Empower App vs text+

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.

text+ provides a second phone number for internet-based calls and texts, for people who want to keep a personal number private or use a spare phone or tablet as a line. Its Android and iOS apps send SMS, MMS, photos, and group messages to mobile numbers in the US and Canada; recipients do not need the app. Calls work over WiFi or data, with free inbound calls and low-cost outbound calling to more than 200 countries. The free plan costs nothing and covers downloading, texting, and receiving calls; outbound calls and Premium features are paid. Premium is billed Starting at less than $5/month and includes no ads, unlimited US calls, unlimited calling to Canada and 30+ countries, number protection during inactivity, a custom voicemail greeting, and prioritized support. Users can block others and report abusive behavior in the app. The company says it uses measures intended to protect information but cannot guarantee transmitted information is fully secure. Users must be at least 13. text+ was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Venice, California.