Bar Trivia Companies, Compared
There are three ways to buy bar trivia: a company that sends a live host, a game platform on your TVs, or a weekly pack your own team runs. Here is what 12 of them give a venue, and what each publishes on price.
Three Ways to Run Bar Trivia
The real choice is not which company. It is who hosts the night, and what that costs you every week.
Live Host
Their quizmaster runs the night
A per-night fee. Most do not publish it.
Best for: Venues that want someone else on the mic every week and have the budget for it.
Game Platform
Software runs it, players join on phones or tablets
A monthly subscription, often with a minimum term.
Best for: Venues that want games running on their TVs most nights, not one weekly event.
Trivia Pack
Your own team hosts it
Per pack or a weekly subscription. No host fee.
Best for: Venues with a confident bartender, manager or regular who can run the room.
At a Glance
Each row uses only what the company says on its own website. Where a price is not published, we say so.
| Company | Model | Who hosts | Published venue price |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-Tap Trivia | Pack | Your own team, from the Host Q & A Sheet | $49 a week, billed $196 every four weeks. Single pack $69 |
| Geeks Who Drink | Live host | Their trained quizmaster | Venue pricing not published |
| Trivia Mafia | Live host | Their host (employees or contractors), or your trained staffer at a discount | $150 per event for a four-week trial, then a flat $175 per event |
| King Trivia | Live host | Their Quizmaster | Venue pricing not published |
| Challenge Entertainment | Live host | Their trained host (a Trivia Jockey) | Venue pricing not published |
| America's Pub Quiz | Live host | Their host | Venue pricing not published |
| Pub Trivia USA | Live host | Their host | Venue pricing not published |
| Buzztime | Game platform | Automated games, or live trivia with built-in hosting tools | $199, $249 or $299 a month, with a six-month commitment |
| Cheap Trivia | Pack | You | Themed packs $15. Subscription $1 for the first month, then $60 a month, or $16 a week |
| QuizRunners | Pack | You | 3-pack $69, 10-pack $199. Monthly subscription $79 after a 7-day free trial |
| TheQuizmasters | Pack | You | Single quiz $30, 4 quizzes $90, 8 quizzes $160 (from $20 a week on 8 weeks) |
| TriviaPacks | Pack | You | 5-round pack from $35.99 (PowerPoint is a $50 upgrade). 10-round pack from $57.99 |
| Trivialogy | Pack | You | $12 to $17 per weekly packet |
Prices in US dollars as listed by each company. Linked names open our side-by-side comparison.
Hosted Trivia Companies
A hosted company books one of its hosts into your venue each week. It is hands off, and you pay for the host every night it runs.
Geeks Who Drink
Live host- Who hosts
- Their trained quizmaster
- What the venue gets
- Two hours of trivia with audio and video rounds, digital and on-premise promo assets, and a listing on their website. Also runs a licensed bar league based on the Jeopardy quiz show, plus music bingo.
- Published price
- Venue pricing not published
One of the largest hosted brands. You book their quizmaster and play under their brand.
Geeks Who Drink vs On-Tap Trivia →Trivia Mafia
Live host- Who hosts
- Their host (employees or contractors), or your trained staffer at a discount
- What the venue gets
- Eight rounds including theme, image, sound and lightning rounds, roughly two hours with scoring, plus posters, coasters, table tents, social graphics and Meta ads.
- Published price
- $150 per event for a four-week trial, then a flat $175 per event
Mainly the Midwest. They recommend venues also budget about $60 in prizes a night.
Trivia Mafia vs On-Tap Trivia →King Trivia
Live host- Who hosts
- Their Quizmaster
- What the venue gets
- A hosted pub quiz with an app-based answering experience and a paper option.
- Published price
- Venue pricing not published
Runs in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Dallas, New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC and other cities.
King Trivia vs On-Tap Trivia →Challenge Entertainment
Live host- Who hosts
- Their trained host (a Trivia Jockey)
- What the venue gets
- The host, sound equipment, questions, scoresheets, answer slips, pencils, posters, table tents and coasters. The venue supplies prizes and a place to set up.
- Published price
- Venue pricing not published
Venues can also enter players into its National Trivia League tournaments.
Challenge Entertainment vs On-Tap Trivia →America's Pub Quiz
Live host- Who hosts
- Their host
- What the venue gets
- A hosted trivia night under the America's Pub Quiz league brand.
- Published price
- Venue pricing not published
Says it plays throughout the United States. Venue terms are by enquiry.
America's Pub Quiz vs On-Tap Trivia →Pub Trivia USA
Live host- Who hosts
- Their host
- What the venue gets
- A hosted trivia show at your venue.
- Published price
- Venue pricing not published
Venue listings on its site are grouped around Chicago and northern Illinois.
Pub Trivia USA vs On-Tap Trivia →Bar Game Platforms
A platform runs games on your screens that players join on their phones or tablets. It does more than trivia, and it bills like software.
Buzztime
Game platform- Who hosts
- Automated games, or live trivia with built-in hosting tools
- What the venue gets
- Trivia, bingo, poker and arcade games on your TVs. Players join on their own phones, and the higher plans include Buzztime tablets.
