# A Miro alternative for design sprints

If you are looking beyond Miro for design sprints, there are two kinds of alternative. One is another whiteboard, such as Mural or FigJam, which keeps the open canvas and changes the toolset. The other is a guided sprint room such as AppSprint, which replaces the canvas with fixed, timed steps, anonymous ideas, private voting, built-in video and an AI builder that turns ideas into working prototypes. Teams with a confident facilitator and a wider need for whiteboarding should stay on Miro.

## Why people look past a whiteboard for sprints

A whiteboard template gives you the layout of a sprint. It does not run the sprint. On any open canvas, someone still has to prepare the board, explain each exercise, keep time, set up each vote and turn the winning sketches into something testable. With an experienced facilitator that freedom is a strength. People who go looking for something else usually want three things.

- **Structure.** A set order of steps with the timing built in, so the group always knows what comes next
- **Less facilitation overhead.** No board to prepare, and nobody running the tools instead of taking part
- **A prototype at the end.** Something people can click and testers can react to, not a wall of sticky notes that still needs building

## The options, by kind

| Option | What it is | Consider it when |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stay on Miro | A general-purpose visual canvas with design sprint templates. Private mode, voting and the timer are listed on paid plans, and Miro describes an AI prototype generator that makes interactive mockups on the canvas | You have a facilitator, or you need the canvas for much more than sprints |
| Mural | A visual collaboration canvas with a facilitation emphasis. Its pricing page lists the timer, anonymous voting and private mode on every plan, including Free. See [AppSprint vs Mural](https://appsprint.team/compare/appsprint-vs-mural) | You like the whiteboard approach and want facilitator controls and an official design sprint template |
| FigJam | The online whiteboard inside Figma, with 300+ templates, voting sessions with hidden choices, a timer, and audio and live chat. See [AppSprint vs FigJam](https://appsprint.team/compare/appsprint-vs-figjam) | Your designers live in Figma and you want the workshop next to the design files |
| AppSprint | A guided sprint room, not a whiteboard: fixed templates, anonymous notes, private votes, built-in video, AI-built prototypes and tester feedback forms | Nobody wants to facilitate, and the session has to end with a decision and a working prototype |

## What changes when you move from a canvas to a guided room

- The agenda comes from the template. AppSprint offers five, including a [One-Hour Sprint](https://appsprint.team/templates/one-hour-sprint), a half-day [Focused Product Sprint](https://appsprint.team/templates/focused-product-sprint) and a one-day [Full Product Sprint](https://appsprint.team/templates/full-product-sprint). Steps cannot be added or removed mid-session
- The host advances the room and controls the timer. An optional [Sprint Coach](https://appsprint.team/features/sprint-coach) explains each step with recorded voice guidance
- The prototype gets built inside the session. Each person describes an idea and the [AI builder](https://appsprint.team/features/build-prototypes-with-ai) returns a clickable single-file HTML prototype. The team reviews the options without names, votes in private, and the decision-maker confirms the choice
- There is no board to keep afterwards. You leave with a prototype, a session summary link and, in the longer sprints, a Markdown build brief (PRD)
- [Pricing](https://appsprint.team/pricing) is not per person. It is free with unlimited teammates, and the host pays for AI credits

## Who should stay on Miro

- Teams with an experienced facilitator who wants to adapt the agenda as the session unfolds
- Teams running the classic multi-day format. AppSprint's formats run about an hour, half a day or one day
- Large workshops. AppSprint's calls work best with about four cameras on
- Teams that need diagrams, maps and research boards to live alongside the sprint
- Teams that depend on integrations with other tools. AppSprint has none today

## Questions and answers

**What is a good Miro alternative for running a design sprint?**

It depends on what you want to change. If you want a different whiteboard, Mural and FigJam both offer templates, voting and a timer. If you want to stop facilitating by hand, a guided room such as AppSprint runs the steps, the timing and the votes for you and ends with a working prototype.

**Is AppSprint a whiteboard like Miro?**

No. AppSprint has no open canvas. It is a guided session with a fixed sequence of steps, so it suits one job, a product or design sprint, and does not replace Miro for diagramming or open brainstorming. For a side-by-side view, see [AppSprint vs Miro](https://appsprint.team/compare/appsprint-vs-miro).

**Can I run a design sprint without a facilitator?**

You still need a host to move the room forward, but they do not need facilitation training. In AppSprint the template sets the order and timing, and votes are built into the steps. See [how to run a remote design sprint](https://appsprint.team/guides/how-to-run-a-remote-design-sprint).

[Try a One-Hour Sprint](https://appsprint.team/t/one-hour-prototype-sprint)

## Related

- [AppSprint vs Miro for design sprints](https://appsprint.team/compare/appsprint-vs-miro)
- [AppSprint vs Mural for design sprints](https://appsprint.team/compare/appsprint-vs-mural)
- [AppSprint vs FigJam for design sprints](https://appsprint.team/compare/appsprint-vs-figjam)
- [Run a remote design sprint](https://appsprint.team/use-cases/remote-design-sprint)

Source: https://appsprint.team/alternatives/miro-alternative-for-design-sprints (last updated 2026-09-17)