Uncovering the Best Planning Poker Alternatives for Agile Teams
Planning Poker, as described by Mountain Goat Software, is a widely adopted and effective estimation technique for agile teams. It allows for collaborative, consensus-based estimation of user stories, ensuring everyone's voice is heard before committing to a plan. However, while Planning Poker is excellent, its primary downside was traditionally the need for co-located teams. While the online tool solves this, some teams might seek different features, integrations, or a fresh interface. This article explores the top Planning Poker alternatives that can enhance your team's estimation process, especially for distributed teams.
Top Planning Poker Alternatives
Whether you're looking for a free solution, open-source flexibility, or advanced collaboration features, there's a Planning Poker alternative out there for your team. Dive in to discover tools that can make your estimation sessions more engaging and efficient.
DinoSize
DinoSize offers a fun and engaging platform for planning sessions, making it a great Planning Poker alternative for teams looking to inject some energy into their estimations. It's a free web-based tool with features designed to support sprints.
PlanITpoker
PlanITpoker is a fun and effective Planning Poker alternative for project teams to estimate tasks collaboratively. This free, web-based tool allows players to vote on tasks using cards without seeing others' votes until all are revealed. It boasts features like Kanban boards, real-time collaboration, Scrum boards, and task management, offering a comprehensive estimation environment.
Firepoker
Firepoker is a free, open-source, web-based Planning Poker alternative (also known as Scrum Poker) designed for estimating effort or relative size of user stories. If you're looking for a straightforward, community-driven tool, Firepoker provides the core functionality without added complexity.
Scrum Planning Poker Cards Online
Scrum Planning Poker Cards Online is an excellent free, open-source, web-based Planning Poker alternative, specifically designed for mobile devices. It provides an online deck of cards for Scrum Poker Planning sessions, even supporting device motion sensor events, making it highly accessible for on-the-go estimation.
Methodist.io
Methodist.io offers free online agile services, including Planning Poker and Retrospective online boards, making it a robust Planning Poker alternative for distributed agile teams. Available as a freemium web-based SaaS solution, it features activity history, export to CSV and PDF, Kanban boards, Scrum boards, and visual planning, providing a comprehensive agile toolkit.
Estimatr
Estimatr is a free, web-based online estimation poker site that serves as a straightforward Planning Poker alternative. It simplifies the process by allowing you to invite colleagues via a shared link and automatically revealing results once everyone has voted. Its web-based nature makes it easily accessible for any team.
PlanningWith.Cards
PlanningWith.Cards is a powerful freemium, web-based Planning Poker alternative that integrates directly with popular backlog management tools like Jira, Trello, YouTrack, and Pivotal Tracker. It offers built-in video for discussion during estimation sessions, and allows you to track past estimates and follow up on them, making it a highly integrated solution for teams already using these platforms.
Planning Poker
This open-source implementation of the Planning Poker game provides a collaborative online estimation/voting tool, serving as a versatile Planning Poker alternative. It's self-contained (server + webapp) and can be run in a closed intranet, making it ideal for organizations with strict security or self-hosting requirements. Available for free across Mac, Windows, Linux, and the web, it focuses purely on the voting functionality.
Exploring these Planning Poker alternatives can help your agile team find the perfect tool to streamline their estimation process. Consider your team's specific needs, budget, and desired features to select the best fit for your collaborative planning sessions.