You've undoubtedly noticed there are quite a few "spin the wheel" apps and websites out there. Unfortunately, most of those are outdated, a little slow, are not easy to work with. That's why we'll list the top 5 of random wheel spinner sites in this article. We'll look at easy of use, number of features, and overal UI/UX when comparing websites.
Why use a random spin wheel?
At first, you might think a random spinner is only handy to decide what you're going to eat today, but there is so much more you can do with it. Below are a few example use cases.
Educational technology - using it in the classroom
The term "educational technology" (EdTech) means using a computer (the hardware), combined with software, to teach pupils a certain theory. That's exactly what a spin wheel is! It's software you can use to help teach students about numbers, words, geography, etc ... in a fun and playful way.
Here are a few examples of using a random spin wheel in the classroom to help students with their learning:
- Use a letter wheel that displays all 26 letters of the alphabet. Ask students to spin the wheel and form a word with the letter they landed on.
- Similar to the letter wheel, you can use a number wheel to help students learn math. Ask students to spin the wheel twice and then multiply both numbers.
- Learn about the countries in the world with this random country picker.
Learning random things
A wheel spinner is also the perfect educational tool to learn about random fun facts. Just spin the wheel and let it pick one of the facts for you. It's an engaging and fun way to find out new and interesting facts you surely didn't know yet!
Help with decision making
We make a lot of decisions, both large & small, during our day. You can use a random wheel to help you decide the most common things such as "what to eat today" or "what to wear today". You can also use a spinner wheel to answer simple questions: here is a Yes/No/Maybe wheel to help with that.
The top random spinning wheel sites
Let's dive into what you came here for! Below, we're comparing 5 popular "random spin wheel" sites and listing some pros and cons.
1. Random Spin Wheel
Random Spin Wheel is a site that lets you create completely custom wheels, or you can use any of their predefined wheels if you don't want to put in the work. It is the youngest website to offer decision wheels, which means it's also the most modern. Today, browsers are capable of so much more than they were a couple of years ago. Random Spin Wheel leverages that modern technology to create wheels that look crisper and act more smoothly than competitors.
While the tool may not have all the features yet that other sites offer, the team is working hard to implement many of them. You can follow their journey by taking a look at the updates (changelog) page. On the plus side, they also have some features that competitors don't have, such as allowing you to save wheels so you can reuse them later. They also have plenty of predefined wheels.
It also has a handy "full screen" mode where you can show the wheel without distractions. This is perfect if you want to display the wheel on a TV to a large audience. It makes this site the perfect companion for a bit of fun at your next conference!
Pros
- Looks crisper & more modern than others.
- The site is super fast & lightweight.
- Allows saving/sharing wheels.
- Plenty of settings to change the appearance & behavior of your wheel.
Cons
- Doesn't have all the features yet (but they're working on it).
2. Wheel of Names
Wheel of Names was originally created to make wheels to choose a random name. Since then, it has evolved so you can create wheels for just about anything. It is the oldest site offering random spinner wheels so, arguably, it gets the most traffic. However, the downside is that it looks & feels a bit outdated. While the functionality works, the site does not give you the same modern feeling Random Spin wheel does.
Pros
- Plenty of options to change the appearance of your wheel.
- Allows up to 1000 slices on the wheel.
- Youtube videos to help you get started.
Cons
- Looks & feels outdated.
- Changing colors is cumbersome.
- User experience is lacking: options are hard to find etc...
- No predefined wheels.
3. Spinner Wheel
Spinner Wheel is literally a spin off from Wheel of Names. When you open the site, you'll notice the wheel looks very similar to the one from Wheel of Names. They are largely using the same code. This means the wheel has the same shortcomings in terms of look & feel.
On the plus side, this site allows you to add multiple wheels on one page, so you can spin several wheels at the same time.
Pros
- Allows multiple wheels on one page.
Cons
- Looks & feels outdated.
- Changing colors is cumbersome.
- User experience is lacking: options are hard to find etc...
4. SpinTheWheel App
SpinTheWheel is a smartphone app in the first place (both Android and iOS versions available) but also has a website where you can access and create wheels. The app focuses more on wheels created by the community as it will show popular, new, and featured wheels.
While it's not as feature-rich as other sites mentioned in this blog post, it does look polished and works quite well!
Pros
- Dedicated smartphone apps available.
- Looks & feels contemporary.
Cons
- Not many additional features available.
- Shows wheels that are generally not interesting to you.
5. Picker Wheel
Picker Wheel is another random spinner site offering randomness in the form of a Wheel of Fortune. The wheel itself looks quite similar to the one from Wheel of Names but the overall site looks a bit more polished and there are less distractions.
Pros
- Looks more polished & less distractions on screen.
- Allows saving lists (not wheels).
- Under active development.
Cons
- Less options to change appearance.
- The wheel itself looks & feels a bit outdated.
- Not a lot of predefined wheels.
- Some of their predefined wheels are not easy to use.
In conclusion: which random wheel spinner should you choose?
Whatever website (or app) you end up choosing, they will all help with making decisions, learning new things, breaking the ice at a work mixer, or making your next conference a bit more fun.
We are probably biased, but we thing you won't regret picking Random Spin Wheel as your favorite site of choice!