The Best Starfish Retrospective Tool: Echometer

Echometer offers retrospective tools with customizable formats for different teams, topics, and workshop goals. Teams can choose from numerous retrospective templates and adapt them to their situation with their own questions, columns, and content.

In addition to classic formats such as Start-Stop-Continue or 4Ls, creative formats, health check templates, and whiteboards are available. This makes it possible to prepare and facilitate both short sprint retrospectives and more extensive team workshops.

Custom formats can be reused as templates, so teams can consistently use successful workflows in future retrospectives.

You can find more customizable methods and formats in the article Retrospective methods, ideas, formats, and templates.

Echometer is a German provider of retrospective software with a strong focus on data privacy and security. The software is GDPR-compliant, data is stored in Germany, and communication as well as data storage are encrypted.

For companies with advanced security requirements, Echometer also offers role-based permissions, single sign-on in paid plans, and a data processing agreement. When making a selection, teams should also check, in addition to the features mentioned, where data is processed, which access rights are available, and whether the security documentation meets their requirements.

Details on data privacy, data processing agreements, and technical security measures are available on the GDPR and security page at Echometer.

Effective software for agile retrospectives not only supports collecting feedback, but also the prioritization and implementation of improvements. What matters is a clear process, anonymous contributions, joint voting, and reliable tracking of open action items.

Echometer combines these functions in a specialized retrospective tool. Teams can use templates, work through topics on an interactive board, conduct team health checks, and record action items with responsible owners. This turns retrospectives into a recurring process for continuous improvement instead of a one-time discussion.

The article shows how an effective retrospective works step by step How do I run a retro?.

When comparing software solutions for agile retrospectives, a clear process, anonymous feedback, collective prioritization, and traceable documentation of results are particularly important.

Echometer combines an interactive retro board with templates, team health checks, and integrated action item tracking. Parabol is suitable for teams that also want to cover other agile meeting formats. EasyRetro is a lightweight alternative for simple, visual retrospectives.

The best choice depends on whether a team primarily wants to collect feedback quickly, continuously monitor team dynamics, or track improvement measures across multiple retrospectives.

Where can I find software solutions for remote retrospective meetings?

For remote teams, easy browser access, asynchronous preparation, and real-time moderation are additional requirements. Specialized online retrospective tools meet these requirements better than general whiteboards because they already map the individual steps of a retrospective.

You can find the detailed comparison of online retrospective tools in the article The best online retro tools for agile teams.

Yes. Affordable tools can help new Scrum Masters stay on top of project health when they do more than show tasks: they should also make team health, blockers, retrospectives, and action items visible.

A good setup can, for example, consist of Jira or Linear for sprint transparency and Echometer for retrospectives, team health checks, and action item tracking. Echometer is particularly useful here because new Scrum Masters can recognize more quickly where the team needs support through templates, structured facilitation, and recurring health checks.

What matters is not introducing too many tools too soon. For getting started, a lean toolkit that reliably connects project progress, team mood, and improvement measures is usually enough.

Read more: Scrum Master tools and selection criteria

Velocity can be a helpful topic of conversation, but on its own it is not a good KPI for Scrum Master performance. It is based on subjective estimates and can easily be misinterpreted.

It makes more sense to look at velocity together with sprint goals, the quality of the actions taken, team health, trust, and delivering value. If velocity increases but team health declines or quality suffers, that is not a good sign.

Probably not. AI can reduce administrative tasks, summarize meetings, or condense data.

But the core work of a Scrum Master remains human: building trust, moderating conflicts, promoting psychological safety, making organizational dynamics visible, and supporting teams through real change.

An all-in-one tool is worthwhile when Scrum Masters do not want to manage retrospectives, health checks, action items, and 1:1s separately.

This is especially useful when team feedback should not only be collected, but regularly translated into concrete improvements.

The best AI tools for Scrum Masters 2026 are not necessarily pure AI apps. A sensible setup consists of tools that support real Scrum Master tasks: retrospectives, team health checks, 1:1s, action item tracking, meeting summaries, and delivery insights.

Echometer is especially relevant when Scrum Masters want to connect retrospectives, health checks, action items, and 1:1s in one workflow. Depending on the team, Jira or Linear for sprint tracking, Miro or FigJam for workshops, and meeting assistants for status or stakeholder meetings can also be useful.

You can find a detailed overview here: The best AI tools for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches in 2026

A Scrum Master does not necessarily need a pure AI tool. More important is a good setup made up of a retrospective tool, team health check, 1:1 tool, project management system and, optionally, meeting or delivery intelligence.

