Which Myers-Briggs alternative is free?

If you want a free MBTI alternative, try our free team building personality test. It takes about six minutes, needs no sign-up and covers the Big Five, working styles and what drives you. 16Personalities is free too.

Can we use these tests for hiring?

No test should decide who gets hired. Throughline won't rank, score or compare candidates, and that's enforced in the server, not just asked for in a prompt. Where it helps is sharper interviews and a smoother first ninety days. See how it works for hiring teams.

Is 16Personalities the same as the Myers-Briggs?

No. It's a separate free test with similar labels. By its own account it adds a fifth scale and builds on the Big Five rather than Jung's theory.

Do people need to retake a personality test every year?

No. Traits are fairly stable over a few years, so yearly retests mostly measure noise. Retake after a real change, such as a new role, or if a result doesn't feel like you.

What are the best Myers-Briggs alternatives for work teams?

The best Myers-Briggs alternatives for a work team are the Big Five, for measurement you can rely on, and DISC, for a language everyone picks up fast. Add the Enneagram if you want to talk about motivation.

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Last updated 9 October 2026
Written by the Throughline team
Sources listed at the end

What does the Myers-Briggs still do well?

Quite a lot. Almost everyone has heard of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), people remember their four letters, and it gets a room talking.

For a self-reflection workshop with a good facilitator, it still does the job. Any alternative has to beat that familiarity, not just the research.

Why do teams look for an alternative to the MBTI?

Most teams look for an MBTI alternative for two reasons. People can get a different type when they retest, and the results describe one person, not how two colleagues work together.

The research backs this up. McCrae and Costa (1989) found the four MBTI scales do measure something real: they line up with four of the Big Five traits. What they didn’t find was evidence that people fall into two clear groups on each scale, which is what a type assumes.

Pittenger (2005) urged considerable caution, especially when consultants use the MBTI in business. The short version: the scales hold up better than the types.

What are the best alternatives?

Five are worth a look: the Big Five, DISC, the Enneagram, CliftonStrengths and 16Personalities. Here’s what each is good for, and where it falls short.

1 of 5

The Big Five

The Big Five scores five traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. It’s the most researched model in personality psychology. More on the Big Five at work.

What it measures: Five traits, each as a score.
Best for: Measurement you can rely on over time.
The honest limit: Five scores are harder to remember than four letters.
Free or paid to try: Varies by publisher. Our free test includes it.

Openness
Practical, concrete, proven methods
Curious, abstract, drawn to the new
Predicts appetite for change, not capability.
Conscientiousness
Flexible, spontaneous, comfortable improvising
Organised, planned, finishes what it starts
The one factor with a consistent link to job performance — and very high is its own risk.
Extraversion
Reflective, reserved, thinks before speaking
Outgoing, energised by people, thinks aloud
Predicts how someone recharges, not how much they contribute.
Agreeableness
Direct, sceptical, surfaces problems early
Warm, cooperative, builds trust quickly
High builds trust and struggles to deliver hard news. Low does the opposite.
Neuroticism
Even, unshaken, steady under load
Reactive, alert to risk, feels it first
Describes emotional reactivity. It is not a clinical measure and we never read it as one.

2 of 5

DISC

DISC describes how people behave at work, across four styles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. Lots of publishers sell their own version, so it’s a family of tests rather than one. See the four working styles or DISC vs MBTI.

What it measures: Behaviour at work: pace, directness, people and detail.
Best for: A shared language a team will actually use.
The honest limit: Quality varies by publisher, and a single letter hides most of the detail.
Free or paid to try: Varies by publisher.

Ddecisive minds

They drive momentum and focus on results.

Ianimated minds

They energise people and spark new ideas.

Ssteady minds

They build trust and support the team.

Cconsidered minds

They analyse deeply and reduce risk.

3 of 5

The Enneagram

The Enneagram has nine types, each built around what someone wants and what they avoid. It works best as a way into conversations about why people work the way they do. More on the Enneagram at work.

