Rallly — Open Source Meeting Scheduling & Polling Tool

What Rallly Does

Rallly simplifies group scheduling:

• Scheduling Polls: Create a poll with proposed dates/times, share a link, and let participants vote
• No Sign-up Required: Participants can vote without creating an account — just enter their name
• Time Zone Support: Automatic time zone detection and conversion for international groups
• Comments: Participants can leave comments to explain their availability or preferences
• Notifications: Email notifications when participants respond or when a final time is selected
• Finalize & Notify: Lock in the chosen time and automatically notify all participants
• Guest Mode: Create polls without an account for quick, one-off scheduling

Architecture

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│  Next.js     │────▶│  tRPC API    │────▶│  PostgreSQL  │
│  (T3 Stack)  │     │  (Prisma)    │     │  (Database)  │
└──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘

Tech stack:

• Frontend: Next.js 14 + React + Tailwind CSS
• API: tRPC for type-safe API calls
• Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
• Auth: NextAuth.js with email magic links
• Email: React Email templates via Nodemailer
• i18n: Support for 30+ languages via i18next

Self-Hosting

Docker Compose

services:
  rallly:
    image: lukevella/rallly:latest
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://rallly:rallly@db:5432/rallly
      SECRET_PASSWORD: your-secret-password-min-32-chars
      NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL: http://localhost:3000
      NOREPLY_EMAIL: noreply@yourdomain.com
      SMTP_HOST: smtp.yourdomain.com
      SMTP_PORT: 587
      SMTP_USER: your-smtp-user
      SMTP_PWD: your-smtp-password
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: rallly
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: rallly
      POSTGRES_DB: rallly
    volumes:
      - pg-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  pg-data:

How It Works

1. Create a Poll

The organizer creates a poll with:

• Title and description
• Proposed date/time options
• Optional: location, deadline for responses

2. Share the Link

Share the poll URL with participants via email, Slack, or any messaging app. No app installation or account creation needed.

3. Participants Vote

Each participant:

• Selects their availability for each proposed time (Yes / If need be / No)
• Optionally leaves a comment
• Can update their response later

4. Find the Best Time

The organizer sees a summary grid showing everyone's availability:

              Mon 15   Tue 16   Wed 17
Alice          ✅        ✅        ❌
Bob            ✅        ❓        ✅
Carol          ❌        ✅        ✅
─────────────────────────────────────
Best:          2/3      2.5/3    2/3

5. Finalize

Lock in the chosen date and all participants receive a notification with the final details.

Key Features

Multi-Language Support

Rallly supports 30+ languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, and more — making it accessible for international teams.

Mobile-Friendly

The responsive design works perfectly on phones and tablets. Participants can vote from any device without installing an app.

Privacy-Focused

• No tracking or analytics on participant activity
• No ads or upsells
• Self-hosted = complete data ownership
• Participant data is never shared with third parties

Rallly vs Alternatives

FAQ

Q: How is Rallly different from Calendly? A: Rallly is poll-based scheduling (group picks the best time); Calendly is appointment-based scheduling (your open slots for others to book). Use Rallly for team meetings and Calendly for client bookings.

Q: Do I need to configure an email server? A: SMTP is recommended to enable email notifications. It works without it, but participants won't receive email reminders and must access the poll via the link.

Q: Does it integrate with calendars? A: It supports exporting finalized events as .ics files for import into Google Calendar, Outlook, etc. Direct calendar API integration is on the roadmap.