Comparison

Random Name Selector Starter vs Groups

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Random Name Selector Starter

This tool helps teachers and groups randomly select names from created lists. It allows for excluding participants and offers animated graphics and sound effects for an engaging experience. The starter edition has limitations on groups and names, with an option to upgrade.

Highlights
  • Random name selection from groups
  • Exclude participants from selection
  • Animated graphics and sound effects
  • Universal app for iPhone and iPad
  • Direct user feedback option
  • Share selections on social media
Features
Read full description

A great tool for Teachers, Clubs, or anyone who wants to Randomly select names! Simply create one or more Groups (up to 3 in this "Starter" Edition of the app). Add names to those groups (up to 20 names per Group in this Starter Edition) . The App will then randomly select and display names from the highlighted group. All names will be displayed before a name is displayed for a second time.  Features: • Call on your students in a different (Random) order every time. • If you want to exclude a Student/s from the selection simply turn them off in the settings screen. • The number of Groups / Names is limited in the "Starter Edition" ( 3 groups with up to 20 Names in each Group) but unlimited in the "Pro" Edition of the App. • This is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. • The Animated Graphics and sound effects make the whole experience a pleasure. The audio can be switched ON/OFF in the app and even mirrored (via Airplay) to external speakers. • Users can provide Feedback to the Developers directly from within the App….let us know how we can make it better.  • Share with your friends on Facebook or Twitter from within the App. • If you like the app tap on the "Go Pro" button to see what additional features are available in the "Pro" version!

About

Groups

This app helps educators create balanced and effective student teams using an advanced algorithm. It offers features like gender balancing, exclusion of incompatible students, and random student selection to promote participation. Easily import student data and export group compositions for classroom use.

Highlights
  • Advanced team-building algorithm
  • Gender balancing for groups
  • Exclude incompatible student pairs
  • Random student picker
  • Export and print group compositions
  • Bulk import students
  • Cross-device sync via iCloud
Features
Read full description

Effortlessly organize your students into effective teams with Groups, promoting meaningful collaboration and building teamwork skills in the classroom. ADVANCED TEAM BUILDING Have certain students who don’t work well together? Simply list these pairs in the app and Groups will handle the rest, with its advanced team-building algorithm. BALANCE GENDERS Ensure each group has an even distribution of genders with the ”Balance Genders” option, promoting diversity and encouraging collaboration. EDIT GROUPS Need to fine tune the generated groups? Easily rearrange the result to achieve a perfect team composition. RANDOM STUDENT PICKER Encourage equal participation in the classroom with Groups’ random student picker. This makes sure everyone gets a chance to provide input, ensuring all voices are heard. EXPORT AND PRINT Easily create printable handouts, posters, or a PDF to share using five beautiful themes. BULK IMPORT Add students from Microsoft Excel workbooks, CSV files, or plain text lists. UNLIMITED CLASSES Enter all your students once, and then create as many groups as you need. You can even add an icon and color to each class to easily tell them apart. CROSS DEVICE SYNC Add your classes once, and use them across all your Apple devices with iCloud sync. ——————————————— Groups has helped tens of thousands of teachers sort their students into groups, fostering more positive learning environments for students worldwide. Privacy Policy: https://wttech.com.au/docs/groups/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: https://wttech.com.au/docs/groups/eula

Screenshots

Random Name Selector Starter4 screens
Groups4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Groups at 90% against Random Name Selector Starter's 38%. Groups also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.7). Random Name Selector Starter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.4). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Groups sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Random Name Selector Starter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Groups holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 146 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Random Name Selector Starter's written reviews are positive against 90% of Groups's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Random Name Selector Starter ships an update every 4 months, Groups every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Random Name Selector Starter versus Groups: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRandom Name Selector StarterGroups
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (53 ratings)4.9 (146 ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.5% of reviews90.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings53146 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEDTECH MONSTER LIMITEDWilliam Taylor

Customer experience

Random Name Selector Starter

All ratings53 ratings
Positive41.5%
Neutral1.9%
Negative56.6%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive38.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative61.5%

Groups

All ratings146 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

None

Random Name Selector Starter

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Groups

Subscriptions2
  • Groups Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Groups Pro Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Color Themes$0.99
  • Groups Pro$39.99

Questions

Is Random Name Selector Starter free?
Random Name Selector Starter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Groups free?
Groups is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Random Name Selector Starter or Groups?
Groups is rated higher. Random Name Selector Starter averages 2.7 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while Groups averages 4.9 from 146 ratings.
Do Random Name Selector Starter or Groups have ads?
Neither Random Name Selector Starter nor Groups shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Random Name Selector Starter or Groups?
Random Name Selector Starter ships an update every 4 months, and Groups every 3 months. Most recently, Random Name Selector Starter was updated on October 7, 2026 and Groups on October 12, 2026.

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