Softwr

Nonprofits · head to head

Candid vs Qgiv

Candid logo

Candid

Nonprofits

Funder and nonprofit data subscriptions from the organisation formed by Foundation Center and GuideStar

From
$219/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Qgiv logo

Qgiv

Nonprofits

Complete fundraising platform for nonprofits

From
$40/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; Qgiv qgiv has been renamed Bloomerang Fundraising and qgiv.com/pricing now redirects to bloomerang.com/pricing
  • They diverge on capability: Candid covers Foundation Directory, Qgiv covers Online donation forms.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Candid and Qgiv actually diverge.

Attributes where Candid and Qgiv differ
AttributeCandidQgiv
Starting price$219/month$40/month
Pricing modelPer user per month by tiersubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2007

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 Qgiv

  • Online donation forms
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Event registration
  • Text-to-give
  • Auction management
  • Salesforce
  • Blackbaud
  • Mailchimp

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 Qgiv
  • A funder verifying US tax exempt status before releasing a grant paymentnot Qgiv
  • A software vendor embedding nonprofit organisation data and charity verification into its own productnot Qgiv
  • A nonprofit maintaining a transparency seal on its public profile because institutional funders check it before givingnot Qgiv

Qgiv

  • Nonprofit fundraisingnot Candid
  • Donor relationship managementnot Candid
  • Volunteer managementnot Candid
  • Church givingnot 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.

Qgiv

  • Qgiv has been renamed Bloomerang Fundraising and qgiv.com/pricing now redirects to bloomerang.com/pricing
  • The fundraising product starts at $40 per month billed annually but must be purchased as part of a bundle with Bloomerang CRM, which itself starts at $125 per month
  • All published prices are billed annually with no monthly billing option shown
  • The full Giving Platform starts at $242 per month billed annually
  • Every listed price is a starting price and the page directs buyers to Contact Sales for actual pricing

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

Qgiv

$40/month
  • Bloomerang Fundraising$40/month
    • Donation forms
    • Events
    • Mobile apps
  • Bloomerang CRM$125/month
    • Donor management
    • Predictive insights
    • Marketing automation
  • Bloomerang Volunteer$119/month
    • Volunteer recruitment
    • Scheduling
    • Communications
  • The Giving Platform (All-in-One)$242/month
    • Fundraising, CRM, Volunteer management all included
    • Prospect AI
    • Predictive insights

Which should you pick?

Choose Candid if

  • You need foundation directory.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want 990 based grant records.
Candid review

Choose Qgiv if

  • You need online donation forms.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want peer-to-peer fundraising.
Qgiv review

Questions people ask

Is Candid or Qgiv better?
Neither clearly leads. Candid starts at $219/month and Qgiv at $40/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Candid or Qgiv?
Candid starts at $219/month and Qgiv at $40/month.
Does Candid or Qgiv run on more platforms?
Candid runs on Web, API. Qgiv runs on Web, IOS, Android.
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 Qgiv is typically brought in for.
What can Candid do that Qgiv cannot?
Candid covers Foundation Directory, 990 based grant records, Nonprofit Profiles, Charity check. Qgiv covers Online donation forms, Peer-to-peer fundraising, Event registration, Text-to-give.

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.

Qgiv: How much does QGIV cost?

QGIV's website redirects to Bloomerang, which offers pricing starting at $40/month for Fundraising, $119/month for Volunteer, $125/month for CRM, or $242/month for the all-in-one Giving Platform.

Source
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.

Qgiv: What is Bloomerang's pricing model?

Bloomerang uses constituent-based pricing where costs scale with the number of records/contacts in your database, not per user. All plans include unlimited users.

Source
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.

Qgiv: What does the Giving Platform include?

The Giving Platform at $242/month (billed annually) is an all-in-one solution including fundraising, CRM, volunteer management, Prospect AI, and predictive insights with unlimited users.

Source
Candid: Does Candid help outside the United States?

Only marginally. The data model is built on US tax filings and US registered organisations.

Share

Related pages

More on Candid

More on Qgiv

Keep looking

Other head to heads