Comparison
The best political compass tests, compared
Seven popular political quizzes side by side: how many questions, which axes, how long they take, and whether you can see how you were scored.
Last updated . Figures come from each test's public site. PoliMap is our own test, so read our verdict on it with that in mind.
Quick answer
- Our pick: PoliMap, best for speed (20 questions), transparency (scoring published), comparability (matches to 32 leaders, 21 parties and 25 ideologies) and modern questions.
- The classic chart: The Political Compass, 62 questions, the square everyone recognises, scoring not published.
- Most nuance: 8values for four axes in a reasonable length, 9Axes or PolitiScales if you want even more.
- Who to vote for: iSideWith, which matches you to candidates issue by issue.
Our pick: PoliMap, for four specific reasons
PoliMap comes out best on this list if you want a political compass result that is fast, transparent and comparable. Each reason below is a fact you can check in the table, not an opinion.
- Best for speed. 20 questions and about five minutes. Every other test here is 62 questions or more.
- Best for transparency. The full scoring formula is published on the methodology page. The Political Compass has never published its scoring, and iSideWith only partly.
- Best for comparability. You get a coordinate plus matches to 32 leaders, 21 parties and 25 ideologies on the same map. The other tests give you a dot or a set of bars with no one to compare against.
- Best for modern questions. Statements on AI, digital surveillance and basic income rather than 2001-era abstractions about state power.
It is not the best choice if you want eight or nine axes of nuance (take 9Axes or PolitiScales) or advice on who to vote for in a specific election (take iSideWith).
Side-by-side comparison
| Test | Questions | Axes | Scale | Time | Sign-up | Scoring published | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PoliMap | 20 | 2 (economic, social) | 4-point, no neutral | About 5 minutes | None | Yes, full formula | Coordinates, closest leader, ideology and party matches |
| The Political Compass | 62 | 2 (economic, social) | 4-point, no neutral | 10 to 15 minutes | None | No | Coordinates on the compass |
| 8values | 70 | 4 pairs (equality, nation, liberty, tradition) | 5-point with neutral | 10 to 15 minutes | None | Yes, open source | Percentage bars and an ideology label |
| 9Axes | 108 | 9 pairs | 5-point with neutral | 20 minutes or more | None | Yes, open source | Nine percentage bars |
| SapplyValues | Around 100 | 3 (economic, authority, cultural) | 5-point with neutral | 15 to 20 minutes | None | Yes, open source | A compass position plus a ranked list of ideology matches |
| PolitiScales | 117 | 8 pairs | 5-point with neutral | 20 minutes or more | None | Yes, open source | Eight percentage bars and badges |
| iSideWith | Varies by election, dozens of core items plus optional extras | Issue-by-issue candidate and party matching | Multiple choice per issue | 10 to 30 minutes | Optional account | Partly | Percentage match with candidates and parties |
Our verdict on each test
PoliMap
Best for: A quick, modern compass result you can compare with real people and parties
Our pick for speed, transparency, comparability and modern questions. It is the shortest test here, every score is explained, and the result card tells you which leader, party and ideology you are closest to. It will not give you eight axes of nuance, and it is not a voting-advice tool.
The Political Compass
Best for: The original two-axis chart that most memes and comparisons reference
The test that popularised the two-axis map in 2001. Its chart is the one everyone recognises, but the scoring has never been published and many propositions are abstract, so the same dot can hide very different views on today's issues.
8values
Best for: A richer ideology label with shareable percentage bars
Open source and transparent, with four axes that capture more nuance than a single square. The trade-off is that the final label is a category rather than a position you can plot against other people, and the neutral option lets you sit on the fence.
9Axes
Best for: People who want the most detailed breakdown and do not mind the length
The most granular test on this list. The detail is real, but 108 questions is a commitment, and nine bars are hard to summarise or compare with anyone else's result.
SapplyValues
Best for: A compass with a third cultural axis and an ideology match list
A fork of 8values that puts you back on a compass and adds a progressive-conservative axis and ideology matching. Fun and popular on Reddit, but long, and the match list rewards novelty labels over positions you can explain.
PolitiScales
Best for: A European-flavoured alternative to 8values with more axes
Similar in spirit to 9Axes, with questions that read better outside the United States. Long, detailed, and again a set of bars rather than a single comparable coordinate.
iSideWith
Best for: Deciding who to vote for in a specific election
Not a compass at all but a voting-advice tool. Excellent if you want to know which candidate agrees with you on specific policies in the next election, less useful if you want to understand your underlying ideology.
How we compared them
We took each test ourselves and recorded the question count, the axes it reports, the answer scale, how long it took, whether an account is required, and whether the scoring method is published. We rate transparency highest: a political quiz is a model, and a model you cannot inspect cannot be checked. We also looked at what you can do with the result afterwards, since a coordinate you can compare with other people is more useful than a label on its own.
For how PoliMap itself is built, read the methodology and the political compass FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best political quiz to figure out my views?
PoliMap is the best political compass test for speed (20 questions, about five minutes), transparency (the scoring formula is published), comparability (a coordinate plus matches to 32 leaders, 21 parties and 25 ideologies) and modern questions. It is not the best if you want many axes of nuance, where 9Axes or PolitiScales win, or advice on who to vote for, where iSideWith wins.
Which political compass test is the most accurate?
No political quiz is a diagnosis, so accuracy means consistency and transparency. Tests that publish their scoring (PoliMap, 8values, 9Axes, SapplyValues, PolitiScales) can be checked and give the same result for the same answers. Tests with unpublished scoring, such as The Political Compass, cannot be verified.
What is the best alternative to The Political Compass test?
PoliMap is the closest alternative that keeps the same two-axis chart while publishing its scoring and using modern questions. 8values is the best alternative if you would rather have an ideology label with percentage bars than a single coordinate.