It is the first five minutes of a lesson, and you need four fair groups, a volunteer to read aloud, and a way to pick them without anyone shouting that you always choose the same children. A random name picker or group maker settles it in seconds — and the children can see that the choice was fair.
This list collects eight tools that pick names and build groups for classrooms. Every one was checked on its own official website on November 13, 2026. Most are free, several work without an account, and all of them handle the basic job: a list of names in, a fair result out.
Where a site did not state a price, we say so. A few tools here are wheels and spinners, a few are plain list tools, and two build balanced teams with rules — pick the style that fits the moment.
Key takeaways
- Wheel of Names is free with no paywalls, with weighted wheels, sound effects, and a shareable link.
- Flippity turns a Google Sheet into a name picker, groups of up to 15, and seating charts.
- Super Teacher Tools never repeats a name until everyone has been picked once, for groups of up to 100 names.
- TeamShuffler's free plan makes balanced groups; Pro is $2.49 a month billed yearly and adds leaders, keep-apart rules, and schedules.
- ClassTools Premium costs £9.99 a year and removes ads; Picker Wheel's Premium price is not stated on its site.
Quick comparison
| # | Tool | Best for | Grades / audience | Pricing | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a big, fair wheel the whole class can watch | All grades | Free | Free | |
| 2 | Google Sheets classrooms that want a picker and a seating chart | All grades | Free | Free | |
| 3 | a picker that remembers who has already had a turn | All grades | Free + paid | Free | |
| 4 | saving lots of wheels for different classes | All grades | Free + paid | Free | |
| 5 | fair picks across a whole week of lessons | All grades | Free | Free | |
| 6 | quick random jobs and group assignments | All grades | Free | Free | |
| 7 | fast groups with no account and no setup | All grades | Free | Free | |
| 8 | balanced teams with rules about who sits together | All grades | Free + paid | Free |
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Request a listingThe 8 best picks
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
Wheel of Names is a free spinning-wheel tool that turns a list of names into a colourful wheel and picks a winner with a spin. Teachers use it to choose who answers next, run raffles, or settle small decisions in front of the class. You type names into a box, spin, and the wheel lands on one. Wheels can be saved, shared with a short link, or shown on a streaming page.
What we like
- Free to use, with all premium features free and no paywalls
- Weighted wheels that make some entries more likely than others
- More than 150 music tracks and sound effects for the spin
- Save wheels to the cloud or locally, and share them with a short link
Watch out for
- The page can load slowly, and the site itself suggests a refresh if the wheel does not appear.
- Custom images and backgrounds take a little setup before the first spin.
Pricing: Free. All premium features are free, with no paywalls.
Flippity
Best for: Google Sheets classrooms that want a picker and a seating chart
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
Flippity is a set of free classroom tools built on Google Sheets, and its Random Name Picker turns a class list into a spinner, a single name, a lineup, or groups. You can start from a Quick & Easy form or a Google Sheets template that holds up to 12 classes. The same template also makes seating charts and rosters to print.
What we like
- Spinner wheel, single name, lineups, groups of up to 15, or up to 15 teams
- Jigsaw groups, speed networking, seating charts, and printable rosters
- Works from a Quick & Easy form or a Google Sheets template
- Free to use, supported by ads
Watch out for
- The Quick & Easy form is simpler, but the Sheets version holds more classes.
- Some older Flippity templates are no longer supported, so use the current one.
Pricing: Free to use. The site says some features are supported by ads.
ClassTools Random Name Picker
Best for: a picker that remembers who has already had a turn
- Pricing
- Free + paid
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
ClassTools is a long-running set of free classroom templates, and its Random Name Picker is a wheel spinner with a slot-machine view. You paste names one per line, spin the wheel, and the tool can hide names that have already been picked so nobody goes twice. Lists can be saved, shared, or embedded, and the picker runs in fullscreen for the whiteboard.
