As a teacher, you know that getting students to engage with the material and take in the knowledge you’re trying to impart can be a challenging task.
That’s where educational resources and online learning games like GimKit and Kahoot come in handy.
GimKit and Kahoot allow you to push your students to participate, develop their problem-solving skills, learn to collaborate with others, and test their knowledge of a given subject matter by creating interactive quizzes, games, and content.
Incorporating GimKit or Kahoot into your classroom can make a world of difference to the student experience and engagement levels by bringing fun and excitement into the process.
While both online learning platforms essentially do the same thing, they have unique features that might make one more suitable for you and your classroom than the other.
In this post, we will dissect the similarities and differences between GimKit and Kahoot, so you know how they function and what each one offers.
Let’s begin!
What is GimKit?
GimKit is a game-based online learning platform that helps teachers create memorable and impactful learning experiences for their students through games. Students get to devise strategies, collaborate with their peers, and use the knowledge they’ve gained to win the games and earn rewards.
This amazing platform was designed by a public high school student as a school project in his junior year. Since it launched in 2018, GimKit has established itself as one of the best gamified learning platforms for students in the market.
You can use GimKit to create quiz-style games called Kits for your students to play in and out of the classroom to drive knowledge retention, review their understanding of what they’ve learned, and improve their skills in a particular area of study.
GimKit kills two birds with one stone: it helps teachers to prepare for classes in less time and teach their materials effectively while keeping students motivated, engaged, and happy to learn both in the classroom and at home.
You can assign quizzes and learning materials to students as homework and have their assignments automatically graded for you. You can also provide individualized feedback to students based on how well they perform on the quizzes and games.
With GimKit, students can also create quizzes and share their work with others, which can spark conversation and make room for them to learn from their peers with judgment.
There are plenty of games to choose from on GimKit and new ones are constantly being added to add more variety and novelty to the learning process.
What is Kahoot?
Kahoot is the global leader in the learning gamification space. It’s a platform that makes it easy for individuals and educators to create, host, and share learning sessions—quiz-style games—that foster participation and engagement.
The platform is designed for students and learners of all ages to sharpen their skills, acquire, and retain knowledge through play and immersive content. By gamifying the learning process, Kahoot allows people to learn in a relaxed and fun way without them even realizing it.
Kahoot was founded in 2012 and became available to the public in 2013 with the mission to make learning awesome by incorporating exciting and social elements into the experience.
With Kahoot, teachers can build presentations and create their own quizzes from scratch or use predesigned quizzes from other sources. There are plenty of learning games available to play and ample freedom to design your own game-based learning sessions.
The platform lets you create slides, puzzles, and multiple-choice questions to pass along more information and test students’ understanding of the subject matter.
Kahoot has a poll feature that you can use to collect feedback to see what your students think about the learning sessions and where you can make improvements to attain better learning outcomes.
Kahoot even makes it possible for students to learn on their own, away from the classroom so you can use it to give assignments and encourage distance learning.
Also Read: How To Win Every Kahoot Game?
GimKit vs Kahoot – Learning Experience
How do GimKit and Kahoot function as learning platforms? Which one offers the simplest, most effortless, and most exciting learning experience? Let’s find out.
GimKit
GimKit uses immersive visuals and upbeat soundtracks to transform the classroom and distance learning experience into a game simulation. Students can work independently on their screens and tackle questions at their own pace.
Although GimKit builds upon the foundation of other gameshow apps, it puts its own unique spin on it so the platform feels familiar and fresh at the same time. One feature that’s sure to excite students about GimKit is the ability to earn and lose virtual cash as they play.
They can opt to invest the money they win in upgrades and power-ups like the option to increase the money they earn for each correct answer or get a second chance when they answer a question incorrectly.
GimKit also allows students to turn the power-ups function off if they find it too distracting, so each student gets to use the platform in the way that best suits them.
The platform also comes with different game modes, some of which draw from popular games including Fishtopia, Infinity, Draw That, Humans vs Zombies, Trust No One, and The Floor is Lava.
There’s also the Classic and Team mode which allows students to compete individually or as part of a team and answer questions to see which person or team emerges the winner.
GimKit also repeats questions multiple times even though the student correctly answers them. This way, it ensures that they thoroughly understand the question and gain mastery over the subject, instead of just rushing to submit answers so they can earn points.
Kahoot
Kahoot lets teachers add videos, surveys, polls, and slides into their learning sessions to take them from ordinary quizzes to a truly educational experience.
The platform gives teachers plenty of room to experiment and design experiences that challenge and stimulate students.
For instance, you can include questions that don’t count towards points but are intended to collect opinion data.
You can even create questions with puzzles, open-ended responses, multiple correct answers, and questions that require brainstorming to drive conversations and ascertain how much your students understand about a given topic.
Like GimKit, Kahoot’s learning experience supports live presentations or in-classroom participation. It can also be given out as an assignment for continued, self-paced learning.
Unlike GimKit which allows students to see both the questions and answers on their device, Kahoot only shows the question and the choices.
