CrowdInsights
CrowdInsights GmbH provides a GDPR-compliant SaaS platform for digital citizen participation, serving German and Austrian municipalities, public organizations, foundations, and housing associations through subscription tiers and project licenses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CrowdInsights does
CrowdInsights GmbH is a Berlin-based SaaS provider of digital citizen participation platforms, founded in 2015 and serving German and Austrian municipalities, public organizations, foundations, housing associations, and political bodies. The platform combines a public-facing Beteiligungswebsite (custom-branded under the client's domain) with an internal CrowdInsights Admin dashboard that lets specialist departments configure projects, moderate contributions, and prepare results. Modular participation formats include surveys, ideation, voting, map-based participation (Kartenbeteiligung) with WMS/WMTS and GeoJSON support, a participatory budgeting module (Bürgerhaushalt), a defect reporter (Mängelmelder), and a hybrid format that digitizes in-person workshop output (Mentimeter Analog-Import). An AI-supported analysis layer (KI-gestützte Auswertung) handles clustering, keyword extraction, and automated moderation of large free-text volumes.
The platform is built on containerized Kubernetes infrastructure hosted exclusively in Hetzner data centers in Germany, with tenant-isolated databases per organization and full GDPR / DSGVO compliance. CrowdInsights generates revenue through annual SaaS subscriptions (tiers: Schlanker Einstieg, Regelbetrieb Kleine Stadt, Regelbetrieb Große Stadt, Enterprise Metropole), time-limited project licenses for planning bureaus, standalone module subscriptions, and separately contracted professional services (consulting, moderation, conception, community management). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; all tiers include setup/onboarding, AI features, and free migration from competitors. Go-to-market is consultative enterprise sales, supported by SEO, content marketing targeted at municipal decision-makers, and a referral network of public foundations and planning bureaus, with the company's footprint concentrated in the DACH region.
CrowdInsights firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CrowdInsights
- Legal name
- CrowdInsights GmbH
- Website
- https://crowdinsights.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CrowdInsights GmbH provides a GDPR-compliant SaaS platform for digital citizen participation, serving German and Austrian municipalities, public organizations, foundations, and housing associations through subscription tiers and project licenses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CrowdInsights industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic Engagement Software
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps) (BPAFAGAL)
Keywords
Where CrowdInsights is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CrowdInsights business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Platform Subscription (Annual License): Annual subscription model providing access to the full participation platform. Packages range from 'Schlanker Einstieg' (starter, 1 admin user) to 'Enterprise/Metropole' (unlimited users, custom design, all add-ons). Includes setup, onboarding workshop, AI features, and free migration when switching. Billed annually; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
- Project License: Time-limited single-project license for planning bureaus and municipalities wanting to conduct a single participation procedure without long-term commitment. No ongoing platform license required. Billed per project.
- Standalone Modules (Mängelmelder, Bürgerhaushalt): Standalone annual licenses for specific modules (defect reporter, citizen budget) that function without the full participation platform. Can be combined with the main platform for an integrated offering.
- Professional Services (Beratung, Konzeption, Moderation, Community Management): Additional services including consulting, conception, process support, project management, data analysis, evaluation, moderation, community management, and software development as separately contracted services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Schlanker Einstieg (Starter) — 1 admin user, standardized platform, single landing page and project pages, own logo and domain |
| Subscription | Annual | Regelbetrieb (Kleine Stadt) — 10 admin users, more customization, extra page for project list |
| Subscription | Annual | Regelbetrieb (Große Stadt) — deep page/menu structure, project groups, news/blog system, event management, hybrid participation functions, DeepL integration with 4 languages |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise (Metropole) — unlimited users and rights system, custom design and integrations, all add-ons included, extensive map functions, GIS, WMTS/WMS, geoJSON |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Projektlizenz (Project License) — single project, time-limited, no long-term commitment |
| Subscription | Annual | Mängelmelder (Standalone) — map-based defect reporting with photo upload, ticket system, status notifications, own domain and branding |
| Subscription | Annual | Bürgerhaushalt (Standalone) — submit, discuss, vote, flexible phases and voting modes, resident registry verification, analog proposal digitization |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
CrowdInsights product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CrowdInsights sells a SaaS-based citizen participation platform for municipalities and public sector organizations, combining a public-facing Beteiligungswebsite with an internal CrowdInsights Admin dashboard for project setup, moderation, and evaluation. The platform supports surveys, ideation, voting, citizen budgets, map-based/GIS participation, and document commenting, with AI-supported analysis and hybrid digital-plus-analog workflows. It is offered via annual subscription tiers, time-limited project licenses, and standalone modules (Mängelmelder, Bürgerhaushalt), complemented by separately contracted consulting and moderation services.
Product overview
CrowdInsights is a modern participation platform for municipalities and organizations, combining a flexible participation website with clear methodology and personal support. The core offering consists of two integrated products: the Beteiligungswebsite (public-facing participation portal for citizens and stakeholders) and the CrowdInsights Admin (internal dashboard for project management, moderation, and analysis). These are offered through annual subscription tiers (Schlanker Einstieg, Regelbetrieb for small and large cities, and Enterprise for metropolises) or project-based licenses. Standalone products include the Mängelmelder (citizen defect reporter) and Bürgerhaushalt (participatory budgeting module). Additional paid add-ons include extended map functions, integrated analytics, hybrid formats with Mentimeter import, and voting modules. The platform features AI-supported evaluation, automatic structuring of contributions, and integrates with translation services like DeepL.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Beteiligungswebsite (Public Participation Website) Public-facing participation website for citizens and stakeholders, branded per municipality or organization with custom domain and clear user guidance, enabling surveys, ideation, voting, document commenting, and map-based participation.
