A free Parabol alternative
Parabol is an open-source meeting tool for retrospectives, stand-ups and sprint poker. Its free Starter plan covers small teams with monthly limits. If retros are what you need, Peel offers unlimited free boards, no accounts for participants and end-to-end encryption.
Unlimited boards and participants. Nothing to install.
About Parabol
Parabol is open source and covers several agile meetings in one place, with integrations and AI features. Its free Starter plan includes up to 2 teams, up to 10 meetings per month and 30 days of meeting history; the Team plan is priced per active user.
At a glance
| Peel | Parabol | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Free forever: unlimited boards, participants and templates | Starter: up to 2 teams, 10 meetings a month, 30 days of history |
| Paid plans | Optional paid plans per facilitator or team for history, team spaces and exports | Team plan priced per active user per month, plus Enterprise |
| Participants | Participants never sign up: a link, a name and an animal avatar | See their site |
| Encryption | End-to-end encrypted: the key stays in the link fragment, the server can't read cards | See their site |
| Hidden cards | Cards are cryptographically hidden until the reveal | See their site |
| Chat apps | Slack app with /retro and a live status card (Teams coming soon) | See their site |
Competitor details were checked on 11 October 2026 from their public pricing pages. Plans change, so check their site before you decide.
How Peel is different
Free means unlimited
No monthly board quota, no participant cap and no template paywall. Paid plans exist for teams that want history and team spaces, not to unlock a basic retro.
Nobody signs up to join
Participants open the link, type a name and pick an animal. Facilitators only sign in if they want boards kept forever or paid features.
End-to-end encrypted
Board keys are generated in the browser and live in the part of the link after #, which browsers never send to servers. Peel stores and relays ciphertext only.
Hidden cards you can trust
While people write, cards are sealed, not just blurred. Nobody, including us, can read them before the reveal.
Fun that knows where it is
Stickers come with culture packs for 15 regions, plus Peel the mascot, a game while you wait and a Retro Wrapped card. All of it can be switched off.
Built for 31 languages
The whole product, templates included, is localised, with right-to-left support for Arabic.
When Parabol may be the better fit
Parabol may suit you better if you want one tool for retros, stand-ups and estimation, if open source or self-hosting matters to you, or if you rely on its AI summaries and integrations.
Questions
Is Peel open source?
Not today. Peel's guarantees come from end-to-end encryption instead: the server never sees card text, which you can verify on the security page.
How many retros can I run for free?
As many as you like. Peel has no monthly meeting limit.
Does Peel do planning poker?
Not yet. Planning poker and team health rooms are planned for v1.1.
Unlimited boards and participants. Nothing to install.