Buzztime built the bar-trivia category on proprietary tablets. The tablets are the part venues are now aging out of — and the replacement landscape is genuinely different. Here's where every meaningful option lands, ranked by fit, with a plain guide to making the switch.
Pricing and terms for all options below are as publicly reported and change often — confirm current numbers with each vendor before committing.
No hardware. No app for players. No contract. Your crowd scans a QR or types a 4-letter code and they're in. Soiraye replaces the always-on tablet screen with The Channel — a hostless trivia and polls loop that keeps the TVs alive between live nights. The same platform runs live hosted trivia, drag bingo, and live watch parties — whole-week programming, one login, your branding on every screen. $49/mo Channel, $149/mo full platform, 30-day free trial, month-to-month.
A newer entry in the bar-trivia software space. QR-join play, no hardware required, designed for live hosted nights. A solid general-purpose option if you run a traditional pub-quiz format and want a clean modern tool without the tablet overhead. Pricing is reported in the low monthly range — confirm current plans with the vendor.
These are hosting services, not software you run. A trained host shows up to run your night on their content, their schedule, and a per-event fee (Geeks Who Drink reported ~$300–$400+ per event). The upside: a polished night with no staff lift. The trade: the crowd follows the host, not your bar — and the night runs on their terms. Worth knowing if you want zero operational involvement.
Starts around $10–$40/month and lets you build your own quiz slides. More classroom than bar — the live multiplayer and scoreboard experience is light. A reasonable fit if a host on your staff wants to build and run their own custom deck cheaply, but thin as a full venue platform replacing Buzztime's always-on model.
Designed around one-off events and conferences more than a standing weekly bar night. Free plan up to 15 players; paid plans reported at roughly $25–$250/month. Strong audience-response engine for polls and quizzes, but the pricing model and UX are built for event producers, not bars with a crowd in every night.
A well-regarded quiz engine with a strong foothold in British pubs. The catch for US venues: players need to download a dedicated app to join. If your room will install it and you don't need anything beyond weekly trivia, it's a proven system. A harder sell for a US bar crowd used to zero-friction QR join.
Contact Buzztime to cancel your plan and follow their return process for any leased hardware. Check your agreement for notice periods — many Buzztime contracts require advance notice before the billing cycle renews.
No new hardware to buy. Any laptop behind the bar and a TV already on the wall is all Soiraye needs. HDMI or cast to the screen — your staff already knows how to do it.
Sign up at app.soiraye.live, run a full live night before you commit to anything, and let the room tell you how it goes. No credit card required to start.
Keep the same night of the week your regulars already know. The format translates directly — questions on the TVs, teams on their phones. Your bartender runs it from the host console in the same bar they're already behind.
The Channel runs trivia, year-guesses, and polls on your TVs on autopilot — between live nights, before doors open, whenever the screens need something on them. It's the closest thing to the always-on Buzztime model, without the tablets.
Buzztime details are as publicly reported — confirm current terms with the vendor.
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| Soiraye | Buzztime | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | None — a laptop and a TV you already own | Proprietary tablets to buy, charge, store and replace |
| Player app? | No — QR code or 4-letter join code | Venue tablets or the Buzztime app |
| Contract | Month-to-month, 30-day free trial | Typically a longer-term agreement |
| Reported price | $49–$149/mo flat, no hardware cost | ~$149–$199/mo + hardware |
| Built for | Gay bars & nightlife venues | Sports bars & chains |
| Beyond trivia | Drag Bingo, The Channel, Watch Party | Tablet card games & poker |
For sports bars and chains that want 24/7 self-serve tablet trivia, Buzztime is a proven model — the hardware and contract are the price of entry. For every other bar that's tired of the tablets, the modern answer is software that runs on the laptop and TV you already own, with players joining from the phones in their hands. For nightlife venues in particular, Soiraye is the natural move — it's the only platform in the space built specifically for this room, with a whole week of programming on one platform.
As of 2026, Buzztime continues to operate, but venues are increasingly looking for alternatives as their proprietary tablet hardware ages, contracts renew, and the landscape of no-hardware bar entertainment software has matured significantly. If you're evaluating now, it's worth comparing the full picture — hardware cost, contract terms, and what the platform does beyond tablet trivia.
The tablet-network model has largely been replaced by software that runs on hardware you already own — a laptop behind the bar and a TV on the wall — with players joining from their own phones by scanning a QR code. No tablets to buy, charge, or replace. Soiraye's Channel is the closest equivalent to Buzztime's always-on format: trivia, polls, and year-guesses running on your TVs on autopilot between live nights.
DIY slide makers like TriviaMaker start around $10–$40/month, but you build and run everything by hand and the live-multiplayer experience is thin. For a fully produced night — phones, scoreboard, branding, seasons — Soiraye starts at $49/month flat with a 30-day free trial and no hardware to buy.
Soiraye. It's the entertainment platform built specifically for gay bars and nightlife — the question library knows the room, and the same platform also runs drag bingo, an always-on Channel, and live watch parties. No app for players, no hardware, no contract. Get set up →
Get set up and we'll show you the host console, the big screen, and the phone — live, with your bar's brand on it. 30-day free trial, no commitment.
The full comparison — hardware, contract, price, branding and what happens beyond trivia night.
Compare → The roundupEvery major platform compared by model, hardware, contract and price — the honest roundup for venues.
See the roundup → Built for the roomWhat makes a trivia platform actually work in a nightlife room — and why generic tools fall flat.
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