Top 10 free projector tools for substitute teachers (2026)

• Best for one screen that does most jobs
• Free plan, paid upgrades

A projector screen you build from widgets, with a timer, a sound level meter, a group maker, a scoreboard and a randomizer named on its home page. The home page says you can start setting it up with no login. The free Basic plan includes all 26 widgets, an annotation bar and a template library.

The free part: Basic: all 26 widgets, the annotation bar, remote poll voting, three saved name lists and the template library.

Pro is $3 a month, billed annually at $36 (as of 2026-10-30).

Watch for Saving more than three name lists and other Pro features need a paid plan, and the FAQ refers to a Basic account for saving.

Visit Classroomscreen ↗  Facts read on the maker’s page.

• Best for the most widgets with no sign-in
• Free

A free classroom board with 43 widgets, including a timer, a noise meter, a name picker, a group maker, a traffic light, dice and a drawing board. The maker says it is completely free with no premium tier, and that you need no account to save boards.

The page says it is completely free, with no premium tier.

Watch for The board has no ads, but the maker says its articles and guides carry ads that pay for the site.

Visit MyClassScreen ↗

• Ours
• Best for a calm noise meter and ready-made layouts
• Free

This is ours. It is one projector screen of fourteen widgets, including timers, a stopwatch, a clock, a picker, groups, a scoreboard, work symbols and the Quiet Garden noise meter, which grows a plant while the room is calm and never takes anything away. Attention signals include a chime, a 5-4-3-2-1 count and Clap back. There are starter layouts such as Morning, Centers and Indoor recess, and boards save in the browser with no sign-in.

Free, with no sign-in and no ads.

Watch for It has about half the widgets of the top two, with no drawing, poll or dice, and boards stay in the browser they were made in unless you save a file or share a link.

Visit Peabody Board ↗

• Best for picking who goes next
• Free

A spinning wheel: type names in the box beside it, click to spin, and press Remove after each spin so the same student isn't picked twice. The maker says all its premium features are free with no paywalls.

The page says all premium features are free, without paywalls.

Watch for The site runs ads to stay free; the maker says they can be hidden for the session with the close button.

Visit Wheel of Names ↗

• Best for showing a class its own noise level
• Free

A noise meter where balls bounce higher as the room gets louder, using the computer's microphone. It has a sensitivity setting, several ball themes and an optional beep or shush alert. The maker calls it a fun and free noise management tool.

The page calls it free.

Watch for It needs microphone access, and the maker says it works in Chrome or Firefox but not some other browsers.

Visit Bouncy Balls ↗

• Best for a picker that feels like a game
• Free plan, paid upgrades

Dozens of animated pickers, such as a name wheel, a magic hat, a crane claw and a duck hunt, for choosing a student in a playful way. The page says the pickers are all free to use, for up to 100 names, and Premium members can enter more.

The free part: All the pickers, with up to 100 names each.

Premium raises the name limit; we did not see a price on the page (as of 2026-10-30).

Watch for So many choices can slow a sub down; pick one or two before class and keep them open in tabs.

Visit Online-Stopwatch Random Name Pickers ↗

• Best for young children who like to watch time run out
• Free

A free countdown where you type the time, choose a shape and watch it empty as time runs out. The sound can be loud, soft or muted. The page suggests it for transitions, quizzes, centers and games.

The page calls it a free online classroom timer.

Watch for The page shows advertisements, so check what is on screen before you project it.

Visit Toy Theater Classroom Timer ↗

• Best for a read-aloud when you need a calm moment
• Free

Picture books read aloud on video by actors, from the nonprofit SAG-AFTRA Foundation. The maker says its library holds more than 100 videos, each book with supplemental curriculum written by a credentialed elementary educator. A sub can play one on the projector for a calm read-aloud with no sign-in.

The maker funds it through gifts, grants and donations and shows no prices; its app is described as free.

Watch for The site plays videos, so a school that blocks video sites may block it too; check on the room's computer first.

Visit Storyline Online ↗  Facts read on the maker’s page.

• Best for a blank board to draw on
• Free

A free, open-source whiteboard that opens straight to a blank canvas for drawing, shapes and text. The maker says no account is needed: you just start drawing. It works as a board on the projector for a quick sketch, a word list or a math drawing.

The page calls the open-source editor forever free; Excalidraw+ is a separate paid product.

Watch for It is a general drawing tool, not made for classrooms, so it has no timers or classroom widgets.

Visit Excalidraw ↗  Facts read on the maker’s page.

• Best for a review game at the end of the day
• Free

Free review games for the projector, including a Jeopardy-style game and a Millionaire-style quiz, plus a random name picker, a group maker, a timer, a countdown and dice. The maker says everything on the site is free, all day, forever.

The page says everything on it is free.

Watch for The games need questions typed in first, so a sub needs time before class or questions the teacher left.

Visit Super Teacher Tools ↗