Peerdom vs Rolebase: Which Role-Based Platform Fits Your Organization?

If your organization is exploring role-based governance, whether through holacracy, sociocracy, agile team structures, or a custom model, you have likely come across both Peerdom and Rolebase in your search for the right platform. Both tools help teams define roles, visualize structure, and practice distributed authority. But they differ meaningfully in scope, maturity, integrations, and organizational philosophy.

This comparison is written to help you make a well-informed choice. Peerdom is our product, so we are naturally biased. But a useful comparison requires honesty, and we will be straightforward about where each platform excels and where it falls short.

What Is Rolebase?

Rolebase describes itself as an “online headquarter for liberated companies.” It is built by Lonestone, a French software agency, and founded by Godefroy de Compreignac, Pierrick Bignet, and Ronan Letellier. The platform is open source under the MIT license, with its codebase publicly available on GitHub.

Rolebase focuses on governance for self-managed organizations. Its core features include a dynamic org chart, role-based task assignment, meeting coordination with agenda templates, and a Topics feature for announcements, debates, and decisions. It supports calendar integration through iCal and offers a bilingual interface in English and French.

Rolebase’s governance model leans toward holacracy and Sociocracy 3.0, though it can accommodate other distributed governance approaches. The platform is built with React, TypeScript, Node.js, and PostgreSQL, and can be self-hosted via Docker.

What Is Peerdom?

Peerdom is a framework-agnostic organizational management platform. It does not prescribe any governance methodology. Whether your organization practices holacracy, sociocracy, agile team structures, a traditional hierarchy, or, as most organizations do in practice, a hybrid of several models, Peerdom maps what you actually have and helps you evolve it at your own pace.

Peerdom offers 11 modular apps that extend the organizational map into a working operating system: Goals, Projects, Elections, Feedback, Insights, Directory, Journal, Drafts, Network, Pages, and Contribution. The platform serves over 250 clients across 18 countries, including organizations like Bayer, Lufthansa, Greenpeace, MSF, and ETH Zurich, and scales from teams of 3 to enterprises with 30,000 people.

For a broader look at how Peerdom fits into the self-management software landscape, see the self-management software guide.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	Rolebase	Peerdom
Primary purpose	Governance platform for liberated companies	Framework-agnostic organizational management platform
Governance model	Holacracy and Sociocracy 3.0 focused	Any model: holacracy, sociocracy, agile, hierarchy, hybrid
Org visualization	Dynamic org chart	Dynamic maps with circle, tree, and list views
Role management	Roles with task assignment	Roles with purpose, accountabilities, domains, plus custom fields
Meeting management	Built-in meeting coordination with templates	Not built-in; integrates with dedicated meeting tools
Task management	Role-based task assignment	Projects app for portfolio-level tracking by role and team
Communication features	Topics (announcements, debates, decisions)	Integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams
Goal tracking	None	Goals app: OKR, KPI, SMART, and custom frameworks
Change management	Limited	Journal with full audit trail and diffs, Drafts for modeling future states
Apps ecosystem	Single integrated platform	11 modular apps you can enable or disable
API and integrations	API, iCal calendar sync	GraphQL API, webhooks, Zapier, Pipedream, n8n, MCP, SSO
Open source	Yes (MIT license, self-hostable)	No (SaaS platform)
Languages	English and French	English, German, French
Data hosting	Self-hostable or cloud	Swiss-hosted, GDPR compliant
Pricing	Free (5 users), Startup at 5 EUR/user/mo	Free (10 users), Peerdom+ at CHF 5/user/mo
Scale	Best suited for small-to-medium teams	3 to 30,000 people across 250+ organizations

The table highlights the fundamental difference: Rolebase is a focused governance tool built primarily for holacratic and sociocratic organizations. Peerdom is a broader organizational management platform designed to work with any governance model and scale to enterprise complexity.

