USLege vs CQ Roll Call

USLege vs CQ Roll Call

Federal authority + true 50-state · live hearing video · reviewed transcripts · AI-native · $250 single / $499 all

CQ Roll Call has earned 75 years of trust as the nonpartisan authority on federal news and congressional tracking. That reputation is real. USLege is built for a different job: the AI-native operating system that puts true 50-state and federal coverage in one platform, with live searchable hearing video across the vast majority of states, reviewed full transcripts across far more committees, and pricing you can read off the page.

Side by side

USLege and CQ Roll Call, feature by feature

A factual comparison of where the two platforms land today. CQ is a respected federal news and congressional-tracking authority; the differences below are the ones teams tell us decide the switch when the job is broader than Congress.

Capability USLege CQ Roll Call
Core purposeOne platform for true 50-state plus federal tracking, built as an operating system for the whole workflowFederal news authority and congressional tracking; CQ State is a separate 50-state product
50-state coverageTrue 50-state plus federal in a single platform, no separate product to buyState coverage lives in CQ State, sold separately from CQ's federal congressional tracking
Live hearing videoLive searchable hearing video across the vast majority of states, tied to the bill and the moment it is discussedNews, analysis, and congressional tracking without live searchable hearing video
TranscriptsReviewed full transcripts across 50 states plus federal and far more committees, searchable to the sentence and linked to the billAI federal transcripts running around 90 percent accuracy, unreviewed, on a limited set of committees
AI foundationAI-native from day one, with answers cited back to live legislative dataA 75-year newsroom and tracking service with AI features added on top
Works inside your AI toolsPut USLege inside the AI you already use, so answers come from live legislative dataPrimarily read inside CQ's own newsroom and tracking application
Pricing and vendor riskTransparent and published: $250/mo one state, $499/mo all states, on a founder-led, stable, SOC 2 platformQuote-only pricing; CQ Roll Call is owned by FiscalNote
Respect the federal authority, add the other 50

Federal depth and true 50-state, in one platform

CQ Roll Call built its 75-year reputation on nonpartisan federal news and congressional tracking, and it deserves that trust. But when the job grows past Congress, CQ's state coverage sits in a separate product, CQ State. USLege puts true 50-state and federal in one platform from the start, so the team that watches Washington and the team that watches the statehouses work from the same system, the same search, and the same bill records.

Reviewed, not roughly right

Reviewed full transcripts and live hearing video

CQ's AI federal transcripts run at roughly 90 percent accuracy, unreviewed, across a limited set of committees. For citing testimony or briefing a principal, roughly right is not good enough. USLege delivers reviewed full transcripts across 50 states plus federal and far more committees, paired with live searchable hearing video across the vast majority of states, tied to the bill and jumpable to the exact moment a member speaks. You watch and quote the testimony instead of trusting an unreviewed draft.

AI-native, cited, and priced in the open

AI-native answers, transparent pricing, no vendor risk

CQ is a 75-year newsroom and tracking service with AI features added on top, read mostly inside its own application, and priced by quote. USLege was AI-native from day one: ask about a bill, a hearing, or a sponsor and the answer comes back cited to live legislative data, right inside the AI you already use. Pricing is on the page, $250 a month for one state and $499 for all states, on a founder-led, stable, SOC 2 platform, rather than a FiscalNote-owned product line.

Why they switched
We kept CQ for years because nobody doubts them on Congress. But our work is not only federal, and CQ State was another line item, the AI transcripts were unreviewed, and there was no video. With USLege the states and federal are in one place, the transcripts are reviewed, the video is right next to the bill, and it answers questions inside the AI we already use. The price is on the page.
Director of Government Affairs · national trade association · switched from CQ Roll Call
Common questions

Switching from CQ Roll Call

Is USLege trying to replace CQ Roll Call's federal news? +
CQ Roll Call is a trusted 75-year authority on nonpartisan federal news and congressional tracking, and that reputation is well earned. USLege is a different kind of product: the AI-native operating system for true 50-state plus federal legislative tracking. Teams switch to USLege when the job is broader than Congress, when they need live hearing video and reviewed transcripts, and when they want one platform instead of CQ plus a separate CQ State subscription.
How does USLege's state coverage compare to CQ State? +
CQ's 50-state coverage lives in CQ State, a separate product from its federal congressional tracking. USLege delivers true 50-state plus federal in a single platform, with live searchable hearing video across the vast majority of states and reviewed full transcripts, so you are not stitching together two subscriptions to see the whole picture.
What about CQ's AI federal transcripts? +
CQ's AI federal transcripts run at roughly 90 percent accuracy, unreviewed, on a limited set of committees. USLege provides reviewed full transcripts across 50 states plus federal and far more committees, searchable to the sentence and linked to the bill, plus live hearing video so you can confirm any quote at the source. When you are citing testimony, reviewed accuracy matters.
How hard is it to switch, and what about my CQ contract? +
Onboarding is fast, with a dedicated account manager and unlimited training, plus easy on and off ramps. USLege is founder-led, stable, and SOC 2, while CQ Roll Call is owned by FiscalNote. If you are locked into a CQ or FiscalNote contract, ask us about the contract buyout on our buyout page.
See the difference in three minutes

Keep the federal authority. Add the 50-state operating system.

Watch live hearing video next to the bill, read reviewed transcripts across 50 states plus federal, ask questions inside the AI you already use, and read your price off the page. If you are still under contract with CQ Roll Call or FiscalNote, ask about the contract buyout.