Kahoot!

Best Self-hosted Alternatives to Kahoot!

A curated collection of the 2 best self hosted alternatives to Kahoot!.

Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform for creating and hosting interactive quizzes, polls and presentations (“kahoots”) for classrooms, corporate training and events. It supports live and remote participation, player tracking, and basic reporting and analytics.

Alternatives List

#1
Quizmaster

Quizmaster

Scala-based web application for running live quizzes. Questions are configured via YAML; includes player answer page, quiz display, and master controls with multimedia support.

Quizmaster is a Scala web application for conducting live quizzes over the internet. It provides distinct views for players to submit answers, a public quiz display for audiences, and a master control interface for scoring and controlling quiz flow.

Key Features

  • Configure quizzes and many question types via a YAML configuration file
  • Player-facing answer submission page and a public quiz display that shows questions and scores
  • Master view with scoring controls, question navigation, timer controls and keyboard shortcuts
  • Supports audio and video playback during questions and media controls from the master UI
  • Lightweight deployment: runs on a JVM (Java 11) and packaged releases; Docker Compose presets available for containerized deployment
  • Demo configuration included to illustrate most question options; optional masterSecret for controlling access to master UI

Use Cases

  • Run pub-quiz or trivia nights with remote or in-room participants
  • Classroom quizzes and formative assessments where instructors control pacing and scoring
  • Audience interaction at events or conferences with a live display and player submissions

Limitations and Considerations

  • Requires Java 11 (JDK 11) and a JVM; familiarity with deploying JVM applications is needed
  • Quiz content is driven by YAML files; there is no built-in visual quiz editor
  • No built-in persistent user account system by default and limited scalability guarantees for very large concurrent audiences without additional infrastructure

Quizmaster is a focused, configurable tool for live quizzes and audience participation. It is best suited for organizers who are comfortable editing YAML configuration and running a JVM/Docker-based service.

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#2
QST

QST

Open-source assessment software for creating, delivering, and grading quizzes, exams, and surveys, with question banks, interoperability formats, and built-in gradebook analytics.

QST screenshot

QST is an open-source online/LAN assessment platform for creating, delivering, and grading quizzes, tests, surveys, and other markable assignments. It supports large-scale, proctored-style testing as well as lightweight quizzes, with an emphasis on controlled access, portability of question banks, and integrated results analysis.

Key Features

  • Role-based administration for organizations, instructors, and students, including bulk user/class imports and optional student photo display
  • Question/item banks with folders and reuse across assessments
  • Multiple question types (including MCQ, multiple-answer, matching, true/false, short answer, essay) plus survey-style items
  • Branching/adaptive delivery (skip logic) and randomization (question/answer shuffling and random selection)
  • Multiple delivery modes (single-question flows, jump/next, paper-style) and configurable result visibility
  • Auto-marking for objective questions plus manual grading for written responses
  • GradeBook with per-assessment and per-question statistics and export (CSV/JSON)
  • Import/export and conversion across common formats (QST XML, Moodle XML, QTI, Word XML, PDF)
  • Rich editors for formatted content, including math/chemistry equation support (MathML/TeX/LaTeX)

Use Cases

  • School or training-center quizzes, surveys, and exams with reporting and grade aggregation
  • Secure in-network testing for labs or classrooms with controlled access and timed assessments
  • Migration/archival workflows using imports/exports to move question banks between platforms

Limitations and Considerations

  • Not a full LMS; focuses on assessments and grading rather than broader course delivery features
  • Some accessibility work is noted as partial/ongoing (WCAG AA support)

QST is a feature-rich assessment system designed for organizations that need strong question-bank portability, flexible test delivery options, and detailed grading analytics. It fits well where a standalone, scalable testing platform is needed without adopting a full learning management suite.

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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running