Where Rolebase Excels

Open source and self-hostable

This is Rolebase’s strongest differentiator, and it deserves genuine recognition. The entire codebase is available on GitHub under the MIT license. Organizations that need full control over their software, for security, compliance, or philosophical reasons, can fork the repository, host it on their own infrastructure, and modify it to fit their needs. For organizations with strong opinions about software sovereignty, this is a meaningful advantage that Peerdom does not offer.

Self-hosting also means your data never leaves your servers. For organizations in highly regulated industries or those with strict data residency requirements that go beyond even Swiss hosting, running Rolebase on your own infrastructure provides maximum control.

Built-in meeting coordination

Rolebase includes meeting facilitation directly in the platform, with agenda templates designed for governance meetings. If your organization runs regular governance or tactical meetings and wants the meeting workflow integrated with your role and circle structure, Rolebase provides that in a single tool. This is a feature Peerdom deliberately does not include, preferring to integrate with dedicated meeting tools rather than build its own.

Built-in task management

Rolebase connects task assignment directly to roles, allowing teams to manage work within the same interface where they manage governance. For small teams that want to minimize the number of tools in their stack, having tasks and governance in one place reduces context-switching.

Topics for asynchronous governance

The Topics feature, supporting announcements, debates, and decisions, gives teams a structured space for asynchronous governance conversations. This is particularly valuable for distributed teams that cannot always meet synchronously and need a way to progress governance decisions without scheduling a meeting.

European data privacy

Built by a French team, Rolebase is designed with European data privacy norms in mind. Combined with self-hosting options, it provides a clear path to GDPR compliance that organizations control entirely.

Lower barrier for small teams

Rolebase’s free tier supports up to 5 active members, and its Startup plan at 5 EUR per user per month keeps costs accessible for small organizations experimenting with self-management. The focused feature set also means less to learn, and teams can be productive quickly without navigating a large platform.

Where Peerdom Excels

Framework-agnostic by design

This is the most consequential difference between the two platforms. Rolebase was built for holacracy and Sociocracy 3.0. Peerdom was built to work with any governance model, and more importantly, with the messy reality of how most organizations actually operate.

In practice, very few organizations adopt a single governance framework uniformly. One department might run sociocratic circles. Another uses agile squad structures or the Spotify model. A third follows Peach model principles with value creation at the periphery. A fourth maintains a conventional reporting hierarchy. The organization as a whole is a hybrid, and it evolves over time. Peerdom is designed for exactly this reality. You can map a traditional hierarchy today, introduce role-based governance in one circle, and expand from there. The tool does not require you to commit to a methodology before you start.

For a practical walkthrough of this transition, see how to implement role-based governance.

“A user-friendly tool that helped us make our organizational model tangible. Our 100+ Loycomates got used to it in only a few days.” — Christophe Barman, Loyco

Enterprise scale and maturity

Peerdom serves over 250 organizations across 18 countries, ranging from startups to enterprises with tens of thousands of employees. Clients include Bayer, Lufthansa, Greenpeace, MSF, and ETH Zurich. This breadth is not just a sales metric; it reflects years of hardening the platform for diverse organizational structures, compliance requirements, and scale challenges.

Rolebase is a newer and smaller platform. Its GitHub repository shows steady development, but the user base and organizational diversity are not yet comparable. For organizations that need a proven platform with enterprise-grade reliability, Peerdom’s track record provides assurance.

11 modular apps

Rolebase is a governance tool. Peerdom is an organizational management platform with 11 apps that extend the map into daily operations:

• Goals: track OKRs, KPIs, SMART goals, and custom frameworks directly on the map
• Projects: assign projects to roles and teams with visible ownership
• Elections: run consent-based elections with multiple election methods
• Feedback: collect and provide feedback in organizational context
• Insights: analytics on role distribution, workload, and organizational health
• Directory: a searchable people directory connected to the structure
• Journal: a full audit trail of every structural change with red/green diffs
• Drafts: model and review structural changes before publishing
• Network: visualize relationships and connections across the organization
• Pages: attach documentation to any part of the structure
• Contribution: track individual contributions across roles

Each app is modular. You enable only what you need and disable the rest. This means a small team can start with the core map and roles, then gradually add Goals, Elections, or Feedback as their governance maturity grows. Explore the full set on the apps page.