What we like
- Wheel spinner with a switchable slot-machine view
- Only-show-remaining-names option so no one is picked twice
- Save, share, and embed lists, with a fullscreen mode
- Sound effects, curtain themes, and wheel themes
Watch out for
- Ads appear on the free picker page, so check the screen before projecting.
- The tool list is large, so bookmark the picker page itself.
Pricing: Free with ads. ClassTools Premium is £9.99 a year for 12 months; institutional rates are £19.99.
- Pricing
- Free + paid
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
Picker Wheel is a free wheel-spinner site with a separate Team Picker Wheel for groups. It offers elimination and accumulation modes for games and contests, and it can collect results from the people spinning. Free accounts save up to 15 wheels, and a Premium plan raises that to 120 files. Wheels can be saved, opened, shared, or added to a device as an app.
What we like
- Team Picker Wheel alongside the main spinner
- Elimination and accumulation modes for games and contests
- Free accounts save 15 files; Premium saves up to 120
- Share wheels and collect user results
Watch out for
- The site is busy, with many wheel types listed on one page.
- Saving wheels needs an account, so set it up before the lesson.
Pricing: Free. A Premium plan is offered; its price is not stated on the official site.
Super Teacher Tools
Best for: fair picks across a whole week of lessons
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
Super Teacher Tools is a small, free site of classroom utilities that its maker keeps free around the clock. Its Random Name Generator picks names without repeating anyone until the whole class has had a turn. The same site holds a Class List Maker for up to 100 names, a seating chart maker with draggable desks, and a group maker, so one bookmark covers picking, grouping, and seating.
What we like
- Random Name Generator that never repeats a name until everyone is picked
- Class List Maker for up to 100 names
- Seating chart maker with draggable desks
- Group maker on the same free site
Watch out for
- The design is simple, so expect plain pages rather than a polished app.
- The group maker and seating chart are separate tools, so open each one from the home page.
Pricing: Free. The site says everything is free, 24-7, forever.
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
Wheel Decide is a free online spinner for decisions, prizes, and classroom picks. You build a custom wheel from your own list, spin it, and let it choose a random student, assign groups or teams, or hand out jobs. Wheels can be saved once you log in, and the site is made for quick choices rather than long setup.
What we like
- Custom wheels built from your own list of names or choices
- Picks a random student to answer or take part
- Assigns groups, teams, and jobs at random
- Save wheels with a login
Watch out for
- You need an account to keep a wheel for next time.
- The site is a general decision wheel, not a classroom-only tool.
Pricing: Free.
RandomLists Team Generator
Best for: fast groups with no account and no setup
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
RandomLists is a plain, free random-tools site, and its Team Generator splits any pasted list into random groups. You type one item per line, choose how many groups you want, and click to shuffle again until the mix looks right. The same site has a pair generator and a random name picker, so pairs, teams, and single picks all live in one place.
What we like
- Splits a pasted list into any number of random groups
- Shuffle again with one click until the groups look right
- Random Pair Generator on the same site for partners
- Random Name Picker on the same site for single picks
Watch out for
- There is no save button, so keep your list somewhere safe.
- The site is general-purpose, so the examples are not classroom-specific.
Pricing: Free to use, with no account or payment on the site.
- Pricing
- Free + paid
- Free plan
- Free
- Grades / audience
- All grades
TeamShuffler is a free random team generator that turns a simple list into fair, balanced groups. You can mark team leaders, set keep-apart rules for students who should not sit together, and import names from CSV, TXT, Excel, or Word files. A paid Pro plan adds round-robin schedules and saved lists, and results export cleanly to CSV for sharing.
What we like
- Balanced random groups with team leaders and keep-apart rules
- Import names from CSV, TXT, Excel, and Word files
- Round-robin schedules and reusable lineups on the Pro plan
- Export results to CSV
Watch out for
- The free plan covers quick shuffles, so check Pro features before paying.
- Importing a file needs the names in a clean list first.
Pricing: Free plan $0 forever. TeamShuffler Pro is $2.49 a month, billed annually at $29.88.
