FunRetro (rebranded to EasyRetro) has been around since 2015. It's one of the original dedicated retro tools, and for good reason — it's simple, it works, and thousands of teams use it every week.
NextRetro is newer, built with a different set of assumptions. This comparison is for teams currently using FunRetro who wonder if something better exists, and for teams choosing between the two for the first time.
What FunRetro gets right
Credit where it's due: FunRetro proved that dedicated retro tools beat general-purpose whiteboards. Before FunRetro, most teams ran retros on sticky notes, Trello boards, or Google Docs. FunRetro showed that a tool built specifically for retros — with columns, cards, and dot voting — is meaningfully better.
It's also stable. Nine years of production usage means the core functionality is reliable. If "it works and we know it" is your priority, that's a legitimate reason to stay.
Where the tools diverge
The signup question
FunRetro requires a Google account for everyone — facilitators and participants. NextRetro requires an account for the facilitator but not for participants. Participants click a link and they're in.
This sounds like a small thing, but it's not. If your retro includes a contractor who doesn't have a Google Workspace account, or a stakeholder who just needs to observe and add one card, the signup requirement creates real friction. "I'll just tell someone my thoughts to add" defeats the purpose of individual reflection.
The interface gap
FunRetro's interface hasn't changed much since 2015. It works, but it looks and feels like 2015. NextRetro was designed in 2024 with a modern UI, dark mode support, and mobile-responsive layouts.
This isn't just aesthetics. A modern interface communicates to your team that this ceremony matters — it's not an afterthought running on legacy tooling. First impressions affect engagement.
Phase management
FunRetro doesn't have built-in phases. The facilitator verbally tells people "okay, stop writing, let's start grouping" and hopes everyone complies. NextRetro has explicit phases (Collect → Group → Vote → Discuss) with facilitator locks that enforce the workflow.
If you're an experienced facilitator who can manage a room, FunRetro's open approach works fine. If you're a developer who got voluntold into facilitating this week's retro, built-in phase management is a safety net.
Voting flexibility
Both tools have dot voting. FunRetro defaults to a simple upvote system with votes visible as you go. NextRetro offers configurable vote counts (1-10 per person), anonymous voting, and a hide/reveal mechanism so the facilitator can show all votes at once.
The hide/reveal feature prevents anchoring bias — people vote independently rather than piling onto whatever already has the most votes.
Pricing and limits
FunRetro's free plan limits the number of boards you can create (3-5 active boards). After that, it's $2-4 per user per month, which scales with team size.
NextRetro's free plan has no board or participant limits. The Pro plan is $20/month flat — same price whether you have 5 or 50 users.
| Team Size | NextRetro (Free) | FunRetro Free | FunRetro Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $0 | $0 (limited boards) | $10-20/month |
| 15 people | $0 | Not viable | $30-60/month |
| 30 people | $0 | Not viable | $60-120/month |
For small teams (3-5 people) who only run retros occasionally, FunRetro's free tier is probably fine. Once you hit 10+ people or run retros weekly, the economics favor NextRetro.
Feature comparison
| Feature | NextRetro | FunRetro |
|---|---|---|
| No signup for participants | Yes | No (Google account required) |
| Phase management | Built-in with locks | Manual |
| Anonymous cards | Yes, toggle per retro | Partial |
| Vote hide/reveal | Yes | No (votes visible immediately) |
| Configurable vote count | 1-10 per person | Fixed |
| Dark mode | Yes | No |
| Templates | 17+ with guidance | 6-8 basic |
| Export to PDF | Yes | No |
| Export to Markdown | Yes | No |
| Export to Google Sheets | No | Yes |
| Card grouping | Drag to merge | Manual grouping |
| Unlimited free boards | Yes | No (limited) |
| Mobile responsive | Yes | Limited |
Should you switch?
Stay with FunRetro if:
- Your team is small (3-5 people) and only runs retros every few weeks
- Everyone already has Google accounts and knows the tool
- Your retros are running well — "if it ain't broke" applies
- You rely on Google Sheets export for your workflow
Switch to NextRetro if:
- You want participants to join without accounts (especially for cross-team retros or retros with external people)
- You want phase management to take facilitation burden off you
- Your team is growing and per-user pricing is becoming expensive
- You want anonymous voting with hide/reveal to reduce bias
- You want a modern UI that makes retros feel like they matter
Try NextRetro alongside FunRetro:
The lowest-risk approach. Run one retro on NextRetro, keep your FunRetro boards. See which your team prefers. Switching doesn't require migrating anything — each retro is a fresh board anyway.
The honest take
FunRetro was a great tool when it launched. It solved a real problem and served the agile community well. But the product hasn't evolved much in nearly a decade, and the expectations for what a retro tool should do have moved on.
NextRetro is newer, which means a smaller community and less battle-testing. But it's also purpose-built with modern assumptions: mobile-first, privacy-first, facilitator-first.
The best way to decide isn't reading comparison articles — it's running one retro on each and asking your team.
Try NextRetro free — no signup required for participants, create a board in 30 seconds.
Last Updated: February 2026
Reading Time: 5 minutes
