VotablyBudget split
Everyone gets the same budget of points to spread across the options. Spending more on one means less left for the rest, so the results show real priorities, not just a first choice.
- Free
- No account
- Share link
How it works
The creator lists the options and sets the budget, 100 points by default.
Everyone opens the link and spreads their points across the options that matter to them.
The creator reveals the results, and the option with the most total points wins.
What is a budget split vote
A budget split vote, also called points allocation, gives every voter the same stack of points, 100 by default, to spread across the options however they like. Someone who cares mostly about one option can put most of their points there. Someone who is fine with several options can spread points thin across all of them. Add up everyone's points per option and you get a result that reflects strength of preference, not just a single tick.
This is the small-group cousin of participatory budgeting, the practice cities use to let residents direct part of a public budget. The mechanics are the same: a fixed pool of points, options competing for it, and a result that shows where the group's enthusiasm actually concentrates. A plain yes-or-no vote cannot show that a group is lukewarm on four options and passionate about one; a budget split can.
Because spending on one option costs points elsewhere, a budget split forces trade-offs that a pick-one poll hides. It works well whenever the outcome should reflect degree of preference: which trip activities to book, how to split a group gift, or which features matter most to a team.
Related ways to decide
Best for
Group gifts
Pool a budget and let everyone put points toward the gift ideas they actually want funded, instead of guessing who prefers what.
Trip activities
Spread points across the activities on a group trip so the itinerary matches what people care about most, not just what's listed first.
Feature or budget prioritization
Teams and clubs use a budget split to decide which features or line items matter most when there isn't room for all of them.
When to use something else
If you just need a single winner, quick poll's dot mode is a lighter version of the same idea, spreading a small dot budget instead of tracking real points. Score works better when you want to rate each option on its own instead of splitting a shared pool. Wishlist is the better start if the options themselves are not decided yet.
Questions people ask
- Is there a free budget split vote with no account needed?
- Yes. Votably's budget split vote is free, needs no account for the creator or voters, and works from a single link that anyone can open on their phone to spread points across the options.
- Is there a free points allocation poll for group gifts?
- Yes. Votably's budget split vote works well as a free points allocation poll for group gifts: everyone spreads the same budget of points across gift ideas, and the idea with the most points wins, no account required.
- What is a good free group gift vote tool?
- Votably's budget split vote is a free group gift vote tool: give everyone the same points budget, let them spread it across gift ideas, and the option with the strongest combined support wins, with results hidden until the creator reveals them.
Decisions are kept for 30 days, then deleted. One vote per phone. The creator decides when results are revealed.