Comprehensive integration ecosystem

Peerdom connects to the tools your organization already uses: a full GraphQL API, webhooks, Zapier, Pipedream, n8n connectors, MCP integration for AI workflows, and SSO through Microsoft Entra, Google Workspace, and Okta. This integration breadth means Peerdom fits into an existing technology stack rather than requiring you to replace parts of it.

Rolebase currently offers an API and iCal calendar sync, but does not yet support integrations with platforms like Slack, Zapier, or major SSO providers. For organizations that depend on a connected tool ecosystem, this is a practical limitation.

Visual mapping as a first-class feature

Peerdom’s organizational map is its primary interface, interactive, zoomable, and navigable through circle views (nested governance structures), tree views (hierarchical perspective), and list views (flat, searchable). The difference between a dynamic org chart and a static one is the difference between a map you use every day and a diagram you created once. Rolebase offers a dynamic org chart, but Peerdom’s multi-view mapping engine provides richer navigation for complex structures.

“Peerdom perfectly meets our needs: lightweight and very easy to use.” — Bernard DuPasquier, Bread for All / HEKS

Change management built in

Peerdom’s Journal tracks every organizational change, who modified what, when, and why, with detailed red/green diffs. The Drafts app lets you model future structures, share them for collaborative review, and publish changes when ready. This is organizational change management embedded in the platform, not bolted on afterward. For organizations undergoing transformation, this capability is essential.

Data sovereignty and compliance

All Peerdom data is hosted in Swiss data centers and is fully GDPR compliant. Switzerland’s data protection standards are among the strongest globally. For organizations in regulated industries or with strict compliance requirements, Swiss hosting provides a high-trust baseline. Rolebase’s self-hosting option provides an alternative path to data control, but requires the organization to manage its own infrastructure, security, and compliance.

AI readiness

Peerdom’s GraphQL API and role model are designed to be accessible to AI agents. Organizations can assign AI agents as role holders within their governance structure, enabling human-AI collaboration with clear accountability. This is not a theoretical roadmap item; it is a working capability. Rolebase does not currently offer AI-specific features or integrations.

Pricing transparency at scale

Both platforms offer competitive per-user pricing at the entry level. But as organizations grow, the difference in included functionality matters. Peerdom’s CHF 5 per user per month includes access to all 11 apps, the full integration ecosystem, SSO, and enterprise-grade hosting. With Rolebase, the core governance features are included, but the platform does not yet offer comparable breadth in goal tracking, analytics, change management, or integrations. See the pricing page for Peerdom’s full details.

Which Platform Fits Your Organization?

The right choice depends on your specific situation: your governance model, your size, your existing tool stack, and where you are in your organizational journey.

Choose Rolebase if:

• Your organization follows holacracy or Sociocracy 3.0 and wants a tool built specifically for those frameworks.
• You need or strongly prefer open-source software that you can self-host and modify.
• Built-in meeting facilitation and task management are important to you, and you want them in the same tool as your governance structure.
• You are a small team (under 50 people) that values simplicity and wants to minimize the number of tools in your stack.
• You want full control over your data by hosting the platform on your own infrastructure.
• You are comfortable with a smaller ecosystem and fewer third-party integrations.

Choose Peerdom if:

• Your organization uses a hybrid governance model, combining elements of holacracy, flat structures, matrix organizations, or Teal principles, or plans to evolve its model over time, and you need a platform that adapts to any framework.
• Visual organizational mapping with multiple views is important for navigation, onboarding, and day-to-day clarity.
• You need a modular platform where you enable only the apps you need: goals, elections, feedback, insights, and more.
• You already use Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, or other collaboration tools and want your governance platform to integrate with them.
• You need a comprehensive audit trail of organizational changes with detailed diffs and the ability to model future states.
• Enterprise-grade reliability, proven at scale (250+ organizations, up to 30,000 people), is a requirement.
• Data sovereignty with Swiss hosting and SSO are prerequisites.
• AI readiness and the ability to represent AI agents within your governance structure matters to your roadmap.

