I built a free, privacy-first workshop planner because the existing tools asked for accounts I didn't need.
Over the past few weeks, I've been tinkering with a little pet project: a workshop and meeting planner called SessionPlan — essentially a free alternative to SessionLab where all the data lives in the URL itself.
What it does:
- 📊 Visual Timeline – Structure your workshop flow on an interactive timeline
- 🖱️ Drag & Drop – Move blocks around with your mouse, and the times adjust automatically
- 🎯 Flexible Organization – Different section types, breakout rooms, and grouping options for complex sessions
- 🔒 Free & Privacy-First – All your data stays local in the URL. No sign-up, no tracking.
I built this mainly because I wanted a simpler tool that just lets me focus on designing the actual session without the overhead. It's still rough around the edges, but it works for what I need.
👉 Try it here: https://sessionplan.de
This pet project follows the same vibe-coded approach I documented in my Simple Gym Tracker App and analyzed in Vibe Coding for Designers: The Real Risk Nobody Talks About. Vibe coding, simply put, is the practice of building software by describing what you want in natural language to an AI assistant and iterating on the result, rather than hand-writing every line of code — a working definition the Wikipedia entry on vibe coding traces back to Andrej Karpathy in early 2025. Building tools for facilitators feels like a natural extension of my passion for facilitating innovation at the Service Design Jam.
If you regularly plan workshops or trainings — or you know someone who does — give it a spin and tell me what's missing.
FAQ
What is a workshop meeting planner?
A workshop meeting planner is a tool that helps facilitators structure the flow of a session — from warm-ups and breakouts to timing and group work — on a single visual timeline. SessionPlan puts that flow on an interactive timeline with drag-and-drop blocks, where the entire schedule lives in the URL so nothing is stored on a server. It is built as a free, privacy-first alternative to paid tools like SessionLab.
What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is the practice of building software by describing what you want in natural language to an AI assistant and iterating on the result, rather than writing every line of code by hand. The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy in early 2025 to describe this new default mode of working with code. It lets designers and other non-engineers ship working prototypes quickly, though the output still needs human judgment to stay usable.
Is SessionLab free?
SessionLab is a paid workshop planning tool, with limited features available behind a sign-up. SessionPlan is a free alternative built on a different principle: the entire workshop plan is stored in the URL itself, so there is no account, no server, and no tracking. You build the agenda, copy the link, and the schedule travels with the URL.
Why would a facilitator use a URL-based planner?
A URL-based planner removes the overhead of accounts, logins, and cloud storage. You build the agenda, copy the link, and the entire schedule travels with the URL — easy to share with co-facilitators, easy to back up, and hard to lose. It also lets the tool stay free and privacy-first, because there is no database to maintain.
How long does it take to vibe-code a tool like SessionPlan?
A working prototype can come together in a weekend, but the polish — drag-and-drop timing, multiple section types, mobile-friendly views, edge cases — usually takes several more iterations. Vibe coding is not a way to skip the design and testing work; it is a way to skip the part where you have to write the code yourself.