How the split works
1. Paste the names
One per line, straight out of the group chat or the roll. Duplicates are allowed — two Sams happen, and this tool isn't going to make one of them change. Your browser remembers the list, so Tuesday's squad is still there next Tuesday.
2. Pick the shape
Either split into 3 teams or teams of 5 — whichever way you think about it. Teams-of works the team count out for you: 17 names in teams of 6 makes three teams of 6, 6 and 5.
3. Shuffle
The list is shuffled with your browser's cryptographic randomness — the same unriggable shuffle our sweeps use — then dealt round-robin, one name to each team in turn. That's what keeps the sizes within one of each other: no stacked sides, no captains, no last-picked kid.
No server, nothing stored
Most random team generators send your list to a server, and some of them keep it. This one has no server side at all: no database, no account, no analytics event with your Year 4 reading group in it. The shuffle runs on your device and nothing is sent anywhere — the only copy of the list is the one your own browser keeps locally, and clearing the box clears it.
Where it earns its keep
Training nights — bibs versus no bibs in ten seconds, before someone suggests captains. Trivia — mix the tables so the same four know-it-alls don't win again. Classrooms — group work without the groan, and without anyone engineering their group. Work — workshop breakouts, hackathon teams, who's-on-lunch rosters. Anywhere you'd otherwise pull names out of an actual hat.
FAQ
Is the shuffle actually fair?
Yes. It uses your browser's cryptographic randomness (not the wobbly kind), run through an unbiased Fisher–Yates shuffle. Every arrangement of names is equally likely, and nobody can rig it — including us, since we're not involved: it all happens on your device.
Can teams come out uneven?
Only by one. Dealing round-robin means 17 people into 3 teams gives 6, 6 and 5 — a bigger gap is impossible. Which team carries the extra body is random every shuffle.
Do you store the names?
No — they never leave your browser. There's no server involved, so there's nowhere for them to go. Your own browser keeps the list locally so it's still there next week; delete it by clearing the box.
Isn't this what the spinning wheel does?
A picker wheel picks one name at a time, with suspense. This deals the whole list into teams at once, without the theatre. If you want drama, spin something; if you want fair sides before the siren goes, paste and shuffle.
Is it actually free?
Yes. No account, no trial, no card. It's a small tool, not a platform — and this one doesn't even have a server to pay for. The shelf has the rest of them.