“Without Peerdom it would be unthinkable to forward our organisation’s development!” — Regina Meier, Greenpeace

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Peerdom support holacracy even though it is not holacracy-specific?

Yes. Peerdom fully supports holacratic structures: circles, roles with purpose and accountabilities, lead links, rep links, and governance processes. Many organizations run holacracy on Peerdom. The difference is that Peerdom also supports other models, so if your organization evolves beyond strict holacracy or practices it alongside other frameworks, the platform does not become a constraint.

Is Rolebase truly free and open source?

Yes. Rolebase is released under the MIT license, and the full source code is available on GitHub. You can self-host it at no cost. The hosted version offers a free tier for up to 5 active members, with paid plans starting at 5 EUR per user per month for larger teams. The open-source nature is a genuine strength for organizations that value software transparency and control.

Does Peerdom have built-in meeting management like Rolebase?

No. Peerdom does not include built-in meeting facilitation. The reasoning is that most organizations already use a preferred tool for meetings (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet) and adding another meeting interface creates friction rather than reducing it. Governance decisions and outcomes can be recorded in Peerdom’s Journal, keeping the audit trail intact regardless of where the meeting takes place.

How do the two platforms compare on integrations?

Peerdom offers a significantly broader integration ecosystem: GraphQL API, webhooks, Zapier, Pipedream, n8n, MCP for AI workflows, and SSO through Microsoft Entra, Google Workspace, and Okta. Rolebase currently provides an API and iCal calendar sync. For organizations that rely on connecting multiple tools, Peerdom’s integration breadth is a practical advantage.

Which platform is better for a small team just starting with self-management?

Both platforms serve small teams well, though they do so differently. Rolebase offers a simpler, more focused feature set that may feel less overwhelming for teams new to role-based governance, especially if they are following holacracy or sociocracy. Peerdom is free for up to 10 users and offers a broader set of capabilities through its modular apps, which you can enable gradually as your governance maturity grows. If you are unsure which framework to follow, or want the flexibility to experiment, Peerdom’s framework-agnostic approach avoids locking you into a specific methodology.

Can I migrate from Rolebase to Peerdom?

Yes. Peerdom’s GraphQL API supports data import, and our customer success team can assist with migration. Roles, circles, and organizational structure from Rolebase can be mapped into Peerdom’s model. If you are considering a switch, book a demo and we will walk through the process.

Which platform handles enterprise requirements better?

Peerdom is the more mature enterprise platform. It serves organizations with up to 30,000 people, offers Swiss hosting with GDPR compliance, supports SSO through major identity providers, and provides 11 apps covering goals, elections, feedback, analytics, and more. Rolebase is well-suited for smaller organizations and teams that prioritize open-source flexibility, but it does not yet offer the same depth of enterprise features or proven large-scale deployments.

Is Peerdom open source?

No. Peerdom is a proprietary SaaS platform. This means you cannot self-host it or modify the source code. In return, you get a managed service with guaranteed uptime, automatic updates, professional support, enterprise-grade security, and a platform that has been refined across 250+ client deployments. The trade-off between open-source control and managed-service reliability is a genuine choice, and the right answer depends on what your organization values more.

Ready to Map Your Organization?

If you are evaluating role-based governance platforms, the most useful next step is to try them.

• Start mapping for free: Build your organizational map and explore the apps ecosystem. Free for up to 10 users, no credit card required.
• Book a demo: Walk through your specific governance needs with our team and see how Peerdom handles your use case.

For more context on choosing and implementing role-based governance tools, see our guide to implementing role-based governance and the self-management software guide.

We believe the best comparisons happen when you use the product yourself. No feature table replaces the experience of mapping your own organization and seeing whether the tool fits how you actually work.