The Best Kahoot Alternatives: Free Options in 2024 | Shiken

Need a free Kahoot alternative for audience engagement, team building or online quizzes?

There are a number of free Kahoot alternatives out there but finding a free alternative learning platform that offers interactive games, live and asynchronous challenges and the ability to create quizzes can be tough with many people defaulting to google slides.

Classroom games enhance student engagement and provide an interactive learning experience, making lessons more enjoyable and dynamic.

In this guide we’re going to be looking at some of the best alternatives to Kahoot that provide trivia games, audience response tools, icebreaker games and interactive lessons for student engagement. These alternatives also offer fun games with engaging and entertaining quiz formats, including multiplayer team challenges and a variety of topics. Additionally, we will highlight some free alternatives that, despite certain limitations, still offer valuable tools for educators and trainers.

The best kahoot alternatives include platforms like Shiken, Quizizz, Quizlet, and GimKit, each offering unique features for creating engaging quizzes and interactive learning experiences.

Why Look for Kahoot Alternatives?

While Kahoot! is a beloved educational technology platform, it may not always meet every user’s needs. One of the main reasons educators and trainers seek out Kahoot alternatives is due to its limited features, focusing primarily on just quizzes. Additionally, many alternatives offer a free account, allowing users to access basic features without any financial commitment. Kahoot! primarily focuses on multiple-choice and true/false questions, which might not be suitable for all types of learning content. If your lessons require more advanced features like open-ended questions, interactive games, or adaptive difficulty levels, you might find Kahoot! somewhat restrictive.

Moreover, some users find Kahoot!’s tracking and reporting features either too complex or lacking in the detailed insights they need. This can be a significant drawback if you need comprehensive data to assess student performance and engagement. Exploring other educational technology platforms can provide you with the advanced features and interactive games necessary to create a more dynamic and effective learning experience.

Limited Features

Kahoot! is undoubtedly a popular choice, but it doesn’t always offer the breadth of features required for diverse educational needs. Free alternatives provide more advanced features that can cater to a wider range of educational requirements. For instance, if you’re looking for a platform that supports a variety of question types beyond multiple-choice and true/false, you might find Kahoot! limiting.

Advanced features such as open-ended questions, interactive games, and adaptive difficulty levels can significantly enhance the learning experience, making it more engaging and effective. By exploring Kahoot alternatives, you can find platforms that offer these advanced features, ensuring your educational content is both comprehensive and captivating.

Specific Needs

Different educational scenarios call for different tools. Depending on your audience and the purpose of your quizzes, you may need a platform with more customization options, varied question types, or better support for remote teams.

For example, if you’re teaching a language class, you might benefit from a platform that offers interactive games and group activities to help students practice their linguistic skills. On the other hand, if you’re working with a remote team, real-time feedback and collaboration tools become essential. In such cases, exploring an alternative to Kahoot can help you find a platform that caters specifically to your needs, providing a more tailored and effective learning experience.

By considering these factors, you can choose the best interactive learning platform that aligns with your educational goals and enhances the overall learning experience for your students or team.

What Makes a Great Kahoot Alternative?

When searching for the perfect Kahoot alternative, it’s essential to consider a range of features that can elevate the learning experience and keep students engaged. A standout alternative should offer:

• Interactive Quizzes and Games: The ability to create interactive quizzes and games tailored to different subjects and age groups is crucial. These tools should be customizable to fit the unique needs of each classroom.
• User-Friendly Interface: A platform that is easy to navigate allows teachers to effortlessly create and manage content, saving valuable time and effort.
• Real-Time Feedback and Assessment: Tools that provide instant feedback and track student progress are vital for monitoring and enhancing learning outcomes.
• Collaboration Features: Enabling students to work together on quizzes and games fosters teamwork and enhances the learning experience.
• Integration with LMS: Seamless integration with popular learning management systems ensures that the platform can be easily incorporated into existing educational frameworks.
• Pre-Made Quizzes and Games: Access to a library of pre-made quizzes and games can serve as a valuable starting point, allowing teachers to quickly implement engaging activities.
• Interactive Presentations and Word Clouds: Features that support the creation of interactive presentations and word clouds can significantly boost student engagement.
• Multimedia Support: The ability to incorporate images, videos, and audio files into quizzes and presentations makes the content more dynamic and engaging.
• Mobile Accessibility: A responsive design or mobile app ensures that students can access quizzes and games on-the-go, making learning more flexible and accessible.
• Free Account: Offering a free account option allows users to start using the platform without any financial commitment, making it more accessible.

