GrantForward vs OpenGrants in 2026
GrantForward vs OpenGrants compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, and what to check first.
CDings is published by the makers of Raise Buddy and ProductCost, which are compared here alongside other tools.
GrantForward vs OpenGrants compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, how to start, and what to check first.
GrantForward provides a search feature for grant opportunities. [1] OpenGrants lets users search more than 8,000 open grants and contracts from federal, state and private funders. [2]
| Option | Free entry | Paid prices | Card payment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrantForward | Free search option [1]; institution trial and home subscription [1] | Not published | Not published |
| OpenGrants | Free for 7 days with a free account that opens any grant, saves it and checks eligibility [2] [2] | $9 a month or $99 a year [2] | Not published |
| Raise Buddy | Free plan opens programs up to $1,000 [3] | Plus $14.99 a month (up to $5,000); Pro $199 a month (every program) [3] | Not published |
The short answer
GrantForward provides a search feature for grant opportunities. [1] With a researcher profile, users can find collaborators who share the same interests. [1] It offers an institution trial and a home subscription. [1]
OpenGrants lets users search more than 8,000 open grants and contracts from federal, state and private funders. [2] A free account opens any grant, saves it, and checks eligibility. [2] After a free period it moves to a paid plan. [2]
If you want a running list of funding matched to a description of what your business does, with a plain verdict on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy's sources describe that. [3] [3]
What GrantForward, OpenGrants is built for
GrantForward provides a search feature for grant opportunities. [1] With a researcher profile, users can find collaborators who have the same interests to start a project. [1] GrantForward offers an institution trial and a home subscription. [1]
OpenGrants lets users search more than 8,000 open grants and contracts from federal, state and private funders. [2] A free account opens any grant, saves it, and checks eligibility. [2] After a free period, OpenGrants costs $9 a month or $99 a year. [2] The sources give no other detail about how OpenGrants works, so check what a search returns before you decide.
What Raise Buddy is built for
Raise Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste your website or describe what you do, and it lists grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for. [3] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, with the funder's own words. [3]
It can read a Schedule C, Form 1120, 1065 or 990, or an IRS letter, from a photo or PDF into a draft profile you confirm, and it does not keep the EIN or the papers. [3] It includes private foundations that take applications, read from their own Form 990-PF tax returns. [3]
Its program list includes the UK's Find a Grant, Australia's GrantConnect, France's Aides-territoires, Japan's jGrants, Spain's BDNS and Austria's Transparenzportal. [3] It also covers ways to raise money such as angel investors, SBA loans and equity crowdfunding, each with its official rules and a first step. [3]
It keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [3]
Pricing and fees
GrantForward offers an institution trial and a home subscription. [1] The sources reviewed here do not state a price for GrantForward, so check its own pricing page before you commit.
OpenGrants is free for 7 days, then $9 a month or $99 a year. [2] A free account opens any grant, saves it, and checks eligibility. [2]
Raise Buddy's free plan opens programs up to $1,000. [3] Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000. [3] Pro is $199 a month and opens every program, with the advisors' review and the AI assistant connection. [3] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [3] A guest's search list ends after 5. [3]
None of the sources gives a card payment fee for these tools, so that part is not published for any of them.
Getting started
GrantForward offers an institution trial and a home subscription. [1] Its sources reviewed here say nothing more about the sign-up steps.
OpenGrants lets users create a free account to open grants, save them, and check eligibility. [2] Searches cover more than 8,000 open grants and contracts from federal, state and private funders. [2]
For Raise Buddy, no install is needed for the web app. [3] The app is built for the web and phones. [3] You paste your website or describe what you do, and the list of funding follows. [3] If you have a tax form or IRS letter, you can add a photo or PDF and confirm the draft profile it produces. [3]
AI assistants connect by adding the connection address. [3] On the Pro plan, the user can connect an AI assistant such as Claude so it can search Raise Buddy, with ten tools to use. [3] Only English is shown for now, even though five more languages are planned. [3]
Things to check before you choose
- What does the plan you need cost each month or year, and is it published before you sign up?
- Does the tool cover the kind of funding you want, such as grants, and the country you operate in?
- Can you search before you pay, and what does the search return for your field of work?
- Does it say plainly whether your business or project can apply, and how does it decide?
- Does it save shortlists or track where each application stands, and where do you submit it?
- What happens to any documents or profile details you upload?
- Is the interface in the language you work in?
How to choose
If you want a list of funding matched to a description of your business, with a verdict on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy's sources describe that. [3] [3]
If you want options beyond grants, such as angel investors, SBA loans or equity crowdfunding, Raise Buddy's sources say it covers ways to raise money beyond applications. [3]
If you want funding sources from outside the US, Raise Buddy's sources list programs from several countries. [3]
If you want to search a large database of open grants from federal, state and private funders, OpenGrants' sources describe that. [2]
If you want to save grants and check eligibility on a free account, OpenGrants' sources describe that. [2]
If you want to find collaborators with the same interests through a profile, GrantForward's sources describe that. [1]
Frequently asked questions
Does GrantForward offer a free way to start?
GrantForward offers an institution trial and a home subscription. [1] Its page also offers a free search option. [1] The sources reviewed here do not state a price for the subscription, so check GrantForward's own pricing page for what the trial and the home subscription cost before you commit.
How much does OpenGrants cost?
OpenGrants is free for 7 days, then $9 a month or $99 a year. [2] A free account opens any grant, saves it, and checks eligibility. [2] The sources give no card payment fee, so that part is not published. Check what the paid plan adds over the free account before you sign up.
How much does Raise Buddy cost?
The free plan opens programs up to $1,000. [3] Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000. [3] Pro is $199 a month and opens every program, with the advisors' review and the AI assistant connection. [3] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [3]
How many grants can OpenGrants search?
OpenGrants lets users search more than 8,000 open grants and contracts from federal, state and private funders. [2] A free account opens any grant, saves it, and checks eligibility. [2] After the free period it moves to $9 a month or $99 a year. [2] Check whether your field of work is covered before you commit.
Does GrantForward help find collaborators?
GrantForward uses researcher profiles to help users find collaborators who have the same interests to start a project. [1] It also provides a search feature for grant opportunities. [1] The sources reviewed here say nothing more about the sign-up steps, so check how the profile and the search work on GrantForward's own site.
Free plan opens programs up to $1,000; Plus is $14.99 a month (up to $5,000); Pro is $199 a month (every program, advisors' review, AI connection). The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [3]
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