# NGP VAN Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is NGP VAN the right Political Campaign solution for you? Explore 62 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/148396/NGP-VAN/reviews --- NGP VAN 4.2 (62) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/148396/NGP-VAN/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of NGP VAN Ease of use 3.6 Customer Service 3.5 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews MD Marilynn D Vice Chair and Volnteer CoordinatorPolitical Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “NGP VAN offers so many resources like names and addresses, actual maps and directions to these homes. “ February 10, 2024 MW Mike W Campaign ManagerPolitical Organization, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Way too much technology that is hard to navigate just to set up the online donation product.“ December 17, 2025 MD Marilynn D Vice Chair and Volnteer CoordinatorPolitical Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “We can cover large areas of our county and are prepared to ask for residents by name, which makes the first encounter go smoothly.“ February 10, 2024 AA Ace A CandidatePolitical Organization, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “NGP VAN is a great product, but is bedeviled by its rather outdated front end that is apparently layered on legacy design and nomenclature that made sense 10 or 15 years ago.“ February 6, 2024 MD Marilynn D Vice Chair and Volnteer CoordinatorPolitical Organization, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Being able to identify registered Democrats, and canvass them is a modern miracle.“ February 10, 2024 SP Shelley P volunteerPolitical Organization, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I continue to have issues that aren't addressed....back bulk uploads that resulted in bad data but that TDP wouldn't or couldn't back out, awareness of bad vendor phone numbers being placed ahead of good phone numbers collected directly from voters, and right now the SWITCH option has been removed so that I am unable to switch to other neighboring counties' VAN access to help their county chairs with projects (have filed two help tickets....but heard nothing...and there are no longer any phone numbers to reach any data team members with problems, everything is only through help tickets).“ August 4, 2022 CC Carmela C ChairPolitical Organization, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “NGP VAN contains LOTS of useful tools for a local political organization. “ April 28, 2023 CC Carmela C ChairPolitical Organization, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Customer support blames the state regulatory authority, while offering no solutions or even a timeline for expected solutions. “ April 28, 2023 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 62 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use SA Samantha A. Department Manager Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Contact " December 17, 2018 4.0 Pros The internet processing and the phone number is still in my place I don’t know what to do with the other phone number Cons Slow To with the new number of you guys at work and I wanna I gotta get you some good time to go home then go get it done so you don’t need me and you can give it back to me and then I’ll throw you a phone call me if you wanna or not I’m just waiting on you to call him and tell him you got the money I got you some money for me Review Source SW Scott W. Campaign Manager Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Our Path to Victory" August 5, 2022 5.0 Pros NGP VAN’s extensive voter data collection, analysis and microtargeting capacity enables \[SENSITIVE CONTENT\] personally to identify supporters about 5,000 doors, and collect the votes he needs to consistently win his district 60%-40%. Absolutely essential and very highly recommended. Cons Data compartmentalization, although obviously necesary, can be a barrier to more effective utilization of the technology. Alternatives considered [Salesforce Marketing Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/248536/Salesforce-Marketing-Cloud/) Reason for choosing NGP VAN Montana Democratic Party DNC platform of choice Review Source MW Mike W. Campaign Manager Political Organization Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "NPGVAN Ain’t Cracked Up To The Job" December 17, 2025 1.0 I spoke with four different people, and each spent more time trying to sell our campaign products and services we didn’t ask for. All the time the products and services weren’t functional. Pros Nothing at this point. They talk a good game and promote itself as better than sliced bread but in reality they are seriously lacking in everything. Cons Way too much technology that is hard to navigate just to set up the online donation product. Links are broken. All sounds great but in practical matters, they suck. Review Source CH Carl H. Precinct Oganizer Political Organization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "NGP Van, from Carl Hamm " December 5, 2024 5.0 Excellent. I am quite pleased with it. A most excellent product. Pros Easy to use, an abundance of information Cons Nothing really. It is quite helpful with my needs Review Source MD Marilynn D. Vice Chair and Volnteer Coordinator Political Organization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "NGP