Pick a side. Argue. Get judged.
Every round on Debatable ends the same way: a judge ballot that tells you who won and why. Here is the whole loop, start to ballot.
How Debatable works: pick an opponent, a real person from the live queue at itsdebatable.com/spar or an AI that argues out loud at itsdebatable.com/voice-debate. A motion goes on the table and you take a side. Speeches run on a clock in your chosen format. When the round ends, an AI judge writes a full ballot in seconds: the decision, the reasoning, speaker points, and what each side should fix. Free while in beta. You can start as a guest.
The loop in three steps
Pick your opponent
Queue for a live human, or start a voice round against the AI. A motion goes on the table; you take a side.
Argue the round
Speeches run on a clock in your format. The AI pushes back and takes points of information. A human does what humans do.
Read the ballot
The AI judge writes the decision, the reasoning, speaker points, and what each side should fix. In seconds.
Two ways into a round
The live queue pairs you with a real debater on video. Hit Find, get matched, argue. Scheduled rounds and open invites live on the same surface, and tournament-style live rounds run with full format timing.
The voice round is for when no partner is around. You speak out loud; an AI opponent speaks back, tracks the clash, interrupts, and takes points of information. It is always labeled as AI, and it argues at full strength in whichever format you pick. Prefer typing? The typed surface runs the same engine in text.
- Live humans: video rounds, matched from the queue in under a minute when anyone is online.
- AI opponent: voice or typed, instant, format-accurate, clearly labeled.
- Either path ends in the same judge ballot.
The round itself
Rounds follow real formats, not a generic chat. Fifteen of them: Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, Policy, British Parliamentary, APDA, World Schools, Asian Parliamentary, Congress, Model UN, Karl Popper, and Quick Clash for a fast six-minute round, plus career formats like courtroom, negotiation, and pitch defense.
Format accuracy is the point. Policy gets card-style evidence handling, LD gets value and criterion, BP gets extensions and whip structure, APDA stays impromptu with no fabricated citations. The learn hub covers every format's structure if you are new to one.
The judge
The AI judge flows the round the way a competitive judge does: each argument, what answered it, what dropped. The ballot states a decision with reasoning, gives speaker points, and lists fixes for both sides. It decides on the flow in front of it, not on the side it likes.
You can also bring it your own round: paste a transcript and get a ballot. How the judge is evaluated is public on the benchmark page.
After the ballot
Signed-in rounds save to your history and build your style profile over time. Ranked rounds move you on the public leaderboard. A judged voice assessment can become a free certificate with a public Communication Score and verify URL.
Rounds are public, so anyone can watch one running. If you want a crowd, Open Spar Night runs every Wednesday at 8:00 PM Eastern: one fixed hour when everyone queues at once and matches land in seconds.
What it costs
Nothing right now. Debatable is free while in beta, and the published tiers on the pricing page are future pricing for reference. You can start as a guest; Google sign-in saves rounds, ballots, and your streak across devices.
How it works FAQ
How does Debatable work?
Pick an opponent, a real person from the live queue or an AI that argues out loud, take a side on a motion, and argue a timed round. When it ends, an AI judge writes a full ballot: who won, why, speaker points, and what to fix.
Do I debate a person or an AI?
Your choice. The live queue pairs you with a real debater on video. The voice round puts you against an AI opponent that speaks, interrupts, and takes points of information. AI opponents are always labeled as AI.
How does the AI judge decide who won?
It flows the round the way a competitive judge does: tracking each argument, what answered it, and what dropped. The ballot states a decision with reasoning, gives speaker points, and lists what each side should fix. It judges the round in front of it, not the side it prefers.
Which debate formats does it support?
Fifteen formats. Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, Policy, British Parliamentary, APDA, World Schools, Asian Parliamentary, Congress, Model UN, Karl Popper, and Quick Clash for a fast round, plus career formats like courtroom, negotiation, and pitch defense. Each format keeps its own structure, speech times, and judging rules.
How long does a round take?
Quick Clash runs about six minutes. Full competitive formats follow their real speech times. The ballot lands in seconds either way.
Do I need an account to start?
No. You can start as a guest. Sign in with Google when you want your rounds, ballots, and streak saved across devices.
What does it cost?
Debatable is free while in beta. Published future pricing is on the pricing page for reference.
Can other people watch my round?
Live rounds are public, so anyone can spectate one that is running. That is deliberate: rounds people can watch are rounds people can learn from.
What happens after the ballot?
Signed-in rounds save to your history and build your style profile. Ranked rounds move you on the public leaderboard, and a judged voice assessment can become a free certificate with a public verify URL.
When is everyone online?
Open Spar Night, Wednesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern. One fixed weekly hour when everyone queues at once, so matches land in seconds instead of minutes.