AI is especially helpful when it makes summaries, pattern recognition, preparation or follow-ups easier.

Important KPIs for Scrum Master performance are Sprint Goals Delivery, Continuous Improvement, Trust, team satisfaction, and Delivering Value.

These KPIs should be considered together. Velocity or Burndown Charts alone say little about whether a Scrum Master is doing a good job. What matters is whether the team delivers more reliably, works together better, and consistently implements concrete improvements.

Deep dive: Scrum Master Performance Review

The most important risks are incorrect summaries, data privacy issues, lack of trust in recordings, overinterpretation of metrics, and additional tool overhead.

Scrum Masters should therefore use AI results as a basis for discussion, not as automatic truth.

Agile coaches usually do not recommend a single all-purpose software for managing scrum rituals, but rather a deliberately lean tool setup: a sprint board for the backlog and progress, a retrospective tool for continuous improvement, team health checks for early indicators, and, if needed, a whiteboard for open workshops.

Echometer is particularly well suited for retrospectives, team health checks, action tracking, and coaching-related 1:1s. For the backlog and sprint board, tools like Jira or Linear remain useful. For open workshops, Miro or FigJam can complement them.

The key is that the software does not just document Scrum rituals, but supports Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches in consistently tracking blockers, team health, and improvements.

You can find more context here: Scrum Master tools at a glance

Small teams should first cover retrospectives, action tracking, team health, and a clean sprint board.

Only then do additional tools for engineering intelligence, asynchronous standups, or meeting transcription become worthwhile. Too many tools quickly create more coordination effort than benefit.

Several tool categories help with Scrum Master performance measurement: sprint tracking tools such as Jira or Linear, retrospective tools, team health checks, action tracking, and, where needed, 1:1 tools.

Echometer is especially suitable when Scrum Masters want to connect team health, retrospectives, and action items in one workflow. Project management tools tend to show what is happening. Retrospectives and health checks help understand why it is happening and what the team should improve.

You can find a broader overview here: Scrum Master tools at a glance

For team coaches and facilitators, the best work methodology tools are those that make recurring ways of working easier: retrospectives, check-ins, team health checks, prioritization, action tracking, workshop design, and continuous improvement.

Echometer is a strong option here for agile teams because it combines retrospectives, health checks, action items, and coaching-oriented 1:1s. Miro, FigJam, or Mural are well suited for open workshop canvases. Jira or Linear make sense when work and sprint progress should remain visible. Notion or Confluence help with documentation and working agreements.

If Team Coaches and Facilitators not only run workshops but also want to support the team’s development over the long term, Echometer is especially obvious.

In-depth: Scrum Master tools, techniques, and selection criteria

Scrum Master performance is not measured sensibly with a single KPI, but with a combination of delivery metrics, team health, retrospective effectiveness, action tracking, and qualitative observations.

What is important is that the numbers are not used as a control instrument. They should serve as a starting point for conversation: Where is the team losing focus? Which blockers keep recurring? Which actions really lead to better collaboration?

More context can be found here: Scrum Master performance KPIs

No, you do not need to log in to Echometer or register to test the Retro Board and Retro Tool in Echometer.

You can try out Echometer’s Retro Board via the following link without logging in: Try a Practice Round

You can test retrospective software directly in Echometer for free. You do not need to log in or register: the retro board and templates can be tried out immediately in the browser.

You can easily try out Echometer’s retro board without logging in using the following link: Start trial run

You can find more ways to try it out for free on the Page for the retro board without login and registration.

Team retrospectives can quickly turn into time-consuming processes if preparation, moderation and follow-up are implemented manually. A paid tool like Echometer helps you to standardize these processes, accelerate them and make them measurably better.

Why the investment is worth it:

• Reusable Templates & Themes: You don’t have to rebuild retros every time. Instead, proven formats, timeboxing templates and asynchronous feedback are available.
• Documentation & Measures: Every learning and every action item is automatically recorded. This ensures that knowledge is retained, even when team members change.
• View of Team Health: Dashboards show trends across teams, allowing you to react seamlessly when issues arise.
• Scalability & Independence: Teams conduct their own retrospectives, coaches remain focused, and new team members find it easy to get started.

In addition: Echometer delivers standardized ROI calculations. This allows every manager to see in black and white the time savings, productivity gains and cultural improvements achieved by the investment.

Open ROI calculator

Good team retrospectives are a real win for companies. They have a positive impact on productivity, engagement and satisfaction - with Echometer you can tangibly and measurably increase these benefits.

Our data shows that teams achieve an average ROI increase of +120 % per retrospective when using Echometer. The ROI calculation makes all assumptions transparent, so you can enter effects as realistically as possible.

