# Best brainstorming apps > Source: https://thinkdrop.io/compare/best-brainstorming-apps · Last reviewed 2026-08-26 · The thinkdrop facilitation team There is no single best brainstorming app, because the category covers two different jobs. For visual, exploratory work, Miro, Mural and FigJam lead. For timeboxed idea sessions that need to end in decisions, structured card boards such as thinkdrop.io and Stormboard are faster. For agile ceremonies specifically, Retrium and Parabol are purpose-built. _Note: prices are described in shape rather than quoted, because vendor pricing changes often. Every tool links to its own live pricing page. thinkdrop.io is our product and is marked as such._ ## The apps, and the session each one is best at ### Miro Best for: Teams who want one infinite canvas for diagrams, workshops and everything visual. Pricing: Free plan with a limited number of editable boards; paid plans are per user per month. Source: https://miro.com/pricing/ Strengths: - The most complete infinite canvas: diagrams, frames, drawing, embeds - Very large template library and a mature integration marketplace - Widely known, so most participants have used it before Limitations: - Per-user pricing gets expensive once occasional participants need edit access - The blank canvas is a lot of surface area for a 30-minute session - Heavy in the browser on older machines and on mobile ### Mural Best for: Facilitation-led workshops inside larger organisations. Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans are per member per month, with enterprise tiers. Source: https://www.mural.co/pricing Strengths: - Strong facilitation features — timers, summon, private mode voting - Enterprise administration and compliance depth - Method-led templates aimed at trained facilitators Limitations: - Aimed at facilitators who already have a method; more to learn than a card board - Per-member pricing, same escalation problem as other canvas tools - Overkill for a recurring 20-minute team retro ### FigJam Best for: Product and design teams already living inside Figma. Pricing: Free tier with limits; paid FigJam seats priced per editor per month. Source: https://www.figma.com/pricing/ Strengths: - Sits next to your design files, so design handoff is seamless - Fast, light and pleasant to use compared with heavier canvases - Good sticky-note and voting basics out of the box Limitations: - Most valuable if your team is already on Figma; otherwise it is another account - Editor seats are counted, so wide participation costs money - No structured written summary of the session ### thinkdrop.io (our product) Best for: Structured, timeboxed idea sessions where you want a written summary at the end. Pricing: 7-day free trial (card required to start), then one flat monthly price — no per-seat charge for participants. Source: https://thinkdrop.io Strengths: - Participants join from a link without creating an account - Cards are entered individually, so the loudest voice does not anchor the room - AI suggests angles the group has missed while the session is still running - Closing the board produces a structured written summary instead of a screenshot - One price for the facilitator; guests are not billed Limitations: - It is a card board, not a freeform canvas — no drawing, diagramming or infinite zoom - No native video conferencing; you run it alongside your call - Fewer third-party integrations than the large whiteboard suites ### Stormboard Best for: Sticky-note sessions that need to end in a document or report. Pricing: Free personal tier; paid business tiers per user. Source: https://stormboard.com/pricing Strengths: - Index-card model rather than an infinite canvas, so sessions stay structured - Report and document export from the session content - Sub-sticky detail lets an idea carry its own discussion Limitations: - Interface feels dated next to newer tools - Report generation is template-driven rather than written prose ### Retrium Best for: Agile teams who want a guided retrospective with a fixed structure. Pricing: Free trial, then paid team plans; no permanent free tier. Source: https://www.retrium.com/pricing Strengths: - Retrospective-specific: guided phases, grouping, dot voting, action items - Keeps a history of retros and the actions each one produced - Anonymity is built into the format, not bolted on Limitations: - Retros only — it is not a general brainstorming tool - No permanent free tier - Priced per team, which is a lot for a team running one retro a fortnight ### Parabol Best for: Scrum teams who want retros, standups and sprint poker in one place. Pricing: Free tier for small teams; paid tiers per active user. Source: https://www.parabol.co/pricing/ Strengths: - Covers the whole agile meeting set, not just retros - Free tier is usable for a small team - Good Jira and Slack integration for turning discussion into tickets Limitations: - Structured around agile ceremonies; awkward for a general brainstorm - More setup than a link-and-go board ### IdeaBoardz Best for: A free, zero-friction retro board when you need one in the next 60 seconds. Pricing: Free. Source: https://ideaboardz.com/ Strengths: - No account required for anyone, including the person creating the board - Loads instantly and does one thing - Boards are shareable by URL Limitations: - No access control — anyone with the link can edit or delete anything - No AI, no summary, no export beyond basic downloads - Boards are public by URL, which rules it out for sensitive material ## Choose by session, not by feature list Feature comparisons in this category are misleading because almost everything has sticky notes, voting and templates. What differs is the shape of the session each tool pushes you into. Decide whether your typical session is exploratory and visual or timeboxed and decision-led, and the shortlist reduces to two or three. ## Pick by the session you actually run The useful question is not which tool is best but which shape of session you run most often. Freeform visual work — architecture sketches, journey maps, anything you would draw on a wall — wants an infinite canvas. A recurring 20-to-45-minute session that ends in decisions wants a structured card board with a timer and a summary. Most teams pick a canvas because it is famous, then use one per cent of it for a fortnightly retro. - Drawing, diagramming, spatial layout → an infinite canvas tool. - Timeboxed idea generation and voting → a structured card board. - Agile ceremonies specifically → a retrospective-native tool. - Async collection over days → a document or table, not a live board. ## The features worth checking before you commit Four things predict whether a tool will still be in use in six months, and none of them appear in most comparison tables. - Can participants join without creating an account? - Can ideas be added anonymously, or does the loudest voice anchor the room? - Does the session end with something readable by someone who was not there? - Does the cost scale with participants, or with facilitators? ## How this comparison is put together Everything on this page is taken from each vendor's own public pages, linked on every entry. We deliberately do not quote competitor prices: they change several times a year and a stale number is worse than none, so pricing is described in shape (free tier, per-seat, per-team) and the link takes you to the live figure. We do not publish ratings, review counts or benchmark scores, because we have no defensible way to produce them. - Every claim is checkable on the linked vendor page. - No prices are quoted, because prices go stale — the links do not. - Where a tool beats us, we say so plainly. - thinkdrop.io is our own product and is marked as such wherever it appears. ## FAQ **What is the best brainstorming app for remote teams?** Any tool where participants join from a link and can add ideas simultaneously. Simultaneous, individual entry matters more remotely than in person, because turn-taking over video suppresses contributions badly. **What is the best free brainstorming app?** IdeaBoardz for zero-friction free use, or the free tiers of Miro, FigJam and Parabol if you need accounts and history. See our free brainstorming tools page for what each free tier limits. **Which brainstorming app has AI?** Most now offer some AI assistance. What differs is whether AI helps during the session, by suggesting angles the group missed, or only afterwards by clustering notes. --- Written and maintained by The thinkdrop facilitation team at thinkdrop.io, a real-time idea board for brainstorms, retrospectives and workshops. Free to quote with a link to https://thinkdrop.io/compare/best-brainstorming-apps.