11 Best Games Like Kahoot to Electrify Your Classroom in 2024

Alternatives

Leah Nguyen 21 August, 2024 8 min read

⁤As much as we love Kahoot, it's not the only fish in the sea. ⁤⁤Maybe you're looking to switch things up, or you've hit a wall with Kahoot's features. ⁤⁤Or perhaps that subscription fee is giving your school budget a heart attack. ⁤⁤Whatever the reason, you're in the right place. ⁤

Here are the 11 similar games like Kahoot. All of these Kahoot alternatives were chosen because they are easy for teachers to use and have great features that students love. Expect free tools, apps that students beg you to play, and a lot of fun educational exploration.

Table of Contents

1. AhaSlides

❗Great for: Big and small class sizes, formative assessments, hybrid classrooms

Games like Kahoot: AhaSlides
Games like Kahoot: AhaSlides

If you are familiar with Kahoot, you'd be 95% familiar with AhaSlides - the rising interactive presentation platform that's loved by 2 million users❤️ It has a PowerPoint-like interface, with a neat sidebar showcasing slide types and customisation options on the right. Some of the functionalities like Kahoot you can create with AhaSlides include:

  • Synchronous/asynchronous quizzes (multiple-choice, match pairs, ranking, type answers, and more)
  • Team-play mode
  • AI slides generator that lets busy teachers create lesson quizzes in seconds

What AhaSlides offers that Kahoot lacks

  • More versatile survey and poll features like multiple-choice polls, word cloud & open-ended, brainstorming, rating scale, and Q&A, which are great for assessing understanding in non-competitive ways.
  • More freedom in customising slides: add text effects, change background, audio, and such.
  • PowerPoint/Google Slides import so you can mix between static slides and interactivities within AhaSlides.
  • A+ responses and services from the Customer Support team (they answer your questions 24/7!)

2. Quizalize

❗Great for: Elementary students (grade 1-6), summative assessments, homework

Games like Kahoot: Quizalize
Games like Kahoot: Quizalize

Quizalize is a class game like Kahoot with a strong focus on gamified quizzes. They have ready-to-use quiz templates for elementary and middle school curricula, and different quiz modes like AhaSlides to explore.

Quizalize pros:

  • Features online classroom games to pair with standard quizzes to motivate students
  • Easy to navigate and set up
  • Can import quiz questions from Quizlet

Quizalize cons:

  • The AI-generated quiz function could be more accurate (sometimes they generate totally random, unrelated questions!)
  • The gamified feature, while being fun, can be a distraction and encourage teachers to focus on lower-level learning.

3. Quizlet

❗Great for: Retrieval practice, exam preparation

Games like Kahoot: Quizlet
Games like Kahoot: Quizlet

Quizlet is a simple learning game like Kahoot that provides practice-type tools for students to review heavy-term textbooks. While it's famously known for its flashcard feature, Quizlet also offers interesting game modes like gravity (type the correct answer as asteroids fall) - if they are not locked behind a paywall.

Quizlet pros:

  • Has a large database of studying content, helping your students find study materials for various subjects easily
  • Available online and as a mobile app, making it easy to study anywhere, anytime

Quizlet cons:

  • Inaccurate or outdated information that requires double-checking.
  • Free users will experience a lot of distracting ads.
  • Some of the gamification like badges won't work, which is disappointing.
  • Lack of organisation in the setting with a bunch of confusing options.

4. Gimkit

❗Great for: Formative assessments, small class size, elementary students (grade 1-6)

Games like Kahoot: Gimkit
Games like Kahoot: Gimkit

Gimkit is like Kahoot! and Quizlet had a baby, but with some cool tricks up its sleeve that neither of them has. Its live gameplay also has better designs than Quizalize.

It's got all the bells and whistles of your typical quiz game - the rapid-fire questions and the "money" feature that the kids go nuts for. Overall, Gimkit is a fun game like Kahoot.

Gimkit pros:

  • Fast-paced quizzes that offer some thrills
  • Getting started is easy
  • Different modes to give students control of their learning experience

Gimkit cons:

  • Offers two types of questions: multiple-choice and text input.
  • Can lead to an over-competitive atmosphere when students want to get ahead of the game instead of focusing on actual study materials.

5. Slido

❗Great for: Older groups of students (grade 7 and above), small class size, non-competitive knowledge check

games like kahoot: slido
Games like Kahoot: Slido

Slido does not offer exact study games like Kahoot, but we still include it on the list for its nuance polling features and integration with Google Slides/PowerPoint - which is a huge plus if you don't want to switch between too many tabs.

Slido pros:

  • Simple and clean interface, suitable for more formal classroom sessions
  • Anonymous polling feature to help quiet students raise their voices

Slido cons:

  • Limited quiz types.
  • Not as fun as other gamification platforms.
  • Not budget-friendly for teachers.

