Boom Cards caps the free plan at 5 students and sells most decks a la carte. Here are seven alternatives for self-grading digital task activities.
STSpellingJoy Team
•Last Updated: July 8, 2026
The best Boom Cards alternatives are Wordwall, Quizizz, and Blooket — each lets you create self-grading, interactive practice that gives students instant feedback, without Boom's 5-student free cap or its pay-per-deck marketplace.
Boom Cards earned a devoted following, especially among SLPs and OTs, for its tidy, self-grading digital task cards that suit repetitive skill work. But the pricing chafes. The free Starter membership tops out at 5 students in one classroom, Premium runs $6.99 a month, and most of the decks you actually want are purchased separately from the marketplace. Add it up and a tool that looks cheap can become a recurring line item deck by deck.
To rank these picks we compared free-tier student limits, subscription prices, whether content comes included or costs extra, and how easily you can build your own activities. The list favors platforms where creating practice yourself is baked in rather than sold piecemeal.
What Frustrates Boom Cards Users
Tiny free tier: The Starter plan allows just 5 students in a single classroom, useless for a full class
Decks cost extra: Most content is bought individually, so spending continues after the membership fee
Recurring fees: Premium at $6.99 a month adds up on top of every marketplace purchase
Narrow format: Task cards suit drill and repetition but do less for open-ended or collaborative work
Choosing Your Task-Card Replacement
Focus on how much you want to build yourself. For maximum custom control, Wordwalllets you author activities once and reshape them across templates. For quick self-grading question sets, Quizizz is fast to set up. And if you want ready-made worksheets and activities rather than building from scratch, Education.com supplies a deep library across every subject.
† Pricing note: Prices are checked against each vendor's official website or help center at the time of writing, but vendors change plans and prices at any time. Always confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site before purchasing.
1
Wordwall
Best custom activity maker
Wordwall is a browser-based tool for building interactive and printable classroom activities from more than 30 templates. The free Basic plan allows only 3 activities; paid Standard is $7.20/month ($64.80/year) and Pro is $10.80/month ($97.20/year), both adding unlimited creation, AI generation, and the full template library.
Best for:Building your own interactive task activities from reusable templatesPrice:Free (3 activities) / $64.80/yr Standard†Grades:K-12Platforms:Web
Pros
Millions of ready-made teacher-created resources
Paid plans allow unlimited creation with AI content generation
One-click switching between templates and visual themes
Cons
Free Basic plan allows only 3 activities and 12 templates
Any real ongoing creation requires a paid subscription
Top templates and early access are gated behind the Pro tier
2
Quizizz (now Wayground)
Best self-grading quizzes
Quizizz officially rebranded to Wayground in June 2025 (a rename by the same company, not an acquisition). The Basic teacher plan is free with a 20-activity storage cap and includes AI, lessons, and assessments; the individual Super upgrade is no longer publicly priced, and School/District plans are quote-based. Available on web, iOS, and Android.
Best for:Auto-scored question sets students can complete at their own pacePrice:Free Basic / School plans by quote†Grades:K-12Platforms:Web, iOS, Android
Pros
Free Basic plan includes AI generation, lessons, and assignments
Large content library plus iOS and Android apps
School plans add unlimited storage and LMS integrations
Cons
Free Basic caps saved activities at 20
Individual paid Super price is no longer publicly listed
Most advanced features require a quote-based School plan
3
Blooket
Best game-based review
Blooket is a free, browser-based gamified quiz platform where students answer question sets through collectible game modes. The core product is free; Blooket Plus is $4.99/month billed annually ($59.88/yr) or $9.99/month month-to-month, unlocking up to 300 players, detailed reports, and extra creation tools.
Best for:Turning practice questions into themed, competitive game roundsPrice:Free / $4.99/mo Plus (annual)†Grades:K-12Platforms:Web
Pros
Core platform is completely free to host and create games
Rotating collectible game modes keep review fresh
Blooket Plus raises live games to 300 players (60 on free)
Cons
Web-only, with no native iOS or Android app
Plus monthly Flex billing is a steep $9.99/mo
Larger games and detailed reports are locked behind a subscription
4
Education.com
Best printable plus digital
Education.com offers thousands of worksheets, printables, and learning activities for Pre-K through 8th grade.