To learn the correct answer, students have to submit their responses and use the general classroom screen to view the right response.
While this takes away from the individualized learning experience that GimKit provides where students can participate at their own pace, it enlivens the room and motivates students to look up and join in the discussion.
When conducting live sessions, teachers get to choose between Team mode and Classic mode. With Classic mode, each student races to win against all the others while Team mode divides them into groups where they have to work together to defeat other teams.
Verdict
In this regard, I have to call it a draw because both platforms offer varied and interesting learning experiences that serve students in and out of the classroom.
Kahoot vs GimKit – Quiz Creation and Learning Game Variety
The best game-based learning platforms come with lots of features and tools to help you educate your audience and drive classroom engagement. Let’s see how the process of creating quizzes work on both platforms and how they compare against each other.
Kahoot
Creating a quiz on Kahoot is a simple and intuitive process. When you click the button to begin making a new quiz, Kahoot will ask you if you want to use one of its prebuilt templates or start from scratch.
After selecting the option you want, you’ll be taken to the quiz maker where you can start adding your questions. Kahoot gives you a text field with a 120-character limit at the top where your question will go.
You can choose to add a stock image from the royalty-free media library or upload a custom photo to the space in the middle of the page.
At the bottom, Kahoot will prompt you to select the kind of answers that are acceptable for each question, be it multiple choice, text input, surveys, jumbles, or discussions.
You’ll also be directed to state the correct answer where applicable. Kahoot allows you to set a timer and point value for each question.
If you don’t have the time to create custom quizzes, you can use or remix publicly available quizzes made by recognized brands and other educators on Kahoot.
The website lets you search for interactive educational content based on language, grade level, subject matter, and content type.
GimKit
As a teacher, once you sign up for GimKit, you can start creating quizzes to be assigned individually to students or played live for class-wide participation.
All that’s required to create your GimKit account is your email address or Google account, after which you need only share your country, area code, and school name to log in.
GimKit’s quiz creation process is fairly straightforward. Once you click the New Kit button, you’ll be asked to name the kit, select a language and subject, then choose whether you want to add questions manually, import from question back or spreadsheet, create with flashcard, or continue with KitCollab.
The platform gives you two game question formats to choose from: multiple-choice or text input. From there you can type your question and the correct answer, finish creating the kit and your quiz will be ready to go.
For games, you can choose between one of the 10+ modes, set a game goal, starting cash, and customize other options and your students can start playing.
Verdict
Setting up quizzes on both platforms is pretty easy. Although GimKit has a lot more game modes than Kahoot, the latter makes up for this by having quiz templates and an extensive library of ready-made quizzes that you can use instead of or alongside your own.
It’s a tie for me.
GimKit vs Kahoot – Ease of Use
How easy is it to create an account, build quizzes, or participate in learning sessions on GimKit and Kahoot?
GimKit
All you need is your email address or Google account to sign up for GimKit as a teacher. The platform’s interface features eye-catching visuals and detailed steps to guide you through the process of creating quizzes and hosting games.
In just a few minutes you can make your own quizzes from scratch or import premade quizzes from other educators on Quizlet or from a CSV file.
Students don’t need to sign up to take GimKit quizzes and participate in live classroom games. However, they will need to create an account to take advantage of some GimKit features such as formative assessment, academic progress tracking, or homework assignments.
Once they’ve created an account students will have to use their date of birth to log in, while teachers will have to share their area code, country, and school name when logging in.
Kahoot
If you have some experience using presentation software like Apple Keynote, Google Slides, or Microsoft PowerPoint, Kahoot’s interface will ring a bell in your head. The platform is designed to be easy to use even if you’re a complete novice.
You can quickly create and present learning content for students at any level in a way that’s easy for them to understand.
The great thing about Kahoot is that it gives you plenty of customization options that you can use to make the learning experience even more exciting for your audience.
As a creator, you’ll need to set up a profile on Kahoot before you can start creating quiz games. However, participants don’t need to have a Kahoot account to play.
They can join in as guests by entering the PIN on the creator’s screen (a.k.a the main screen) into their device and start submitting their responses.
One slightly annoying feature is that Kahoot only shows the correct answer on the main screen, so participants will have to consult it to know if they answered correctly. Also, the host has to move the quiz manually from one slide to the next.
Verdict
While both platforms are intuitive, GimKit takes the win because it displays quiz answers on every player’s device, not just the main screen. And it automatically introduces the next question after you answer the current one.
Kahoot vs GimKit – Assessment, Reporting, and Analytics
When it comes to scoring quizzes and assignments or tracking the performance of students, how do Kahoot and GimKit measure up?
Kahoot
At the end of every classroom game session or homework assignment, Kahoot will provide feedback on right or wrong answers on the spot so your classroom or student can view their performance.
Kahoot sends personal points data to each student’s device while leaderboard ranks are displayed on the main screen after each question. At the end of each round of play, you can download the report or export it to Google Drive for safekeeping.
GimKit
GimKit provides reports at the completion of each game or assignment containing two different results: how the students performed in the game and how well they answered the quiz questions.
