Plickers

Plickers is a classroom polling and quiz tool for collecting student answers and showing results. Students respond by holding up unique Plickers cards, so they do not need their own devices or accounts. A teacher uses the mobile app to scan cards, gather answers, reveal correct choices, and move through questions. Sessions can run offline, responses can be anonymous, and each class can include up to 63 students. Teachers can review reports and scoresheets or download results for further analysis. The free account allows five questions per set, unlimited classes and reports, and access to 30 days of student results at a time. Pro adds unlimited-question sets, private Pack collaboration, custom unlimited Scoresheet date ranges, and priority support. Pro costs $8.99 a month or $71.88 a year, and a 14-day trial is available. For remote lessons, Plickers E-Learning lets students answer synchronously from home using a device. Teachers can import classes and student rosters from Google Classroom and sync later changes. The service is available on Android, iOS, and the web.

Plickers provides a card-based way to gather classroom responses, including offline, and offers reports and downloadable results. The free account has a five-question set limit; Pro removes that limit and adds collaboration and reporting options.

Plickers suits teachers who want to collect classroom responses without requiring students to have devices or accounts. Its offline sessions, reporting, and remote-learning option also serve different lesson settings.

Plickers is a classroom response tool built around students’ printed cards and a teacher’s mobile app. It suits teachers who want to run live checks without requiring each student to have a device or account. Its offline sessions and downloadable results make it useful beyond quick polls, though free Sets are capped at five questions.

Overview

Teachers can run live polls and quizzes for classes of up to 63 students. Students hold up their unique cards, and the teacher scans them with the mobile app to collect answers, reveal correct choices, and move through questions. That keeps participation accessible without student devices, but makes the teacher’s phone central to running the session.

Sessions can run offline, which helps when classroom connectivity is unavailable. For synchronous remote learning, Plickers E-Learning lets students answer from home using a device instead of cards. Teachers can review student reports and scoresheets and download results for further analysis; anonymous responses are also supported.

Key features

• Card-based responses: Students need neither a device nor an account to participate in person. The trade-off is that each student needs their unique card at hand.
• Teacher-led scanning: The mobile app collects responses, reveals correct choices, and controls question progression. This makes Plickers a fit for teacher-led checks, rather than a format where students advance independently.
• Reports and results: Student reports and scoresheets give teachers a record of responses, and results can be downloaded for further analysis. Free accounts retain 30 days of student results at a time; Pro adds custom unlimited Scoresheet date ranges.
• Classroom setup: Teachers can import Classes and student rosters from Google Classroom and sync later changes, reducing duplicated roster management for schools already using it.
• Privacy and security: Plickers says it does not request several categories of student information, including addresses, locations, photos, or biometric data, and does not sell student information. It says it uses commercially reasonable safeguards and plans to notify relevant parties within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach. After account termination or deactivation, it retains personal information for no longer than 120 days unless a school agreement or law permits otherwise.
• YouTube search: The service integrates with YouTube through YouTube API Services to provide video search, though this is a supporting feature rather than the core classroom response workflow.

Pricing

Plickers is freemium, with a 14-day trial. The listed plans keep the same 63-student-per-Class ceiling, so paying removes question and reporting constraints rather than expanding class size.

• Free / Free Account — free: Includes unlimited Classes and Reports, up to five questions per Set, and 30 days of student results at a time. This is a sensible starting point for short checks and teachers who do not need longer result history; the Set cap can constrain longer quizzes.
• Plickers Pro Monthly — $8.99 a month: Billed recurring monthly, with unlimited-question Sets, private Pack collaboration, custom unlimited Scoresheet date ranges, and priority support. Choose it when those features matter but a monthly commitment is preferable.
• Plickers Pro Yearly — $71.88 a year: Paid for the full year at once, equivalent to $5.99/month (USD). It includes the same Pro features as monthly billing and is the lower monthly-equivalent price for someone ready to pay annually.

Both Pro options suit teachers who regularly create longer Sets, collaborate on private Packs, or need flexible scoresheet date ranges. Pro subscribers also receive priority support; general support is available through [email protected]. The published plans do not raise the 63-student class limit.

Platforms

Plickers is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its mobile app handles card scanning, while the web offering supports the broader service. Remote E-Learning uses student devices in place of cards.

Who it's for

Plickers is a strong fit for teachers running in-person formative checks who want students to answer without individual devices or accounts, especially where internet access may be unreliable. It also suits teachers who want reports and downloadable results from those sessions, or synchronous remote responses through E-Learning.

It is a weaker fit for classes larger than 63 students, question-heavy assessments on the free plan, or teachers who need student-led testing rather than teacher-controlled scanning. Teachers requiring result history beyond 30 days or collaboration features need Pro.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Students can respond without personal devices or accounts, lowering the classroom equipment and sign-in burden.
• Pro: Offline sessions, reports, scoresheets, and downloadable results support both live checks and later review.
• Pro: Google Classroom roster import and later syncing can simplify class setup for teachers using that service.
• Con: Free Sets stop at five questions, limiting longer quizzes unless the teacher upgrades.
• Con: Every Class is capped at 63 students, including on Pro, ruling it out for larger groups.
• Con: In-person answer collection depends on the teacher scanning cards and controlling question movement, so it is not a self-directed student testing workflow.

Alternatives

For a card-based classroom response workflow, Plickers stands apart through student participation without devices and offline sessions. Consider these alternatives when their stated scope or limits better match the task:

• OnlineExamMaker has a free plan with three exams per month, 50 attempts per exam per month, 150 total attempts per month, 10 concurrent takers, and 50 candidates. It is the clearer choice when the priority is exam delivery with defined attempt and candidate allowances.
• Socrative offers a free plan with five quizzes, one room, 50 students per activity, and 30-day report history. It may fit teachers who want a quiz-and-room model within those limits.
• SpeedExam has a free plan with 25 exam attempts per month, 2,000 questions, and 100 MB storage. It is worth considering when those exam-volume and question-bank allowances suit the use case.
• Testportal offers a free EDU plan with 100 results storage, advanced test configuration, advanced reporting, and additional user accounts. It may suit educators prioritizing those test configuration and reporting capabilities.
• Wayground (formerly Quizizz) has a free Starter plan limited to 20 activities and up to 100 participants per session, with limited library access. It may suit teachers whose sessions need a larger participant allowance than Plickers provides.
• CodeSignal has a free Individuals plan focused on skills paths, practice-based learning, bite-sized modules, and a skills profile. Consider it when the goal is individual skills practice rather than classroom response collection.
• FlexiQuiz offers a free plan with 20 responses per month, 20 responses per quiz, unlimited quizzes, 10 questions per quiz, five respondent portals, and 1 GB storage. It may suit users who want a quiz builder with explicit response and storage allowances.
• GradeSense offers a free pilot with 50 evaluation credits, one teacher/evaluator seat, and standard email support. It is an option for evaluation needs that fit those pilot limits.

Browse Assessment Software, Student Response Systems, and Audience Response Systems for more options in these categories.

Verdict

Plickers is best for teachers who want quick, teacher-led classroom responses without asking students to bring devices or create accounts. Offline use, roster syncing, and downloadable results strengthen that case. Look elsewhere if classes exceed 63 students, free five-question Sets are too restrictive, or you need students to complete assessments independently.