By considering these features, educators can find a Kahoot alternative that not only meets their specific needs but also enhances the overall learning experience for their students.

The Power of Games Like Kahoot

There is something about technology that kids and adults can’t resist, which is why learning games like Shiken and Kahoot are such great classroom and workplace tools. There are also several free alternatives that offer similar benefits, providing valuable tools for educators and trainers seeking to engage learners effectively.

One or two ed-tech companies have dominated the market for some time, but there are now lots of Kahoot alternatives that school children, students, and professional learners will love. These interactive learning tools, such as Quizlet and Kahoot!, offer distinctive features that enhance the learning experience, making study both fun and effective.

Students love trivia quizzes and multiple choice questions as they can be used in person or in a remote setting for distributed teams at team meetings where they can keep students engaged on their own devices. Educational institutions benefit greatly from these tools, especially in remote learning scenarios, as they provide cost-effective solutions and effective online education resources.

Learning through play has proven benefits; encouraging creativity, confidence, empathy, and a greater understanding of the topic. Many of these apps are great for adults too, enhancing training programs and further education in a light-hearted, memorable way.

So what are the best kahoot alternatives? Well Shiken is one of the newest competitors to the edtech market, aiming to outperform every other platform and engage children and adults both in the classroom and out. But how does it measure up alongside heavyweights like Kahoot, Gimkit, Quizlet, and Quizizz?

Create Interactive Quizzes With Shiken

Shiken is an excellent alternative to Kahoot, encouraging healthy and friendly competition amongst learners, with all your learning tools in one place. With live quizzes, own games, courses, flashcards, and multiplayer team challenges featured alongside meditation tools and relaxation tips, this is the most exciting thing to happen to the classroom since break time! These multiplayer team challenges enhance interactive engagement and foster teamwork among students, allowing them to collaboratively compete in quizzes and trivia on a variety of topics.

Shiken is one of the best kahoot alternatives as it’s a full blown learning platform that is also a game based learning platform. With Shiken you can create custom quizzes to create interactive quizzes, lessons, or a custom game.

Shiken allows educators to create interactive quizzes that enhance student engagement.

Studies have shown that Shiken helps students learn twice as fast as traditional teaching, while 98% of users report higher grades because of the platform.

Educational games make the learning process fun, so students are excited to open the app and improve their scores. They can play alone or in groups, completing tasks curated by the teacher to ensure the games complement the current classroom topics. They can even create their own unique avatar which will highlight their space on the leaderboard as a beacon of motivation!

Other benefits of Shiken include:

Shiken is the best Kahoot alternative as it has Kahoot games on desktop and mobile devices but also has other games and other tools too. Users can create a free account to access basic features of the platform without any financial commitment.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a key part of the Shiken journey, encouraging regular breaks and self-awareness so that students can learn without burning themselves out. Users will gain useful time-management skills that will be invaluable in all areas of their lives, while motivational quotes and virtual nudges will keep them coming back for more!

Question Library and Exams

There are many trivia quizzes with thousands of question sets available, boosting active recall amongst users and preparing them for the in-app exams. Free alternatives also offer similar features, providing valuable tools for educators and trainers seeking to engage learners effectively. Practice tests enhance the learning experience by making it enjoyable and effective. These tests are great for cementing knowledge and assessing how much each student has learnt.

With both free and premium questions available find quizzes, and AI knowledge keeping repetitive subjects well-spaced, you can also customise quizzes to suit the student.

