The Pear Deck alternative for scored, game-show quizzes
Pear Deck makes your slides interactive; Quizzo turns your questions into a scored, game-show quiz for up to 500 players at $9/month, billed monthly. If you miss the competitive energy of a Kahoot-style game, here's an honest comparison, including the areas where Pear Deck is the stronger tool.
Quizzo vs Pear Deck at a glance
| Feature | Quizzo | Pear Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/month (one plan) | $12.42/month billed annually ($149/yr Premium, educator discount) |
| Free plan | No | Yes — unlimited participants; text, number and poll questions |
| Billing | Monthly, cancel anytime | Annual (no monthly option shown); schools and districts by quote |
| Players per game | Up to 500 | Unlimited participants (per pricing page) |
| How players join | 6-digit PIN or QR code in any browser | 6-letter code at joinpd.com or a join link |
| Player account needed | No | No (teachers can require Google or Microsoft sign-in) |
| Questions on players' devices | Yes — full question and answers | Yes — students see the current slide |
| Question types | Multiple choice (2–4 answers), images | Text, number, poll, drawing, draggable; graded multiple choice on district plans |
| Self-paced / homework mode | No (live games only) | Yes (Student-Paced mode, free) |
| AI quiz generation | No | Yes — Pear Start AI tools, free for teachers |
What is Pear Deck?
Pear Deck is an add-on for Google Slides and PowerPoint Online that turns a teacher's own slide deck into an interactive lesson. It was founded in 2014 in Iowa City, acquired by GoGuardian in November 2020 and has been part of GoGuardian's Pear Deck Learning suite since January 2024, next to Pear Assessment (formerly Edulastic) and Pear Practice. Students join with a code at joinpd.com and respond on their own devices with text, numbers, poll answers, drawings or draggable responses, which the teacher can project anonymously. It's known for keeping teachers in their existing slides and for Pear Start, a set of 40+ AI tools that has been free for individual teachers since August 2025.
Best for: Teachers in Google or Microsoft classrooms who want to make their own slide decks interactive, especially in districts with a Pear Deck Learning license.
Why people look for a Pear Deck alternative
- Since November 2024, multiple-choice questions with a correct answer and points have been limited to School & District plans; free and Premium teachers get ungraded polls.
- Teacher Premium costs $149 a year, billed upfront with no monthly option shown, and drawing, draggable and named responses all sit behind it.
- There's no scoring game: no speed points, leaderboard or podium to turn a review into a competition.
- As an add-on, Pear Deck needs a Google or Microsoft account and Google Slides or PowerPoint Online on the teacher's side.
- Reviewers say the add-on can be laggy or slow to load and takes time to learn.
Where Quizzo is better
A real scoring game
Speed points (500–1,000 per correct answer), an answer chart and top-5 leaderboard after every question, a confetti podium and music. Pear Deck has no scoring game.
Graded multiple choice for $9
Every Quizzo question has one correct answer that's scored automatically. In Pear Deck, correct answers and points on multiple choice are School & District features.
Monthly price, no annual fee
$9/month and you can cancel anytime; a full year costs $108. Pear Deck Premium is $149 a year, paid upfront.
No add-on or ecosystem
Quizzo runs in any browser: build in the web editor, then share a PIN or QR code. You don't need Google Slides, PowerPoint Online or a Google or Microsoft account.
Where Pear Deck is better
Works inside your own slides
Add interactive questions to the Google Slides or PowerPoint Online decks you already teach from. Quizzo has no slides.
Open-ended and drawing responses
Text, number, drawing and draggable responses (drawing and draggable on Premium), shown anonymously on the projector. Quizzo is multiple choice only.
Generous free plan with AI
The free plan has unlimited participants and Student-Paced mode, and the 40+ Pear Start AI tools are free for teachers. Quizzo has no free plan, no AI and no self-paced mode.
District integrations and content
School and district plans add Canvas and Schoology LMS integration, Clever and ClassLink sign-in, and certified math and ELA content for grades 3–12.
