Looking for a Baamboozle alternative? Meet Oly
Like Baamboozle-style team games on one screen? Oly adds a phone remote, games made from a textbook photo, 15 game types and a lower yearly price.
Baamboozle (sometimes spelled "Bamboozle") is loved by teachers for one simple idea: a team game on one screen, with no student devices. Oly is built on the same idea, and adds a few things many teachers ask for: your phone as the remote, games made from a photo of the textbook page, 15 different game types and a lower price for the paid plan.
This page is an honest comparison to help you choose. Both are good tools; the right one depends on how you teach.
At a glance
| Oly | Baamboozle | |
|---|---|---|
| Played on one shared screen, no student devices | Yes | Yes |
| Teams | 2 to 8 (up to 4 on the free plan) | Yes |
| Phone as the teacher's remote (see the answer first) | Yes, with a QR code or 6-digit PIN | Not mentioned on their site |
| Make a game from a photo of a textbook page | Yes (AI) | Not mentioned on their site |
| Make a game from a word list or a topic | Yes (AI), with pictures and pronunciation | You write the questions |
| Import a public Kahoot quiz | Yes | Not mentioned on their site |
| Game types | 15 (Tile Grab, Lucky Wheel, Team Bingo, Paper Race…) | See their site |
| Ready-made games | 455 sets, checked by a person | Over 4 million teacher-made games |
| Paid plan | Oly Pro: $36 a year or $4.99 a month | Baamboozle+: $59.88 a year ($4.99 a month, paid yearly) or $7.99 a month |
| Free plan | Yes: every game, the whole library, 10 AI sets a month | Yes ("free-forever" Basic plan) |
Baamboozle details are from baamboozle.com, checked on October 28, 2026. Prices change; check their site for the latest.
When Oly is the better fit
- You want to walk around the room. The phone remote shows you the answer and lets you mark it, pick for a team, pause or skip from anywhere.
- You don't have time to type questions. Snap the page you're teaching, or type "farm animals", and the game is ready in about a minute, with a picture for every word.
- You want variety. The same question set can be played as 15 different games, from Tile Grab to Team Bingo, Paper Race or Hoop Shot.
- You teach young learners. Listening, spelling and speaking games (Listen and Touch, Pop the Word, Balloon Words, Picture Dice) and read-aloud for every word.
- You teach other subjects. Math, science, history and geography, reading and writing, with multiple choice, true or false and open questions.
- You want to review what was missed. The results screen lists the words the class found hard and makes a new game from them in one tap.
When Baamboozle may suit you better
- You want a huge library of games made by other teachers. Baamboozle lists over 4 million teacher-made games.
- You already have years of games there and your class knows them.
Moving to Oly
- Open Make a game.
- Paste your question list (
question | answer | wrong, wrong, one per line), a word list, or a public Kahoot link, or snap the textbook page. - Pick a game and the teams, and press Start the game. Scan the QR code to use your phone as the remote.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oly free like Baamboozle?
Yes. Every game and the whole library are free to play, and the free plan includes 10 AI question sets a month. Oly Pro ($36 a year) raises the limits for teachers who make games every day.
Do students need devices in Oly?
No. Like Baamboozle, the whole class plays on one screen in teams.
Can I bring my existing questions?
Yes. Paste them one per line as question | answer | wrong, wrong, paste rows from a spreadsheet, or paste a public Kahoot link.
Is Oly affiliated with Baamboozle?
No. Oly is made by Groowing Co., Ltd. Baamboozle is a trademark of its owner and is named here only for comparison.
Read how Oly works in class or try a ready-made game.