What it measures: Motivation.
Best for: Talking about the why behind behaviour.
The honest limit: It's self-reported, and different questionnaires can give different types.
Free or paid to try: Varies by publisher.

Tap any number — the card updates.

The Peacemaker

Steady · inclusive · Body centre

Sees every side, absorbs the friction, holds the room together.

Moving toward: To keep the peace — around you and inside you
Steering around: Conflict, pressure and disconnection

Under pressure → The LoyalistAt your best → The Achiever

The circle splits into three neighbourhoods: body types (8·9·1) lead with instinct, heart types (2·3·4) with feeling, head types (5·6·7) with thinking. Neighbours share a family resemblance.

4 of 5

CliftonStrengths

CliftonStrengths is Gallup’s assessment of talents. It ranks 34 themes for each person, from the ones they use most to the ones they use least.

What it measures: Talents.
Best for: Development that starts from what people do well.
The honest limit: It focuses on strengths, so it says less about where two people clash.
Free or paid to try: Paid, through Gallup.

5 of 5

16Personalities

16Personalities is a free online test with four-letter types that look like the Myers-Briggs. It isn’t the MBTI, though: by its own account it adds a fifth scale and builds on the Big Five. Throughline vs 16Personalities.

What it measures: Five scales, shown as a type.
Best for: A quick first look, for one person.
The honest limit: It still gives you a type, so results near the middle can flip. It doesn't cover pairs.
Free or paid to try: Free, with paid reports.

How do the alternatives compare?

The biggest difference is what each one describes: traits, behaviour, motivation or talents. 16Personalities looks like the MBTI but is built on the Big Five.

The Myers-Briggs and five alternatives compared
Model	What it measures	Output	Research base	Best for	Free to try
MBTI	Preferences, from Jung's types	One of 16 types	Scales hold up better than the types	Self-reflection workshops	Paid
Big Five	Five traits	Five scores	The most researched model	Reliable measurement	Varies by publisher
DISC	Behaviour at work	Four styles, as a letter or scores	Varies by publisher	Day-to-day team language	Varies by publisher
Enneagram	Motivation	One of nine types, or nine scores	Best as a reflection lens	Conversations about why	Varies by publisher
CliftonStrengths	Talents	34 themes, ranked	Gallup's own research	Strengths-based development	Paid
16Personalities	Five scales	One of 16 types	Not published	A quick first look	Yes

“Free to try” means you can take a version without paying.

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Free, no sign-up. Then bring your team in, free for five people.

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How do you choose a personality test for a team?

To choose a personality test for a team, start with what the result is for. Then ask these four questions.

1
What will we use it for?
A team language, a development programme and help with a tricky conversation need different tools.
2
Can people see their own result first?
People trust a test more when they see their result before anyone else, and choose what to share.
3
Does it describe pairs, or only individuals?
Most friction happens between two people. A one-person report can't explain it.
4
What will the vendor refuse to do?
Ask whether it will rank people or score candidates. The answer tells you how results will be used.

We built Throughline around those questions. It combines the Big Five, working styles in the DISC tradition and the Enneagram, and everyone sees their own results before anything is shared.

The profiles live inside Claude, ChatGPT and any MCP client, so advice about a colleague is about that specific person. If you only want a one-off workshop, it’s probably more than you need. See how it works.

Questions people ask about Myers-Briggs alternatives.

For measurement, yes. The Big Five has more research behind it and keeps each trait as a score, so results don't flip between types. The Myers-Briggs is still good for self-reflection.

See every question, answered

Sources

Try the alternative on your own team.

Twenty minutes on a demo team. Bring the trickiest working relationship you manage and see what a measured profile says about it.

Or take the free test first

Tell us what you’re working on.

What are the best Myers-Briggs alternatives for work teams?

What does the Myers-Briggs still do well?

Why do teams look for an alternative to the MBTI?

What are the best alternatives?

The Big Five

Openness

Conscientiousness

Extraversion

Agreeableness

Neuroticism