Software · head to head
CentralSquare vs CitizenLab
CentralSquare
Software
Public Safety and Administration Software
- From
- $1500/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: CentralSquare pricing for all editions (Public Safety Suite Enterprise, Public Safety Suite Pro, Public Safety Suite ONESolution) is gated behind Request a Demo or Schedule a Call, with no figures published; CitizenLab citizenLab has rebranded to Go Vocal and the product now sells under govocal.com
- They diverge on capability: CentralSquare covers Computer-Aided Dispatch, CitizenLab covers Participatory Budgeting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CentralSquare and CitizenLab actually diverge.
| Attribute | CentralSquare | CitizenLab |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1500/month | $500/month |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop, Ios, Android | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2018 | 2015 |
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 CentralSquare
- Computer-Aided Dispatch
- Records Management
- Jail Management
- Fire RMS
- Community Development
- Esri ArcGIS
- FBI CJIS
- NCIC
Only in CitizenLab
- Participatory Budgeting
- Idea Management
- Online Consultations
- Surveys & Polls
- AI-powered Analysis
- Single Sign-On
- Open Data Portals
- GIS Systems
Both cover
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CentralSquare
- Citizen Servicesnot CitizenLab
- Records Managementnot CitizenLab
- Public Safetynot CitizenLab
- Civic Engagementnot CitizenLab
CitizenLab
- Running community consultation and participatory budgeting for a citynot CentralSquare
- Collecting resident input through surveys, ideation, mapping and votingnot CentralSquare
- Centralising engagement data across multiple municipal departmentsnot CentralSquare
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CentralSquare
- Pricing for all editions (Public Safety Suite Enterprise, Public Safety Suite Pro, Public Safety Suite ONESolution) is gated behind Request a Demo or Schedule a Call, with no figures published
CitizenLab
- CitizenLab has rebranded to Go Vocal and the product now sells under govocal.com
- No prices are published on the plans page; every tier requires scheduling a demo
- The Essential plan allows only 1 active project and 1 admin seat, with no project manager seats
- Standard is limited to 4 admin seats and 5 project manager seats, and Premium to 8 admin seats and 25 project manager seats
- Standard restricts Sensemaking to Light, capped at 30 inputs; auto-insights require Premium
- The integrated Konveio document annotation and Echo blended engagement methods are excluded from Standard and require Premium
- Auto-translation on Premium is limited to 3 languages
- Custom fonts and other premium styling options are Premium only
- Priority support is Premium only
- Plans are split by population band, with separate ladders for cities under and over 100K population
Pricing, plan by plan
CentralSquare
$1500/month- Public Safety Suite$1500/month
- CAD
- Records Management
- Mobile Solutions
CitizenLab
$500/month- Government$500/month
- Participatory Budgeting
- Idea Collection
- Surveys
Which should you pick?
Choose CentralSquare if
- You need computer-aided dispatch.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Ios, Android.
- You also want records management.
Choose CitizenLab if
- You need participatory budgeting.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want idea management.
Questions people ask
- Is CentralSquare or CitizenLab better?
- Neither clearly leads. CentralSquare starts at $1500/month and CitizenLab at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CentralSquare or CitizenLab?
- CentralSquare starts at $1500/month and CitizenLab at $500/month.
- Does CentralSquare or CitizenLab run on more platforms?
- CentralSquare runs on Web, Desktop, Ios, Android. CitizenLab runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- What is CentralSquare best used for?
- CentralSquare is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what CitizenLab is typically brought in for.
- What can CentralSquare do that CitizenLab cannot?
- CentralSquare covers Computer-Aided Dispatch, Records Management, Jail Management, Fire RMS. CitizenLab covers Participatory Budgeting, Idea Management, Online Consultations, Surveys & Polls. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.