People Speak vs Bang the Table - Online Public Participation Software

People Speak and Bang the Table both help citizens participate in their local government–online. Each product solves a different problem and many cities have both services.

Bang the Table is designed to collect large amounts of high quality input for large projects (like a new Comprehensive Plan or a major infrastructure project). It takes a lot of staff time/effort, but helps get input over long periods for major projects. It is not, however, efficient to use week in and week out on every public hearing.

People Speak is designed to specifically replicate and meet the legal & procedural challenges of weekly public hearings. It is designed to be low cost, low staff effort, and incredibly easy for citizens to use. While Bang the Table requires new staff effort, People Speak helps remove / replace existing things you are doing. And results in 8-10 times as many people participating in public hearings. While you might only use Bang the Table a few times a year, you’ll use People Speak week after week so you get a lot more use for a lower price.

Bang the Table requires annual contracts. People Speak is a monthly subscription service so you can stop using it at any time if you aren't happy with the platform. 

We reviewed more citizen participation and engagement software here.