Pear Deck pricing vs Quizzo
As of October 2026, Pear Deck's free plan includes unlimited presentations, sessions and participants, with text, number and poll questions and Student-Paced mode. Teacher Premium costs $149 per year (about $12.42/month) with the educator discount, billed yearly, and adds drawing, draggable and named-dashboard features, but not graded multiple choice. School and district plans are quoted and include graded Choice questions, LMS integrations and certified content. Quizzo is $9/month, billed monthly, for up to 500 players, with graded multiple choice and speed scoring included; a full year costs $108, less than Premium, while Pear Deck's free plan costs nothing.
Should you switch from Pear Deck to Quizzo?
Stay with Pear Deck if you teach from your own Google Slides or PowerPoint decks and want open-ended, drawing and student-paced responses, especially if your district pays for a license, which also unlocks graded multiple choice. Switch to Quizzo, or add it for review days, if you want a scored quiz game: it marks the correct answer, awards speed points and crowns a winner for $9/month, billed monthly.
How to switch from Pear Deck to Quizzo
- Create your Quizzo account and open the dashboard.
- Click “New quiz”, paste in your questions and answers, and mark the correct one. Add images and timers where you need them.
- Press “Start game” to open the lobby, then show the PIN or QR code on the big screen.
- Players join at playquizzo.com/join on their phones — no app, no account — and you're live.
Quizzo doesn't import quizzes from other tools yet, so plan a few minutes to copy your questions over.
More comparisons
Pear Deck alternative: FAQ
Is Pear Deck free?
Yes. The free plan covers unlimited presentations, sessions and participants with text, number and poll questions and Student-Paced mode. Drawing and draggable responses and the named Teacher Dashboard require Teacher Premium at $149/year.
Can Pear Deck grade multiple-choice questions?
Only on School & District plans. Since November 6, 2024, correct answers and points on multiple-choice questions have been limited to school and district users, so free and Premium accounts get Poll questions without a correct answer. Quizzo scores every multiple-choice answer on its $9/month plan.
Does Pear Deck have a game mode like Kahoot?
No. Pear Deck has no scoring game; it focuses on interactive slides and anonymous responses on the projector. Quizzo is built around the game: speed points, a leaderboard after every question, a podium and music.
How much is Pear Deck Premium compared with Quizzo?
Pear Deck Teacher Premium costs $149/year with the educator discount, billed yearly. Quizzo costs $9/month, or $108 over a full year, and you can cancel anytime.
Do students need a Google account for Pear Deck?
No. Students can join anonymously with a 6-letter code at joinpd.com unless the teacher requires Google or Microsoft sign-in; teachers do need a Google or Microsoft account. Quizzo players enter a PIN at playquizzo.com/join or scan a QR code, without any account.
Can I move my Pear Deck slides into Quizzo?
Not automatically, and Quizzo doesn't use slides. Copy your multiple-choice questions into the Quizzo editor, mark the correct answer and add an image where it helps; text, drawing and draggable prompts have no Quizzo equivalent.
Last updated October 18, 2026
Competitor prices and limits were checked on October 18, 2026 from their public websites and may change. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor.
Sources
- https://www.peardeck.com/pricing
- https://docs.goguardian.com/products/pear-deck/use-interactive-question-types
- https://docs.goguardian.com/products/pear-deck/join-a-session
- https://peardeck.com/product-updates/pear-deck-release-notes
- https://www.goguardian.com/newsroom/goguardian-launches-pear-deck-learning-a-comprehensive-ecosystem-of-innovative-learning-tools
- https://www.goguardian.com/newsroom/pear-deck-learning-revolutionizes-back-to-school-support-with-ai-tools-that-drive-real-student-outcomes
- https://www.capterra.com/p/209857/Pear-Deck/reviews/
Kahoot! and all other product names mentioned on this site are trademarks of their respective owners. Quizzo is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.
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