You can even add spoken questions, encouraging confidence in languages and other subjects.

Set Goals

Everyone needs a target to aim for and you can set personalised goals for your students that will encourage faster learning. Goalsare time-based and students can take exams or quizzes to meet them, with regular reminders to keep the user on track.

Take Notes

Teacher notes can be added to questions, so they are always easy to find and recall. You can bookmark questions for later and access yournotes from any device thanks to the Cloud-based system.

Creator Dashboard

The creator dashboard is an important element of this learning app, giving teachers and trainers the ability to see how all their learners are doing at a glance. Users can create a free account, which enhances usability by allowing access to basic features without any financial commitment. Chase up any kids who haven’t completed their tasks on time or reward those who consistently perform well.

This dashboard training tool also gives suggestions for your next course, so you are always onestep ahead with your planning.

Interactive Presentations and Surveys

Engage your audience with dynamic presentations and feedback tools.

Interactive presentations and surveys are essential tools for engaging audiences and promoting two-way communication. These tools allow users to create interactive content, such as live polls, quizzes, and word clouds, to capture the attention of their audience. Platforms like AhaSlides, Mentimeter, and Slido excel in this area, offering a range of features to make your presentations more dynamic and engaging.

AhaSlides, for instance, allows you to create interactive presentations that include live polls and quizzes, making it easy to gauge audience understanding and keep them engaged. Mentimeter offers similar features, with the added benefit of creating word clouds that visually represent audience responses in real-time. Slido, on the other hand, focuses on real-time feedback and Q&A sessions, ensuring that your audience remains interactive throughout the presentation.

These platforms are not just about making presentations more engaging; they also provide valuable insights through real-time feedback, helping you understand your audience better and tailor your content accordingly. Whether you’re conducting a classroom lesson, a business meeting, or a conference, these tools can transform your presentations into interactive experiences that leave a lasting impression.

Online Learning Management Systems

Manage and streamline your educational content with these platforms.

Online Learning Management Systems (LMS) are designed to help educators manage and streamline their educational content, making the teaching process more efficient and effective. Platforms like Canvas, Blackboard Learn, and Quizalize offer a comprehensive suite of tools that cater to various educational needs, from course creation to student progress tracking.

Canvas is renowned for its user-friendly interface and robust features, including interactive quizzes and multimedia support, which enhance the learning experience. Blackboard Learn offers extensive customization options and integrates seamlessly with other educational tools, making it a versatile choice for educators. Quizalize stands out with its gamification features, turning learning into a fun and engaging activity for students.

These LMS platforms not only simplify the management of educational content but also provide valuable insights into student progress. With features like real-time feedback, assignment management, and detailed analytics, educators can monitor student performance and tailor their teaching strategies accordingly. By leveraging these tools, you can create a more interactive and personalized learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of your students.

Real-Time Audience Engagement

Tools that excel in keeping your audience engaged and interactive.

Real-time audience engagement tools are designed to keep audiences engaged and interactive, making them an invaluable asset for educators, trainers, and presenters. Platforms like Poll Everywhere, Crowdpurr, and Kahootz offer a range of features that capture audience attention and promote active participation.

Poll Everywhere allows you to create live polls and quizzes that audiences can respond to in real-time, providing instant feedback and fostering a sense of involvement. Crowdpurr takes engagement to the next level with its interactive presentations and gamified quizzes, making learning fun and competitive. Kahootz, similar to Kahoot!, offers dynamic presentations and live quizzes that keep audiences on their toes.

These tools are not just about making presentations more engaging; they also provide valuable insights through real-time feedback and analytics. By understanding audience responses and participation levels, you can tailor your content to better meet their needs and keep them engaged throughout the session. Whether you’re conducting a classroom lesson, a business meeting, or a virtual event, these real-time engagement tools can transform your presentations into interactive experiences that resonate with your audience.

What's So Great About GimKit Live?

