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.
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?
Not unless you ask for a link. The shuffle itself has no server involved, so there's nowhere for the names 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.