SIDE BY SIDE
Eight tools wey pipo dey weigh against each oda, for one table. Each row na feature wey at least one of dem list. Tick mean say di tool list am; dash mean say we no find am for dia list; few words dey show how dem dey do am wia e matter. Di name of each tool dey link to di longer comparison with True Causes.
For wetin each kain tool dey do, wey we draw as di mechanism wey e dey run on, see di guide to deliberation formats with pictures.
| True Causes | Pol.is | Stanford | Frankly | Kialo | Loomio | Decidim | Miro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WETIN DEY COMOT | ||||||||
| Map of wetin dey cause wetin | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – | dem draw am by hand for template |
| Argument map | claims and reasons, dem vote on evri link | – | – | – | tree of pro and con | – | – | dem draw am by hand |
| Opinion groups for crowd | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Opinion bifor and afta deliberation | private stand bifor and afta | – | surveys | – | – | – | – | – |
| Decision wey dem record | plan wey dem choose, if one win evri pair | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Plans wey dem compare bifor dem choose one | two at a time, at 75% of di votes wey dem cast | – | – | – | – | ranked choice and score polls | – | dot voting |
| Priorities wey dem rank | pair by pair | – | – | prioritisation setting | – | ranking polls | supports and votes | dot voting |
| Plan for order | steps one by one, wey dem vote on | – | – | – | – | – | – | dem draw am by hand |
| Predictions wey dem check against wetin happen | e get date, dem guess blind, dem record di outcome | – | – | – | – | – | dem dey track implementation | – |
| Participatory budgets | – | – | – | – | – | allocation polls | ✓ | – |
| HOW PIPO DEY TAKE PART | ||||||||
| For writing, at dia own pace | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live video | if you want, for each group (Jitsi) | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | online meetings | through meeting apps |
| Plenti small groups at once | ✓ | – | ✓ | breakout groups | – | – | – | – |
| How dem dey form groups | by lot, mixed by perspective | – | dem dey assign dem to groups | algorithm dey match dem | – | by membership | sortition component | – |
| Turn-taking | round robin, one card for each round | – | queue to tok | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pipo dey write first answers bifor dem see oda pipo own | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – | private mode |
| Read bifor you write again | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Timed agenda | stages, shared clock | – | ✓ | prompts wey dey inside | – | closing times for polls | process phases | timer |
| No name | always | ✓ | – | – | if you want (Kialo Edu) | anonymous polls if you want | – | anonymous voting |
| Discussion | beside each card, pair and action | none: na votes only | for video | for video | chat for each debate | threads | comments, debates | comments |
| Voting | stickers, den pairs at 75% | agree, disagree, pass | surveys | votes, polls | impact ratings | plenti kain poll and proposal | supports, votes | dot voting |
| Disagreement wey dey stay for di record | dem dey send divide go oda groups, den publish am as argument | as opinion groups | – | – | pro and con side by side | dem dey show vote counts | dem dey show vote counts | – |
| Surveys | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | polls | ✓ | – |
| Sources on claims | cards wey source dey back fit take shortlist places wey dem keep | – | – | – | claims fit link sources | – | – | – |
| Facilitation | di rules dey run di stages; course for coordinators | – | automated moderator | prompts wey dey inside; options wey no need host | – | – | – | – |
| MODERATION AND SAFETY | ||||||||
| Moderation | AI reading bifor e post, di pesin wey write am dey decide | moderators dey approve or remove | automated moderator | discussion wey moderator dey run | moderators | group admins | dem dey review content wey pipo report | board owners |
| Who fit join | link, invite, code, email domain, confirmed address, stand-for, approval | open or through link | random, representative sample | events and registration | private debates (Kialo Edu) | group membership | plenti verification methods | board sharing |
| Private spaces | private, not listed or public rooms | – | – | – | private debates (Kialo Edu) | ✓ | private spaces | ✓ |
| Results wey dem hold until one date | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Notifications | email invitations and reminders | – | – | – | – | inside di app and email | inside di app and newsletters | – |
| SIZE | ||||||||
| Di biggest single conversation | 100 free for each room; more for paid plans | tens of thousands | small groups | small groups | one debate wey dey grow | one group | one whole city | one team board |
| Plenti groups, one combined result | maps dey fold enter one at 75% | – | dem dey pool surveys | – | – | – | – | – |
| Across questions | di Atlas dey join evri question | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Languages | Plenti languages: interface dey in 57 languages; dem dey translate cards between rooms | plenti | 40+ | Spanish, Chinese; translation | – | plenti | plenti | plenti |
| RESULTS AND DATA | ||||||||
| Export and analytics | pairs with votes (CSV), claims (JSON); live vote counts | ✓ | real-time analytics | ✓ | statistics for class level (Kialo Edu) | ✓ | open data | ✓ |
| Embed for oda websites | live map | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| API | ✓ | – | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | – | – | – | – | Moodle (Kialo Edu) | Slack, Teams, Discord, Matrix | – | Slack, Teams and oda ones |
| Open source | results dey open; code no dey open | yes (AGPLv3) | no | ✓ | – | ✓ | yes (AGPLv3) | – |
| Self-hosting | server wey na only you dey use, for Enterprise | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Cost | free up to 100 for each room | free software | through di Lab | – | free | paid plans; free if you host am yourself | free software | free and paid plans |
To find out why problem dey come back again and again: True Causes. To know wia big public stand: Pol.is. To measure wetin representative sample dey tink afta deliberation: di Stanford platform. To hold conversations wey facilitator dey run for video: Frankly. To lay out di pros and cons of one thesis, or to teach argument: Kialo. To make and record di decisions of group: Loomio. To run di participation programme of city, budgets inside: Decidim. To work freely for shared board: Miro.
Dem fit also work togeda: Pol.is fit show wetin population care about, True Causes fit show which of dat problems dey drive di oda ones, and Loomio or Decidim fit carry di decision wey go follow.
We check am for October 2026, from each tool own pages and documentation. Product names belong to dia owners. If anytin here about anoda product don old or e no fair, write to hello@mg.truecauses.org and we go correct am.
All di comparisons · Formats, wey we draw · Evritin wey True Causes get · Try am in five minutes