VotablyComparison
Votably vs Wheel of Names
Wheel of Names is a genuinely great random picker: free, no signup, a big spinning wheel with custom images and sound effects. Votably's Spin the Wheel works differently. The group votes first, adding weight to the options they actually like, and the wheel spin only decides among options people voted for. Votably also has a separate Fair Lottery for a plain random draw with a published commitment, so the result can be checked afterward.
Free.No account.One link.
Side by side
| Feature | Votably | Wheel of Names |
|---|---|---|
| Account required | No | No |
| Group votes before the spin | Yes, everyone adds weight to options they like | No, spin odds are set by the list you type in |
| Custom images on wheel slices | No | Yes |
| Sound effects | No | Yes, a large built-in library |
| Provably fair random draw | Yes, a published commitment for the Fair Lottery | No |
| Names or options supported | Up to 40 options | Up to 1,000 names on the wheel |
| Other decision types | 14 more, including ranked choice and approval | None, it is a wheel spinner only |
| Shareable voting link | Yes, everyone votes from their own phone first | No, one person usually drives the spin |
| Data retention | Deleted 30 days after creation | Wheels can be saved and reused |
| Price | Free | Free |
Where Votably does better
Everyone gets a vote before the wheel spins. Options nobody wants do not just sit on the wheel taking up space; the spin is weighted by what the group actually chose.
For decisions that should not come down to a spin at all, Votably has fourteen other methods, from a straightforward approval vote to a knockout bracket.
The Fair Lottery mode publishes a commitment before the draw happens, so anyone can check afterward that the result was not rigged. That is a different kind of fairness than a wheel, and it fits raffles and who-pays decisions well.
Where Wheel of Names does better
It is a genuinely fun, polished wheel: custom images on slices, a real sound library, and a satisfying spin animation. If the whole point is spectacle, Wheel of Names is built for that in a way Votably is not.
It supports far more entries on one wheel and lets you save and reuse a wheel later, which suits recurring classroom or team use.
Who should pick which
Pick Wheel of Names when the fun of the spin is the point, you want custom images or sound, or you are reusing the same wheel repeatedly.
Pick Votably's Spin the Wheel when you want the group to weigh in first so the spin reflects preference, not just a raw list. Pick Fair Lottery when the decision needs to be checkably random, not just look random.
How to switch from Wheel of Names to Votably
Start a Spin the Wheel decision and add the options you would have typed into Wheel of Names.
Share the link so everyone can add weight to the options they would actually accept, instead of one person controlling the list.
Spin when voting closes. For a plain random draw with no preference involved, use Fair Lottery instead.
Questions people ask
- Is Wheel of Names free to use?
- Yes, Wheel of Names is free and does not require a signup to spin a wheel. Votably is also free with no signup, but its Spin the Wheel works differently: the group votes on the options first, and the spin is weighted by that preference instead of treating every entry equally.
- Do voters need an account to use Votably's wheel, the way they might sign up on Wheel of Names?
- No. Nobody creating or voting on a Votably decision needs an account, and Wheel of Names does not require an account to spin either, though it offers an optional free account for saving wheels to the cloud. Neither tool puts an account between you and a quick decision.
- How does Votably's Spin the Wheel differ from Wheel of Names?
- Wheel of Names spins a wheel built from whatever list you type in, giving every entry an equal chance. Votably's Spin the Wheel has the group vote first, adding weight to the options they actually like, so the spin favors what people voted for rather than treating every option the same.
- Can I use images or sound effects on Votably's wheel, like on Wheel of Names?
- No, Votably's wheel does not support custom images on slices or sound effects, features Wheel of Names offers in depth, including an Unsplash image gallery and a large sound library. Votably keeps the wheel plain and puts its effort into the weighted vote that happens before the spin.
- What is Votably's Fair Lottery mode for, and does Wheel of Names have anything similar?
- Fair Lottery is a plain random draw for things like who pays or who picks. It publishes a commitment before the draw so the result can be verified afterward as not rigged. Wheel of Names does not offer an equivalent provably fair mode; its spin is not designed to be independently checked.
- How long does Votably keep a decision, compared to a saved Wheel of Names wheel?
- Votably deletes a decision 30 days after it is created. Wheel of Names lets a free account save up to a few wheels to the cloud for reuse well beyond that, which suits a teacher or team that spins the same list repeatedly rather than deciding something new each time.
What to use instead
Other comparisons: Votably vs Doodle, Votably vs When2meet, Votably vs StrawPoll, Votably vs Miro dot voting template.