Loomio review 2026: open-source group decision-making features, pricing plans, its cooperative origins, and how it differs from Loom and Loomly.
Category
Community Platforms
Pricing
Freemium/Open Source, from $39/month
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2011
Headquarters
Wellington, New Zealand
Web AppFree TrialOpen Source
Overview
Loomio is open-source, purpose-built group decision-making software, built by a worker-owned cooperative in Wellington, New Zealand since 2011, and entirely unrelated to Loom or Loomly despite the similar name.
It grew out of the Occupy Wellington movement and the Enspiral network, whose members needed a tool for fast, inclusive decisions without requiring everyone to meet in person.
Key Features
Loomio organizes conversation into threaded group discussions and lets any member raise a formal proposal with a deadline and response options like agree, abstain, disagree, or block.
The tool visually summarizes proposal outcomes into an auditable decision record, a structure that distinguishes it from generic chat or forum tools.
Pricing
Loomio is released as free, open-source software under the AGPL license and can be self-hosted at no licensing cost.
The cooperative's hosted commercial plans start at $39/month for one group with up to 30 members, scaling to $99/month for up to 3,000 members, with nonprofit discounts available.
Key Features
Threaded group discussions — Conversations are organized by group and subgroup rather than a single flat chat stream.
Formal proposals with response options — Any member can raise a proposal with a deadline and agree, abstain, disagree, or block responses.
Visual decision record — Loomio summarizes how each member responded and the final outcome for a transparent, auditable history.
Open-source and self-hostable — Released under the AGPL license, allowing organizations to run their own instance and control their data.
Data export and ownership — Organizations can export members, discussions, polls, and decisions at any time.
Unlimited subgroups (Pro) — Larger organizations can structure discussions into unlimited subgroups under one account.
Choice of hosting region — Hosted plans offer a choice of USA or Netherlands-based data hosting.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Purpose-built proposal-and-outcome workflow that generic chat tools lack
Open-source with a self-hosting option for full data control
Organization-wide pricing rather than strict per-seat billing
Significant discounts for nonprofits and cooperatives
Built and maintained by a mission-aligned worker-owned cooperative
Cons
Smaller team and ecosystem than venture-backed collaboration tools
Interface is more utilitarian than modern chat-first competitors
Self-hosting the open-source version requires technical setup and maintenance
Limited to 30 members on the entry-level Starter plan
Less brand recognition than mainstream collaboration tools like Slack
Pricing
Starter $39/month ($399/year) Monthly or annual
Pro $99/month ($999/year) Monthly or annual
Private Loomio Custom pricing Annual contract
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Loomio related to Loom or Loomly
No. Loomio, Loom, and Loomly are three completely unrelated products built by different companies; the similar names are coincidental.
Is Loomio free to use
The core software is open source and can be self-hosted for free under the AGPL license. The cooperative's hosted version starts at $39/month for one group with up to 30 members.
Who runs Loomio
Loomio is built and operated by Loomio Cooperative, a worker-owned social enterprise based in Wellington, New Zealand, active since 2011.
What makes Loomio different from Slack for decision-making
Loomio adds a structured proposal feature with deadlines and response options (agree, abstain, disagree, block) and a visual decision record, which general chat tools like Slack do not natively provide.
Does Loomio offer nonprofit pricing
Yes, eligible nonprofits, incorporated societies, volunteer-based, and member-funded organizations receive discounted rates on both Starter and Pro plans.
Can I self-host Loomio
Yes, the open-source version is available on GitHub and can be self-hosted, giving organizations full control over their data and infrastructure.