Nonprofits · head to head
Candid vs NeonCRM
Candid
Nonprofits
Funder and nonprofit data subscriptions from the organisation formed by Foundation Center and GuideStar
- From
- $219/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Candid grant records derive largely from Form 990 filings, which are published with a lag, so the database describes what a funder did up to eighteen months ago rather than what it intends to fund now.; NeonCRM neonCRM operates as Neon CRM under Neon One, whose own pricing page gates every figure rather than listing one
- They diverge on capability: Candid covers Foundation Directory, NeonCRM covers Donor management.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Candid and NeonCRM actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Candid
- Foundation Directory
- 990 based grant records
- Nonprofit Profiles
- Charity check
- Data APIs and bulk feeds
- Candid Learning
- Funding Information Network
Only in NeonCRM
- Donor management
- Event management
- Volunteer tracking
- Email campaigns
- Reporting
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Zapier
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Candid
- A development director building a list of foundations that have actually funded organisations of your size, sector and geography in the past three yearsnot NeonCRM
- A funder verifying US tax exempt status before releasing a grant paymentnot NeonCRM
- A software vendor embedding nonprofit organisation data and charity verification into its own productnot NeonCRM
- A nonprofit maintaining a transparency seal on its public profile because institutional funders check it before givingnot NeonCRM
NeonCRM
- Business operationsnot Candid
- Productivitynot Candid
- Automationnot Candid
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Candid
- Grant records derive largely from Form 990 filings, which are published with a lag, so the database describes what a funder did up to eighteen months ago rather than what it intends to fund now.
- Foundation Directory is a research database, not a pipeline tool: there is no proposal tracking, deadline management or task assignment, so most teams pay for a grants tracker alongside it.
- Monthly pricing is high relative to the budget of a small nonprofit, and the same database is available free in person through partner libraries in the Funding Information Network, which makes the subscription hard to justify for occasional research.
- Coverage is US-centric and built on the US tax filing system, so it is of limited use to organisations seeking funding from UK, EU or Commonwealth foundations.
- Many funders do not accept unsolicited proposals at all, and the database cannot reliably tell you which, so prospect lists built from it still require manual qualification before outreach.
NeonCRM
- NeonCRM operates as Neon CRM under Neon One, whose own pricing page gates every figure rather than listing one
Pricing, plan by plan
Candid
$219/month- Foundation Directory Essential$219/month
- Search US grantmakers and grant records
- Saved searches and prospect lists
- Single user
- Foundation Directory Professional$1499/month
- Full grantmaker, grant and recipient search
- Trustee and key staff search
- Advanced filters and larger exports
- Data licensing$undefined/year
- API and bulk data feeds
- Charity check and organisation verification
- Priced by volume and use case, quoted
NeonCRM
On request- Starter$50/month
- Donor management
- Event management
- Professional$150/month
- Volunteer tracking
- Advanced analytics
- Integrations
Which should you pick?
Choose Candid if
- You need foundation directory.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want 990 based grant records.
Choose NeonCRM if
- You need donor management.
- You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
- You also want event management.
Questions people ask
- Is Candid or NeonCRM better?
- Neither clearly leads. Candid starts at $219/month and NeonCRM at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Candid or NeonCRM?
- Candid starts at $219/month and NeonCRM at On request.
- Does Candid or NeonCRM run on more platforms?
- Candid runs on Web, API. NeonCRM runs on Web, Mobile-responsive.
- What is Candid best used for?
- Candid is most often used for a development director building a list of foundations that have actually funded organisations of your size, sector and geography in the past three years, a funder verifying us tax exempt status before releasing a grant payment, a software vendor embedding nonprofit organisation data and charity verification into its own product, a nonprofit maintaining a transparency seal on its public profile because institutional funders check it before giving. Of those, a development director building a list of foundations that have actually funded organisations of your size, sector and geography in the past three years and a funder verifying us tax exempt status before releasing a grant payment are not what NeonCRM is typically brought in for.
- What can Candid do that NeonCRM cannot?
- Candid covers Foundation Directory, 990 based grant records, Nonprofit Profiles, Charity check. NeonCRM covers Donor management, Event management, Volunteer tracking, Email campaigns.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Candid: Is Candid the same as GuideStar?
GuideStar is now part of Candid, merged with Foundation Center in 2019. GuideStar nonprofit profiles continue under the Candid brand.
Candid: Can I use Foundation Directory for free?
Yes, in person. Hundreds of partner libraries and nonprofit resource centres in the Funding Information Network provide free access, which is a genuine alternative to a subscription for occasional research.
Candid: How current is the grant data?
It is drawn largely from Form 990 filings and lags real time by roughly a year to eighteen months. Treat it as evidence of past funding behaviour, not current priorities.
Candid: Does Candid help outside the United States?
Only marginally. The data model is built on US tax filings and US registered organisations.
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