Gimkit vs Kahoot is the most-searched pair in this category, and the two are more different than they look. Both put a question on the board and answers on student phones. Kahoot! rewards speed; Gimkit rewards strategy, with an economy of earned money, upgrades and sabotage. The free plans differ even more. A disclosure before we start: we make The Game Room + Arcade, which appears below as a third option and is labelled as ours.
Facts come from kahoot.com/schools/plans and help.gimkit.com on October 16, 2026.
Gimkit vs Kahoot! at a glance
| Question | Gimkit | Kahoot! | The Game Room + Arcade Ours |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it plays | Live games on student devices; assignments on Pro | Live quiz on student devices, plus assignments and solo play | 30 teacher-led whole-class games (Game Room) plus 30 solo games on student devices (Arcade) |
| Whole-class on the board? | Students play on their own devices while the class shares a game | Projected quiz; students answer on their own devices | Yes: the Game Room is projected and played in teams. The Arcade is solo on student devices. |
| Student accounts | Not confirmed on the vendor page. See their pricing page. | Not stated on the plans page. See their pricing page. | No student email or account. Teacher code, class period, first name and a picture password. |
| Free plan | Basic: featured modes with unlimited students, classes and reports; no assignments and no image or audio upload; about 3 modes available at a time, rotating | Kahoot! Go: 10 players per game, 4 answer options, 3 teams, no polls, puzzles, standard reports or AI generators | No free plan. 7-day free trial on every plan, covering that plan's games. Unlimited play. |
| Paid plans | Pro $14.99/mo or $59.88/yr | Bronze $3/mo billed annually ($36/yr) for 50 players; Silver $7/mo ($84/yr) for 100; Gold $12/mo ($144/yr) for 200 | Game Room $8.99/mo or $49/yr; Arcade $12.99/mo or $69/yr; Bundle $15.99/mo or $89/yr. Cancel anytime. |
| Homework / solo | Assignments on Pro only | Yes: assignments and solo games, including on the free plan | Yes: the Arcade works for station days, early finishers and homework nights, with per-period reports. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Prices checked on each vendor’s own page. Where a vendor page could not be reached or did not list a price, the cell says so instead of guessing. Our prices are from our plans page.
The differences that matter in a classroom
Free plans: 10 players or 3 modes
Kahoot!’s free Kahoot! Go plan allows 10 players per game, 4 answer options and 3 teams, with no polls, puzzles, standard reports or AI generators, but it does include live play, assignments and solo games. Gimkit’s free Basic plan allows unlimited students, classes and reports on featured modes, but no assignments, no image or audio upload, and about 3 modes available at a time, rotating. So for a class of 28 that just wants to play live, Gimkit’s free plan works and Kahoot!’s does not; for a teacher who wants to assign homework free, Kahoot! does and Gimkit does not.
Paid plans: $36 a year or $59.88 a year
Kahoot!’s teacher plans are Bronze $3 a month billed annually ($36 a year) for 50 players, Silver $7 a month ($84 a year) for 100, and Gold $12 a month ($144 a year) for 200. Gimkit Pro is $14.99 a month or $59.88 a year with assignments and uploads. For one teacher and one class, Kahoot! Bronze is cheaper; for a teacher who wants assignments and the full mode list, Gimkit Pro is the comparable tier.
How they feel in the room
Kahoot! is a sprint. It is fast to set up, students already know it, and it suits a five-minute check. Gimkit is a campaign. Modes such as Trust No One and One Way Out run longer and reward planning, and older students who find Kahoot! juvenile often take Gimkit seriously. Neither is a projected, teacher-led team game; both depend on every student having a device.
Student accounts
Neither vendor states its student-account rules on the pricing pages we checked. Third-party reports say both allow joining a live game by code without an account; we have not confirmed that, so verify it before relying on it, especially under a district privacy policy.
The third option
The Game Room + Arcade does what neither of these does: a projected, teacher-led whole-class mode with 30 games and teams, no devices required. Its Arcade half covers the device side with 30 solo games, tickets, a Prize Shop and per-period reports, and students join with no email or account. It has no free plan (each plan starts with a 7-day free trial instead) and costs $49 to $89 a year, more than either Kahoot! Bronze or Gimkit Pro. We make it, so weigh that; the trade is price for variety and the board.
Who should pick which
- Pick Kahoot! for quick checks, small groups, polls and slides, or the cheapest paid plan for a full class.
- Pick Gimkit for longer strategy games on devices, a free plan that takes a full class live, and students who want to think rather than tap.
- Look at the Game Room + Arcade if you want the board as well as devices, every game open every day, and no student accounts.
From the classroom
A classroom note from the teacher behind the Game Room belongs here. It is left out until she has written it.