Planning a retrieval quiz for Year 8, a knowledge check for new starters or a round of questions for Friday's pub quiz? Every quiz tool promises automatic marking. Whether it really delivers only becomes clear when 30 submissions arrive and you want to see who passed.
The best tool for your quiz in 2026 depends on three things: whether marking runs automatically on the free plan, how many people can take part for free and where the results are stored. empirio.ai, a tool from Germany for surveys, forms, quizzes and live polls, marks automatically for free and stores data in the EU, while Typeform charges for quizzes from the start.
We have put five quiz tools side by side: empirio.ai, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, SurveyMonkey and Typeform. By the end you will know which tool carries your quiz for free and at what point it starts to cost money.
📌 The key points at a glance
- With empirio.ai you create quizzes with automatic marking for free.
- empirio.ai offers a pass mark, time limit and per-question explanations.
- Google Forms marks quizzes for free with no response cap.
- Microsoft Forms marks for free up to 200 responses per quiz.
- Typeform only offers quizzes on paid plans from €35.
Create a survey for free
With empirio.ai you can create a modern online survey in minutes — with hosting in the EU.
- AI-built survey
- Adjust by drag & drop
- Real-time analysis
What really matters in a quiz tool
A quiz tool is software that lets you store the correct answer to each question, award points and have every submission marked automatically. The difference from a survey: there is a right and a wrong answer, and at the end there is a score. The marking is exactly where the tools part ways.
Six points decide whether a quiz tool works for you. The first two sound obvious, yet two of the five providers restrict them on the free plan.
- Automatic marking: does the tool add up the points itself, and for which question types?
- Feedback for participants: do people see their score and the correct answers at the end, and can you control when?
- Pass mark and time limit: almost always needed for tests at school, in apprenticeships and during onboarding.
- Explanations per question: a quiz that explains why an answer was wrong teaches more than a bare score.
- No account needed: if participants have to sign in first, turnout drops noticeably.
- Data protection: the results of pupils, apprentices or employees are personal data.
Good quiz questions matter more than any tool, by the way. A question with two obviously wrong options measures nothing, however polished the results page looks. How to write answer options that actually test something is covered in our guide to multiple choice questions.
The 5 best quiz tools 2026 in detail
Five tools cover most needs in the UK market for online quizzes with automatic marking: empirio.ai, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, SurveyMonkey and Typeform. The order is not a ranking, it follows the use case.
A word in our own interest first: empirio.ai belongs to us. Our own tool therefore comes first, so nobody discovers in the final paragraph that we have a stake in this. What empirio.ai cannot do is listed just as openly as what it can.
empirio.ai: quizzes with a pass mark, time limit and AI
empirio.ai, a tool from Germany for surveys, forms, quizzes and live polls, has had a quiz mode since November 2026. You set the correct answer and the points for each question, and every submission is marked automatically. Its strengths in one line: modern design, easy to use, a large free offering, many AI tools, EU hosting. The AI drafts questions, answer options, correct answers and explanations from your topic, audience and learning goal, and an existing quiz can be imported from Word or PDF.
For tests there is a pass mark as a percentage and a time limit: none, 5, 10 or 15 minutes, or a value of your own. You decide whether the answers are revealed after each question, at the end or not at all, and whether the score is shown at the end. Every question can carry an explanation. Results are listed per person, with score and pass or fail, and per question. People take part via link or QR code in the browser, without an account.
On the free plan up to 50 people a month can take part, spread across as many quizzes, surveys and forms as you like. The prices are: Free, Lite £19, Plus £39, Pro £69 a month (cancellable monthly). Results are stored on servers in the EU, the AI processing runs there too, and the processor contract already comes with the free plan (as of November 2026).
Perfect for: knowledge checks at school, in apprenticeships and during onboarding.
Strengths
- Automatic marking on the free plan already.
- Pass mark, time limit and an explanation for each question.
- The AI writes questions, correct answers and explanations.
- No account needed, people join via link or QR code.
- Servers in the EU and a processor contract from the free plan.
Limitations
- Free for up to 50 participants a month.
- Export to Excel, CSV and SPSS only from Lite.
- AI analysis only from Plus.
Google Forms: the free quiz with no response cap
Google Forms, the free form tool from Google, has a quiz mode with an answer key and automatic marking. There is no response limit, and results go to Google Sheets or download as a CSV file. For homework and short knowledge checks it is the go-to option in many schools.
The limits of Google Forms lie in design and data protection. The look can barely be customised, multilingual quizzes are not supported, and branching only jumps to sections. A processor contract is available only with a paid Workspace plan, not with a personal Google account. How to set up a quiz in Google Forms is explained in our step-by-step guide for Google Forms (as of November 2026).
Perfect for: simple knowledge checks without sensitive data.
Strengths
- Completely free, with no cap on responses.
- Quiz with answer key and automatic marking.
- Results go straight into Google Sheets.
Limitations
- Design barely customisable, no multilingual quizzes.
- Branching only via sections.
