PlanningPoker.live

PlanningPoker.live is an online workspace for estimating project cards and aligning a team on a shared number. It is a strong fit for agile groups that need both meeting-based and pre-meeting voting, especially when Jira, Linear, Slack or major video-call tools are already part of the workflow. The trade-off is a credit system in which the ad-supported free bundle expires, while paid access is sold as one-off bundles rather than a conventional subscription.

Overview

The service combines planning-poker rooms with asynchronous preparation, so participants can submit estimates before a discussion or vote together in real time. Unlimited participants make it suitable for larger stakeholder groups, and the choice of T-shirt sizes, Fibonacci numbers or custom card mixes accommodates different estimation practices. Agile teams get the clearest fit; teams using another estimation discipline may find the product less relevant.

Key features

Vote averages provide a quick numerical reference, while highlighted edge cases expose unusually high or low estimates that deserve discussion. That combination helps a facilitator spot disagreement, but an average should not be treated as an automatic decision. Asynchronous topics and votes can move routine preparation out of meeting time, provided participants return later to resolve differences.

Embedded apps work with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Webex, keeping a session alongside a video meeting. Jira imports issues and writes agreed story points back to Jira; Linear offers corresponding issue search, import and estimate synchronization. Slack users can launch a room from a channel with /create-room, useful when the conversation already lives there.

Room owners can require a password, limit access to an organization and set member permissions. Authentication supports anonymous entry as well as email/password, Google and Microsoft sign-in. The complete Angular, Firebase Cloud Functions and Firestore-rules codebase is public on GitHub. Firebase and Google Cloud provide serverless hosting; data uses AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2 or later in transit, with primary processing in Belgium. Integration pages point to GitHub tickets, with a stated aim of responding within 24 hours, and email support is offered for immediate assistance.

Pricing

Join rooms — $0.00 USD, free: unlimited participants can enter without an account or payment. This is the practical choice for people invited to someone else’s room, not a full planning allowance for frequent hosts.

Welcome bundle — $0.00 USD, free: five credits at assignment plus one free credit each month. Credits expire after two months and the bundle contains ads. It suits occasional users who can spend credits promptly; expiration makes it a poor fit for teams that plan sporadically and want to save capacity.

Small bundle — $9.00 USD, one-time: seven credits that do not expire and contain no ads. It is the lowest-cost paid option for a small team that values predictable use without a recurring bill.

Large bundle — $17.00 USD, one-time: 15 non-expiring, ad-free credits, balancing a lower effective cost per credit with a larger upfront purchase. Mega bundle — $50.00 USD, one-time: 50 non-expiring credits for teams running sessions regularly. There is no free trial, so new hosts must decide between the limited Welcome allocation and a paid bundle.

Platforms

PlanningPoker.live runs on the web and is also offered as an extension. Its meeting embeds and integrations make it workable inside common collaboration environments rather than requiring a separate desktop application.

Who it's for

Choose it for agile teams that estimate cards, want flexible scales, include many voters or need asynchronous participation. It is particularly compelling when Jira or Linear synchronization will eliminate re-entry of agreed points, or when Slack and video-meeting integrations match existing habits. Teams wanting a subscription with predictable recurring billing, or a purely ad-free free tier, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: unlimited voters remove a stated participant ceiling; T-shirt, Fibonacci and custom scales support different team conventions; asynchronous voting can shorten live meetings; Jira and Linear write-back keeps estimates aligned; room passwords, organization limits and permissions strengthen control; public source code and explicit encryption details aid scrutiny.
• Cons: the free Welcome bundle’s credits expire after two months and include ads; paid access requires one-time credit purchases rather than a recurring plan; averages and edge-case highlighting identify disagreement but do not settle it; no free trial is offered.

Alternatives

For a broader project-estimation directory, see Project Estimation Software.

Buildxact is a better choice for construction estimating, with mobile apps, AI estimating and professional proposals; its paid Foundation plan costs $169 a month.

STACK fits teams measuring construction plans, offering Android, iOS, web and Windows support and a free tier limited to one active project per month.

Trimble Quadri suits model-based infrastructure workflows, including a free read-only viewer with measurement and commenting.

Jestimate is a web-based alternative with a free tier.

Planning Poker is preferable when a free game is enough: its Basic plan supports up to five players, four scales, a timer and printable results.

Planning Poker Online is another web-based freemium option.

UltimatePlanningPoker is a free web tool covering planning poker, backlog refinement and sprint retrospectives without sign-up.

Trimble Viewpoint Vista targets ERP deployments with cloud-hosted and on-premises options priced through sales.

Verdict

PlanningPoker.live is recommended for agile teams that need unlimited participation, asynchronous estimation and automatic synchronization with Jira or Linear. Its strongest reason to choose it is the breadth of collaboration and access controls in one room. Look elsewhere if expiring free credits, advertising or one-time credit bundles conflict with how your team budgets and schedules estimation.