How many pairs are in the deck?

Forty pairs ship in the bundled list. Each session shuffles them into a fresh order so the run is different every time.

Can I customise the pairs?

Not from the UI — the deck is committed to the repo at lib/data/this-or-that-pairs.ts so the same set is offered to every player. Forking the repo and editing that file is the supported way to customise.

Does my history get saved?

No. Everything is held in memory for the current session and cleared on refresh or Restart. The Copy Picks button is the way to keep a record.

Why does Restart reshuffle instead of replaying the same order?

Replaying the exact same sequence would feel like a quiz with a key. Shuffling keeps each round feeling fresh and tests how stable your preferences are.

Is keyboard play supported?

Yes. The two big option buttons are focusable, and pressing Enter from the form submits the left option as a shortcut for fast keyboard players.

Will the same pair appear twice?

Never within the same round — the shuffle visits each pair exactly once. After Restart the deck is reshuffled but again contains each pair only once.

This or That

Pick between two options across 40 bundled pairs and copy your full list of choices at the end.

Written by Golam Rabbani, Founder & Lead Engineer

This interactive tool requires JavaScript. Read the formula and worked example below; you can compute the result by hand.

How to use this this or that

Read the two options at the top of the screen and click whichever you prefer.
The next pair appears immediately and the progress counter updates so you know how far through the deck you are.
Use the on-screen buttons or the keyboard — pressing Enter selects the left option as a shortcut.
When all 40 pairs are answered, the result panel lists every pick in order with the option you chose.
Press Restart to reshuffle the deck, or Copy Picks to put your full list on the clipboard as plain text.

About this this or that

This or That is a quick decision game that shows you a sequence of either/or choices and records what you pick. The tool ships with 40 bundled pairs covering food, lifestyle, and preferences (Coffee vs Tea, Beach vs Mountains, Apple vs Android, and so on). Pairs are shuffled into a fresh order every time you start so the same question rarely appears in the same slot twice. There is no scoring and no right answer — the game is purely a fast way to map out your preferences.

Under the hood the order is generated with a Fisher–Yates shuffle on the bundled pair list, and your selections are pushed into an array in the order they are made. When the deck is empty the result panel renders the picks as a numbered list, pairing each choice with the pair it came from so you can re-read both options. Everything runs client-side; no picks are sent anywhere.

Worked example: imagine the shuffled deck starts with [Coffee / Tea, Beach / Mountains, Cats / Dogs]. You click Coffee, then Beach, then Cats. After the third click the progress counter reads 3 / 40 and the next pair pops in. After you finish all 40, the result panel reads: "1. Coffee — between Coffee and Tea, 2. Beach — between Beach and Mountains, 3. Cats — between Cats and Dogs, …". Press Copy Picks and you can paste the same numbered list into a notes app or share it with a friend. Press Restart and the deck reshuffles for another round.

FAQ

How many pairs are in the deck?: Forty pairs ship in the bundled list. Each session shuffles them into a fresh order so the run is different every time.
Can I customise the pairs?: Not from the UI — the deck is committed to the repo at lib/data/this-or-that-pairs.ts so the same set is offered to every player. Forking the repo and editing that file is the supported way to customise.
Does my history get saved?: No. Everything is held in memory for the current session and cleared on refresh or Restart. The Copy Picks button is the way to keep a record.
Why does Restart reshuffle instead of replaying the same order?: Replaying the exact same sequence would feel like a quiz with a key. Shuffling keeps each round feeling fresh and tests how stable your preferences are.
Is keyboard play supported?: Yes. The two big option buttons are focusable, and pressing Enter from the form submits the left option as a shortcut for fast keyboard players.
Will the same pair appear twice?: Never within the same round — the shuffle visits each pair exactly once. After Restart the deck is reshuffled but again contains each pair only once.