If you search for a random name picker you'll find plenty of options: Wheel of Names, Picker Wheel, various "spin the wheel" sites and, yes, NameWheels. They all do the core job—put names on a wheel, spin, get a random result. The differences are in the details: how much you can customise, what happens to your data, and how the tool behaves in a classroom or on a stream.
We run NameWheels, so we are not a neutral judge of the others. Instead of publishing scores or speed numbers for other people's products (which change often and which you can't verify from our word), this article gives you a checklist you can apply to any picker in a couple of minutes, and an honest description of what NameWheels does and doesn't do today.
The quick version
- Choose NameWheels if you want a simple, no-account wheel with ready-made lists (classroom, teams, raffles, dinner, truth or dare and more), a remove-the-winner flow for rounds without repeats, a built-in team splitter, and a transparent explanation of how the winner is chosen.
- Choose Wheel of Names or Picker Wheel if you need heavy customisation—custom colours and themes, images on segments, custom sounds, weighted entries or other advanced options. Both are long-running, popular tools with far more settings than NameWheels; check their current feature lists on their own sites.
A checklist for any random name picker
Open the tool you're considering and check these points yourself:
- Is the result decided fairly? Look for a description of how the winner is chosen. A good picker gives every entry the same chance, regardless of where it sits on the wheel or how long the animation runs.
- Can you remove the winner? Essential for classrooms and multi-prize raffles, so the same person isn't picked twice in one round.
- Where do your lists live? Some tools save lists in your browser, some in an online account. If you're entering student names, know which one you're using.
- Does it need an account? For a quick decision you usually don't want to sign up for anything.
- Can you share a wheel? Handy for co-teachers, substitutes or stream viewers who want to see the list.
- How does it look on a projector or stream? Try both light and dark mode and check the names are readable from a distance.
- What tracking and ads are on the page? Read the privacy policy. You can also open your browser's developer tools (Network tab) to see which third-party services a page loads.
What NameWheels does
| Feature | NameWheels |
|---|---|
| Account required | No |
| Where your list is stored | Your browser's local storage on your device; names are not sent to our server |
| How the winner is picked | Chosen first with the browser's cryptographic random number generator (equal chance for every entry); the animation then lands on it. How it works |
| Remove winner / new round | Yes — "Remove & Spin", plus "Restore removed" to start the next round |
| Share a wheel by link | Yes (the names are encoded in the link) |
| Automatic team splitting | Yes, on the random team generator (by number of teams or people per team) |
| Ready-made wheels | Yes — see all wheels |
| Light and dark mode | Yes |
| Sound on/off and spin length | Yes (sound toggle; short, normal or long spin) |
| Custom colours, images, custom sounds | No — a fixed 12-colour palette |
| Weighted entries | No built-in weights (add a name more than once to give it extra chances) |
| Analytics | Google Analytics for aggregate traffic statistics — see our privacy policy |
Where NameWheels falls short
Customisation. You can't change segment colours, add images, upload sounds or change the font. If branding the wheel for a stream or event matters to you, a more customisable tool is the better choice.
Multiple saved lists. Each wheel page keeps one list per browser. To keep several class lists, use the Share button to create a link for each one and bookmark them.
No accounts, no sync. Because lists live in your browser, they don't follow you to another device automatically. A share link is the way to move a list between computers.
Privacy, plainly
The wheel itself runs entirely in your browser and your names never leave your device unless you share a link. The site does load Google Analytics to measure aggregate traffic (page views, referrers, device types); the privacy policy and cookie policy explain exactly what that involves and how to opt out.
Our recommendation
All of these tools are free to try, so the fastest way to choose is to paste your real list into two or three of them and see which one fits your workflow. If you want something simple that opens straight to a usable wheel, try NameWheels. If you need fine-grained customisation, the bigger tools will serve you better—and that's fine.