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Software · head to head

Accela vs PublicInput

Accela logo

Accela

Software

Civic Solutions for Modern Government

From
$800/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PublicInput logo

PublicInput

Software

Inclusive Community Engagement

From
$400/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Accela pricing not publicly available; requires sales consultation and government procurement process; PublicInput all three plans, Listen, Engage and Engage Plus, are listed as Request Pricing with no published rate, minimum or cost driver
  • They diverge on capability: Accela covers Building Permits, PublicInput covers Virtual Public Meetings.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Accela and PublicInput actually diverge.

Attributes where Accela and PublicInput differ
AttributeAccelaPublicInput
Starting price$800/month$400/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded19992014

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Accela

  • Building Permits
  • Business Licenses
  • Code Enforcement
  • Planning & Zoning
  • Environmental Health
  • Esri ArcGIS
  • Bluebeam
  • DocuSign

Only in PublicInput

  • Virtual Public Meetings
  • Online Surveys
  • Comment Management
  • Multi-language Support
  • Engagement Analytics
  • Zoom
  • Microsoft Teams
  • GovDelivery

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Accela

  • Citizen Servicesnot PublicInput
  • Records Managementnot PublicInput
  • Public Safetynot PublicInput
  • Civic Engagementnot PublicInput

PublicInput

  • Running public comment and community engagement programmes for local governmentnot Accela
  • Collecting resident feedback across surveys, interactive maps and project websitesnot Accela
  • Compliant public meeting management for transit agencies, DOTs and MPOsnot Accela

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Accela

  • Pricing not publicly available; requires sales consultation and government procurement process
  • Significant upfront implementation costs typical of enterprise government software
  • Complex deployment requiring significant customization for different agency workflows

PublicInput

  • All three plans, Listen, Engage and Engage Plus, are listed as Request Pricing with no published rate, minimum or cost driver
  • HTML and CSS customization, custom workflows and approvals, and external system integration with Accela and ESRI are listed as Enterprise Capabilities rather than core platform features
  • Public meetings functionality is sold under a separate Meetings plan rather than being included with the Engagement plans
  • Getting a plan requires booking a consultation and a tailored demo rather than self serve signup

Pricing, plan by plan

Accela

$800/month
  • Civic Platform$800/month
    • Permitting
    • Licensing
    • Code Enforcement

PublicInput

$400/month
  • Enterprise$400/month
    • Virtual Meetings
    • Surveys
    • Comment Management

Which should you pick?

Choose Accela if

  • You need building permits.
  • You also want business licenses.
Accela review

Choose PublicInput if

  • You need virtual public meetings.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want online surveys.
PublicInput review

Questions people ask

Is Accela or PublicInput better?
Neither clearly leads. Accela starts at $800/month and PublicInput at $400/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Accela or PublicInput?
Accela starts at $800/month and PublicInput at $400/month.
Does Accela or PublicInput run on more platforms?
Accela runs on Web. PublicInput runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Accela best used for?
Accela is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what PublicInput is typically brought in for.
What can Accela do that PublicInput cannot?
Accela covers Building Permits, Business Licenses, Code Enforcement, Planning & Zoning. PublicInput covers Virtual Public Meetings, Online Surveys, Comment Management, Multi-language Support. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Accela: What government functions does Accela's Civic Platform cover?

Accela provides solutions for permitting (building, planning, zoning), licensing (business, occupational, alcohol), public health (environmental health, fire prevention), asset management, and citizen services (complaints, requests).

Source
Accela: Does Accela include AI capabilities?

Yes. Accela offers CivicAI, described as AI built for government rather than adapted from commercial solutions, with emphasis on explainability and auditability for regulatory compliance.

Source
Accela: Can Accela handle multiple department reviews simultaneously?

Yes. Accela's building permitting module enables concurrent multi-department review where fire, planning, public works, and utilities departments review applications simultaneously, with real-time tracking of annotations and approvals.

Source
Accela: How many government agencies use Accela?

Accela serves 900+ government agencies globally, including over 50% of top U.S. cities and counties.

Source
Accela: Does Accela publish its pricing?

No. Accela does not publish pricing on its website. Costs are custom-quoted based on agency size, modules deployed, and integration needs, typically through government procurement processes.

Source
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Related pages

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