- Processor contract only with a paid Workspace plan.
Microsoft Forms: the quiz for schools on Microsoft 365
Microsoft Forms has a quiz mode with correct answers, points and automatic marking, and you can show participants their result if you wish. Many schools and companies have the tool through Microsoft 365 anyway, because there is no separate Forms subscription. Results go straight to Excel, and sharing runs through Teams.
With a free Microsoft account a quiz in Microsoft Forms accepts up to 200 responses, with a personal Microsoft 365 subscription up to 1,000. Branching only jumps forward, and there is little room on design. For business accounts with a Microsoft 365 tenant in the EU the data stays in the EU, and UK organisations can check where their tenant stores data in the Microsoft 365 admin centre. The processor contract comes with the first commercial Microsoft 365 agreement. How the tool holds up against Google Forms is set out in Google Forms vs Microsoft Forms (as of November 2026).
Perfect for: schools and businesses that work with Microsoft 365.
Strengths
- Free with a Microsoft account, included in Microsoft 365.
- Quiz with points and automatic marking.
- Export to Excel, sharing via Teams.
Limitations
- Free plan capped at 200 responses per quiz.
- Branching only jumps forward.
- Little room on design.
SurveyMonkey: quizzes with a results page, but a tight free plan
SurveyMonkey is the international all-rounder with many languages and use cases, and it offers quizzes with points, feedback and a results page. Points are added up automatically for multiple choice, checkbox, image choice and dropdown questions. The AI can create the questionnaire on the free plan already.
The free Basic plan at SurveyMonkey is tight for quizzes: no more than ten questions and 40 responses per quiz, and the result at the end cannot be shown for free. Branching and data export start with Standard at £109 a month, the only paid plan you can cancel monthly. Paid annually, Standard costs £228 a year, and Extra and Premium are sold as annual packages only. Data is stored in the US by default, and the EU data centre is open to Enterprise customers only (as of November 2026).
Perfect for: teams with a budget who create lots of surveys and quizzes in one place.
Strengths
- Quiz with points, feedback and a results page.
- AI questionnaire creation on the free plan.
- Plenty of templates and question types.
Limitations
- Free plan limited to ten questions and 40 responses per quiz.
- Final quiz result cannot be shown on the free plan.
- EU data centre only for Enterprise customers.
Typeform: the quiz as a lead magnet
Typeform is the modern provider from Spain, strong on contact requests and lead funnels. Besides the knowledge quiz with points there is an outcome quiz that sorts participants into a type based on their answers, popular in marketing as a lead magnet. Every question gets a screen of its own.
Quizzes at Typeform start with the paid Basic plan at €35 a month for 100 responses. The free plan only covers 10 responses a month across all forms anyway. From the 751st response in a month Typeform moves the account to the Plus plan from around €70, with three fixed seats. Typeform quotes these prices in euros, while empirio.ai and SurveyMonkey show pounds, so convert before you compare the amounts. The data sits on servers in Virginia in the United States (as of November 2026).
Perfect for: marketing teams that use a quiz as a lead magnet.
Strengths
- Knowledge quiz and outcome quiz.
- Modern design, one question per screen.
- AI form creation on the free plan.
Limitations
- Quizzes only from €35 a month.
- Free plan limited to 10 responses a month across all forms.
- Main servers in Virginia, no confirmed EU hosting.
Quiz tools in direct comparison
With quiz tools one question counts above all: does the tool mark for free, and how many people can take part? Both answers are in the table, and the rest depends on what you need the quiz for.
The figures come from the providers' pricing and help pages. Limits change without notice, so a look at the pricing page before you start is always worth it.
| Tool | Quiz on the free plan | The main catch |
|---|---|---|
| empirio.ai | yes, up to 50 participants a month | export only from Lite |
| Google Forms | yes, with no response cap | processor contract only with a paid Workspace plan |
| Microsoft Forms | yes, up to 200 responses per quiz | branching only jumps forward |
| SurveyMonkey | limited, 40 responses per quiz | final result hidden on the free plan |
| Typeform | no, quizzes from €35 a month | main servers in Virginia, USA |
As of November 2026, subject to change.
Which quiz tool suits you?
Which quiz tool suits you comes down to three things: who takes part, whether the result has consequences and which software already runs at your school or organisation. The table matches the most common cases.
Pick the row closest to your situation. If the quiz decides a grade or a sign-off, the row about data protection is the one that counts.
| Your case | What matters then | What that means for the tool |
|---|---|---|
| Retrieval quiz for a Year 8 class | free, data protection for children | empirio.ai stores data in the EU, processor contract included for free |
| School or trust on Microsoft 365 | no new tool to introduce | Microsoft Forms is usually in use there already |
| Induction test for new starters | pass mark and a record of results | empirio.ai shows each person's score and pass or fail |
| GCSE or A level revision against the clock | time limit and explanations | empirio.ai offers both for free |
| Pub quiz or quiz night at the cricket club | quick, no sensitive data | Google Forms does the job with no response cap |
| Personality quiz as a lead magnet | design and outcome types | Typeform is made for this, but costs from €35 a month |
Ready-made quizzes to adapt are waiting in the empirio.ai template library, all of them free. And if you hand the quiz out in the room, our guide to taking part via QR code shows how.
