Our approach to privacy

Factory is built on a simple principle: your data stays yours. We don't sell your information, we don't show you ads, and we don't mine your communications for profit. The platform exists to serve your group — not the other way around.

What information Factory collects

What we don't do

• We don't sell or share your data with third parties for advertising
• We don't read your private messages or group emails for marketing purposes
• We don't track you across the web
• We don't use your content to train AI models outside of features you explicitly use (like the group creation assistant)

Group privacy levels

Groups on Factory can set their own privacy level, which controls how much member information is visible within the group:

The privacy level is set by the group manager. You can see the privacy level on the group's page before you join.

Group visibility

Separate from privacy, groups have a visibility setting that controls who can find and access the group:

Free to start

Factory is free to use with generous limits. Every account — even without a paid plan — can create up to 3 groups, invite up to 50 contacts, and send up to 50 emails per month. No credit card required, no trial period. The free tier is available forever.

Plan families

When you need more, Factory offers four plan families, each designed for different kinds of organizations:

Tiers within each family

Each plan family has three tiers:

What changes with a paid plan

Paid plans increase your limits for:

• Groups created — how many groups you can own
• Contacts — total contacts and monthly additions
• Invitations — total invitations and monthly sends
• Emails — monthly email volume across all your groups

All core features — group email, member directories, calendars, link libraries, sharing tools — are available on every plan, including free.

Compare plans

Visit Plans for the full comparison with exact limits and pricing for each tier.

What is Factory?

Factory is a platform for organizations, clubs, associations, and professional networks to communicate, collaborate, and grow together. It gives your group the tools that large organizations take for granted — mailing lists, member directories, shared calendars, and more — without the complexity or cost.

Who is Factory for?

• Community organizations — nonprofits, volunteer groups, civic associations
• Professional networks — alumni groups, industry circles, advisory boards
• Clubs and interest groups — hobby groups, sports teams, book clubs
• Small teams — project teams, client portals, event planning committees
• Anyone who needs a shared space to organize people around a purpose

What can you do here?

How much does it cost?

You can create up to 3 groups and invite up to 50 contacts for free — no credit card required. Paid plans start at Participation Lite and scale up through Advocacy, Fellowship, and Stewardship tiers. Each tier unlocks higher limits for groups, contacts, invitations, and emails. Visit Plans for details.

Creating an account

Sign up using your email address or log in with Google, LinkedIn, or Facebook. You'll need to verify your email before your first login. Once verified, you'll be guided through a short onboarding process to create your first group.

What is group email?

Every group on Factory has its own email address. Send a message to it, and everyone in the group receives it. Reply to a group message, and your reply goes back to the group. No app to install, no new interface to learn — it works with whatever email client you already use.

Group email addresses follow this pattern: {group-slug}[email protected]

What to expect as a member

• You'll receive group emails in your regular inbox
• Every message has a [GroupName] subject tag so you can filter easily
• You can reply to any message — your reply goes to the entire group (unless the group uses reply-to-sender mode)
• You can unsubscribe or change your delivery preferences anytime

Delivery options

To change your preference, send the command to the group's +cmd address (see the Member Commands tab for details).

Posting via the web

Visit your group page and click Post Message. Write your message with formatting (bold, links, etc.) and it will be delivered to all members just like an email would. The same delivery rules apply — members on digest will see it in their next digest.

Email archive

Every group keeps a searchable archive of all messages. Browse by date, search by keyword, or view full conversation threads. The archive is accessible from your group page.