Game Room
How Much Does a Trivia Host Cost?
Three ways bars run trivia — a hosted company, your own staff, or an automated system — and what each really costs per month.
| Option | Typical cost | Nights covered | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosted trivia company | ~$200 per event (e.g. Geeks Who Drink) | 1 night/week ≈ $800–870/mo | Professional host, ~2 hours, they bring questions and energy — then leave. |
| DIY with your staff | 4–6 staff hours per night + prizes + printing | Whatever you can sustain | Full control, zero vendor cost — but question writing and hosting quality land on your team every single week. |
| Buzztime (automated + live events) | From $199/month total | Every night, all day | 19 game types 24/7 on your TVs, 800,000+ questions, weekly fresh content, real-time scoring, plus marketing materials and prizes included. |
The math that matters: cost per night of entertainment
- Hosted company, weekly: ~$200 ÷ 1 night = $200 per entertained night, ~4 nights a month.
- Buzztime: $199 ÷ 30 nights = about $6.60 per entertained night — trivia at lunch, games at happy hour, poker after the game, every day.
Hosted nights are genuinely great events — a good quizmaster creates a show. The trade-off is concentration: the whole budget buys two hours a week, and slow Tuesdays stay slow the other six days. Automated systems spread the same money across every open hour, and you can still run scheduled Live Trivia events for the big-night energy.
Hidden costs to price in
- Prizes: $40–75/night if not included (prize guide) — included with Buzztime's suite.
- Promotion: whoever runs trivia, nobody comes if nobody knows. Buzztime plans include marketing materials.
- Consistency risk: hosts get sick and companies churn quizmasters; an off week can stall the momentum a weekly night depends on.
Comparing specific vendors? See the full side-by-side pages: Buzztime vs Geeks Who Drink, vs Sporcle Live, and all comparisons. Then estimate your slow-night upside.
Trivia cost questions
Hosted trivia companies typically charge per event; Geeks Who Drink, for example, runs hosted quiz nights at roughly $200 per night. At one night a week that's about $800–870 a month for two hours of entertainment.
DIY looks free but costs staff hours: writing 30–40 questions, hosting for two hours, and scoring. Budget 4–6 labor hours per night plus printing and prizes — and quality depends entirely on who's holding the mic.
Buzztime plans start at $199 per month — about $6.60 a day — and include 19 game types running 24/7 on your TVs, more than 800,000 questions, plus marketing materials and prizes for a suite of games.
Ready to level up your venue?
Join hundreds of venues already using Buzztime to create unforgettable experiences for their customers.