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Government · head to head

PublicInput vs RecDesk

PublicInput logo

PublicInput

Government

Inclusive Community Engagement

From
$400/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RecDesk logo

RecDesk

Government

Parks and recreation management for municipalities with published annual pricing and no per-seat fee

From
$3835/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: PublicInput all three plans, Listen, Engage and Engage Plus, are listed as Request Pricing with no published rate, minimum or cost driver; RecDesk scope is recreation only, so a municipality wanting parks asset management, work orders or wider permitting must buy and integrate a second system.
  • They diverge on capability: PublicInput covers Virtual Public Meetings, RecDesk covers Activity registration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PublicInput and RecDesk actually diverge.

Attributes where PublicInput and RecDesk differ
AttributePublicInputRecDesk
Starting price$400/month$3835/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer year, all inclusive with unlimited users
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Government).

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 PublicInput

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

Only in RecDesk

  • Activity registration
  • Facility reservations
  • Memberships and passes
  • League scheduling
  • Resident portal
  • Unlimited users
  • Financial reporting
  • Premium integrations

What people use each for

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

PublicInput

  • Civic engagementnot RecDesk
  • Government consultationnot RecDesk
  • Public input collectionnot RecDesk

RecDesk

  • A town recreation director who needs a budget number for next year without running a procurement to get a quotenot PublicInput
  • A department with a dozen seasonal part-time staff who would each cost a seat on per-user municipal softwarenot PublicInput
  • A small city replacing paper facility permits and phone registrations with an online resident portalnot PublicInput
  • A recreation district running summer camps, pool passes and youth leagues on one household accountnot PublicInput

Where each one falls short

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

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

RecDesk

  • Scope is recreation only, so a municipality wanting parks asset management, work orders or wider permitting must buy and integrate a second system.
  • The published prices are starting points and the premium integrations most departments actually need, such as financial system and access control links, are priced separately and not listed.
  • Customer concentration is regional, mostly in the north-eastern United States, so a department elsewhere will find fewer local references and less familiarity with its state reporting requirements.
  • The resident-facing portal is plain compared with commercial registration platforms, which matters when residents compare it with the private classes they book elsewhere.
  • As a smaller vendor it does not offer the procurement conveniences larger municipalities expect, such as cooperative contract vehicles across many states, which lengthens the buying process for some agencies.

Pricing, plan by plan

PublicInput

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

RecDesk

$3835/year
  • Essential$3835/year
    • Activity registration and household accounts
    • Resident portal
    • Unlimited staff users
  • Standard$6240/year
    • Adds facility reservations and memberships
    • Unlimited users
    • Financial reporting
  • Plus$10790/year
    • Adds league scheduling and expanded modules
    • Unlimited users
  • Enterprise$16250/year
    • Largest configuration
    • Premium integrations such as access control, GIS and financial system links priced separately

Which should you pick?

Choose PublicInput if

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

Choose RecDesk if

  • You need activity registration.
  • You also want facility reservations.
RecDesk review

Questions people ask

Is PublicInput or RecDesk better?
Neither clearly leads. PublicInput starts at $400/month and RecDesk at $3835/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PublicInput or RecDesk?
PublicInput starts at $400/month and RecDesk at $3835/year.
Does PublicInput or RecDesk run on more platforms?
PublicInput runs on Web, Ios, Android. RecDesk runs on Web.
What is PublicInput best used for?
PublicInput is most often used for civic engagement, government consultation, public input collection. Of those, civic engagement and government consultation are not what RecDesk is typically brought in for.
What can PublicInput do that RecDesk cannot?
PublicInput covers Virtual Public Meetings, Online Surveys, Comment Management, Multi-language Support. RecDesk covers Activity registration, Facility reservations, Memberships and passes, League scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PublicInput: How much does PublicInput cost?

PublicInput does not publish pricing on their website. Customers must request a demo or book a meeting to receive a quote based on their specific needs.

Source
RecDesk: Is the pricing really published?

Yes, which is unusual in municipal recreation software. Four tiers from $3,835 to $16,250 a year, described as all-inclusive with unlimited users. Premium integrations are extra.

PublicInput: What pricing plans does PublicInput offer?

PublicInput offers Engagement Plans and Meetings Plans, but specific pricing for each plan is not publicly available and requires contacting their sales team.

Source
RecDesk: Are there per-user charges?

No. Unlimited staff users on every tier, which is the main saving against per-seat municipal systems.

RecDesk: Does it do parks maintenance and work orders?

No. It is registration, reservations, memberships and leagues. Asset and work order management needs another system.

RecDesk: Will it integrate with our finance system?

There is a premium financial system integration option, priced separately. Confirm your specific ERP is supported before assuming it.

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