A Gimkit alternative for friends and study groups
Letternerd is a free Gimkit alternative for playing quiz games with friends rather than in class. Host a room, share the code, and everyone plays on their own phone as a guest. If you like Gimkit’s earn-and-spend strategy, games like Going Once, Bank or Bust and Spread the Points are built around spending and risking points.
What is Gimkit?
Gimkit describes itself as a live learning game show. A teacher makes or picks a kit of questions, hosts a game, and students join with a code on their own devices. In the classic mode, right answers earn in-game money that players spend on upgrades and power-ups, and other modes turn the same questions into different games. It is made for classrooms.
Why people look for a Gimkit alternative
- You want the earn-and-spend strategy of Gimkit in a game with friends, outside class.
- Nobody in your group has a teacher account to host.
- You want party games and word puzzles as well as quizzes.
- You want to make a quiz from your own questions or notes and share it with a link.
Letternerd vs Gimkit
| Feature | Gimkit | Letternerd |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Classrooms | Friends, study groups and students aged 13 and up |
| Strategy | Earn money from answers and spend it on upgrades | Auctions, point budgets and push-your-luck games, each with its own rules |
| Joining | Code from the host | Room code, link or QR code, as a guest |
| Who hosts | Usually a teacher | Anyone aged 13 or older |
| Make your own | Kits of questions | Describe a game in a sentence, turn notes into a quiz, or edit by hand |
| Kinds of game | Question-driven game modes | Quizzes, party games, word puzzles, personality quizzes and an Arcade |
Which should you pick?
Pick Gimkit if
- You are a teacher who wants a classroom game built on your own question kits.
- You want an in-game shop of upgrades and power-ups driven by right answers.
- The players are under 13.
Pick Letternerd if
Pick Letternerd if- You want strategy games with friends where the risk is part of the fun.
- You want everything free to play, in the browser, with no account to join.
- You want to play live or let the room take turns over a few days.
Games where you spend and risk points
Letternerd does not have a shop of power-ups, but these games make every round a decision about what to spend or risk.
- Going Once: sealed-bid auctions for lots worth different amounts. Spend your purse where it buys the most.
- Bank or Bust: push for a bigger pot or bank it. A bust catches everyone who pushed.
- Spread the Points: split a budget of points across the table each round. The most-backed player wins.
- You’re 90% sure. Are you right?: pick the answer, then bet on how sure you are. Confident and wrong costs you.
- Going Once3–8 players · 11 minSealed-bid auctions for lots worth different amounts. Spend your purse where it buys the most.
- Bank or Bust3–10 players · 9 minOne draw for the table each round. Push for a bigger pot or bank it — a bust catches everyone who pushed.
- Spread the Points3–10 players · 9 minSplit a budget of points across the table each round. Most-backed player wins.
- You’re 90% sure. Are you right?1–12 players · 6 minPick the answer, then bet on how sure you are. Fourteen questions, and some of them have a trap. Confident and wrong costs you.
How to play with a group outside class
- Choose a game above, or browse online quizzes.
- Host a room and share the code, link or QR code. Everyone joins from their own phone, with no account.
- Play live with a countdown, or over several days so each person plays when they are free.
- Want your own questions? Make a game from a sentence, or turn your revision notes into a quiz on Study.
Games to play instead of Gimkit
Free in your browser on any phone or computer. Play alone, or share the room code and everyone joins as a guest.
- Going Once3–8 players · 11 minSealed-bid auctions for lots worth different amounts. Spend your purse where it buys the most.
- Bank or Bust3–10 players · 9 minOne draw for the table each round. Push for a bigger pot or bank it — a bust catches everyone who pushed.
- Spread the Points3–10 players · 9 minSplit a budget of points across the table each round. Most-backed player wins.
- You’re 90% sure. Are you right?1–12 players · 6 minPick the answer, then bet on how sure you are. Fourteen questions, and some of them have a trap. Confident and wrong costs you.
- Team showdown4–16 players · 10 minTwo teams, ten questions. Every right answer scores for your side.
- Deep Dive1–8 players · 5 minDive for pearls or surface and bank them. One shark and the whole unbanked bag is gone.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free game like Gimkit to play with friends?
Yes. Letternerd is free to play in the browser. It has quizzes and strategy games such as sealed-bid auctions and push-your-luck rounds, and friends join with a code as guests.
Can I play Gimkit-style games at home without a class?
Yes. Anyone aged 13 or older can host a Letternerd room. Send the link to your friends and play live, or over a few days.
Can I make a game from my own questions?
Yes. Describe it in a sentence, turn your notes or a document into a quiz, or write it by hand in the editor. Editing by hand is free.
Does Letternerd have teacher reports?
No. It has no teacher dashboard, reports or assignments. It suits students revising together and friends playing, not running a class.
More games
Other comparisons
See all- Classroom quiz game with game modesBlooket alternativeLooking for a game like Blooket to play with friends? Letternerd has free quizzes and party games in the browser: share a code, no signup needed.
- Live quiz platform for classrooms and workKahoot! alternativeLooking for a free Kahoot alternative? Letternerd runs quizzes and party games in the browser: share a code, everyone plays on their phone, no signup.
- Quiz and lesson platform for schoolsWayground (formerly Quizizz) alternativeQuizizz is now Wayground. For quizzes outside class, Letternerd is a free alternative: share a code, everyone plays on their phone, no signup.
- Flashcard and study appQuizlet alternativeA free Quizlet alternative for study groups: turn your notes into a quiz, go through it as flash cards, then play it live with friends in the browser.
Gimkit is a trademark of its owner. Letternerd is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them. The comparison describes each product as publicly presented and may change; check their site for the latest.