Kahoot! or Quizizz?

Most teachers are familiar with Kahoot!, a multiple choice-based game system that awards points to students based on their speed and accuracy.  If you have been to an establishment where you can answer trivia questions that pop up on TV screens while you answer using a device at your table, you've basically played Kahoot!.

Quizizz is a similar game system with some minor but significant differences.  Kahoot! and Quizzizz have pros and cons and each platform can help students and teachers learn.  This blog post will highlight the differences as they might play out in a classroom setting during a game-based learning experience.

1) Time limits (per question)

• Kahoot! - from 5 seconds to 2 minutes
• Quizizz - from 5 seconds to 5 minutes

2) Pacing

• Kahoot! - Students move as a group from question to question 
• after everyone has answered, 
• when time has expired, or 
• when the teacher advances the game to the next question.
• Quizizz -  Students move individually from question to question
• as they finish each question, or 
• after their time limit expires.

3) Question-Answer display

• Kahoot! - Students see buttons on their device that correspond to answer choices.  The questions are displayed on the teacher's device and, typically, a whiteboard.
• Quizizz - Students see the question and the choice buttons on their own device.  The teacher does not display the questions.

4) In-game feedback

• Kahoot! - After each question, students see if they were right or wrong, how many points they earned, their total accumulated points, and their class ranking.  On the teacher's display, a graph shows the number of students who gave each response and the game's current top five students.
• Quizizz - Students see if they were right or wrong, how many points they earned, their total accumulated points, and what place they are in.  The teacher sees a real-time table of players, their answers, and their accumulated scores.  A class-wide display of total questions right and wrong is also available.

5) Negatives

• Kahoot! - Students lose connection during the game and can't get back in, making Kahoot! games occasionally a war of attrition.  Also, down time between questions can sometimes create classroom management issues.
• Quizizz - Students don't receive immediate feedback from the teacher in between questions.  Instead, they go onto the next question immediately.  Also, spaces appearing in questions and answers displayed as html code jibberish when game results were exported to Excel.

6) Positives

• Kahoot! - Between every question, a graph showing the distribution of student answers appears on the teacher's displayed screen, providing the teacher with a fast formative assessment and an opportunity to stop and discuss the question before moving onto the next question.
• Quizizz - Students are less likely to lose connection during the game.  The classroom environment tends to be quieter because students are continuously engaged until they finish.

In summary:

• If you want to be able to stop between questions to discuss each question and answer with your students, Kahoot! is for you.  But, be warned, Kahoot! is only as reliable as your students' internet connection.  Once a student loses their connection, they're out of the game.
• If you want students to work at their own pace, and you're willing to trade immediate, question-by-question feedback for fewer drops and a more peaceful classroom environment, then Quizizz is for you.
• Both Kahoot! and Quizizz are useful gaming tools.  Consider their pros and cons and try them out before making your choice.

Thanks to Megan Scott and her students at Truman Middle School for contributing to this post.