VAN is an extremely helpful tool" February 10, 2024 5.0 I've used NGP VAN for a couple of years, and we are actively using this program now prior to the March Primary Elections. Being able to identify registered Democrats, and canvass them is a modern miracle. Just this week we used NGP VAN to perform a literature distribution (lit drop) encouraging folks to vote early if they can, or vote on Election Day. We put together door hanger bags with voting dates and times, info on President Biden's accomplishments, voting locations, and a list of candidates running for State and local offices. NGP VAN offers so many resources like names and addresses, actual maps and directions to these homes. It includes video instructions for the program's use as well. We can cover large areas of our county and are prepared to ask for residents by name, which makes the first encounter go smoothly. Thank you for giving us this very valuable tool. M Davis 2nd Vice Chair & Volunteer Coordinator Pros I like NGP VAN's accuracy and multiple options. There are different maps to help with locating an address. The screens switch smoothly from one to another, no lag time at all, as long as you have internet connection. Even in our small, rural mountain town we have very few problems. I can't always say that about some programs. Cons You need some training, and actual experience, using this program, to maximize its use. NGP VAN can do so many things that it takes using it, with some instruction, to comprehend all it can do. Review Source Response from Bonterra March 1, 2024 Hi Marilynn, thank you so much for your feedback! We're thrilled to hear how NGP VAN has become an integral part of your election prep - your success is our victory dance! Training is key, and we appreciate you recognizing the power of mastering our tool. Your lit drop sounds epic, and we're proud to support your hard work in making every vote count. Cheers to making those first encounters smoother, and thank you for bringing communities together. Best of luck to you this March - you've got this! AA Ace A. Candidate Political Organization Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "My first month with NGP VAN" February 6, 2024 3.0 The Help Desk is not helpful. As a new customer, my campaign manager and I needed a lot of reassurance and handholding, because the learning curve is steep. A natural place to start seemed to be at the Help Desk. Unfortunately, this was: (1) not live (it is via an online work order; (2) not necessarily prompt; (3) as often as not referred me and my campaign manager back to the written documentation, which too often was not helpful --and which we had typically already accessed and found it wanting. We simply stopped using the non-helpful Help Desk. My distinct impression was that my time was a lot less valuable than the Help Desk personnel time. Most of my questions could have been answered in a minute or two by an expert; instead, I was directed to online materials that took a long time to plow through, and often didn't answer the question. Now for the good news: the thrice-weekly Zoom sessions with \[sensitive content hidden\] have been CRITICAL to our going forward with NGP8. They know their subject matter cold, are patient and excellent communicators, and are able to provide quick, definitive solutions to problems. It gives me great comfort to know that they are there and accessible. I STRONGLY suggest that NGP clients be directed to them immediately in the onboarding process, and in fact recommend that it be a requirement that all newbies have an early-on get-to-know-you session with the Zoom team. This would short-circuit a lot of frustration and, frankly, anger with NGP. We shouldn't have had to suffer buyer's remorse and be on the verge of bailing on NGP. Fortunately, we got past that. A suggestion: Consider having a "Suggestion" box, perhaps right on the user splash page. I know there have been several times with \[sensitive content hidden\] that they've said, "Yes, I see what the problem is and we'll talk with our team about changing that." It would be good to know that there is an embedded process for change and improvement... ideally, with feedback so that the person who made the suggestion could be apprised of follow-up. This would yield great buy-in from clients, since they'd now be a part of the 'development team' and would see that their input is important. Moreover, there is simply no better source of improvement than feedback from end-users. NGP VAN is a great product, but is bedeviled by its rather outdated front end that is apparently layered on legacy design and nomenclature that made sense 10 or 15 years ago. It shouldn't take weeks of frustration to be at the point where you're confident that you made a good choice. And good software design shouldn't demand that a new user learn a non-intuitive front end. A suggestion: Have an alert, non-defensive site navigation team, good listeners, sit side-by-side with a few new clients and watch as they take their first baby steps with NGP8. Too often what is intuitive to engineers and experienced users is in fact counter-intuitive to new users. The integration with ActBlue is really great, and critical to the utility of NGP8. Pros It is comprehensive. The scope is remarkable, and I really appreciate the work that went into building it. It also appears to be pretty bomb-proof; it