If you've searched for free Doodle alternatives, Framadate probably came up near the top of the list. It's the most popular open-source scheduling poll tool, built by the French nonprofit Framasoft, and it's been a go-to recommendation on sites like AlternativeTo for years.
SyncWhen comes from a different direction — an indie-built tool focused on speed, simplicity, and real-time results. Both are free, both are ad-free, and both respect user privacy. But they differ in approach and experience.
What Is Framadate?
Framadate is an open-source online service for planning appointments or making decisions. It's part of the Framasoft ecosystem — a collection of free, ethical tools built as alternatives to big tech platforms.
You create a poll by choosing dates or custom options, share a link, and participants vote. No account is required. The project is hosted at framadate.org and the code is available on Framasoft's Git repository.
What Is SyncWhen?
SyncWhen is a scheduling poll tool built for finding the best meeting time. You pick dates or time slots, share a link, and participants vote yes/maybe/no. Results update in real time, and the best time is highlighted automatically. No signup needed for anyone.
Comparison
| Feature | Framadate | SyncWhen |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | Yes (CeCILL-B) | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Signup required | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Voting options | Yes / If need be / No | Yes / Maybe / No |
| Real-time results | No | Yes (WebSocket) |
| Mobile experience | Basic | Excellent (mobile-first) |
| Date-only mode | Yes | Yes |
| Date+time mode | Yes | Yes |
| Auto best-time | No | Yes (scored + highlighted) |
| Poll expiration | 180 days + 60 day extension | No expiration |
| Admin link | Yes | Yes |
| Custom text polls | Yes | No (scheduling only) |
| Interface language | Multiple (French-first) | English |
| Price | Free | Free |
Where Framadate Excels
Open source and self-hostable. If your organization requires full control over data, Framadate can be deployed on your own server. This is important for universities, government agencies, and companies with strict compliance requirements.
Privacy by design. Framadate is built by a nonprofit whose mission is ethical technology. No tracking, no analytics, no data collection. This isn't just a feature — it's the core purpose.
Multi-language support. Framadate supports many languages out of the box, including smaller ones. The interface defaults to French but is available in English, German, Spanish, and more.
Custom text polls. Beyond scheduling, Framadate lets you create general decision polls with custom text options. "Where should we have dinner?" or "Which logo do you prefer?" — Framadate handles both. SyncWhen is focused purely on time-finding.
Established reputation. Framadate has been around since 2011 and is widely recommended in open-source and privacy communities. It's a trusted name.
Where SyncWhen Excels
Real-time results. This is the biggest practical difference. SyncWhen uses WebSocket connections to update results instantly as people vote. With Framadate, you need to refresh the page to see new votes. When you're coordinating in a group chat and watching votes come in, real-time makes a noticeable difference.
Mobile-first design. Framadate works on mobile, but it wasn't designed for it. The table-based interface can be hard to navigate on phone screens, especially with many time options. SyncWhen was built mobile-first with large tap targets and a responsive layout.
Automatic best-time scoring. SyncWhen scores each time slot (yes=2, maybe=1, no=0) and highlights the winner with a "Best" badge. With Framadate, you look at the results and manually determine which option has the most support. For small polls this is fine, but with 8+ options and 10+ participants, automatic scoring saves real effort.
Simpler interface. SyncWhen has fewer features than Framadate, and that's intentional. The creation flow is a single page with minimal steps. The voting interface is three taps per option. There's less to learn and less to go wrong.
No expiration. Framadate polls expire after 180 days (with a 60-day extension window). SyncWhen polls don't expire — they stay accessible until you delete them via the admin link.
When to Choose Framadate
- You need to self-host the tool on your own server
- Your organization requires open-source software
- You want to create non-scheduling polls (text options)
- You need multi-language support beyond English
- You're in an academic or government environment with specific software policies
When to Choose SyncWhen
- You want the fastest creation experience (30 seconds)
- Real-time results matter (watching votes come in)
- Participants will primarily vote on their phones
- You want automatic best-time detection
- English is the primary language
- You don't need self-hosting or open-source
For more open-source options, see our post on 5 open-source scheduling tools.
Can You Use Both?
Absolutely. Some organizations use Framadate for internal polls (where open-source compliance matters) and SyncWhen for external coordination (where ease of use and mobile experience matter most). They're not competing — they serve slightly different audiences.
Try SyncWhen
If simplicity, speed, and real-time results are your priorities, give SyncWhen a try. Create a scheduling poll in 30 seconds, share the link, and see results update live as people vote. Free, ad-free, no signup needed.