GimKit Live, an alternative to Kahoot, started as a high school project in 2018 and then took on a life of its own, becoming a fully functioning app with a small team behind it.

This platform is incredibly similar to Kahoot, but it is far easier to use. Gimkit is a game based learning platform with a focus on keeping teams engaged online by playing games with interactive elements.

It has a user-friendly interface that makes it ideal for younger children and teachers with an aversion to complicated technology.

With the free tier you can choose from a range of multiple choice and written answer questions, and a variety of game modes to promote knowledge in your captive students. The platform is very much geared towards children rather than the remote team.

GimKit Features

Gimkit focuses on games and key features that make it stand out. You can use a trivia quiz or customize jeopardy questions and plug them into a computer game similar to Among Us.

Repetitive Questioning

The best way to remember things is to learn them again and again, which is why the questions may be repeated all in one presentation in different forms several times.

Virtual Cash Motivation

Every time a student hits a target, the app rewards them with virtual money. They can use these coins in-game to purchase power-ups and upgrades.

How they invest these coins will determine how their game evolves,creating a personalised experience for the student. They can also lose money when they get a question wrong, increasing the need for accuracy throughout the game.

Recognisable Game Ideas

From the Floor is Lava to Humans Vs Zombies, traditional playground games are used to great effect to encourage further learning.

Homework Mode

Set tasks for your students and let GimKit grade them for you, so your students can see their scores in real-time and you don't have to spendhours marking!

Student Participation

KitCollab allows you to upload questions from students. You can then use these questions to create a new game the whole class remote team can enjoy.

Various Pricing Options

GimKit login offers free and paid options for your class. You can create a free account to access basic features without any financial commitment. Your students don’t even need their own account, as they can join games that you host using a GimKit code that you provide them with. The flexibility of use is great, allowing you to integrate the platform into all your lessons, or a select few.

GimKit is one of the cheaper platforms on the market, with high levels of competition keeping motivation high. However, it has its limitations.

At the core of it, the idea is maybe too simple, with students answering questions to level up. There is little opportunity for out-of-the-boxthinking – questions are either right or wrong, with no allowance for closeanswers or discussion about why (of course, this is something you could talkthrough in class instead).

So, while it’s great for short bursts of use in the classroom or at home, this is not a platform that is likely to engage students for long periods. They will soon become bored of the one-dimensional idea.

What's So Great About Quizlet?

Quizlet adds an extra layer of difficulty to the game show-style platforms. As well as making students work individually, this unique gameshow quiz places them in groups of three. Questions are then delivered to each team and each child gets four different answers.

The group works together to find the right answer on one of their mobile devices. The team that gets all the answers right first, wins.

If your students need to revise at home, there are flashcards and study sets. The app features over 64 subjects, so you are sure to find the topic that suits your current classroom activities.

Other Quizlet features include:

Step-by-Step Explanations

Just telling the student they have the wrong answer isn't enough. Quizlet talks the user through the problem, so they know what the right correct answer really is and how to solve it next time.

Teamwork Skills

Creating games that encourage collaboration ensures students have to talk to each other in person to get the right answers. This builds their teamwork, listening, and socialisation skills, making this a platform that goes beyond education. This also ensures that every student is included in the classroom game every single time.

Physical Movement

The app can recognise when students are sitting close to each other and won't start until all team members are nearby. This forces children to move around the room, stimulating their bodies for an activesession! One game also encourages standing, which is important for blood circulation.

A Unique Game Every Time

With so many possible game template flashcard combinations, students will never get the same game twice. This keeps learning fresh and interesting, sothey want to log in again and again.

Keep Track of Your Learning

Folders allow you to create flashcards to store study sets you want to use, which can then be converted to spreadsheets if needed. This is a great way to keep your classroom materials tidy and organised.

Free or Premium Options

While the free option gives you basic access and is ideal for one-off or occasional use, the premium paid version really is a great addition to learning. Not only does it remove ads, but it the free version allows you to study offline and gives you new, exciting features.