6. Baamboozle

❗Great for: Pre-K–5, small class size, ESL subject

Games like Kahoot: Baamboozle
Games like Kahoot: Baamboozle

Baamboozle is another great interactive classroom game like Kahoot that boasts over 2 million user-generated games in its library. Unlike other Kahoot-like games that require students to have a personal device like a laptop/tablet to play a live quiz in your classroom, Baamboozle doesn't require any of that.

Baamboozle pros:

  • Creative gameplay with massive question banks from users
  • Students don't need to play on their own devices
  • The upgrade fee is reasonable for teachers

Baamboozle cons:

  • Teachers have no tools to track student progress.
  • Busy quiz interface that can feel overwhelming for beginners.
  • Upgrade is a must if you really want to explore all the features in depth.

7. Quizizz

❗Great for: Formative/summative assessments, grade 3-12

Games like Kahoot: Quizizz
Games like Kahoot: Quizizz

Quizizz is one of the solid educational games like Kahoot that is primarily known for its gamified quizzes and assessments. It allows educators to create and share quizzes with students, both in live classroom settings and as asynchronous assignments.

Quizizz pros:

  • Probably one of the best AI quiz generators in the market, which saves teachers heaps of time
  • Incorporates game-like features, such as leaderboards, points, and badges that students love
  • A vast library of pre-made quizzes

Quizizz cons:

  • Not budget-friendly for teachers.
  • You have less control over live games compared to other platforms.
  • Like Quizlet, you might need to double-check the questions from user-generated content.

8. Blooket

❗Great for: Elementary students (grade 1-6), formative assessments

Games like Kahoot: Blooket
Games like Kahoot: Blooket

As one of the fastest-growing education platforms, Blooket is a nice Kahoot alternative (and Gimkit too!) for really fun and competitive quiz games. There is some cool stuff to explore, like GoldQuest which lets students accumulate gold and steal from each other by answering the questions.

Blooket pros:

  • Its platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate
  • You can import questions from Quizlet and CSV
  • Huge free templates to use

Blooket cons:

  • Its security is a concern. Some kids are able to hack the game and modify the result.
  • Students can be too connected on a personal level and you should expect groaning/screaming/cheering involved.
  • For older groups of students, Blooket's interface looks a tad childish.

Free Kahoot Alternatives

All the options above are free to start, but if you want free Kahoot alternatives that unlock almost all the functions, check out these options below:

9. Mentimeter: Not just for quizzes - you can do polls, word clouds, and Q&A. It's a versatile tool to use with students and parent-teacher meetings.

10. Flippity: This one's a dark horse. It turns Google Sheets into all sorts of games and tools. Quiz shows, flashcards, you name it.

11. Plickers: Now this is cool if you're in a low-tech classroom. Students use printed cards, you use your device. It's a straightforward approach - and no student devices are needed!

But for a Kahoot alternative that offers a truly usable free plan, is flexible in all types of classroom and meeting contexts, actually listens to its customers and continuously develops new features they need - tryAhaSlides💙

Unlike some other quiz tools, AhaSlides lets you blend your interactive elements with regular presentation slides.

You can really make it your own with custom themes, backgrounds, and even your school logo.

Its paid plans don't feel like a big money-grabbing scheme like other games like Kahoot since it offers monthly, yearly and education plans with a generous free plan.

Wrapping Up: The Best Games Like Kahoot!

Quizzes have become a quintessential part of every teacher's toolkit as a low-stake way to boost student retention rates and revise lessons. Many studies also state that retrieval practice with quizzes improves learning outcomes for students (Roediger et al., 2011)

With that in mind, this article is written to provide ample information for teachers who venture out to find the best alternatives to Kahoot! No matter what the reason you're switching from Kahoot, there are indeed many great apps/more fishes in the sea to catch out there. Have fun playing it with your students💙

🎮 If you're looking for🎯 Best apps for this
Games like Kahoot but more creativeBaamboozle, Gimkit, Blooket
Kahoot free alternativesAhaSlides, Plickers
Free Kahoot alternatives for large groupsAhaSlides, Mentimeter
Quiz apps like Kahoot which track student progressQuizizz, Quizalize
Simple sites like KahootSlido, Flippity
The best games like Kahoot at a glance

References

Roediger, Henry & Agarwal, Pooja & Mcdaniel, Mark & McDermott, Kathleen. (2011). Test-Enhanced Learning in the Classroom: Long-Term Improvements From Quizzing. Journal of experimental psychology. Applied. 17. 382-95. 10.1037/a0026252.

Kenney, Kevin & Bailey, Heather. (2021). Low-Stakes Quizzes Improve Learning and Reduce Overconfidence in College Students. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 21. 10.14434/josotl.v21i2.28650.