Create a survey for free
With empirio.ai you can create a modern online survey in minutes — with hosting in the EU.
- AI-built survey
- Adjust by drag & drop
- Real-time analysis
Free quiz tools: where the limits are
Free quiz tools differ less in their question types than in their marking. Google Forms, Microsoft Forms and empirio.ai mark automatically on the free plan, SurveyMonkey only with restrictions and Typeform not at all. Miss that, and you end up marking by hand after all.
The second limit is the number of participants. Google Forms sets none, Microsoft Forms allows 200 responses per quiz, empirio.ai 50 participants a month across all quizzes and SurveyMonkey 40 responses per quiz. Almost any tool is enough for one class, but not every tool copes with the same test for a whole year group in one week.
What participants see at the end of a quiz
A quiz lives on people finding out how they did. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms show the result if you want them to. empirio.ai lets you choose whether the answers are revealed after each question, at the end or not at all, and whether the score is visible. At SurveyMonkey the results page stays closed on the free plan. For a learning quiz that is a real drawback, because this is exactly the moment where the learning happens.
Pass mark, time limit and explanations per question
Tests in apprenticeships and onboarding usually need more than a score. empirio.ai includes a pass mark as a percentage, a time limit and an explanation per question on the free plan. An explanation of the right answer turns a test into a lesson: anyone who gets a question wrong learns why straight away instead of just seeing a number.
Common mistakes when choosing a quiz tool
Most disappointments with a quiz tool show up on the day of the test, when 25 people tap the link at the same moment. Three mistakes come up again and again.
All three can be avoided with a trial run beforehand. Plenty of people skip it, though, because the quiz already looks finished in the editor.
Mistake 1: not testing the marking with a real run-through
A quiz can look flawless in the editor and still mark wrongly, because one question has no correct answer set or a multiple-answer question is scored differently from what you expected. Before you launch, fill in the quiz once with only right answers and once with only wrong ones. If both scores come out as expected, the marking works. At empirio.ai a quiz can only be published once every marked question has a correct answer.
Mistake 2: requiring a sign-in that nobody has
A quiz that needs an account locks out exactly the people you want to reach: visitors without a school login, new colleagues on their first day, parents at a parents' evening. Before sending, check that participants can take part without signing in. If you still need to limit the quiz to certain people, ask for an identifier inside the quiz rather than requiring an account.
Mistake 3: storing children's results without a contract
Quiz results from school are personal data, often about children. A tool on a personal account with servers outside the UK and the EU is usually the wrong choice for that, even when it is free. Many academy trusts and local authorities set out which tools staff may use, and state schools count as public authorities under UK GDPR, so they must have a data protection officer. If in doubt, ask the school's data protection officer before you test the first class. What data protection law requires for surveys is covered in our guide to data protection in surveys.
Tip
Let the AI draft ten questions first, then cut half of them. What remains are the questions where even the wrong answers sound plausible. Those are the ones that show who has understood the topic and who has only guessed.
Conclusion
The best quiz tool is the one that marks automatically on the free plan and lets your participants join without an account. If you need a pass mark, a time limit and data kept in the EU, empirio.ai covers that for free. If you already work with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you will find a solid quiz there without introducing a new tool.
One point decides things in practice more often than it comes up in comparisons. As soon as a quiz is not purely private but runs for a company, a charity, a club, a school, a university or a practice, personal data is processed on that organisation's behalf. Under UK GDPR that requires a written contract with the provider of the tool (Article 28), and the same duty applies in the EU under the GDPR. When such a contract is needed and why it matters is explained by the Information Commissioner's Office (accessed 20 October 2026).
Purely private projects among family and friends are exempt. Whether your specific case falls under the duty is decided by your organisation's data protection officer, or at university by your supervisor. This article is not legal advice.
Among the five tools in this comparison, the processor contract separates the providers clearly. empirio.ai, SurveyMonkey and Typeform provide it on the free plan already. At Google Forms it depends on a paid Workspace plan, at Microsoft Forms on the first commercial Microsoft 365 agreement. On storage, empirio.ai keeps the data in the EU on the free plan, SurveyMonkey only with an Enterprise contract, and Typeform stores it on servers in Virginia.
What to read next
- Want to create the quiz in Google Forms? Google Forms walkthrough with answer key
- Want to ask questions live in the room? Live polling tools compared
- Need registrations rather than answers? Form tools compared
- Looking for an alternative to SurveyMonkey? SurveyMonkey alternatives
- Want to collect opinions rather than test knowledge? Survey tools compared
Want your quiz ready in the next ten minutes?
Give empirio.ai a topic, an audience and a learning goal, and the AI drafts questions, correct answers and explanations. Marking is automatic and free for up to 50 participants a month.