Raise Buddy vs GrantWatch in 2026
Raise Buddy and GrantWatch compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, how to start, and what to check first.
CDings is published by the makers of Raise Buddy and ProductCost, which are compared here alongside other tools.
Raise Buddy lists funding you may be able to apply for from your website or a description of your work. [1] It shows whether you can apply. [1]
| Option | Own price | Card fee |
|---|---|---|
| GrantWatch | not published | not published |
| Raise Buddy Free | Free; opens programs up to $1,000 [1] | not published |
| Raise Buddy Plus | $14.99 a month; opens programs up to $5,000 [1] | not published |
| Raise Buddy Pro | $199 a month; every program, advisors' review, AI connection [1] | not published |
The short answer
GrantWatch says its grant and donor pipelines have 12 stages. [2] 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]
If you want to search grants that a person has checked, GrantWatch says it has 13,781 Human Verified grants, including 9,877 nonprofit grants. [2] If you want a list of funding with a plain verdict on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy's claims say each match gives that, in the funder's own words. [1] Raise Buddy also says you apply on the funder's own site. [1]
What GrantWatch is built for
GrantWatch says it has 13,781 Human Verified grants, including 9,877 nonprofit grants. [2] It says its contact records tool starts filled in with funder and grantee records from its data. [2] For research on foundations, it says its directory holds 4.69 million IRS 990 records. [2]
It says it tracks each grant and donor in pipelines with 12 stages. [2] It says paid MemberPlus+ members can work together in those pipelines for free. [2]
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, using the funder's own words. [1]
If you have tax papers, it can read a Schedule C, Form 1120, 1065 or 990, or an IRS letter, from a photo or PDF into a draft profile that you confirm. [1] It says it does not keep the EIN or the papers. [1]
It 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 also includes private foundations that take applications, read from their own Form 990-PF tax returns. [1]
Beyond grants, it covers 25 other 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
The GrantWatch facts used here do not give a subscription price or any fee, so its price is not published here. Check its own site for current prices.
Raise Buddy lists three plans. [1] 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 covers every program, the advisors' review and the AI connection. [1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [1]
A card payment fee is not published for GrantWatch, and it is not published for Raise Buddy.
Getting started
For GrantWatch, the facts used here do not describe sign-up or setup steps.
For Raise Buddy, you start by pasting your website or describing what you do. [1] No install is needed for the web app. [1] It runs on the web and on phones. [1] A guest's search list ends after 5. [1]
On the Pro plan, ten AI personas read your organisation and matches and write what to do first; none of them is a real person. [1] On Pro, an AI assistant can search for you. [1] The web app needs no install. [1] Only English is shown for now, even though five more languages are planned. [1]
Things to check before you choose
Ask each tool the same plain questions.
- What does it cost for the size of funding you want to reach, and what is the price for your whole team?
- Does it list funding for your country and your kind of business, or only for nonprofits?
- Does it tell you whether you can apply, and does it show the funder's own words?
- Do you apply inside the tool, or on the funder's site?
- How often is the list updated, and who checks each entry?
- What do you have to hand over, such as tax papers or an EIN, and does the tool keep them?
- Does it help with writing proposals and reporting after an award, or only with finding funding?
- Which languages does it show today?
Write down the answers from each tool's own pages before you pay for anything.
How to choose
If you want foundation research, GrantWatch says it has 4.69 million IRS 990 records. [2]
If you want to follow grants and donors step by step, GrantWatch says its pipelines have 12 stages. [2]
If you want to start from your website and get funding that includes loans, credits and prizes as well as grants, Raise Buddy's claims say it does that. [1]
If you want funding from outside the United States, Raise Buddy lists sources in the UK, Australia, France, Japan, Spain and Austria. [1]
If you want a clear answer on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy says each match gives one. [1]
If you want to look beyond grants, Raise Buddy says it covers 25 other ways to raise money. [1]
If price decides it, Raise Buddy's tiers run from Free to $199 a month. [1] GrantWatch's price is not published here, so check it directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is GrantWatch free?
The facts used here give no GrantWatch subscription price, so its price is not published here. Check its own site for current prices.
How much does Raise Buddy cost?
Raise Buddy lists three plans. [1] 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 covers every program, advisors' review and the AI connection. [1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [1]
How many grants does GrantWatch list?
GrantWatch says it has 13,781 Human Verified grants, including 9,877 nonprofit grants. [2] These are the tool's own figures from its pages. Check how recently they were updated and whether the grants fit your country and business type before relying on them.
Does Raise Buddy find funding outside the United States?
Raise Buddy says 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] The facts used here do not say whether GrantWatch lists funding outside the United States, so check that with them directly.
Can Raise Buddy or GrantWatch apply for grants for a business?
Raise Buddy says it keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [1] Neither source describes the tool sending applications for you, so check how applying works before you sign up.
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]
Try Raise BuddySources
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