Why Action Network, and the free tier

Action Network is a cooperatively governed, free-to-start tool built for organizing — not a marketing platform with a justice skin.

Action Network is run as a public-benefit organization. Many of the largest labor unions and progressive coalitions in the United States — SEIU, AFT, Working Families Party, the Movement for Black Lives, and thousands of smaller groups — use it as core organizing infrastructure. It speaks fluent 'list', 'form', 'event', 'petition', and 'letter to target'.

The free tier is real. You can sign up an unlimited number of subscribers, run unlimited events and petitions, send broadcast emails, and use most automation features without paying. The paid tier ('Action Network Plus', priced per subscriber) adds advanced reporting, A/B testing, and SMS — but you can run a campaign of several thousand people on the free tier for as long as you want.

It also speaks to other tools well: a shared list across coalition partners (called a 'network'), API access, and integrations with VAN, EveryAction, and others when you need them later. This means starting on Action Network does not lock you in or force a costly migration if the campaign grows.

For a base-building campaign at the city or neighborhood scale, with 1:1s as your acquisition path, Action Network's free tier is enough for two or three years of work. Start here.