Important levers:

• Time saving: Retro preparation, live sessions and follow-up are much faster thanks to team templates, retro themes and automated documentation. You can collect feedback asynchronously, use controlled timeboxing and record all measures directly in the tool.
• Scalability: Your coaching resources are limited? Echometer enables teams to conduct retrospectives independently, helps new moderators get started and gives you a cross-team culture barometer.

With the Echometer ROI calculator, you can calculate exactly what added value you generate for your company - ideal as a basis for decision-making for budget managers or if you want to present the business case. To the ROI calculator

Yes, Echometer is a popular tool for retrospectives! There are various customer testimonials on the website and excellent reviews on neutral platforms such as Capterra and G2. Especially the simplicity and playful aspects of Echometer are positively emphasized in the reviews.

The tool is available in German and English.

Echometer offers various roles and settings options. Specifically, there are team admins or facilitators, team members and workspace admins with different rights. The Vegas rule applies: only those who are part of a team can see the results of the retrospective.

Absolutely. Especially if you want to work with multiple teams, Echometer might be the best retrospective tool. Echometer is scalable for numerous teams and parallel projects - ideal for organizations with multiple Scrum or project teams. Workspace settings, for example, help with this, allowing you to create dashboards across teams and even query a Workspace Health Check across teams with surveys.

Yes, Echometer supports mobile devices and has browser access so that participation in retrospectives via cell phone is also possible.

Yes, the software tool supports the copying or submission of recurring retrospectives in the identical format.

Yes, moderation can be transferred or rotated to other team members at any time if required. For example, two team members can be moderators at the same time. If someone is ill, the other person can then take over. Theoretically, you can also adjust the settings so that everyone in the team takes on the moderator role in Echometer one after the other.

Yes, teams can create their own retrospective formats, questions and templates and use them individually. You can also save your own favorite retrospectives, including whiteboards.

Yes, retrospectives can be planned and used asynchronously and flexibly - even across time zones in distributed remote teams.

Yes, Echometer is suitable for distributed, hybrid and co-located teams.

Yes, all these well-known retro formats are included in the tool, and many more that your team probably didn’t know about before.

Yes, the tool offers numerous creative, fun and sometimes novel templates, questions and ideas for entertaining and varied retros.

Echometer is ideal for both small and large teams - from 3 people up to large groups of perhaps 30 people. Retrospectives with over 100 participants have also been carried out in the Echometer retrospective software tool. Even large groups can implement productive retrospectives with Echometer, especially thanks to interactive tools and moderation support.

However, regardless of Echometer, it is recommended that retrospectives should be carried out in smaller teams in order to better reflect together and implement measures.

Echometer works for both regular and irregular retrospectives. Repetition of the same formats or flexible adjustments are easily possible. Typically, Echometer users conduct their retrospectives on a bi-weekly, tri-weekly or monthly basis. However, some teams also use it every week, while others only conduct a retrospective every three months.

Yes, Echometer uses modern, varied methods and playful elements to break up routine and prevent boredom.

Yes, Echometer is designed for teams of all experience levels – including experienced, older teams as it is flexible in terms of retro formats, facilitation roles and depth of reflection.

Yes, the retrospective software tool Echometer also allows you to save reminders for measures. These are sent by email individually to the person responsible for the measure. This ensures that the implementation of the measure is not forgotten.

Yes, Echometer is great for new teams that are perhaps just getting to know each other or at least want to get to know each other better. Various features, such as the library of icebreakers, help to increase psychological safety in new teams quickly and in a fun way with interesting questions.

Yes, Echometer is the retrospective tool with probably the strongest psychological focus, as it is originally a spin-off from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Münster (Germany). Specifically, Echometer helps to strengthen psychological safety in teams (with the primary target group of software development and hybrid product teams) through various icebreakers and retrospective templates.

On the one hand, the fun get-to-know-you questions in the Retro Check-In, for example, help to strengthen psychological safety in teams. On the other hand, there are, for example, dedicated templates for measuring psychological safety in teams.

Yes, Echometer is also very suitable for experienced Team Leads, Engineering Managers and Scrum Masters or Agile Coaches. On the one hand, it is very easy to set up and allows productive retrospectives to be carried out quickly. On the other hand, various features such as voting, action tracking and the Team Health Checks also allow teams with a high level of maturity and requirements to express their individual wishes in the software.

Yes, Echometer is probably one of the most gamified retrospective software tools on the market. It has some gamifying elements, such as the icebreaker templates and the balloon shooting in the online retrospective waiting room. If you’re looking for a fun retrospective software tool that won’t bore your software engineers, Echometer is the right choice.