hasn't crashed on me yet. The best part of it has been the initial onboarding person (\[sensitive content hidden\]) with a special callout to \[sensitive content hidden\]. See my comments below about how critical they have been to successfully navigating the onboarding process. Cons It starts with the name. NGP vs. NGP VAN vs. NGP8...this single example pretty much sums up the nomenclature and relationship confusion. It was not at all evident the flow of information between the various entities, between VoteBuilder-MyCampaign-MiniVAN-NGP VAN...and that NGP VAN is the same as NGP8. There needs to be a wholesale review of naming conventions and definitions. (Too often the definitions don't conform to standard English or are inconsistent--e.g., "Delete" can mean 'delete from a form or from a search result,' or it can mean 'delete the record from the database.') There should never be confusion about what is going to happen when you push a "delete" button. That is just one example of dozens. Alternatives considered [NationBuilder](https://www.capterra.com/p/130934/NationBuilder/) Reason for choosing NGP VAN NGP VAN/NGP8 is within the Democratic ecosystem. It was used by several regional campaigns, albeit not by smaller campaigns like ours (for a state House district). I must say that NationBuilder impressed me a great deal, and seemed to have a much cleaner, more generally intuitive interface (although what I know of it is simply through their marketing Zoom). The input we had about NGP8, before signing up, was that it was (for larger campaigns, anyway) necessary, a "gotta have," but difficult to master. Necessary, but not beloved. It would be great to see NGP8 become easier to learn/use and more widely used. It has very little penetration, at least in my part of the country, to down-ballot races, which is a shame. Review Source CL Catherine L. Treasurer and Data Geek Political Organization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Getting better, but fails at on some critical features." November 16, 2023 4.0 VAN is like living with a completely overbred Siamese cat. It can be lovely most days, but at critical times, it WILL put a hairball in your shoes. Pros It's a pretty robust database. We've learned to use these data to better support our political campaigns. We're a SMALL Democratic organization, so candidates are learning Mini Van, and I'm the only who uses VAN. Cons That it can FAIL, and FAIL BADLY on election day. I didn't enjoy being screamed at by our Vice Chair because we could NOT chase people via phone who hadn't voted. The data were to update hourly, removing people who had voted, and nope, this did NOT happen. We used a simpler search, and then texted everyone who supposedly hadn't voted (thank you Scale to WIN, which is lovely), with lots of people who responded that "they had voted." BOO! Reason for choosing NGP VAN NA--the purchase was at the COUNTY (NJ) level. Review Source Response from Bonterra December 1, 2023 Hi Catherine, thank you for your candid feedback. I appreciate you highlighting where our robust software has supported your political campaigns. At the same time, we are sorry to hear about your poor experience on an election day. I have promptly forwarded your feedback onto the relevant teams. Thank you once again for choosing NGP VAN. JS John S. Chief Data Analyst Insurance Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Helpful Analytic Platform" April 7, 2023 4.0 Overall it is positive. I think a lot of my criticism of the platform comes from the administrators I have access through. There are a lot of levels of access and gaining the right level of access while maintaining proper security is cumbersome at times. But overall VAN is very helpful with a vast majority of the analytical work I need to do for the organization. Pros The ability to create snapshots of areas quickly - e.g. after the most recent election we used VAN to analyze how various groups of voters performed around our various districts. This would have taken significant time before we were using VAN but now it was no more than an afternoon and did not need to wait for anyone outside our organization to get us data. Cons The interface. I think an overhaul to the interface would allow for used to unlock more of what VAN has to offer. Review Source Response from Bonterra February 27, 2024 Hi John, Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on VAN. It's awesome to hear that you were able to analyze voter performance quickly after the recent election with the help of our platform! I understand you had some difficulty with the interface, and I'll make sure to pass on your feedback to the VAN team. Your feedback is important to us, and we appreciate your support. P.S. If you ever need help, please don't hesitate to reach out; we're always here! VR Verified Reviewer Organizing Director Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "NGP VAN- The Only Choice for Campaigns" March 26, 2024 5.0 Very positive overall, it maintains all of the lists, data, call, knock, and text data as well as valuable targeting information. Pros The platform is a fundamental tool to every campaign whether it be fundraising or canvassing, it is the most essential software a team can have when trying to win elections. Cons The interface continues to be clunky and somewhat difficult to navigate for new users. It functions first as a database as opposed to an active management tool. Reason for choosing NGP VAN There were no products we considered, there are not really serious competitors to the product. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director of Communications Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best on the market, but not good." October 22, 2018 2.0 Pros For what it does, there is not a better competitor to NGP VAN. It is the most comprehensive database available for Democratic campaigns and is standardized to a point where almost anyone you talk to in the industry has familiarity with it. Cons The interface is unintuitive and slow, the data is often out of date, and repeat processes are tedious, lead to errors, and borderline infuriating. Customer service is lackluster and often outsourced to party members without real expertise with the software. Review Source MK Mary K. Precinct Committeperson Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Voter Database is integral to our outreach" April 12, 2023 5.0 Pros The ability to target specific demographics or geographical areas is critical to our success Cons Needs more flexibility when establishing scripts for phone, text, or walk campaigns. Review Source Response from Bonterra April 26, 2023 Hi Mary, Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you're happy with our filtering and communication tools and that it's been helpful for your organization. We strive to provide the best possible experience so you can be successful. Regarding your feedback on the need for more flexibility when establishing scripts for phone, text, or walk campaigns, we appreciate your suggestion. We are always looking for ways to improve our platform and make it more user-friendly for our customers. We'll be sure to share your feedback with our development team to see if we can incorporate your suggestions into future updates. Thank you again for taking the time to review us, and we're glad that our platform has been helpful for your outreach efforts. Please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support team if you have any further feedback or questions! Best, Kathleen CH Clayton H. Retired Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very Useful" January 24, 2023 5.0 I cannot do my job without it. Pros Its data management ability. Allows us to target desired addresses. Cons Printing lists ... process not intuitive. Review Source GW Geoff W. Co-Captain Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Pretty Good" November 16, 2023 4.0 Overall, good. Uploading data for lists could be streamlined, Pros Ability to send emails to a large list is crucial Cons Ability to edit existing lists is limited to one record at a time Review Source JF Jason F. Candidate Government Relations Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "2022 Virginia State Senate Campaign" November 29, 2023 5.0 Pros What I like the most about VAN is how thorough of a software database it is. Everything you need to run an effective strategy in a political campaign are there. Cons Nothing. A first time campaign manager with now experience was able to figure out the basics. It may seem like a daunting UI interface, but with practice and understanding of what the parameters do, it can be learned. Review Source JB Jackie B. Facility Specialist Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Invaluable tool but could be easier to use" August 29, 2022 4.0 I'm doing more with it these days so learning more features. Creating queries to share is hard because it doesn't support variables or prompts. Pros Access to information about voters and the ability to print and ship to MiniVAN Cons Query features are lacking. Creating queries to share is hard because it doesn't support variables or prompts. Review Source TD Tyler D. Tech Team Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "van for the win " April 18, 2023 4.0 It has been well. The text banking additions have been nice! Pros I like how easy it is to build list and coalitions. Cons I would like to see more information on donors. Review Source LS Lowell S. Campaign Manager Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "useful but limited" November 15, 2022 3.0 portable lists for contacting Pros portability and mappinguse on cell phones Cons can't easily download listsnot flexible enough Review Source LS Lawrence S. Retired Real Estate Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good product" July 21, 2022 4.0 Good Pros Quick lookups, whether in name or address or District, information is really helpful. Cons Accuracy and time to reflect data that has been uploaded. Review Source PO Patricia O. Local Town Committee Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Local Political Committee Utilization" August 3, 2022 4.0 Pros Functional source of data that can be manipulated to meet local needs. Cons We need a more in depth explanation on the use of CIVIQS scores, and other targeting scores so we can better utilize our time and direct our efforts on those voters we can influence. Review Source BB Becky B. Chair, Turn Arkansas Blue committee, Hot Springs Village Ar Political Organization Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "VAN is vital for get out the vote efforts " August 3, 2022 5.0 Pros Window to community statistics - finding the “secret” Democrats. Cons Can be confusing when trying to determine