What separates a good trivia site
Most trivia sites look alike at first glance. The differences show up after ten minutes of play: whether the questions repeat, whether ads break the rhythm, whether you can play with friends, and whether the site is honest about what costs money.
1. A big library across real subjects
The first thing you notice on a weak trivia site is repetition. A good one has enough questions that you rarely see the same one twice, across subjects that go beyond one kind of knowledge.
How to check: play twenty questions on one subject and count the repeats.
Tidbit: over 12,000 questions and 30 subjects to pick from, from history and geography to science, music, food and space. Every question has four options. The same question does not come back within a session, and if a question looks wrong, you can report it from the question view.
2. You choose the subjects and the difficulty
General knowledge is fun, but sometimes you want only geography, or only questions you have a real chance at. A good trivia site lets you choose.
Difficulty matters more than it sounds: questions that are too easy get boring, and questions that are too hard stop being fun.
How to check: look for a subject list and a difficulty setting before the first question.
Tidbit: Freeplay lets you choose subjects and difficulty. Every subject also has its own page, such as geography trivia and history trivia, where Freeplay opens on those questions straight away.
3. More than one way to play
Question after question gets old. Timed rounds, lives, streaks and picture questions keep a session fresh.
How to check: open the list of modes and see what each one asks of you.
Tidbit: traditional trivia, Higher or Lower and 30+ game modes. Some rounds last 30 seconds, one minute or five minutes; others finish after a set number of questions or wrong answers. Picture modes ask you to name a country from its flag or its outline. Freeplay and Higher or Lower Freeplay are free, and additional modes require Premium.
4. Something to play with friends
Trivia is better with people. Check whether the site lets you play together in real time, not just share a score afterwards.
How to check: look for a party, room or lobby, and see whether your friends need to pay or sign up to join.
Tidbit: create a party, share its invite code or link, and play from your own browsers. Anyone can host a Game Show party for up to 4 people, host included, and joining is always free. In Game Show, everyone answers the same question at the same time, and answering faster scores more. Tidbit also runs inside Discord, where up to 10 people in a channel can play together.
5. A competitive option
If you like a challenge, look for ranked play: results that carry from game to game, and a rank that shows your progress.
How to check: see whether the rules of ranked play are written down somewhere you can read before you start.
Tidbit: Arena is ranked 1v1 trivia. You and your opponent answer the same question at the same time, and a faster right answer scores more. Play five placement matches for your first rank; the ranks run from Novice up to Oracle. Arena is free to play.
6. No ads
Ads between questions break a quiz’s rhythm. A good trivia site has none, or tells you plainly what it costs to remove them.
How to check: play a few rounds and see what appears between them. Watch for an “ad-free” version that costs money while the free one is full of ads.
Tidbit: no ads. Players are shown no advertising, in the free version too. The game is paid for by an optional Premium subscription instead; there is more on that in trivia games with no ads.
7. No download and no sign-up to start
You should be able to try a trivia site in seconds. A download or a sign-up form before the first question is a lot to ask from a game you have not played yet.
How to check: count the steps between opening the site and seeing the first question. A good site lets you play first and decide about an account later.
Tidbit: it runs in your browser with no download, and no sign-up is needed. On a computer, press Minimize and Tidbit moves into a small window in the corner of your screen, so you can play while you work on something else. Minimize works in computer browsers, not in private browsing.
8. Clear about what is free
“Free” means different things on different sites. A good one tells you what you can play without paying, and what costs money, before you get attached.
How to check: find the page that lists prices, and read what the free version includes.
Tidbit: free to play. Freeplay, Higher or Lower Freeplay and Arena are free, and so are statistics. Premium costs $5 a month or $48 a year, unlocks every mode and lets you play trivia offline. There is one free trial per person: 3 days with no card, or 7 days with a card, with nothing charged until the trial ends.
Red flags to watch for
- A sign-up form before the first question.
- An ad after every question or two.
- The same questions coming back within minutes.
- Questions with no clear right answer, and no way to report them.
- Prices you only see once you are hooked.
One red flag is not always a deal-breaker. Two or three usually mean the site was built to keep you busy rather than to be a good quiz.
Match the site to how you play
- On a short break: short rounds and a quick start.
- With friends: parties or rooms that friends can join for free.
- To compete: ranked play, seasons and leaderboards.
- While you work: a small window you can keep in the corner of your screen.
Tidbit covers all four: Freeplay and the Daily Question for breaks, parties for friends, Arena for ranked play and Minimize on computers for playing alongside other work.
Test any trivia site in five minutes
- Open it and see how quickly you reach the first question.
- Play ten questions and count the ads.
- Switch to a subject you love and judge the questions.
- Look for a way to play with a friend.
- Find out what is free and what is not.
Five minutes is enough to tell a good trivia site from a frustrating one. Try the test on Tidbit Home, or browse Game Modes and the Daily Question first.
Tidbit is for ages 13 and above.
By the team making Tidbit. Questions or a correction? Get in touch.
