Kahoot vs. Nontrivial: What's Actually Free?
Compare Kahoot's free plan (10 player limit, multiple choice only) vs. Nontrivial (unlimited players, 7 question types, PDF upload). Kahoot charges $10-49/month for features like slider questions, ordering, and AI quiz generation. Nontrivial offers all features free—no paywalls, no participant caps, no educator verification required.
Kahoot is the default choice for classroom quizzes. Teachers know it, students recognize it, and it's been around since 2012. But "free" Kahoot isn't what it used to be.
If you've tried to run a quiz recently and hit a paywall, you're not imagining things. Here's a straightforward comparison of what each platform actually offers without paying.
The participant limit problem
Kahoot Free: 10 players maximum per game.
That's not a typo. The free plan caps you at 10 participants. If you're a teacher with a class of 25, or running a study group with more than a handful of people, you're immediately pushed toward a paid plan.
Nontrivial: No participant limit. Create a game, share the QR code or link, and people join.
Question types
This is where Kahoot's pricing gets complicated.
Kahoot Free:
- Multiple choice only
Kahoot Paid (various tiers):
- Slider questions — requires Premium, Premium+, EDU, or 360 plans
- Puzzle/Ordering — requires Pro or Premium plans
- Type answer — requires paid plan
- Multi-select — requires Presenter tier or higher
Nontrivial:
- Multiple choice
- True/False
- Ordering (arrange items in sequence)
- Matching (pair items together)
- Numeric (estimate a value)
- Slider (pick a point on a scale)
- Text input (type your answer)
All seven question types. No paywall. On Kahoot, you'd need to pay $25-49/month for the same variety.
PDF upload and AI question generation
Kahoot: Has an AI PDF-to-quiz feature using GPT-4. It's available on paid plans—the specific tier depends on whether you're a teacher, student, or business user. The free plan doesn't include it.
Nontrivial: PDF upload with AI question generation, no restrictions. Drag in your lecture notes, textbook chapter, or study guide. Questions generate in about 30 seconds.
This is the feature that matters most for students. If you're trying to turn your professor's slides into a practice quiz, Nontrivial lets you do it. Kahoot requires a subscription.
What Kahoot charges for
Here's a breakdown of Kahoot's paid tiers:
| Feature | Free | Starter ($10/mo) | Presenter ($25/mo) | Pro ($49/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 10 | 20 | 50 | 2,000 |
| Multiple choice | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Slider questions | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ordering/Puzzle | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Type answer | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Image library | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Polls | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced reports | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Schools and districts pay even more—hundreds to thousands per month depending on size.
What Nontrivial charges for
Nothing. The platform is completely free.
- All question types
- PDF upload with AI generation
- Solo, head-to-head, and group game modes
- Unlimited participants
- Groups for persistent study teams
- QR code sharing
- Game results with detailed breakdowns
- Host mode for running live trivia
No premium tier. No usage limits. No "upgrade to unlock" prompts.
Real-time multiplayer
Both platforms support live multiplayer where scores update as players answer.
Kahoot has the polish—music, countdown timers, podium animations. It's designed for projected classroom use where everyone watches one screen.
Nontrivial is built for everyone playing on their own device. Scores update live via WebSocket, and you see detailed results at the end showing which questions you got wrong and why.
The teacher loophole
Kahoot offers free accounts for K-12 teachers with higher participant limits (up to 1,000). If you can verify as an educator, you avoid the 10-player cap.
But this doesn't help:
- College students running study groups
- Corporate teams doing training
- Tutors and coaches
- Anyone who isn't a verified K-12 teacher
If you're a college student who wants to quiz your study group of 15 people, Kahoot's free tier doesn't work. Nontrivial doesn't ask what your job is.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Kahoot Free | Kahoot Paid | Nontrivial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max participants | 10 | 20-2,000 | Unlimited |
| Question types | 1 | 5+ | 7 |
| PDF to quiz | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI generation | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom topics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| QR code join | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Detailed results | Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | $0 | $10-49/mo | $0 |
The bottom line
Kahoot built its reputation as a free tool, then progressively moved features behind paywalls. The 10-player limit on free accounts is the clearest example—it makes the free tier nearly useless for real classroom or group use.
If you've opened Kahoot recently and wondered why everything costs money now, you have options.
Try Nontrivial at nontrivial.app