This is because random events in some game modes can cause students to perform sub-optimally during the game, but their answers may indicate that they have a strong understanding of the academic material.
Like Kahoot, GimKit doesn’t store and compare performance data over time for the entire classroom or individual students.
So you will need to download or save game reports to another location and analyze it by yourself to see how your class or specific students are progressing over time.
Verdict
The win goes to GimKit because it provides more comprehensive reporting to enable you to assess where your students’ strengths and weaknesses lie across different subjects.
GimKit vs Kahoot – Unique Features
Are there cool features that you can find on GimKit but not on Kahoot and vice versa? Let’s take a look.
GimKit
The following features are unique to GimKit:
- KitCollab – With this feature, your students can build a quiz by submitting questions, then you can approve the questions you want to use, and the whole class gets to learn something new thanks to their peers.
- Upgrades and Power-ups – Students can use the cash they earn from answering questions correctly to purchase upgrades from the GimKit store that would allow them to earn more points per correct answer or lose less points per incorrect answer, and even slow down other competitors.
- Class progress live viewing – GimKit allows you to project value points for the class onto a screen. This way students can see how their points as a class add up together as they answer questions. This feature works great for class vs class or group vs group competitions.
Kahoot
Here are the unique features Kahoot has to offer:
- Friendly alias generator – Who doesn’t love coming up with or finding clever nicknames for players in a game? Kahoot helps students generate aliases that they can use when playing.
- Mobile app – Kahoot has an app that you can use to host games, build new games, and upload pictures from your library on your mobile device, wherever and whenever.
- Ghost mode – This feature basically allows students to play against themselves and try to beat their personal records. Kahoot can recall how a student performed in a game, so when they play the game in ghost mode, it will show their previous attempts as “ghosts”. Students can then measure their progress by comparing their latest performance with past performances.
Verdict
Both Kahoot and GimKit have interesting unique features on their platforms so I declare this round a draw.
Kahoot vs GimKit- Pricing Model
How do both platforms compare on the pricing front?
GimKit
As an educator, you can use GimKit for free to set up classes, gather data, and play in-class games with as many students as you want.
However, the free version will only give you access to three GimKit game modes at a time and you won’t be able to use GimKit for assignments or add audio and images to your quizzes.
GimKit offers paid plans to help you get rid of this limitation and gain access to all the platform’s features. For individual teachers, GimKit Pro is priced at $9.99 monthly or $59.88 annually.
It also offers Group plans for Departments at $650 per year for up to 20 teachers and for Schools at $1000 per year for your whole school.
Kahoot
Like GimKit, Kahoot also has a free version but it only allows up to 50 students to play at a time.
Kahoot’s free mode doesn’t give you access to assignments, puzzles, polls, modes, multiple choice questions, image library, premade themes, interactive lessons, priority support, and a host of other features.
To remove these limitations you can subscribe to one of Kahoot’s paid plans: Kahoot Pro billed at $3 per teacher/month or $36 annually, Kahoot Premium billed at $6 per teacher/month or $72 annually, or Kahoot Premium+ billed at $9 per teacher/month or $108 annually.
Verdict
The winner is GimKit because its free plans are more robust than Kahoot’s and its paid plans are less expensive while offering more value for money.
GimKit vs Kahoot – Similarities and Differences
| Category | GimKit | Kahoot |
| Ease of Use | Very easy to use | Very easy to use |
| Recommended Grade | Grades 4-12 | Grades 1-12 |
| Class Size | You can have as many students as you want in both free or paid versions | Only 50 students maximum for the free version, 100 students for Kahoot Pro, 200 for Premium, and 2000 for Premium+ |
| Login requirements | Creators have to log in to build or host a game, but players don’t have to | Creators need to have an account and log in but players don’t |
| Free version | Available | Available |
| Platforms | Web | Web and mobile app |
| Pace | Student-controlled | Teacher-controlled |
| Game modes | Over 10+ game modes | Only 3 game modes available |
| Quiz creation | Supports making quizzes from scratch and adding from other sources | Supports creating quizzes from scratch and adding from other sources |
| Student device | Shows both questions and answers | Only shows questions |
Pros and Cons
GimKit
Pros
- There are plenty of game modes to choose from.
- Allows you to import quizzes from Quizlet and CSV files.
- Has a robust free plan.
Cons
- Doesn’t have a mobile app.
Kahoot
Pros
- Encourages students to learn and participate in classroom interactions in fun and exciting ways.
- There are tons of ready-to-play games that you can use or remix.
- Players don’t need an account.
- Easy to use as a game/quiz creator, host, or player.
Cons
- No auto-advance feature; you have to manually move to the next slide or question.
- Text field for questions has a 120-character limit.
GimKit vs Kahoot – Final Verdict
Both Kahoot and GimKit are excellent options if you’re looking for a game-like learning and review tool that will keep your students motivated and engaged.
However, if I had to pick, I would go with GimKit because it lets students learn at their own pace, and has more game modes you can cycle through.
What’s more, GimKit’s free tool gives you more freedom and its paid plans are more affordable and cost-effective.
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