How I built a free 360 feedback tool with Django + React

#django #react #webdev #buildinpublic

I've been building HR tools for a while and kept running into the same problem: 360 feedback platforms are either too expensive or too clunky for small teams.

So I built 360Feedbacks — a free 360-degree feedback tool with automated PDF reports and AI insights.

Here's how it works technically and what I learned building it.

The stack

Backend: Django REST Framework
Frontend: React + Redux
Task queue: Celery + Redis
PDF generation: Automated on the backend when all raters respond
AI insights: Integrated analysis engine that surfaces patterns in feedback data
Deployment: Cloudflare Tunnel

The core problem I was solving

Most 360 feedback tools charge $300–$2,000/year. For small teams, startups, and HR consultants, that's a blocker.

I wanted to build something that:

Works out of the box in under 5 minutes
Requires no account for raters — just a link
Generates a professional PDF report automatically
Supports English and Spanish

The hardest part — PDF generation

The trickiest piece was generating professional PDF reports automatically the moment all raters respond.

The flow:

Last rater submits their response
Celery task triggers immediately
Analysis engine calculates scores, gaps, and qualitative themes
AI generates personalized development recommendations
PDF is built and stored
User gets notified

Getting the report design right took way longer than expected. The goal was a report that looks like something a consultant would charge $3,000 to produce.

Bilingual support

Built full EN/ES support from day one — both the survey experience and the PDF report. This opened up the Latin American market which enterprise tools almost completely ignore.

Implementation: i18n on the frontend with react-i18next, language stored per user and per evaluation on the backend.

The business model

Pay-per-evaluation — no subscription. First evaluation is free, no credit card required.

The reasoning: HR managers and coaches don't run 360s every day. A subscription feels like a penalty. Pay-per-evaluation aligns with how they actually work.

What I'd do differently

Build the landing page earlier. I spent months on product before touching SEO. Big mistake.
Talk to users sooner. The first version had features nobody asked for.
Bilingual from day one was the right call. Don't skip this if your market is international.