scores to use. Review Source CH Chuck H. Candidate Government Administration Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "This data rocks" July 20, 2022 5.0 awesome Pros the cut turf feature is fun and cool and the integration with MiniVan is seamless Cons getting around all the extra stuff to the stuff I need Review Source DR David R. Director of Development & External Relations Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Take Your Political Game to A New Level" January 24, 2023 5.0 Targeting, Polling, Finance, General Dem pictures, Redistricting, and more Pros After over 10 years of use with the product on committees from Obama for America, DCCC or Pennsylvania Democrats - I’ve witnessed a consistent dedication to ease-of-use, functionality, and technological advancement all combined with a true Democratic Party partner’s desire to maintain affordable cost for a more widespread use. It’s truly revolutionized Democratic politics. Cons Improvements could included possible integrations with other programs or platforms from DDX to LBJ etc Review Source BW Betty W. Voter Protection, Henderson County, NC Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Votebuilder: Necessary for Activists. " November 16, 2022 4.0 Since the Kerry/Edwards election, I have used online tracking for our volunteers and voters. As it developed into VAN, we enjoyed expanded criteria and additional abilities. To create turf, access to voting records and much more, this program works. I'm so glad to have "The VAN" again in North Carolina, as we did in Florida. Pros VBuilder creates a good overview of the voter. It helps us gauge their intent, activity and sincerity levels so we better "know who we're working with". Scores, Others in Household, etc. are valuable for a clearer vision of our potential volunteer.Creating turfs, etc. are instrumental in directing our canvassers, as well. Overall, a really good system. Cons It 'times out' too quickly. By the time I copy and past some information and return it often needs my sign-in again. I do understand this as a vital deterrent for unwanted users, so no complaint. Would be good if it could have just a little longer active time. Review Source JM Jesus M. Data Management Specialist Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Satisfied but could use some improvements" November 16, 2022 4.0 Pros The Virtual Phonebank feature. After the trial and errors of creating script elements prior to actually putting it all together in your final script, being able to launch the phonebank session and send to callers via hyperlink is very convenient. Also, the reports that could be pulled from events, surveys, calls and canvassing made end of campaign reporting not so stressful. Cons Bulk uploads are so finicky. If contact phone numbers are not in a particular format they are rejected and causes me clean and re-attempt several times. There is also an inconsistency in the data at times: I will create a list of contacts that were called (Contact Type: phone) and get one number but when I use the report manager sometimes the data doesn't match. I attest to maybe duplicate calls to same phone being shared by different contacts. But that is not the only inconsistency in the data. Review Source SP Shelley P. volunteer Political Organization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "County Party Struggles" August 4, 2022 4.0 Have been working in VAN since 2014 when I started using it as a Battleground Texas volunteer. Shifted what we learned to using VAN for the local county party. The data base was a mess! Worked diligently to improve the database, to try to get others (including other rural county parties) to use VAN, have given feedback from field use (often dismissed by the Texas Democratic Party's data team...which has had good and not-so-good people...which should be all about customer service and coaching, but mostly has tried to fit square pegs in round holes), coach other users as much as my experience allows. I continue to have issues that aren't addressed....back bulk uploads that resulted in bad data but that TDP wouldn't or couldn't back out, awareness of bad vendor phone numbers being placed ahead of good phone numbers collected directly from voters, and right now the SWITCH option has been removed so that I am unable to switch to other neighboring counties' VAN access to help their county chairs with projects (have filed two help tickets....but heard nothing...and there are no longer any phone numbers to reach any data team members with problems, everything is only through help tickets). Pros As voter database and tracking of contact is could shine! As a tool it is far more than any rural county party could do for themselves, so it needs to be used to its fullest (but isn't). Cons ...but when used exclusively by volunteers, we can't get the continuity going. Without everyone using it, the input is sporadic and incomplete. There needs to be better coaching from the state party in how a rural county party can and should use VAN, with regular projects designed FOR RURAL COUNTIES (with county party input on the projects)....then deadlines and followup. Tying the why we do something to the results and analysis of what we learn each go-around (and how to track progress from election cycle to election cycle...in our RED county). Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.