- Published price
- $199, $249 or $299 a month, with a six-month commitment
A broader game network rather than one weekly trivia night.
Buzztime vs On-Tap Trivia →Trivia Pack Sellers
Pack sellers send the questions and you run the night. No host fee, and what is in the box varies a lot from one seller to the next.
Cheap Trivia
Pack- Who hosts
- You
- What the venue gets
- Themed packs of four rounds and 40+ questions with a picture round, in PDF and PowerPoint. Also a weekly subscription with answer keys and scoring sheets.
- Published price
- Themed packs $15. Subscription $1 for the first month, then $60 a month, or $16 a week
Large themed catalog, from TV and movies to holidays and sports.
QuizRunners
Pack- Who hosts
- You
- What the venue gets
- Numbered trivia kits in PDF, Word and PowerPoint with handouts, scoring and a host guide.
- Published price
- 3-pack $69, 10-pack $199. Monthly subscription $79 after a 7-day free trial
Buy kits in bundles or subscribe monthly.
TheQuizmasters
Pack- Who hosts
- You
- What the venue gets
- Five rounds plus a picture round, a PowerPoint, print-ready PDFs and an Excel file, a how-to guide, and their Triv.it app for subscribers.
- Published price
- Single quiz $30, 4 quizzes $90, 8 quizzes $160 (from $20 a week on 8 weeks)
Weekly dated packets, plus themed quizzes.
TriviaPacks
Pack- Who hosts
- You
- What the venue gets
- Build-your-own packs: you pick the categories. A PDF is included and PowerPoint or Excel files are paid upgrades.
- Published price
- 5-round pack from $35.99 (PowerPoint is a $50 upgrade). 10-round pack from $57.99
Good for a one-off themed night. No weekly subscription stated.
Trivialogy
Pack- Who hosts
- You
- What the venue gets
- Weekly question packets as a PDF: 35 researched questions, picture puzzles and a music round.
- Published price
- $12 to $17 per weekly packet
The lowest price per week on this list. PDF only, no slide deck stated.
On-Tap Trivia, Honestly
We sell packs, so we are one of the options on this page. Here is where we sit.
On-Tap Trivia costs more than the budget pack sellers, at US$49 a week, and a lot less than a hosted night. The difference is that each pack is a complete night, not a list of questions: a PowerPoint of five rounds of ten questions with Bonus Baffler clues, a Host Q & A Sheet, printable Answer Booklets, a marketing poster and a Bonus Game, delivered as PowerPoint and PDFs every Monday.
Your own team hosts it from the Host Q & A Sheet, so there is no host fee, and the regulars you build come back for your bar. There is no lock-in contract. If you would rather have someone else on the mic every week, a hosted company is the better fit, and that is fine.
How to Choose
Four questions that settle it for most venues.
Who will be on the mic?
If nobody on your team wants to host, a live-host company is the simple answer. If someone does, a pack saves the host fee every single week.
What can you spend each week?
Add up a year of host fees before you sign. A weekly pack costs a fraction of a hosted night, and the drinks a full room orders do not change with who wrote the questions.
Do you want your own night or their league?
Hosted companies run the night under their brand. A pack makes it your bar's night, with your name on the poster and regulars who come for your room.
Can you commit to a minimum term?
Some platforms ask for months up front. Check the term before you sign, and look for a way to try a full night first.
Bar Trivia Companies FAQ
There are three kinds. Hosted companies such as Geeks Who Drink, Trivia Mafia and King Trivia send their own quizmaster to run the night at your venue. Platforms such as Buzztime put games on your TVs that players join on their phones or tablets. Pack sellers such as On-Tap Trivia, Cheap Trivia and TheQuizmasters send you the questions and slides, and your own team hosts the night.
Most hosted companies do not publish venue pricing. Trivia Mafia does: $150 per event for a four-week trial, then $175 per event. Buzztime lists $199 to $299 a month with a six-month commitment. Trivia packs cost less because there is no host fee. On-Tap Trivia is US$49 a week, or US$69 for a single pack.
Prices here are from each company's own website as of October 2026 and can change.
A hosted company suits a venue that wants someone else on the mic every week and has the budget for a per-night fee. A pack suits a venue with a confident bartender, manager or regular who can host, and that would rather keep the host fee. Your own host also builds the relationship with the teams, which is a big part of why people come back.
No, but you do need someone to host. A bartender, manager, owner or outgoing regular can run a great night. With On-Tap Trivia they work from the Host Q & A Sheet, which has every question and answer, extra information to share and helpful hints, so they walk in prepared.
Writing your own questions costs nothing but takes hours every week. Pack sellers are the next cheapest: the weekly options on this page run from about $12 to $30 a week, depending on what is included. On-Tap Trivia costs more, at US$49 a week, because each pack is a complete night: slides, a Host Q & A Sheet, Answer Booklets, a poster and a Bonus Game. All of them avoid a host fee.
Comparison based on publicly available information from each company's own website as of October 2026, including any listed prices, which may change. All company names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to identify them. On-Tap Trivia is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company listed here.
Try a Pack Before You Pick
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