— Comparison · Beacon vs eCanvasser
eCanvasser pioneered digital canvassing. Beacon takes the same job — territories, walk lists, doors, dispositions — undercuts the price by ~25-29%, gives you unlimited canvassers on every plan, and ships a phone app that keeps working without cell signal on every tier from Starter up. Live GPS tracking is available at the Growth tier; AI Script Coach is a $29/mo add-on. This page is the unvarnished comparison.
— Quick verdict
— Feature by feature
| Feature | Beacon | eCanvasser |
|---|---|---|
| Works without cell signal | IncludedKnocks saved on the phone, sent to the server when signal returns | IncludedAvailable; offline mode is a licensed feature |
| AI Script Coach | $29/mo add-onPersonalized talking points per door, on any tier | Not availableNo AI features in product |
| Route optimization | IncludedAuto-orders the walk by street, with priority weighting | IncludedRoute planning up to 200 stops |
| Data enrichment | IncludedBuilt-in append for phone, email, demographics | Not availableRequires third-party data vendor |
| Digital proposals & e-sign | IncludedDoor-side templates with e-signature capture | Not available |
| Real-time GPS tracking | Growth+Live canvasser positions, geofence alerts; on Growth ($129) and up | PartialBasic location logging only |
| Gamification | IncludedBadges, streaks, team leaderboards | Not available |
| Territory management | IncludedSpatial polygons, coverage heatmaps, density analysis | IncludedTerritory assignment available |
| Custom surveys | IncludedFive question types, works without cell signal | Included |
| Signed webhooks | IncludedSigned payloads with retry | LimitedAPI surface is narrow |
| REST API | IncludedFull REST + OpenAPI docs | PartialLimited endpoints |
| Mobile distribution | PWA installInstall from browser in 30 seconds — no app store gate | Native iOS/Android |
| Pricing model | Flat tiersFrom $59/mo by contact volume; unlimited canvassers; only GPS & AI gated | Lead-volume + tier gatesMany features locked to higher tiers |
— The five real differences
eCanvasser hands a static script to your canvassers. Beacon's AI Script Coach reads the contact's demographics, prior interactions, and issue priorities, then generates a doorstep-specific opener and follow-up. Your newest volunteer sounds like your most experienced canvasser. $29/mo add-on, works with any tier — turn it on for the close-of-cycle push, off when you're between programs.
With eCanvasser, enriching a contact list means juggling a separate data vendor and shuffling CSVs. Beacon's enrichment engine appends phone, email, and 40+ demographic attributes from one screen. DNC scrubbing and phone-type detection run in the same flow.
Beacon's route optimizer doesn't just shorten the walking distance — it weights priority contacts so high-value doors get hit while you're still on the block, not on a second pass. eCanvasser added route planning recently; the implementations aren't comparable in practice.
Both products work without signal. Beacon was built this way from day one — every plan saves knocks on the phone, sends them up in the background when signal returns, and handles duplicate visits cleanly on the server. Dead zones, basements, the rural stretch where signal cuts out — knocks are kept on the phone and sent the moment a bar returns.
eCanvasser tiers gate many features behind higher plans and price by lead volume. Beacon prices by contact tier — Starter $59 / 2,500 contacts to Enterprise $599 / 250K+ — with unlimited canvassers on every plan. Only two upgrade levers: live GPS is available at Growth, and AI features run as $29/mo add-ons. Everything else ships on Starter.
— Pricing, head to head
Beacon Pro
$149 /mo
25,000 contacts. Unlimited canvassers. Live GPS tracking + geofence alerts. Surveys, gamification, and the platform on every plan. AI Script Coach is a $29/mo add-on.
eCanvasser Pro
$199 /mo
20,000 contacts. Per-lead pricing model with features gated by tier. AI features and built-in enrichment not available at any price point.
— Frequently asked
Yes. Export your contacts from eCanvasser as CSV and drop them into Beacon. Records geocode automatically and can run through enrichment in the same flow if you want phone/email append.
Yes. The vocabulary in-product is "Canvassers · Voters · Territories · Walk Lists." Voter file import, VoterID matching, party affiliation, and precinct assignment are all supported. Beacon also works for door-to-door sales and nonprofit programs — the data model is the same, the labels change.
Yes. Every Beacon plan ships full offline support. Canvassers download their walk list, knock without signal, and what they captured uploads automatically when connectivity returns.
Beacon Pro is $149/mo for 25,000 contacts. eCanvasser's nearest tier is $199/mo for 20,000. Beacon comes in 25% cheaper with 25% more contact headroom. AI Script Coach is available as a $29/mo Beacon add-on (eCanvasser doesn't ship it at all); data enrichment is $0.10/record on Beacon vs requiring a third-party data vendor with eCanvasser.
AI Script Coach is $29/mo on top of any Beacon plan. We bill it separately because each AI call has real cost — bundling it into the tier price would either inflate the platform price or cap your usage. Add it for the close-of-cycle push, drop it between programs.
Month-to-month by default. Annual billing saves 20% if you want to lock it in. No multi-year deals required.
— Switch the program
Start a free trial, import your eCanvasser export, and walk the first turf this week. We'll help you migrate.