While Quizlet can be used for homework and revision, it is best played in groups of 6+, since every team needs at least three members.This can be limiting in smaller classes and also where the room doesn't add up to a multiple of three. There are no other options for group play, so while the idea is fun at first, it can be boring after a while.

What's So Great About Quizizz?

Just like Kahoot.it, Quizizz is an educational platform with an incredible library of pre-made quizzes. If you can dream a subject, it will be there, with over 30 million tests to choose from. It is quick and easy to use and allows you to set tasks for your students to complete in their own time or set up live games to enjoy in class.

This system is all about saving time for teachers. You can choose from the pre-set quizzes, make your own questions from scratch, or borrow elements of other quizzes for a mix-and-match-style game. Like a quiz someone else has made? You can use that too!

The whole package is user-friendly and looks good. Other Features of Quizizz include:

Easy-to-Play Games

From card-matching to the multiple choice questions and filling in the blanks, the games are simple and inclusive. The students don't have to think too hard about how to play, so they can concentrate on getting the answers right.

Point-Scoring and Competition

Students can play on their very own devices to win points or in class fora low-level competitive game that ensures everybody gets a turn.

Retake Tests

Or single questions. The app makes a note of questions students get wrong so you can retest them at another time after helping to improve their knowledge. Regular reports also help to identify gaps in the student's knowledge, so you can work them into your lesson plans.

Share Your Library and Plans

Got a cover teacher in? You can easily share your planned tasks with them so that your class maintains the same level of learning and you can carry on planning lessons as normal when you return.

Monthly Plans

Lots of the edutech apps on the market today want to tie you into annual plans. Quizizz lets you pay month by month. There are free accounts for single users or a few paid options that gives you wider access across the network.

There is a lot to love about Quizizz as an edutech tool.One of the biggest gripes, however, is that there is little in the way of customer support. You can send an email or pester them on Twitter, but there is no way to speak to someone instantly if you need help setting up a quiz, or the server goes down. There are also only a few game options, which can lead to this getting boring quickly. Since this platform is aimed at younger students,they might need a bit more encouragement than a few points to keep on track.

Other Alternatives for Remote Learning

In the era of remote learning, finding the right tools to keep students engaged and motivated is more important than ever. Several Kahoot alternatives are particularly well-suited for online learning environments, offering a range of interactive features and resources. Additionally, there are numerous free alternatives that, despite some limitations, provide valuable tools for educators and trainers seeking to engage learners effectively:

• Language Management Systems (LMS): Platforms like Canvas and Blackboard Learn provide comprehensive tools for creating interactive quizzes and games, making them ideal for remote learning. These systems offer robust features for tracking student progress and facilitating communication.
• Online Learning Platforms: Quizlet and Quizalize are excellent examples of platforms that offer a variety of interactive tools and resources. These platforms allow teachers to create engaging content that caters to different learning styles.
• Virtual Classroom Tools: AhaSlides and Mentimeter enable educators to create interactive presentations and engage with students in real-time. These tools are perfect for live online classes, offering features like polls, quizzes, and feedback to keep students involved.
• Online Quiz and Game Platforms: Platforms like Kahootz and Crowdpurr offer a range of features for creating interactive content. These tools are designed to make learning fun and engaging, with options for live quizzes and asynchronous challenges.

These alternatives can help teachers create dynamic and interactive online learning experiences, ensuring that students remain engaged and motivated, regardless of their learning environment.

So Which Interactive Learning Platform is Best?

Of course, this is a matter of preference. What suits one user won't necessarily work for another. However, as biased as this may be, we believe Shiken is superior to the rest. The platform has all the functionality of the others – with lots of extra features, but it promotes a healthier learning experience. It is a holistic platform, eliminating the need to use many apps at once, thanks to its note-taking feature, video courses,goal-setting, and speech function. The teacher dashboard makes it easy to use,while the question library is extensive, working for many different stages of learning.

As an all-rounder for your classroom, Shiken makes the most sense!

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