Empower App vs Hustle

Empower App helps organizations build supporter networks and organize action through volunteers’ personal relationships. Organizers can coordinate open or door-to-door canvassing, use automatic turf cutting, and let volunteers request nearby turf. Relational calls to action support recruiting, mobilizing, events and fundraising. Volunteers can contact people by calling or through text, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram and Signal. The app supports English and Spanish and offers organizational branding within the app. Listed integrations and data options include NGP VAN, LAN, EveryAction, ActBlue, Tableau, SQL, JSON, AWS, BigQuery and CSVs; integrations and APIs are available. Empower says users own their data, can export it at any time, and that the company will not sell it. Training, coaching and ongoing support are offered, and pen-and-paper options are available for volunteers who use low-tech methods. The maker says the app facilitated 9 million friend-to-friend conversations during its 2024 programs. Approved 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) and labor organizations have a free plan for organizer and activist smartphone apps. Campaign pricing for political parties, PACs and candidates is not published; the maker asks them to contact Empower.

Hustle is a communications platform for texts, calls and video messages, with broadcasts, automated responses and live one-to-one conversations. Users can send personalized SMS and MMS to targeted audience members, tag them and retarget smaller groups. Its video options include short Clips distributed by text, Personalized Clips and longer Hustle Stories. The AI-powered Script Assistant helps users create communications described as creative and brand-safe. Hustle offers mobile and web apps, plus integrations for Salesforce, NGP VAN and EveryAction, Blackbaud Luminate Online, Blackbaud TeamRaiser and PDI. It also lists a public API, although programmatic message sending through it is in development. Salesforce imports support up to 100,000 Campaign members or 2,000 Report rows. Hustle says it is SOC 2 certified and lists encryption in transit and at rest, penetration testing and vulnerability scanning. The PAYGO plan has a $250 a month platform fee, with SMS billed at $0.04 per segment. Annual commitments start at $10,000 a year and include priority support queue access and Client Success Manager support. Hustle serves nonprofits, education, commercial organizations, politics, government, and labor and unions.