---
{"title": "Raise Buddy vs Grantmakers.io in 2026", "description": "Raise Buddy vs Grantmakers.io compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, and what to check before you choose.", "url": "https://cdings.com/raisebuddy-vs-grantmakers-io/", "date": "2026-10-19"}
---
Raise Buddy vs Grantmakers.io compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, and what to check before you choose.

Raise Buddy and Grantmakers.io are two funding tools a small-business owner can weigh against each other. This page compares what each one's own material says it does, what it costs, and how to start. The notes behind this page carry no quoted facts about Grantmakers.io, so what it does and charges must be read from its own pages, while Raise Buddy's claims are set out below.

| Option | Free entry | Paid prices | Card payment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grantmakers.io | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Raise Buddy | Free plan opens programs up to $1,000 [^1] | Plus $14.99 a month (up to $5,000); Pro $199 a month (every program) [^1] | Not published |

## The short answer

Raise Buddy takes your website or a short description of what you do and lists grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for. [^1] The source notes gathered for this page carry no quoted facts about Grantmakers.io, so the comparison below rests on Raise Buddy's claims and on what you can verify on Grantmakers.io's own pages.

If you want a list of funding matched to a description of your business, with a plain verdict on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy's sources describe that. [^1] Whether Grantmakers.io meets that need is not stated in the notes here, so check its own pages and ask before you sign up.

## What Grantmakers.io is built for

The source notes behind this page carry no quoted facts about what Grantmakers.io does, so nothing here is stated as fact about it. Read what Grantmakers.io publishes about itself before you decide. To judge it fairly, check whether it lists grants, whether it matches opportunities to a description of your business, which funders and countries it covers, and whether it quotes the funder's own rules. Because no wording from Grantmakers.io is cited in this comparison, treat what it claims as things to confirm on its own site rather than facts stated here.

## 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. [^1] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, with the funder's own words. [^1]

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. [^1] It includes private foundations that take applications, read from their own Form 990-PF tax returns. [^1]

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. [^1] It covers 25 ways to raise money, such as angel investors, SBA loans and equity crowdfunding, each with its official rules and a first step. [^1] It keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [^1]

## Pricing and fees

Grantmakers.io's price is not published in the source notes for this page. Check its own pricing page to learn the monthly cost and whether it charges a card fee.

Raise Buddy's free plan opens programs up to $1,000. [^1] Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000. [^1] Pro is $199 a month and opens every program, with the advisors' review and the AI assistant connection. [^1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [^1] A guest's search list ends after 5. [^1]

Neither Raise Buddy's claims nor the notes for Grantmakers.io state a card payment fee, so that part is not published for either tool. [^1]

## Getting started

For Raise Buddy, no install is needed for the web app. [^1] The app is built for the web and phones. [^1] You paste your website or describe what you do, and the list of funding follows. [^1] If you have a tax form or IRS letter, you can add a photo or PDF and confirm the draft profile it produces. [^1]

AI assistants connect by adding the connection address. [^1] On the Pro plan, Claude or any compatible AI assistant can search, and the assistant gets ten tools. [^1] Only English is shown for now, even though five more languages are planned. [^1]

The notes here say nothing about how signing up for Grantmakers.io works, so check its own pages for the steps to register and set up.

## Things to check before you choose

- What does the plan you need cost each month, and is it published before you sign up?
- Does the tool cover the kind of funding you want, such as grants, loans or prizes, and the country you operate in?
- Does it say plainly whether your business can apply, and does it quote the funder?
- Who writes the application: you, or the tool? Where do you submit it?
- Does it track deadlines and spending after you win, and does it connect to the accounting software you already use?
- What happens to your tax documents and identifiers when you upload them?
- 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. [^1] [^1]

If you want options beyond grants, such as SBA loans or equity crowdfunding, Raise Buddy's sources say it covers 25 ways to raise money. [^1]

If you want funding sources from outside the US, Raise Buddy's sources list programs from several countries. [^1]

The notes here say nothing about which of these needs Grantmakers.io meets, so compare its own stated coverage against the same questions before you choose.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does Raise Buddy cost?

The free plan opens programs up to $1,000. [^1] Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000. [^1] Pro is $199 a month and opens every program, with the advisors' review and the AI assistant connection. [^1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [^1] A guest's search list stops after the first 5. [^1]

### Does Grantmakers.io have a free trial?

The source notes gathered for this page do not say whether Grantmakers.io offers a free trial, what it costs, or what a free entry includes. Check Grantmakers.io's own pages for a trial, its length, and the price after it ends before you decide. Treat anything it states about a trial as something to confirm on its site rather than a fact stated here.

### Can Raise Buddy submit a grant application?

Raise Buddy keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [^1] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, with the funder's own words. [^1]

### What should a small-business owner check before choosing either tool?

Ask what each tool costs and whether the price is published before you sign up. Check whether it covers the grants, loans or prizes you want and the country you operate in, and whether it quotes the funder's own rules. Ask who writes and submits the application, and how your tax documents and identifiers are handled after you upload them.

### How does each tool handle card payments?

Neither Raise Buddy's claims nor the source notes for Grantmakers.io state a card payment fee, so that part is not published for either tool. [^1] Ask each provider what it charges for card payments, and read the fee on its own pricing page before you commit.

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. [^1] - [Visit Raise Buddy](/go/start)

## Sources

[^1]: Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start)