Bar trivia software that runs from one TV

Better Trivia lets a bar, brewery or restaurant run a full trivia night with a screen, a Wi-Fi connection and the phones already on the tables. There are no tablets to rent, no app for guests to download and no buzzers to buy.

What you need

• A TV, projector or laptop with a web browser, showing the host screen.
• Wi-Fi or mobile data for the host screen and for each team's phone.
• A quiz - pick one from the library or write your own. Each question can carry a picture, a short YouTube clip or a Spotify song.

How a night runs

1. Put the code up. Open the lobby view on the TV: it shows only the QR code, the quiz name and a live headcount of who has joined.
2. Teams join. Each team scans the code, or types the six-character join code, and enters a team name. One phone per team keeps the table talking to each other.
3. Everyone answers. The question and countdown are on the big screen; each team picks an answer on its phone before the clock runs out.
4. The leaderboard updates live. Standings refresh after every question, and auto-advance can run the whole night on its own so the host can work the room.

Why it works in a loud room

• Fair on bad Wi-Fi. Every answer is timed against the same server clock, so a slow connection never costs a team points. Quicker correct answers score higher and streaks earn a bonus.
• Nothing to hear twice. Music questions play through the host's own Spotify Premium account on the room's speakers, never on players' phones.
• A dying phone doesn't end the night. A team can hand its seat, score and streak to a teammate's phone with a one-time link.

Make it your venue's night

• Pull your venue's colors straight from your website and add a sponsor's logo for the night.
• Team names are kept from one week to the next, so regulars build a standing on the leaderboard.
• List the night on Trivia Near You so people searching for trivia in your area can find it.

What it costs

Players never need an account, and you can try a sample round on the demo page without signing up. Hosting your own game needs a subscription. New subscribers start with a 14-day trial, so you can run a real night before paying; you can cancel any time. See the Subscription page for the price and the billing terms for the details.

Running trivia for a team instead of a room? See trivia for remote and office teams.