Loomio overview

Loomio is a software solution designed for collaborative decision-making processes. It’s ideal for board members or working groups aiming to stay connected and have meaningful and compelling discussions. 

Loomio Cooperative Limited was founded in New Zealand in 2012 by a small group of developers. Since then, the Loomio crew has grown, and the service is now available in 30 countries. It has a great community of over 15,000 monthly users who have completed over 120,000 business deals working on different projects.

Here’s what your team or a governance board can use Loomio for: 

  • Staying in touch. No email chaos and forgotten meetings. Loomio helps bring people together and keeps them engaged in collaborative work. 
  • Cooperating effectively. This isn’t about mere information sharing. Loomio enables teams to interact, share views, and debate ideas. This greatly enhances decision-making. 
  • Keeping records. Have a detailed and searchable discussion history, decisions, polls, and votes. Access them any time for audit and analysis. 

A variety of collaborative organizations can benefit from Loomio’s great tools. Among them are legal, finance, healthcare, and education institutions, just to name a few. Additionally, the software is ideal for both small businesses and big enterprises alike. 

Loomio’s best features

Loomio offers a bunch of tools for formal discussions and collaborative decision-making. Here’s what Loomio customers love the most: 

  1. Working groups. Users like Loomio groups because they provide role clarity. Thus, you can easily find those responsible for a specific task and get personal support. It simplifies the processes and helps move the work forward.
  2. Discussion threads. A thread is a safe place for a group to exchange opinions and discuss everything related to a topic. One of Loomio’s customers reported how effortless it is for their remote member review panel to stay connected. 
  3. Proposals. Users also like how easy it is to make proposals and receive feedback. Just indicate the proposition, attach documents, and set a deadline for responses. Everyone involved immediately gets a notification about your proposal. 
  4. Polls. There’s a very convenient polling tool that board members use for accelerating decision-making processes. For example, it’s perfect for identifying the best time to hold a meeting. Team leaders can invite team members, set reminders and deadlines, and receive confirmations. Anonymous voting is also an available feature.

Main Loomio advantages

Businesses and organizations that use the Loomio software for collaborative decisions note the following benefits:

  • Free trial. Create a group, invite people, and enjoy smooth decision-making for seven days. 
  • Affordable pricing. Pay $25/month for one group of 100 users or $149/month for 10 groups and 2000 users. The cost for volunteer groups with no paid staff is $10/month.
  • Private server. Get unlimited groups, custom branding, and priority support. This option is designed specifically for a large organization. 
  • Integration. Integrate the software with chat and video call tools like Slack, Discord, or Microsoft Teams.
  • Voting tool. It’s critical for many companies to vote digitally and make decisions on key questions like expenses, investments, funding, and board appointments. 
  • Community. There are active Loomio customers who have already used and customized the tools. Some newcomers find it very helpful as they have someone to turn to answer questions.  
  • Great support. In addition to a large Loomio community, there’s a team of experts ready to help set up your business accounts to ensure that users are implementing the software successfully for organizational development and growth. 
  • Transparency. Participate in conversations, vote, develop policy, reach a consensus, and achieve clear outcomes with transparency and trust. 

Main Loomio disadvantages

On the other hand, according to user reviews and feedback, there are a few things that Loomio may want to take into consideration to improve their service:

  • No alternative proposals. Some customers say the inability to put up multiple alternative proposals at the same time is challenging. Sometimes it’s necessary to discuss other possible options for proper decision-making.
  • No mobile or desktop-class features. Business owners claim their organizations could work more effectively if Loomio offered desktop and mobile versions. 
  • Problematic signing in. Another drawback clients found is the necessity to sign in every time they come back and want to access the service. 
  • No intuitive interface. It requires time to get used to Loomio and start taking advantage of it. It’s especially challenging for less tech-savvy clients.