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Fair lottery

A random draw picks the winner. Before the draw, Votably publishes a commitment so anyone can verify afterward that the result wasn't rigged.

  • Free
  • No account
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Add at least two. Paste a list to fill several at once.

The winner is a provably fair random draw. Add names or options as entries.

Everyone with the link builds the list together, then you start voting when it's ready.

Settings

Voters see a live countdown. When it hits zero, voting closes on its own.

Shows who voted. Choices stay private.

Anyone with the link can add an option to the list.

How it works

  1. The creator lists the entrants and Votably publishes a commitment before the draw.

  2. Everyone can see the commitment is locked in before anyone knows the outcome.

  3. The creator runs the draw, and the published commitment lets anyone verify it after the fact.

What is a provably fair random picker

A provably fair random picker solves the one real complaint about any random draw: how does anyone know it wasn't rigged? Before the draw happens, Votably generates a commitment, a cryptographic hash of the seed that will decide the winner, and publishes it for everyone to see. Nobody, including the creator, can change the outcome after that commitment is published, because the seed underneath it is already locked in.

After the draw, the original seed is revealed alongside the commitment, so anyone can check that the two match and that the draw wasn't altered after the fact. That's what makes it a raffle picker online that a skeptical group can actually trust, not just one that claims to be fair.

It's built for the moments where a random pick needs to survive an argument: deciding who pays for dinner, drawing a raffle winner, or picking one name out of a long list where everyone deserves an equal shot and someone is bound to ask how the result was chosen.

Related ways to decide

Spin the wheelWeight it, then let fate spinBracketMarch Madness for your listVeto roundsStrike one out each round

Best for

Who pays

Settle who covers the bill or the tab with a draw everyone can verify was actually random.

Raffles and giveaways

Run a raffle picker online where every entrant has an equal shot and the draw holds up to scrutiny afterward.

Any equal-odds pick

Whenever every option deserves the exact same chance, a provably fair random picker settles it without debate.

When to use something else

Wheel is the better choice when the group wants their votes to weight the odds instead of giving everyone an equal shot. Bracket or veto fit better when the group wants to actively narrow a list through rounds rather than a single instant draw. Use lottery specifically when the fairness of the randomness itself needs to be provable, not just claimed.

Questions people ask

Is there a free provably fair random picker with no account?
Yes. Votably's provably fair random picker is free, needs no account for the creator or entrants, and runs from a single link, publishing a commitment before the draw so nobody can rig it.
Is there a free raffle picker online for who pays?
Yes. Votably's raffle picker online works well for deciding who pays: every entrant gets an equal shot, and a published commitment lets the whole group verify afterward that the draw wasn't rigged.
How does a provably fair random picker prove the draw wasn't rigged?
Votably publishes a commitment, a cryptographic hash of the seed, before the draw happens, then reveals the seed afterward so anyone can recompute the hash and confirm it matches, proving nothing changed after the fact.

Decisions are kept for 30 days, then deleted. One vote per phone. The creator decides when results are revealed.