What Is Gimkit? The Complete Guide for Teachers and Students

Updated September 28, 2026. Written and fact-checked by the editorial team. Pricing and features were checked against Gimkit’s official pages.

Your class knows the quiz routine by heart, and the yawns prove it. Review days drag. Scores stall. Gimkit changes that. This live game turns every correct answer into in-game cash, so students chase knowledge instead of grades. This guide explains how Gimkit works, what it costs, and how to run your first game in ten minutes.

What Is Gimkit?

Josh Feinsilber started Gimkit as a high school project in 2017. Today it is a web-based learning game for K-12 classrooms. timtis

Teachers build a question set called a Kit. Students join with a game code on any device with a browser. Each correct answer earns virtual money, and students spend that money on upgrades and power-ups.

Related tools in the same space include Kahoot, Quizizz, Blooket, and Quizlet. Gimkit stands apart because it adds an economy on top of the quiz.

How Does Gimkit Work?

Every round follows one loop: answer, earn, spend, repeat. A wrong answer costs money, so accuracy matters as much as speed.

Students can spend their cash on:

• Upgrades that raise earnings per question
• Streak bonuses that reward consecutive right answers
• Multipliers that grow a lead
• Power-ups that help a player or slow a rival

This loop teaches a second skill: invest early, earn more later. Quiet students often beat confident ones, because strategy counts as much as recall.

How to Start Your First Gimkit Game

You can host a game in six steps:

1. Create a free teacher account on the official site.
2. Pick a Kit or build your own.
3. Click Play and choose a game mode.
4. Set the goal: a timer, a money target, or a class-wide target.
5. Share the game code. Students enter it with a nickname.
6. Press start, then watch the leaderboard climb.

Timed rounds work best when you need to control the clock. A five-to-ten-minute round fits neatly at the end of a lesson.

Gimkit Game Modes Explained

Gimkit offers more than one way to play.

• Classic: Every student plays alone and competes for the top balance.
• Team modes: Students pool their money and work together.
• 2D modes: One review counted 13 active 2D game modes, each with its own objective and map. learnclash
• Homework (assignments): Students practice at their own pace, outside class.
• Limited-time modes: Seasonal or themed modes appear for short periods.

Is Gimkit Free? Basic vs. Pro

Yes. Gimkit Basic is a free tier that never expires, and students never pay to join. The catch is mode access. Only about three modes are free at any time, and Pro-exclusive modes admit just five players until you upgrade. icon-erasheelon

Gimkit Pro costs $14.99 per month or $59.88 per year, with a 14-day free trial. Prices change, so confirm them on the official pricing page before you buy. learnclash

What Are Kits, and How Do You Build One?

A Kit is a set of questions. You can write your own, browse community Kits, or let students build one together with KitCollab.

Follow these rules for a strong Kit:

• Keep each question short enough to read in five seconds.
• Write believable wrong answers. Random distractors teach nothing.
• Preview the Kit before you host it.
• Match the content to the pace. Fast games suit facts, formulas, and vocabulary.

Community Kits vary in quality, so read every question before you use one.

Best Ways to Use Gimkit in Class

Gimkit works best for repeated recall, not first-time teaching.

• Math: integer operations, multiplication facts, squares and roots
• Language arts: vocabulary, grammar rules, literary terms
• Science: lab safety, element symbols, cell parts
• History: dates, vocabulary, cause-and-effect pairs
• World languages: verb forms and word meanings

Use it as a warm-up, a review before a test, or a Friday reward. [Add one real result from your classroom here, such as a before-and-after quiz score. First-hand experience is the strongest E-E-A-T signal you can add.]

Gimkit vs. Kahoot, Blooket, and Quizizz

All four tools turn quizzes into games. They differ in how they reward players.

• Kahoot rewards speed and runs on a shared screen.
• Quizizz suits self-paced practice.
• Blooket uses themed game modes and character collection.
• Gimkit rewards strategy. Students decide when to save, when to spend, and when to gamble.

If you want students to think about choices, not just clicks, Gimkit gives you that.

Is Gimkit Safe for Students?

Students can join a game without an account. Only the host needs one. That design limits the personal data students share.

Protect your class with three habits:

• Set nickname rules before the game starts.
• Turn off power-ups that hurt other players if your class gets rowdy.
• Read your district’s privacy policy and the Gimkit privacy terms before you roll out the tool.

US schools should also review how student data rules under FERPA apply to any classroom app.

Tips to Get More Learning from Gimkit

• Start with a 5-minute round, then extend the time.
• Review missed questions in the post-game report.
• Mix Classic and Team rounds to keep the format fresh.
• Ask students to explain their spending strategy afterward.
• Rotate Kits weekly so the content stays sharp.

Common Problems and Fixes

• Students cannot join: Check the game code and make sure the game has started.
• A mode is locked: It is likely Pro-exclusive. Pick a featured free mode.
• The game feels chaotic: Shorten the timer and switch to team play.
• Players ignore the questions: Raise the stakes on wrong answers or use a smaller Kit.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Gimkit used for?
Teachers use Gimkit to review lessons through live, competitive quiz games. Students answer questions, earn virtual cash, and buy upgrades.

2. Is Gimkit free for teachers?
Yes. The Basic plan is free with no end date. It rotates about three featured modes, and the rest require Pro.

3. How many students can join a Gimkit game?
Featured free modes allow unlimited players. Pro-exclusive modes cap free accounts at five players, while Pro supports up to 500 in a live game.

4. Do students need an account to play Gimkit?
No. Students join with a game code and a nickname. Only the host signs in.

5. How much does Gimkit Pro cost?
Pro costs $14.99 per month or $59.88 per year. New educators get a 14-day trial.

6. Is Gimkit better than Kahoot?
It depends on your goal. Gimkit adds strategy and an in-game economy, while Kahoot focuses on speed and shared-screen play.

Your Next Step: Run One Round This Week

Pick one topic your class already knows. Build a ten-question Kit, set a five-minute timer, and host a game. Watch who saves, who spends, and who surprises you.

Then check the report and reteach the two questions students missed most. That single round will show you whether Gimkit belongs in your weekly routine.

Sources

1. Gimkit official pricing page: https://www.gimkit.com/pricing
2. Gimkit Help Center: https://help.gimkit.com
3. U.S. Department of Education, FERPA: https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/ferpa