Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Retroly VS Parabol

Compare Retroly VS Parabol and see what are their differences

Retroly logo Retroly

A fun simple tool for agile retrospectives

Parabol logo Parabol

Agile Meeting Co-Pilot
  • Retroly Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-01
  • Parabol Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-10

Parabol is an online agile meeting tool that helps scrum masters and other leaders conduct powerful guided retrospective, sprint poker, and check-in meetings. Parabol helps teams continuously improve through hosting better meetings.

Parabol is ready to go out-of-the-box, integrates with Jira, GitHub and Slack, and is free for up to two teams.

Customizable templates, anonymous feedback, multiplayer grouping and guided discussions help teams find their flow and improve the way they work.

Retroly features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Retroly offers an intuitive and simple interface that makes it easy for teams to conduct retrospectives without a steep learning curve.
  • Real-Time Collaboration
    The platform facilitates synchronous collaboration, allowing team members to actively participate in retrospectives from different locations in real-time.
  • Customizable Templates
    Retroly provides a variety of templates that can be customized to fit the specific needs and preferences of different teams and projects.
  • Action Item Tracking
    It helps in tracking action items effectively, ensuring that follow-up actions from retrospectives are transparent and easily managed.

Possible disadvantages of Retroly

  • Limited Free Tier
    The free version of Retroly might have limited functionalities, encouraging users to upgrade to premium versions for more features.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic functionalities are user-friendly, more advanced features can have a learning curve, especially for new users.
  • Platform-Specific Limitations
    Retroly may have limitations or reduced functionality on specific platforms or devices, affecting usability across different user environments.
  • Dependence on Internet Connectivity
    As a web-based tool, Retroly requires a reliable internet connection, which could be an issue for participants in areas with unstable connectivity.

Parabol features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    Parabol has a clean and intuitive user interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and use the platform effectively. This makes the onboarding process smoother for new users.
  • Comprehensive Meeting Tools
    The platform offers a variety of meeting tools, including retrospective meetings, sprint planning, and team check-ins. These tools can facilitate improved team collaboration and project management.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Parabol integrates well with other popular tools like Slack, Jira, GitHub, and Trello, allowing for seamless workflow management across different platforms.
  • Asynchronous Capabilities
    The platform supports asynchronous meetings, which can be very useful for remote teams spread across different time zones. This helps maintain productivity without the need for constant real-time communication.
  • Free Tier Available
    Parabol offers a free tier, which can be an attractive option for small teams or startups looking to manage their projects with minimal cost.

Possible disadvantages of Parabol

  • Limited Features in Free Plan
    While the free tier is useful, it comes with limited features and functionality. Users may need to upgrade to a paid plan to access advanced features.
  • Learning Curve for Complex Features
    Although the basic interface is user-friendly, some of the more advanced features may require additional training and a learning curve, particularly for users who are not tech-savvy.
  • Performance Issues in Large Teams
    Some users have reported performance issues when managing large teams or handling extensive amounts of data within the platform, which can hamper productivity.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    As a web-based platform, Parabol requires a stable internet connection to function optimally. Any disruptions in connectivity could affect team meetings and project management activities.
  • Lack of Customization
    Parabol offers limited options for customization, which might be a drawback for teams that require tailored workflows and personalized user interfaces.

Analysis of Parabol

Overall verdict

  • Parabol is a strong choice for organizations looking to enhance their remote meeting processes and agile practices. It is especially praised for its ease of use, accessibility, and the way it encourages team participation and buy-in.

Why this product is good

  • Parabol is considered a good tool for facilitating effective remote team meetings, particularly for sprint retrospectives and check-ins. It offers various features aimed at improving team collaboration and productivity, such as integration with popular project management tools, automated meeting summaries, and the ability to track team objectives and key results (OKRs). Its user-friendly interface and focus on inclusivity and psychological safety make it a popular choice for agile teams. Additionally, Parabol's emphasis on continuous improvement is supported by real-time feedback and insights, helping teams optimize their workflows.

Recommended for

    Parabol is recommended for remote or distributed teams, agile and scrum practitioners, team leaders looking to improve meeting efficiency, and organizations wanting to foster a culture of continuous improvement. It is particularly beneficial for those who conduct frequent retrospectives or similar reflective meetings.

Retroly videos

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Parabol videos

How to Run a Retrospective in Parabol

More videos:

  • Demo - What is Parabol?
  • Tutorial - How to run a Sprint Retrospective with Parabol
  • Tutorial - Sprint Poker 101 Walkthrough

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Retroly and Parabol)
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Agile Project Management
22 22%
78% 78
Project Retrospectives
31 31%
69% 69
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Parabol seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Retroly mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Retroly yet. Tracking of Retroly recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Parabol mentions (1)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2021)
    Parabol | Remote | Full-time | https://parabol.co We build agile software that guarantees meetings are as short as they are productive. Everything we do is open source, from our code to our company. Tech stack: K8S, NodeJS, Typescript, GraphQL, React Two-minute Demo: https://parabol.co/retro-demo Repo: https://github.com/ParabolInc/parabol Senior Frontend Developer:... - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Retroly and Parabol, you can also consider the following products

Outro - A new take on retrospectives for progressive teams

Chili Piper - Chili Piper is an intelligent calendar for Sales teams, to book their own meetings or set appointments for other teams.

Metro Retro - For productive, engaging and fun retrospectives

Geekbot - Discover how to organise asynchronous stand up meetings in Slack and keep your team synced using Geekbot. Start your free trial today!

Retrium - Sprint retrospectives made easy and effective for distributed scrum teams.

Doodle - Make meetings happen. With Doodle, scheduling becomes quick and easy.