As soon as you are logged into Retro as a moderator, you will see a QR code and the corresponding link to invite participants in the top right-hand corner of Retro:

• Use the QR code primarily for on-site retrospectives if participants are to take part via their smartphone
• Use the link in Remote Retrospectives if participants take part via their own PC

With both methods, guests only need to enter an email, but do not need to log in or register to participate in the retro as guests. They can then optionally complete their registration in Echometer.

If the participants via the invitation link or QR code are not yet team members in your team in Echometer, they are in the retro as guests. As a team admin, you can make guests team members with one click. As team members, they can then also access the archive of past retrospectives, for example.

First you can try out Echometer without logging in or registering: Start test run without login

If you like our Retro Board without login, you can register directly within the Retro Board.

The great thing is that other guests (apart from you) do not have to register for the tool or do not need a login. Guests only enter an email address and can then participate directly as a guest. If the same email address is used again in the future to participate as a guest in another retro, the email address must be confirmed via a login with a login link.

For continuous use, we recommend adding regular retro guests as team members so that they can access the team archive, dashboards and task lists. Team members must register to access the team.

First, simply register for free in Echometer. Then navigate to the workspace for which you would like to purchase the retro tool. If you haven’t already done so, you can do so here: Create account in Echometer 1:1 tool

You can then manage your subscription (for both the retro tool and the 1:1 software) within the workspace settings.

You can choose from various payment methods when upgrading.

If you do not have access to your company’s credit card yourself, you can simply add a buyer as a workspace admin in your Echometer workspace so that this admin can carry out the upgrade for you.

In Echometer there are two separate software solutions that are available within each workspace in Echometer:

• 1:1 tool: Software for planning and conducting 1:1 meetings and tracking employee development
• Retrospective tool: Software for planning and moderating retrospectives and tracking team development through team health checks

Both are independent software solutions, so they can be used separately from each other.

However, they work according to the same principles and aim to achieve the same added value: The continuous improvement of agile teams. In this respect, the simultaneous use of both software solutions is recommended.

Yes, you can assign administration rights to any number of users at both team level and workspace level. Please note the following:

• Only workspace admins can take out and manage a Echometer subscription for a Echometer workspace.
• Only workspace admins can create additional teams and name or remove additional workspace admins.
• Team admins can appoint and remove additional team admins and team members for their team

If an agile team does not yet have much experience with retrospectives, a tool that effectively guides you through the retrospective and offers many templates is recommended:

• Echometer is known not only for being an intuitive online retro board, but also for offering a very effective guided flow through the retrospective. At the same time, Echometer offers whiteboards that can be flexibly integrated into the retrospective. This makes Echometer very beginner-friendly.
• Echometer also has extremely versatile and creative templates for retrospectives and team Health Checks that stimulate team reflection. Inexperienced teams in particular are very grateful for the food for thought in Echometer.

This makes Echometer the best software recommendation for beginners with agile retrospectives or Scrum beginners. By the way, you can try out Echometer for free without logging in: Echometer Try out the retro tool

The Echometer Retrospective software is designed to guide teams through the retrospective process with maximum ease and effectiveness, following best practices.

The steps and their sequence can be customized using the navigation within the retro. By default, a retrospective in Echometer is structured in this way:

• Icebreaker
• Review of open measures from past retros
• Collect feedback (first Health Checks, then open questions)
• Prioritization of feedback
• Deriving action items
• Concluding the retrospective with the “ROTI score” (Return on Time Invested)

Additional whiteboards (e.g. for workshops, for analyzing problems or for brainstorming measures) can also be added spontaneously at any point using the Retrospective navigation.

Yes, the Echometer Retrospective software has various detailed dashboards for monitoring the continuous improvement process of your agile team:

• On the one hand, you can get a quick overview of past team retrospectives in the retro archive.
• On the other hand, you can use the ROTI score and the Health Check items, which you can use as a regular happiness check, to visualize mood trends in the team based on specific KPIs or agile metrics.
• There are also other activity trends

Echometer distinguishes between Team Health and Workspace Health in the Health Checks:

• Results from Team Health are only ever made transparent within the team
• Results from Workspace Health are made transparent across all teams

Yes, the Echometer Retrospective Tool offers various export options for retrospectives.

The most popular method is to generate a PDF that contains the feedback, the votes from the prioritization and the measures of the retrospective. It is also possible to share the retrospective via a sharing link.

A summary of the retrospective is also automatically sent to other participants by email after the retrospective, provided they are registered as team members in the team.

