Live game, homework or paper
Classroom quiz tools work in three ways, and most free plans are generous in one and tight in another:
- Live games run on the projector while students answer on their own devices. Kahoot!, Gimkit, Socrative, Mentimeter and Wayground all have a live mode on the free plan. Here the class size is the limit that matters.
- Self-paced work is assigned and finished in class or at home. Wordwall lists assignments for students to complete at their own pace on its Basic plan, Wayground includes live and student-paced delivery, and Kahoot! Go can assign kahoots. Gimkit lists assignments as a Pro feature. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms quizzes are self-paced by design.
- Paper needs no student devices at all. Plickers offers free printable cards in sets of 40 or 63, and the teacher scans the room with the phone app.
Check the class size first. Free plans stop at numbers that a single class can hit: Socrative at 50 students per activity, Plickers at 63 students per class, Wayground at 100 students, and Mentimeter at 50 participants a month across all presentations.
Free limits compared
The numbers below are from the official pages on the date in the table. An empty cell means the page states nothing for the free plan.
| Tool | Free plan | Students or players | Content limit | Modes on the free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahoot! | Kahoot! Go | 40 in the plan table, up to 10 in the FAQ | Quiz and true/false questions, up to 4 answers | Live, solo, assigned |
| Wayground | Basic | 100 students | 20 activities stored | Live and student-paced |
| Gimkit | Gimkit Basic | Pro exclusive modes not included | Live; assignments need Pro | |
| Wordwall | Basic | 3 activities, 12 templates | Assignments, embedding | |
| Plickers | Free account | 63 per class | 5 questions per Set | Live with paper cards |
| Socrative | Free | 50 per activity | 5 quizzes, 1 room | Live and self-paced |
| Mentimeter | Free | 50 participants a month | 23 slide types | Live |
| Microsoft Forms | Personal account | 200 responses per quiz | 400 forms, 200 questions each | Self-paced |
| Google Forms | Education Fundamentals | Self-paced |
Kahoot!'s own plan page gives two numbers for the free plan: the comparison table lists 40 participants for Kahoot! Go, while the FAQ on the same page says up to 10. Test with your class before a lesson that depends on it. Wordwall's limit of 3 activities is small, but a free account can still assign and embed those 3. Report history is short on several free plans: Plickers shows 30 days of results at a time and Socrative keeps a 30-day report history, so export the scores you want to keep.
Student privacy checks
A quiz tool that students use as part of a lesson handles student data, even when students only type a nickname. In the US, the Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office administers and enforces FERPA and PPRA, and its guidance Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services covers apps and web tools from third parties that students use as part of a school activity, including homework. Before you sign up a class:
- Ask whether your school or district already has an approved list or a data agreement with the vendor. Many schools decide this centrally.
- Read the vendor's privacy policy and any separate student data page. Plickers links a Student Data policy in its help center footer, and Gimkit's account FAQ explains how to view the information Gimkit has collected on you.
- Collect as little as you need. Gimkit says students can play live games and assignments without an account, and Mentimeter says Menti Live works with no login required. Google Forms does not collect email addresses by default.
- Watch for age rules inside the product. Kahoot! states that students under 16 cannot interact with free-form question types such as word clouds and open-ended questions, citing GDPR, COPPA and FERPA.
This is a checklist, not legal advice. Your school's privacy officer or district office has the final word on which tools students may use.
What our tools add
Some classroom routines need no quiz platform at all. Call on students fairly with the random name picker, split the class for a team round with the team generator, and keep answer time visible with the online timer. For a review game without devices, print cards from the bingo card generator, and for practice at home make a deck with the flashcard maker. All of them run in your browser without an account.
When you plan the quiz itself, our lesson plan template has room for the check for understanding, and the Bloom's taxonomy guide helps you write questions beyond recall. Our list of free software for students covers the tools on the other side of the classroom.
Frequently asked questions
Which free quiz maker allows the most students?
Of the plans that state a number, Wayground's Basic plan lists 100 students, Plickers allows 63 students per class, and Socrative's Free plan allows 50 students per activity. Gimkit says Basic members can host games without any limitations and names no player cap on its account FAQ. Mentimeter's Free plan counts 50 participants a month across all presentations.
How many players can join a free Kahoot! game?
Kahoot!'s plan page is not consistent. The comparison table lists 40 participants for the free Kahoot! Go plan, while the FAQ on the same page says Go allows up to 10 participants per game. Paid plans start at 50 participants.
Which tools let students join without an account?
Gimkit says students can play live games and assignments without an account, and only need one for classes, XP and cosmetics. Mentimeter says its live presentations work on any device with no login required. With Plickers, students hold printed cards and do not use a device.
Can I run a quiz without student devices?
Yes, with Plickers. Students hold up free printable cards, and the teacher scans them with the Plickers app on iOS or Android. The free account allows unlimited classes and Sets, with up to 5 questions per Set.
Are Google Forms and Microsoft Forms quizzes free?
Google Forms is part of Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which Google offers at no cost for qualifying institutions. Microsoft lists Forms as a free tool, and its limits page allows personal accounts up to 400 forms or quizzes, with up to 200 responses per quiz on free accounts. Students answer both at their own pace, so they suit homework and exit tickets more than live games.