FiscalNote Reviews

“Simply the worse!

Pros

Voter Voice software worked just fine for our needs.

Cons

In the start I had no issues. However the company is really tone-deaf when it comes to exiting the platform. Our contract clearly stated one year of service for their VoterVoice platform which was on our payment. Since then they have been pressuring us to continue using a service we no longer need.

“Can't imagine working without it!

Pros

I really like FiscalNote's detailed government database especially its tracking and monitoring systems. The integration with other advocacy tools like CQ Roll Call and Voter Voice makes it even better for our policy, research and government affairs department. Plus with it we are able to spend more time on other projects instead of constantly collecting information.

Cons

It is pretty expensive but definitely worth the price if your company can afford it. And I just hope it will add more functions for its users soon.

“Using it for over a decade and still love it

Pros

We have been using this program for over 15 years. Also it is very user friendly and I love the support staff as they are always responsive, smart and patient!

Cons

The newsletter template is easy to use but the anchor feature is tricky and I wish it was included as an option for broadcasting information.

“Not very impressive, but it works

Pros

FiscalNote was simply the best at helping us track all our grassroots advocates. They offered a variety of options to track and sort that I have not seen from other companies. Also it allows admins to run reports independently without needing to contact our account representative.

Cons

Well the design of the email messages of it was really basic and the pages you could create were not good at all. Writing a message was difficult and they did not even look good when sent. Plus nothing was optimized for mobile, so we got complaints from our younger advocates about how hard it was to use. Overall the whole process felt more complicated than it needed to be.

“Meets all our expectations

Pros

It is highly customizable to meet the needs of public policy whether in the US, internationally or even at the state level. Overall it is very useful by providing actionable information.

Cons

Some features seem to wait for input from clients before they are developed. While the team is responsive I feel like it would be great if they could anticipate some client needs for the software more proactively.

“A strong product with so much potential

Pros

FiscalNote is easy to use and helps me keep track of my legislative outreach. Plus the ability to group our legislative tracking by issues helps us align legislation with our policy agenda and visualize how it matches up.

Cons

I do not like that it has been buying up other companies but they are not really integrating them. For example like VoterVoice and CQ into the broader FiscalNote platform. Plus the inability to export contacts is also frustrating.

“Works fine!

Pros

It makes it easy for us to collaborate with coworkers and create large lists from alerts. When using it very little has slipped through the cracks.

Cons

The report generator is a bit clunky and does not offer much customization. Also I like it more if feature that builds mailing lists should have more customization options and be easier to use.

“Good but has a few issues

Pros

Ongoing alerts, visually appealing maps, user friendly interface, direct source to bills, custom reports, ability to share summary pages with non users and discovery alerts that catch good/relevant material. All these are just some of the features I love. Plus it even allows me to add my own bill summaries.

Cons

It is hard to search for enacted bills over a long period. And I wish there was a way to star or flag a bill as important so when updated bill alerts come through, it's clear which ones I should focus on first.

“A really useful tool

Pros

The reading the tea leaves feature on any given bill's improves the chances of passing, tagging capabilities and member pages with all the info. Overall it has proven really helpful for me.

Cons

At times it is too slow like when I am toggling between pages or pulling reports.

“Does the job but better options are available

Pros

It is great for tracking state legislation. Also it helps us identify state bills that match specific criteria and sends email alerts about their progress through the legislature.

Cons

It is not as user-friendly as I wanted it to be. Also the site is hard to navigate.

“Works as I expected

Pros

It has a simple layout, shareable pages and the ability to store documents or links related to specific issues. In short it meets my expectations.

Cons

Well it costs a lot given our budget. And at times it does not provide the latest legislative updates like when a Governor signs or vetoes a bill.

“A complete product

Pros

This is one of the best tool for tracking bills across the country. Also it has great collaboration tools for sharing updates and staying connected within our team.

Cons

Some parts of the software are tricky to figure out like setting up search terms for alerts. But once it was set up, I find it easy to use.

“The best!

Pros

The overall Government Relations Management capabilities of FiscalNote really set it apart from the competition. Me being able to easily track my actions and those of my team means we can see when contacts have been made with an office and work together, even when we are not in the same physical location.

Cons

Well I will love to have the option to attach documents to individual actions. For example being able to attach a support letter to an action when I have sent that letter.

“Easy to customize

Pros

It is very versatile and can be scaled to fit our individual client needs.

Cons

Nothing really. It works well for our office needs.

“Packed with all the necessary features for our work

Pros

Well it has lots of great features. Also it provides necessary information about legislation, elected officials, staffers and more. It makes it easy to generate regular reports for our board and others in the organization. We also use it to track lobbying for federal reporting requirements.

Cons

I like to see more filters and options for exporting information. For example being able to export data to an Excel file with separate columns for the state, elected official and bill.

“An amazing program

Pros

It is the first Government Affairs legislative tracker with a comprehensive state level database. Plus the staff responds quickly and is very receptive to user feedback. Overall it provides excellent service and has a great mobile app too.

Cons

There is nothing I dislike about this program.