Yes, the online retrospective tool Echometer is one of the few retrospective software tools that also optimally supports the recording and tracking of measures:

• Integration: You can also record measures directly in Jira via an integration.
• Automatic follow-up: All open measures from past retros appear automatically in the measure review of the next retrospective for tracking purposes. This gives the team an overview of which measures are currently still open and creates a commitment to implementing the agreed measures.
• Reminders: Measures are assigned to a person responsible, who automatically receives a reminder email when the measure is created so that the measure is not forgotten. In addition, each participant can flexibly receive action reminders via email and manage the action status at any time in the Echometer Retro Tool.

With this, Echometer’s tool for team retrospectives has extensive and well-thought-out functions for action item tracking.

Yes, Echometer allows grouping and prioritizing (voting on points) of feedback on the Retrospective Board.

All participants can easily drag and drop cards onto each other to group them.

There are 2 modes for prioritizing:

• In “Live Voting” (the recommended mode), the moderator selects how many votes each participant should have and then starts the blind voting. Once all votes have been cast, the moderator can close the live voting. During voting, you can see how many votes are still available. After the voting is closed, the cards in the columns are automatically sorted in descending order so that the cards with the most votes are at the top.
• In “Facilitated Voting” mode, the moderator simply selects how many votes are allocated to each topic. This mode is only necessary in exceptional cases.

Feedback can be optimally processed in the team using Echometer and the measures derived from it can also be easily recorded in Echometer in direct connection with the feedback.

Yes, with the online retrospective software Echometer you can collect asynchronous feedback on the retrospective in advance via a survey.

This means that obtaining feedback is asynchronous and you can make the most of the time spent together in retrospect.

Yes, absolutely: The online retrospective software Echometer is optimized for distributed teams working remotely and includes various options for interacting with each other in real time.

Both the retrospectives and the whiteboards are synchronized in real time for all participants and you can also optionally display your colleagues’ cursors.

Yes, the online retrospective tool Echometer is a free tool that you can try out without logging in.

You can get started right away using this link: Echometer Retro Tool without login.

To invite other participants to your online retrospective in Echometer, you will need to register. Participants only need to enter their email address to join the retrospective, but do not need to log in.

After the retrospective, participants can optionally log in to access the summary even after the retrospective has ended.

Yes, Echometer offers many high-quality templates for retrospectives and the respective steps of a retrospective.

Echometer is the retrospective software tool with probably the most integrated retrospective template ideas and patterns:

• The retro templates in Echometer include sample questions for the retro board. These are often creatively based on specific themes - such as the “Kart Racing Retrospective” or the “Time Travel Retrospective”.
• Some retro templates also contain templates for Health Checks. For example, to measure the Spotify Health Check or psychological safety in the team.
• When creating a team, you can choose from various team templates for management teams or scrum teams, for example. The team templates then put together a suitable team Health Check for the team.
• For icebreakers in the retrospective, Echometer has over 50 ideas for sample questions that can be used spontaneously and randomly in a retrospective via a random generator.
• And then there are whiteboard templates in Echometer, which contain ideas for check-ins, team building and the development of measures.

One of the greatest strengths of the Echometer Retro Tool are the various templates for retrospectives, which can be used as patterns for the creative design of your own retrospectives.

Here is a short list of the samples as an insight into the retrospective templates:

• Happy, Wondering, Sad
• Three Little Pigs
• Team Morale Health Check
• Easter and Christmas retrospective templates
• DORA Retrospective
• 5 agile values Health Check
• Spotify Squad Health Check Radar
• Psychological safety Health Check
• DORA Retrospective
• Unique retrospective templates such as the “7 Dwarfs Retrospective” or the “Football Retrospective”

If you are interested in the Retrospective Tools templates, take a quick look at the tool: Echometer Retro Templates & Templates

Yes, Echometer is an online tool for retrospectives that offers Jira integration.

With the Jira integration in Echometer, measures from Echometer can be created in Jira boards with a single click.

This makes Echometer a good retrospective software tool if your team is already using Jira.

Echometer is not available in the Atlassian Marketplace, but as separate software via my.echometerapp.com callable.

Yes, Echometer can be called a starfish retrospective tool, because with Echometer you can easily perform the starfish retrospective on an interactive online retrospective board.