Best for:Worksheets and interactive activities across every core subjectPrice:$120/yr†Grades:Pre-K-8Platforms:Web
Pros
Huge worksheet library
Printable resources
Good for homeschool
Cons
Web only
Expensive
5
ABCya
Best free game library
ABCya offers educational games for Pre-K through 6th grade across all subjects. Free with ads, or pay for ad-free premium access.
Best for:Grade-sorted educational games for quick independent practicePrice:$70/yr (ad-free)†Grades:Pre-K-6Platforms:Web, iOS, Android
Pros
Large game library
Free tier with ads
Covers all subjects
Cons
Free version has ads
Games vary in educational value
Not a structured curriculum
6
Khan Academy Kids
Best free early learning
Khan Academy Kids offers free, comprehensive early learning content covering reading, math, and more for children ages 2-8.
Best for:Ad-free reading and math tasks for the youngest studentsPrice:Free†Grades:Ages 2-8Platforms:iOS, Android, Amazon
Pros
Completely free
Comprehensive curriculum
No ads
Cons
Only goes to age 8
Not specialized for spelling
No web version
7
BrainPOP
Best lesson-linked practice
BrainPOP uses animated videos to teach concepts across all subjects for K-8 students.
Best for:Animated lessons that flow into quizzes and follow-up activitiesPrice:$119-159/yr†Grades:K-8Platforms:Web
Pros
Engaging animated videos
Covers all subjects
Quiz assessments
Cons
Expensive
Not spelling-specific
Frequently asked questions
Is Boom Cards free?
Boom Learning offers a free Starter membership, but it is capped at 5 students in a single classroom, which is far too small for a full class. The Premium plan lifts those limits at $6.99 per month. On top of that, most of the actual card decks are sold separately in the Boom marketplace, so the base plan alone rarely covers what you need.
What is the best free alternative to Boom Cards?
Wordwall is a strong free stand-in because it lets you build your own interactive task activities and reuse the same content across multiple game templates. Quizizz is another solid choice for self-grading question sets. Both give you more free creation room than Boom's 5-student Starter tier before any paywall kicks in.
Why do SLPs and OTs use Boom Cards?
Speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists like Boom Cards because the self-grading, interactive format works well for repetitive skill drills in one-on-one or small-group therapy. The decks give immediate feedback and are easy to assign remotely. Alternatives like Wordwall and Quizizz can fill a similar role, though you may need to build or find therapy-specific activities yourself.
Do you have to buy Boom Cards decks separately?
Usually, yes. While some free decks exist, the majority of Boom Cards content is bought individually from the marketplace, so costs stack on top of the Premium membership. That pay-per-deck model is a common reason teachers look elsewhere. Tools like Wordwall let you create unlimited activities yourself without purchasing each set.
Can I make my own task cards with these alternatives?
Absolutely. Wordwall is built around authoring your own content and switching it between templates like quizzes, matching, and sorting games. Quizizz and Blooket also let you create custom question sets from scratch. This DIY approach avoids Boom's marketplace fees, though it does trade some polish for the time you spend building.
Are these good for spelling practice?
They handle recognition-style spelling tasks reasonably, but most rely on choosing or matching rather than typing a word from memory with audio support. For genuine spelling drill where students spell each term themselves, a dedicated app is stronger. Our guide to spelling test apps covers tools purpose-built for typed, self-grading spelling assessments.
Our Verdict
Boom Cards does self-grading drill well, but the 5-student cap and per-deck costs make it pricey at scale. For teachers who want to build interactive practice themselves, Wordwall is the top alternative, letting one set of content power many activity formats.
When you need auto-scored questions students work through independently, Quizizz handles it cleanly, and Blooket makes the same practice feel like a game.
Our recommendation: Start with Wordwall if you like creating your own task activities, use Quizizz for fast self-grading quizzes, and pull from Education.com when you would rather grab ready-made worksheets than build every activity by hand.
ST
About the Author
SpellingJoy Team
The SpellingJoy team is dedicated to creating free, high-quality spelling resources for K-6 students and their families. We test every app we review and provide honest assessments to help parents make informed decisions.
