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Nonprofits · head to head

OpenGrants vs Virtuous

OpenGrants logo

OpenGrants

Nonprofits

Low-cost grant search across federal, state and private funders, with a paid consultant marketplace alongside

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Virtuous logo

Virtuous

Nonprofits

CRM designed for faith-based and mission-driven organizations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenGrants has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: OpenGrants coverage of private foundations is thinner and less curated than Candid or Instrumentl, so a prospect list built solely from OpenGrants will miss foundations that never post public opportunity notices.; Virtuous the pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no cost driver for any product; every tier says Request Pricing
  • They diverge on capability: OpenGrants covers Grant search, Virtuous covers Donor management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenGrants and Virtuous actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenGrants and Virtuous differ
AttributeOpenGrantsVirtuous
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per monthsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: 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 OpenGrants

  • Grant search
  • Saved searches and alerts
  • Funder profiles
  • Opportunity tracking
  • Consultant marketplace
  • Free tier

Only in Virtuous

  • Donor management
  • Volunteer tracking
  • Giving analysis
  • Ministry management
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Mailchimp
  • Slack

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

OpenGrants

  • A small nonprofit with no research budget that needs to know whether relevant grants exist before hiring anyonenot Virtuous
  • A startup hunting SBIR, state innovation and economic development funding across multiple agenciesnot Virtuous
  • A freelance grant writer covering several clients who cannot pass on a several-hundred-dollar monthly database costnot Virtuous
  • An organisation wanting to hire a grant writer for one application without running a procurementnot Virtuous

Virtuous

  • Donor management and pipeline tracking for mid-sized and large nonprofitsnot OpenGrants
  • Marketing automation and supporter journeys tied to giving datanot OpenGrants
  • Online donation forms and giving pages connected to the CRMnot OpenGrants

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

OpenGrants

  • Coverage of private foundations is thinner and less curated than Candid or Instrumentl, so a prospect list built solely from OpenGrants will miss foundations that never post public opportunity notices.
  • The index leans on public opportunity feeds, which means it is strongest on government funding and weakest on the relationship-driven private philanthropy that most nonprofits actually rely on.
  • Matching is keyword driven rather than fit-scored, so users receive alerts for opportunities they are ineligible for and must qualify each one by hand.
  • The consultant marketplace is a directory with variable quality rather than a vetted panel, so buyers carry the risk of choosing a weak grant writer themselves.
  • It is a US-focused index, offering little to organisations seeking UK, EU or Canadian funding.

Virtuous

  • The pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no cost driver for any product; every tier says Request Pricing
  • Tier eligibility is set by the nonprofit's own annual fundraising revenue, with a $5 million threshold separating Platform from Enterprise
  • CRM+, Raise, Insights, Analytics, Volunteer and Momentum are packaged as separate products, each with its own Request Pricing button
  • Momentum, the AI fundraising agent, is sold separately from the CRM rather than included

Pricing, plan by plan

OpenGrants

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core grant search
    • Limited results and saved searches
    • No card required
  • Subscription$9/month
    • Full search access
    • Saved searches and alerts
    • Funder profiles

Virtuous

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Donor management
    • Volunteer tracking
  • Advanced$199/month
    • Giving analysis
    • Ministry management
    • Email campaigns

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenGrants if

  • You need grant search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want saved searches and alerts.
OpenGrants review

Choose Virtuous if

  • You need donor management.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want volunteer tracking.
Virtuous review

Questions people ask

Is OpenGrants or Virtuous better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenGrants starts at Free and Virtuous at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenGrants or Virtuous?
OpenGrants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OpenGrants and On request for Virtuous.
Does OpenGrants or Virtuous run on more platforms?
OpenGrants runs on Web. Virtuous runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use OpenGrants for free?
Yes. OpenGrants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Virtuous starts at On request.
What is OpenGrants best used for?
OpenGrants is most often used for a small nonprofit with no research budget that needs to know whether relevant grants exist before hiring anyone, a startup hunting sbir, state innovation and economic development funding across multiple agencies, a freelance grant writer covering several clients who cannot pass on a several-hundred-dollar monthly database cost, an organisation wanting to hire a grant writer for one application without running a procurement. Of those, a small nonprofit with no research budget that needs to know whether relevant grants exist before hiring anyone and a startup hunting sbir, state innovation and economic development funding across multiple agencies are not what Virtuous is typically brought in for.
What can OpenGrants do that Virtuous cannot?
OpenGrants covers Grant search, Saved searches and alerts, Funder profiles, Opportunity tracking. Virtuous covers Donor management, Volunteer tracking, Giving analysis, Ministry management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OpenGrants: How much does it cost?

$9 a month or $99 a year after a seven day trial, with a free tier of core search retained.

Virtuous: How are Virtuous tiers defined?

Virtuous offers a Platform Tier for nonprofits with fundraising revenue up to $5 million annually and an Enterprise Tier for organizations over $5 million. Specific pricing requires a demo request.

Source
OpenGrants: Why is it so much cheaper than Candid?

Because it indexes public and semi-public opportunity feeds with automation rather than employing researchers to code foundation records from tax filings. You trade depth of private foundation intelligence for price.

Virtuous: What products are included in Virtuous?

Virtuous offers CRM+, Raise (donation forms and pages), Momentum (AI-powered donor outreach), Insights (donor segmentation), Analytics (business intelligence), and Volunteer (recruitment and scheduling).

Source
OpenGrants: Does it cover private foundations?

Partially. It is strongest on federal and state programmes. For systematic private foundation research, Candid remains the reference source.

Virtuous: How do I get a Virtuous pricing quote?

Virtuous does not publish pricing online. Visit their pricing page to request pricing or schedule a demo with their sales team.

Source
OpenGrants: Is the consultant marketplace vetted?

It is a directory, not a vetted panel. Check references and past awards yourself.

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