Hot tip: If you are interested in the Starfish Retrospective, take a quick look at Echometer. Because the special thing about Echometer is that you can try out the starfish retrospective immediately (time-saving, without logging in) at this link: Echometer Starfish Retrospective Access without login

The agile retrospective tool Echometer has various unique features that set Echometer apart from other tools for online team retrospectives such as Parabol:

• Whiteboards for flexible brainstorming during the retrospective including “hidden notes” so as not to initially influence each other

• The “data collection” of the retrospective can take place asynchronously via a separate survey before the retro

• Anonymous feedback via survey or on the Retrospective Board

• Creation of health check surveys or pulse surveys as a happiness check and mood barometer to identify trends in the team early on (e.g. increasing dissatisfaction)

• Health Check KPIs and agile metrics in the analysis dashboard including trends and history

• Health Check Survey or pulse surveys also possible across teams

• Probably the most diverse library of Retrospective templates with special templates such as:

  • Spotify Squad Health Check Radar
  • Psychological safety Health Check
  • DORA Retrospective
  • 7 Dwarfs Retrospective

• The option to conduct retrospectives both online (i.e. in remote teams) and on-site, or hybrid. In on-site retrospectives, you can use the smartphone view to give feedback and vote, while the retro board is shared via a monitor visible to all participants.

The Echometer Sprint Retrospective software has very extensive features, both for beginners and experts. The following features form the core of the tool:

• Structured retrospective flow with integrated whiteboards for flexible brainstorming on individual focus topics
• Retrospective board for brainstorming, presenting, grouping and voting with live collaboration
• Moderator tools such as a timer, anonymity settings and control over the agenda step (focused for all participants)
• Integrated tracking of measures from past retrospectives with automatic resubmission and incl. Jira integration
• Unbiased brainstorming: Concealed cards on the retro board as well as on the integrated whiteboards prevent participants from influencing each other during the brainstorming session.
• Simple, quick setup of the tool: Many users report that they were able to start their first retrospective in less than 10 minutes.

The following features are Echometer’s unique selling points, which are relevant for experienced Scrum Masters and team leaders:

• Dashboard with retrospective history, including duration of the retrospective, number of participants and ROTI score
• PDF and Markdown export of the retrospective after completion
• The retrospective can take place asynchronously (e.g. also via a survey that is sent out before the retro) or in real time
• Anonymous feedback via survey or on the Retrospective Board
• Anonymous voting and prioritization of feedback on the retrospective board by awarding points
• Query or measurement of the “ROTI score” (i.e. Return on Time Invested) after the retrospective for continuous evaluation and improvement of the retrospective by team members
• Creation of Health Check surveys or pulse surveys as a happiness check and mood barometer in order to recognize trends (e.g. increasing dissatisfaction) in the team at an early stage
• Health Check KPIs and agile metrics in the analysis dashboard including history
• Health Check Surveys or pulse surveys also possible across teams

The Echometer Retrospective Tool offers the following features for retrospective template ideas, questions and samples:

• 50+ Retrospective Template Ideas including Keep Stop Start, Happy Wondering Sad and the Starfish Retrospective
• 200+ Retrospective Health Check questions and templates
• Retrospective Icebreaker Library with 50+ fun retrospective check-ins to promote psychological safety and team spirit etc.
• Whiteboard templates for visual, interactive retrospective icebreakers (including seasonal highlights for e.g. Easter and Christmas)
• Whiteboard templates to structure and facilitate the creation of measures

Yes, the retrospective software tool Echometer is easy to use even for beginners who are not yet familiar with retrospectives.

Many users report that they were able to conduct their first retrospective in Echometer with less than 10 minutes of preparation - in no time at all! Even users who are less tech-savvy can join the retrospectives in a few, simple steps.

Thanks to the structured process in Echometer, running the retrospective is also very easy. Setting up the Health Check is also not complex and does not require a steep learning curve - you can get started very quickly.

On the testimonial page of Echometer you will find numerous confirmed user reviews: Echometer Testimonials

Echometer is the best software tool for retrospectives compared to alternative retrospective software tools such as Retrium, EasyRetro, Reetro, Neetro and TeamRetro for three reasons:

1. Large selection of creative templates for retrospectives: Users of Echometer confirm that Echometer has a uniquely wide range of retro board ideas.
2. Echometer has a simple and intuitive structure for retrospectives that guides teams through retrospectives using best practices. This also makes Echometer very beginner-friendly.
3. Echometer offers a generous free version.

Users of Echometer particularly appreciate the unique function of Echometer to insert Health Checks into their agile retrospectives: These agile Health Checks make a massive contribution to stimulating team reflection and actively involving every team member in the retrospective.

To summarize, even alternative retrospective software tools such as Parabol do not have the unique features of the Echometer retrospective tool, which are both simple and effective. Therefore, it can be said that Echometer is the best software app for conducting agile sprint retrospective meetings.