How we chose
We started from tools PreK–6 teachers actually use and checked every one against its official website, pricing page and feature pages on November 13, 2026. We kept tools that fit elementary classrooms, noted whether a free plan exists, and wrote down honest limitations next to the strengths. Nobody paid to be included, and we don't use affiliate links on this page.
- Fit for PreK–6 classrooms, special education or homeschool
- Clear information on the official site about what the tool does and who it is for
- Free plan or free-for-teachers option noted where one exists
- Still active and maintained, with rebrands noted
How to choose the right tool
Start with the job. If you need one name called out loud, a wheel or spinner is fastest. If you need balanced groups for the whole lesson, use a team builder with rules, such as TeamShuffler or Flippity.
Check the account question before the lesson. Wheel of Names, RandomLists, and Super Teacher Tools work without signing in. Wheel Decide saves wheels only after you log in, and Picker Wheel saves 15 files on a free account.
Decide how much randomness you want to show. A spinning wheel lets the class watch the choice happen. A list tool that splits names quietly is better when you want the groups ready before the children arrive.
Watch for ads. Flippity and ClassTools are free but show ads, and ClassTools sells a Premium plan that removes them. If ads on a shared screen bother you, pick a tool without them.
Keep names fair across the week. Super Teacher Tools does not repeat a name until everyone has been picked once, and ClassTools can show only the names that are left. That stops the same confident hand going first every day.
Save the list once, reuse it all term. If your class list rarely changes, save the wheel or group settings instead of retyping names every morning.
Best pick by situation
- You need a volunteer to read aloud and the class must see the choice is fair: Wheel of Names — a big spinning wheel the whole class can watch, free with no paywall
- You want four balanced groups for a science activity: TeamShuffler — balanced random groups with keep-apart rules and team leaders
- You need groups fast and do not want to sign in to anything: RandomLists Team Generator — paste a list, choose the number of groups, and click — no account
- You want the same names to come up fairly across the week: Super Teacher Tools — names are not repeated until everyone has been picked once
- You want a spinner and a seating chart from the same tool: Flippity — one template makes pickers, groups, and seating charts from a Google Sheet
- You want to save your class wheel and reuse it all term: Picker Wheel — free accounts save up to 15 wheels and share them with a link
- You want to assign classroom jobs as well as pick names: Wheel Decide — custom wheels assign groups, teams, and jobs at random
Pair it with printables
Once the groups are set, these Activity Express center activities give each group something to do together.
Frequently asked questions
Which random name picker is completely free?
Wheel of Names, Flippity, Super Teacher Tools, Wheel Decide, and RandomLists are all free to use. TeamShuffler is free too, with a paid Pro plan for extra features, and ClassTools and Picker Wheel are free with a paid upgrade.
Can I use these tools without creating an account?
Yes, for most of them. Wheel of Names, Flippity, Super Teacher Tools, and RandomLists need no account. Wheel Decide asks you to log in to save wheels, and Picker Wheel's free account saves up to 15 files.
Which tool makes the fairest groups?
TeamShuffler builds balanced random groups and lets you mark leaders and keep certain students apart. Flippity splits a class into groups of up to 15, and Super Teacher Tools makes groups of up to 100 names without repeating anyone.
Do these tools work on a classroom whiteboard?
Yes. The wheel and spinner tools are made to be projected, and most have a fullscreen mode. Wheel of Names also has a streaming page so the wheel can run on a second screen.
Which name picker has no ads?
Flippity and ClassTools are supported by ads, and ClassTools Premium removes them for £9.99 a year. We saw no ads on the other tools' home pages.
Make a tool for teachers?
Built something teachers love? We keep these guides fresh, so send us a new tool, updated pricing or a featured spot request.
Request a listingDisclosure: no tool on this page paid to be included and we don't earn commissions from these links. Featured placements, if we ever offer them, will be clearly labeled "Sponsored". Details were checked on each provider's official website on November 13, 2026 and can change.