- CrowdInsights Admin
Quantifiable outcome
- CrowdInsights has been deployed in over 100 municipalities and public organizations, with more than 100,000 contributions processed.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CrowdInsights
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CrowdInsights technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability6 records
Feature8 records
CrowdInsights partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Hetzner GmbHcore infrastructureHetzner GmbH is the German hosting provider operating CrowdInsights' servers exclusively in EU-based (Germany) data centers. This is a foundational infrastructure partnership ensuring GDPR compliance, data sovereignty, and no US cloud dependency. Hetzner operates certified data centers meeting highest security standards.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CrowdInsights competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Decidim: Open-source participatory democracy platform originated in Barcelona and adopted by many European municipalities. Directly competes on participatory budgeting, proposals, surveys, and voting — and represents the main free/open-source alternative that CrowdInsights must displace in tenders.
- PlaceSpeak: Civic engagement platform focused on location-verified public consultations and stakeholder feedback, used by municipalities and public agencies. Comparable subscription SaaS model and feature overlap (geospatial feedback, surveys, voting) though smaller scale than CrowdInsights.
- Consul Democracy: Open-source civic participation platform originally developed for Decide Madrid and now used by hundreds of municipalities globally. Most direct comparable to CrowdInsights in terms of feature scope (proposals, debates, voting, participatory budgets) and target customer (municipalities and public administrations).
- CitizenLab: Belgian SaaS for citizen participation targeting European cities and public administrations. Closest commercial SaaS peer — similar tiered subscription model, multilingual platform, AI-assisted analysis, and comparable focus on EU data sovereignty.
- Bang the Table (EngagementHQ): Australian-headquartered vendor of the EngagementHQ platform for community engagement, used by local governments in Europe, North America and APAC. Comparable SaaS subscription model, multi-format participation tools, and AI-assisted analysis positioning.
- adhocracy+ (LiQD): German civic participation platform maintained by LiQD and used by multiple German municipalities for online consultations and participatory processes. The most direct domestic competitor in CrowdInsights' home market with overlapping customer base and feature set.
Broad incumbents
- Granicus: Large US-headquartered gov-tech vendor whose govDelivery and experience-cloud products bundle citizen engagement, communications and meeting-management capabilities. Represents the broader-incumbent threat of bundled participation modules being added to wider municipal software suites.
- OpenGov: US gov-tech company offering budgeting, citizen services and civic engagement software to state and local governments. Less Europe-focused than CrowdInsights but a benchmark for how broader incumbents attack the participation software category as part of integrated suites.
- AKDB: Major German municipal IT provider offering portal, ERP and e-government software to Bavarian and other German municipalities. Listed as a CrowdInsights partner logo and represents the incumbent that could bundle participation modules into its existing municipal contracts.
Emerging players
- Loomio: Cooperative-owned deliberation and decision-making platform used by organizations and public bodies for participatory discussions and proposals. Adjacent peer with overlapping deliberation use cases but weaker GIS and citizen-budget tooling compared with CrowdInsights.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CrowdInsights social profiles
Digital presenceCrowdInsights compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
CrowdInsights financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CrowdInsights leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
CrowdInsights funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CrowdInsights M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CrowdInsights
What does CrowdInsights do?
CrowdInsights sells a SaaS-based citizen participation platform for municipalities and public sector organizations, combining a public-facing Beteiligungswebsite with an internal CrowdInsights Admin dashboard for project setup, moderation, and evaluation. The platform supports surveys, ideation, voting, citizen budgets, map-based/GIS participation, and document commenting, with AI-supported analysis and hybrid digital-plus-analog workflows. It is offered via annual subscription tiers, time-limited project licenses, and standalone modules (Mängelmelder, Bürgerhaushalt), complemented by separately contracted consulting and moderation services.
Is CrowdInsights a public or private company?
CrowdInsights is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CrowdInsights founded?
CrowdInsights was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CrowdInsights based?
CrowdInsights is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CrowdInsights make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. SaaS Platform Subscription (Annual License) is the primary driver. The others are project License, standalone Modules (Mängelmelder, Bürgerhaushalt) and professional Services (Beratung, Konzeption, Moderation, Community Management).
Who are CrowdInsights's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Decidim, PlaceSpeak, Consul Democracy, CitizenLab, Bang the Table (EngagementHQ) and adhocracy+ (LiQD). Broad incumbents are Granicus, OpenGov and AKDB. Loomio is listed as an emerging player.
Does CrowdInsights have an API?
Yes. CrowdInsights provides API access and webhooks for integration into existing systems. The platform supports integrations over API and webhooks according to the admin product page. The architecture allows embedding on municipal websites and connecting with GIS-systems or planning databases.
What industry is CrowdInsights in?
CrowdInsights's product category is Civic Engagement Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAGAL, Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps). Its NAICS code is 541910 and its SIC code is 7372.