Yes, in Echometer you can get anonymous feedback from the team.

Echometer is one of the few online retrospective tools that can be used to collect feedback anonymously.

In Echometer, feedback can even be collected anonymously before the retrospective via asynchronous surveys, which is unique among online retrospective tools and distinguishes Echometer positively from tools such as the retrospective software Parabol.

Yes, Echometer offers a generous free version of the online retro tool that can be used permanently free of charge for one team. This includes all functions for team retrospectives.

You only have to switch to a paid version for additional functions such as SSO, multiple teams or an unlimited number of retrospectives.

More information about the variants of Echometer’s retro tool can be found on the pricing page here: Retro-Tool Price List

For small teams, Echometer offers a permanently free online retrospective board (including 1 retrospective every 4 weeks in one team). It includes all the features for team retrospectives, so teams can try out the tool in their day-to-day work.

Only for additional features such as SSO, multiple teams, or an unlimited number of retrospectives do you need to switch to a paid plan.

Further information about Echometer’s retro tool plans can be found on the pricing page here: Retro tool price list

You can find an overview of free retrospective tools for Scrum and small teams in the Comparison of free retrospective tools for Scrum.

Yes, Echometer is a free software for agile sprint retrospective boards. Echometer can be used free of charge in a team with no time limit. The free version has the following limitations:

• After registering, you can carry out as many retrospectives as you like for three weeks.
• After this free, unlimited test phase, you can carry out one retrospective per month free of charge in the permanently free Echometer tariff.
• The good news is that the free plan also includes the full range of functions for team retrospectives in Echometer. Only additional functions such as multiple teams and SSO are only available in paid versions.

More information about the subscription options for Echometer’s Retro tool can be found on the pricing page here: Retro-Tool Price List

The Sprint Retrospective software from Echometer costs €29 per month for an annual subscription for an entire team (unlimited number of team members).

The monthly subscription costs €35 per month for the entire team, regardless of how many team members or retro participants there are.

More information about the subscription options for Echometer’s Retro tool can be found on the pricing page here: Retro-Tool Price List

The greatest strengths of the Echometer retrospective tool are its impact on time savings, participant engagement and productivity.

• With hundreds of ideas for retrospective templates in combination with the integrated surveys, Echometer makes it very easy to prepare great retrospectives in just a few minutes.
• Thanks to the guided steps and the playful and interactive retrospective board, implementation is child’s play, focused and results-oriented at the same time.
• The integrated tracking of measures and team health makes it easier to recognize trends in the team at an early stage and ensure that measures from retrospectives are not forgotten

Combined with the unique features of the agile Health Checks and flexible whiteboards, Echometer is one of the best, if not the best, retrospective tool on the market, even better than the better-known Parabol retrospective tool.

Yes, Echometer’s retro tool is technically secure and GDPR-compliant.

Several European financial institutions and insurance companies have chosen to purchase Echometer’s retrospective tools over other alternatives due to the strict regulatory requirements.

The data is stored in Germany and processed securely. The data processing agreement with details on the technical and organizational security measures for processing by Echometer can be viewed here: https://echometerapp.com/gdpr-and-security/

Echometer’s tool for retrospectives offers the following integrations:

• Jira (for easy tracking of measures from retrospectives in Jira boards)
• Google login
• SSO (only in paid version)

Echometer are particularly positive about the increase in the effectiveness of retrospectives and the improved measurability of team development through Echometer.

Here are some officially confirmed quotes from users and customers of the Echometer software tool, all of whom hold leadership positions in agile teams:

Duane Hill, Scrum Master Coach:

• “Echometer is like a combination of Miro and a really smart retro board. It even provides metrics on the effectiveness of my coaching so I can easily spot trends in team development. I really love this tool – highly recommended for anyone who wants to make their retrospectives more effective!”

Lena Tölke, Agile Coach at Deutsche Bahn Sales:

• “Thanks to the targeted questions in Echometer, we keep coming up with new insights for our further development in retrospectives and can make these transparent and measurable for all team members.”

Clemens Schöne, Scrum Master at Communardo Products:

• “Echometer is like the combination of Mural and EasyRetro – I am thrilled! With Echometer, remote retros can work much better and even be fun!”

Patrick Böttcher-Exner, management position at Relaxdays GmbH:

• “One major advantage is that Echometer allows us to carry out and track both remote and on-site retrospectives in one tool.”

Carina McLane, Senior Software Developer at Volvo:

• “As a Scrum Master, it’s not about the tools, but this one really makes the work a lot more enjoyable. After two years of experience with Echometer, I can recommend it to anyone who wants to enrich their retrospectives and understand their team better!”

