Quiz apps for adults.
Most quiz apps were built for classrooms: bright, fast, multiple choice, and priced per head. A pub quiz or an office trivia night needs something else. Here is what to look for, whichever app you pick.
What matters for a grown-up quiz night
- Typed answers that are marked fairly. A pub quiz is people writing answers, not picking A to D. The app should forgive “Jupitor”, refuse “Saturn”, and let the host overrule it in one tap.
- Tables, not players. People sit in teams. One answer per table, a captain who locks it in, and a phone that dies without the table losing its answers.
- The host sets the pace. Points for speed are fun in a classroom and maddening at a pub, where the question is read out and argued over.
- Works without the big screen. Half the rooms have a bad TV or none. The question should be on every phone.
- Nobody in the room pays. Per-player pricing means someone does sums before every round of drinks.
Side by side
| Classroom quiz tools | General party apps | Thinking Cap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays | Often per player or per seat, or a monthly plan | Free to play; some charge the host | Nobody in the room. Running a night is free too |
| Typed answers | Usually multiple choice only | Sometimes, marked exactly | Typed answers marked for spelling, with the host one tap away |
| Teams | Players, not tables | Varies | Tables with a captain and a shared answer sheet |
| Pacing | Fast and timed, speed scores points | Varies | The host reads; the clock is a suggestion |
| Without a TV | Needs the big screen | Usually needs one | Every phone shows the question |
| Look | Bright, loud, made for school | Varies | Made for a dim pub and a meeting room |
| Questions | Bring your own | Some packs, often paid | A free, checked bank, or your own |
A general picture, not a review of any one product. Check the app you are looking at; things change.
App by app
Side by side with the apps people ask about, from their own pages, with the date we checked: