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NGP VAN is the large, established suite at the heart of the Democratic data ecosystem. doornoc is the lighter, party-agnostic alternative for campaigns that want canvassing, voter data, and routing — without enterprise overhead or VAN access requirements.
This is an honest comparison. NGP VAN is comprehensive and deeply embedded in the party ecosystem. doornoc is focused on canvassing and built to be fast and low-friction. The right choice depends on what your campaign actually needs.
NGP VAN (the VAN, plus MiniVAN for door knocking) is the long-standing standard on the Democratic side. It bundles the voter file, canvassing, phone banking, fundraising, compliance, and email into one large platform. That breadth is its strength — and its cost. Access usually runs through state parties or committees, the learning curve is real, and the suite is built for organizations that need every part of it.
doornoc takes the opposite approach. It does one job — getting a field team to the right doors with the right data — and does it without the overhead. Built-in voter data, automatic turf cutting, polygon routes, list upload, and a mobile canvassing app with live tracking and offline mode, on monthly plans from $49. It is party-agnostic and self-serve, so any campaign can sign up and be knocking the same day.
A note on the names. VAN, VoteBuilder and "the voter file" usually refer to the same thing. VAN is the Voter Activation Network, which became NGP VAN in 2010; VoteBuilder is the interface Democratic campaigns log into, on a national database administered by the DNC and maintained by state parties. MiniVAN is the door-knocking app on top of it. Everything on this page that applies to NGP VAN applies to VoteBuilder.
To be clear about scope: doornoc is field-first. It is not a fundraising CRM, a compliance suite, or an email tool. If those are core to your operation, NGP VAN covers ground doornoc intentionally does not.
Where each platform fits. We speak about NGP VAN in general terms and do not quote specific prices or features that change over time.
| Capability | doornoc | NGP VAN / MiniVAN |
|---|---|---|
| Access model | Self-serve. Sign up directly, party-agnostic — open to any campaign or independent. | Typically granted through state parties or committees; tied to the Democratic ecosystem. |
| Learning curve | Light. Cut turf and start knocking the same day with minimal setup. | Steeper. Comprehensive suite usually involves onboarding and training to use well. |
| Voter data | Built in for six states. Filter by party, vote history, geography, and household; or upload your own list. | Deep, party-maintained voter file at the center of the platform. |
| Turf cutting | Auto Turf splits a universe into walkable routes balanced by walk time in seconds; draw polygon routes by hand. | Turf is cut on the back end, often by an organizer or admin, then pushed to the app. |
| Mobile app | Door-knocking app with live tracking, one-tap outcomes, and full offline mode. | MiniVAN is a capable, widely used door-knocking app within the VAN ecosystem. |
| Scope | Field-first: canvassing, voter data, and routing. Not a dialer or fundraising CRM. | Broad suite: voter file, canvassing, phone banking, fundraising, compliance, and email. |
| Pricing | Monthly plans from $49, no per-seat fees, data included in six states. | Varies by committee and package; generally enterprise-oriented. |
| Best for | Campaigns that want canvassing, data, and routing fast — any party, any size. | Organizations needing an all-in-one party-tied suite beyond canvassing. |
NGP VAN pricing and feature details are not published here because they vary by committee and change over time. We describe the category honestly rather than guessing specifics.
Not because it does more — because it does the canvassing job with less friction, for anyone.
VAN access generally flows through parties and committees. doornoc is party-agnostic and self-serve — sign up, bring or use built-in data, and go. No sponsorship required.
Skip the onboarding queue. Draw a polygon route or run Auto Turf, assign it, and your team is knocking within minutes instead of after a training cycle.
No waiting on an admin to push lists. Managers cut and re-cut turf themselves and it lands in volunteers' phones instantly — useful for fast-moving local races.
The canvassing app works in dead zones and syncs every knock when signal returns — so basements and rural turf never stall the list.
Monthly plans with the voter data included and no per-seat fees. Team size steps up by plan, from 20 team members on Pro to unlimited on Enterprise.
Knocks, contact rate, and supporter IDs update on the dashboard as volunteers tap them — without wiring together a data subscription and a separate field app.
A fair comparison cuts both ways. Here is where the incumbent wins.
If fundraising, FEC compliance, email, and phone banking need to live alongside canvassing in one system, NGP VAN is built for exactly that. doornoc is field-only by design.
If your committee already provides VAN access, your staff knows it, and your data flows through the party, staying in that ecosystem can be the path of least resistance.
For very large, multi-program organizations with dedicated data staff, the depth and integrations of an established enterprise platform may be worth the onboarding cost.
Published monthly pricing. No per-seat fees, voter data included in six states, cancel any time. NGP VAN pricing is not published here because it changes and is often quoted per organization.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49 / month | 1 campaign, 1 login, 25,000 credits, route planning, walking mode, offline knocking |
| Pro | $149 / month | 2 campaigns, unlimited logins, 20 team members, 75,000 credits, live map of canvassers |
| Campaign | $349 / month | 5 campaigns, unlimited logins, 50 team members, 200,000 credits, consultant access across campaigns |
| Enterprise | $599 / month | Unlimited campaigns and team, 500,000 credits |
Current tiers are always on the pricing section of the homepage. Credits pay for building routes and researching voters, and recording knocks is free. Starter's 25,000 credits route about 4,500–5,000 voters a month.
Nothing you already collected has to be re-entered. Three steps, usually finished the same day.
VAN and MiniVAN walk lists and contact history export as CSV from the VAN interface (ask your administrator if exports are restricted). A CSV or JSON with names, addresses and any voter IDs is enough. Column names do not have to match ours; the upload maps them automatically and shows you the result before anything is written.
doornoc geocodes every address and builds households on the map, including states where we do not carry a voter file yet. Then you cut turf by hand or let Auto Turf build routes balanced by walk time. See bring your own voter file.
Past outcomes (not home, literature dropped, supporter, refused) import from a spreadsheet onto a route, matched by voter ID or address, with a row-by-row preview. Your team keeps walking from where the last tool left off.
NGP VAN is the large, established platform at the center of the Democratic data ecosystem — a comprehensive suite that spans the voter file, canvassing (MiniVAN), fundraising, compliance, and email. doornoc is a focused, party-agnostic canvassing platform: built-in voter data, automatic turf cutting, polygon routes, list upload, and a mobile app with live tracking and offline mode. doornoc does the field-and-canvassing job with far less setup and no party affiliation required, but it is not a fundraising or compliance suite.
For campaigns that primarily need canvassing, voter targeting, and routing — and that want to start the same day without committee sponsorship, training, or enterprise onboarding — doornoc is a strong NGP VAN alternative. If your operation depends on NGP VAN for fundraising, FEC compliance, or deep party-data integration, those are jobs doornoc deliberately does not do.
Effectively, yes — and the naming trips people up constantly. VAN stands for Voter Activation Network, which merged with NGP Software in 2010 to form NGP VAN. VoteBuilder is the name of the interface Democratic campaigns log into; the national database behind it is administered by the DNC and maintained at state-party level, and access is granted through your state party. So when someone says "the VAN", "VoteBuilder" or "the voter file", they usually mean the same platform.
For the canvassing half, yes. VoteBuilder access depends on your state party granting it, and turf is typically cut on the back end before volunteers can knock with MiniVAN. doornoc is party-agnostic and self-serve: sign up directly, use the built-in voter data or upload your own list, cut turf yourself, and start knocking the same day. What doornoc does not replace is the party-data ecosystem — if your campaign needs to write back to the shared state voter file, that stays with VoteBuilder.
Yes. MiniVAN is the door-knocking app inside the VAN ecosystem, and it requires VAN access and turf cut on the back end. doornoc is a self-serve MiniVAN alternative: you cut turf yourself with Auto Turf or draw a polygon route, assign it, and your volunteers knock with a mobile app that works offline. No separate desktop tool or committee account is needed to load a list and go.
No. Access to VAN is typically granted through state parties or committees and is tied to the partisan ecosystem. doornoc is party-agnostic and self-serve — any campaign, caucus, or independent can sign up directly, bring built-in voter data or upload a list, and start canvassing.
We do not publish NGP VAN pricing because it varies by committee, package, and arrangement, and is often negotiated rather than listed. doornoc publishes monthly plans with no per-seat fees and the voter data included in six states; team size steps up by plan, from 20 team members on Pro to unlimited on Enterprise. See the homepage for current tiers.
Choose NGP VAN if you need an all-in-one party-tied suite covering fundraising, compliance, and data alongside canvassing, and you have the time and access to onboard it. Choose doornoc if you want canvassing, voter data, and routing in one lightweight tool you can run the same day, regardless of party — without enterprise overhead.
NGP VAN does not publish a price list. Access is arranged through a state party or committee, and the cost is negotiated per organization and package, so two campaigns in the same state can pay very different amounts. If you need a number to budget against, doornoc publishes its tiers: Starter $49, Pro $149, Campaign $349 and Enterprise $599 per month, each with voter data and the canvassing app included.
Yes. Export your walk lists or contact history as CSV, upload the file to doornoc (columns are mapped automatically, any state), and import the doors you already knocked so nobody walks the same block twice. Most campaigns are cutting turf the same day.
Built-in voter data, automatic turf cutting, polygon routes, and a mobile app with live tracking and offline mode — party-agnostic, on monthly plans from $49.