Echometer is the perfect retrospective software tool for busy team managers, team leaders, engineering managers, but also Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches in distributed or hybrid agile teams (“Remote Teams”).

Users particularly appreciate how much time the tool saves for retrospective moderators and how it increases the engagement of participants in the retrospective. Therefore, people who value time savings, retrospective effectiveness and engagement benefit most from the functions of Echometer.

In addition, Echometer offers an easy, playful introduction to retrospectives and is therefore particularly suitable for teams that do not yet have much experience with retrospectives or are just starting out with agile working methods.

An interactive retrospective works best online with a clear process: team members give anonymous feedback, prioritize the most important topics, and document concrete action items. With Echometer, it works like this:

• Easy preparation of retrospectives through templates for retro formats, surveys, and whiteboards
• Intuitive and step-by-step facilitation of retrospectives. Possible both online and on-site. On-site, simply use the QR code so participants can join via their smartphone with the Mobile Companion App.
• Automatic follow-up through export functions and integrated tracking of developments and action items, including a retro archive.

This is what conducting a retrospective looks like in Echometer:

• The retrospective board allows the agile team to start with a fun welcome screen, where it can wait for the rest of the team while playing an interactive game.

• Once all retrospective participants have arrived, continue with an icebreaker question. Echometer has several templates for icebreaker questions, including both open questions and visual whiteboard templates with workshops and small games.
• After the icebreaker, you move to the action tracking screen: here the team reviews the open action items from past retrospectives and decides whether the actions should be kept, closed, or discarded. This step is unique to Echometer and significantly improves the quality of agile teams’ continuous improvement process.
• Then it’s on to the Team Health Check: All team members answer various questions, for example a question about team satisfaction or questions about psychological safety. This type of question increases both engagement in the retrospective, even among introverted team members, and the creation of agile KPIs to track team mood over time.
• Then you continue with the retrospective board, where everyone can leave anonymous feedback on open questions — unless this has already happened beforehand via a survey. There are hundreds of retrospective templates for different retrospectives on the Echometer retro board.
• Feedback is written on the retro board hidden at first, so the participants do not influence one another. The moderator can then reveal the feedback column by column.
• Once the feedback on the retro board has been revealed, presented to the team, and any questions about the feedback have been clarified, you can move on to prioritizing, i.e. voting.
• Voting in Echometer is anonymous. During the voting, you can see how many votes have already been cast and how many are still open.
• For on-site retrospectives, you can also vote via smartphone.
• Once voting is complete, action items can be derived. To do this, you can either create an action item directly for a piece of feedback, or open the feedback on a new whiteboard to analyze the problem in more depth and brainstorm ideas for action items.
• Brainstorming action items on a dedicated whiteboard within the retro is a particular differentiator for Echometer compared with other retrospective tools such as Parabol. In Echometer, you can create a separate whiteboard for each topic within the retro, thus steering the focus of the discussion optimally.
• Finally, Echometer makes it possible to conclude the retrospective by asking the entire team anonymously to rate the ROTI score on a scale of 0 to 10 (i.e. the “Return on Time Invested”): This helps the team, and especially the retrospective moderator, to continuously improve the quality of the retrospectives within the team itself.

Given this unique retrospective process, which is both structured and flexible, combined with the range of features, Echometer is often referred to as the best tool for agile retrospectives.

Which retrospective tools offer integrated moderation features?

Specialized retrospective tools like Echometer offer integrated moderation features so that teams do not just work on a digital whiteboard. These include a guided process, a timer, anonymity settings, a focused agenda step for all participants, as well as features for grouping and prioritizing feedback.

These features make it easier for Scrum Masters and moderators to structure the discussion, involve all team members, and record concrete action items at the end.

You can find a step-by-step guide for conducting the interactive session in the article How do I run a retro?.

Providers of interactive retrospective platforms help teams collect feedback in a structured way, prioritize topics, and track improvements. Unlike general whiteboards, specialized solutions map the typical retrospective workflow directly.

Echometer is such a platform for sprint and team retrospectives. It helps team leaders, Agile Coaches, and Scrum Masters prepare and conduct retrospectives and track results as well as team health over the long term. This includes retrospective templates, anonymous contributions, voting, whiteboards, and integrated action tracking.

You can find more about a specialized platform for online retrospectives on the Page for the online retrospective tool.

Echometer is a software tool for sprint retrospectives that helps team leaders, Agile coaches and scrum masters to easily prepare and conduct agile team retrospectives and to track the results of the retrospectives as well as team health.