of total joined participants might be caused by the fact that your slido is protected with some authentication method, as mentioned previously. You can check that in your slido settings, under Privacy tab.

I hope this helps and brings a little more clarity. 

My best,


  • Author
  • Participant
  • November 19, 2025

Hello Kat,
 

thanks again. 

On the contrary: our participant numbers were too high, probably because we didn't use authentication - this is what i understand now. The website with the embeded slido was accessed multiple times days in advance by invited participants (before the actual event even had started). That's my guess. 

Just to clarify: 

So that means if we protect our Slido with authentication, only the participants who actually enter their name, email, or code will be counted, right? Not everyone who visits the website, correct?

Also, do the other privacy options such as “named by default” achieve the same thing, or only the options under the “Require authentication” function?

May I send you an email address via PM so we can clarify any further questions by E-Mail?

Thank you very much. Christian


Kat from Slido
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Hi Christian ​@HWM 

Your understanding is correct - if you enable any authentication method (required name, email, password etc.), only those web visitors who enter these details (depending on what you require) into your slido joining page and actually access it, would count in as a joined participants. 

If you set your participant privacy settings to “named by default”, your web visitor wouldn't be asked to enter their name upon joining, but only when submitting their questions. However, if you set it to “always require name”, they would be asked to enter their name when joining. 

May I ask you to reach out at support@slido.com and send us any additional questions and also details (name and #code) of the slido session that you’re embedding into your website? 

We’ll be very happy to help you from there. Thank you so much. 

Kind regards,


  • Author
  • Participant
  • November 20, 2025

Hi Kat,
Thank you very much. That clarifies things for us. I don't have any further questions for now. In future, we will handle embedding for this type of event differently so that only the actual session is counted.

Thanks again.

Christian


Kat from Slido
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Hi Christian ​@HWM 

Glad I could help out! Don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@slido.com in future again, with any questions or uncertainties. We’ll be more than happy to assist with anything Slido related. 

Take care!

All the best,