Softwr

Nonprofits · head to head

SmartSimple Cloud vs Sumac

SmartSimple Cloud logo

SmartSimple Cloud

Nonprofits

Configurable grants, research and case management platform for large funders

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sumac logo

Sumac

Nonprofits

Modular nonprofit CRM that pairs donor management with client case management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: SmartSimple Cloud almost everything useful is configured rather than switched on, so first-year cost is dominated by professional services and a live system is typically months rather than weeks away.; Sumac pricing is not published at all, so a small organisation cannot compare Sumac against per contact priced competitors without committing to a sales process.
  • They diverge on capability: SmartSimple Cloud covers Configurable object model, Sumac covers Donor and gift management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SmartSimple Cloud and Sumac actually diverge.

Attributes where SmartSimple Cloud and Sumac differ
AttributeSmartSimple CloudSumac
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 SmartSimple Cloud

  • Configurable object model
  • Workflow and approval engine
  • Peer review
  • Budget and payments
  • Grantee portal
  • Report writer
  • Research administration

Only in Sumac

  • Donor and gift management
  • Case management module
  • Memberships and volunteers
  • Grant management
  • Role based permissions
  • Custom fields and forms

What people use each for

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

SmartSimple Cloud

  • A national research council running peer-reviewed funding calls with panel conflict rules and multi-year milestone paymentsnot Sumac
  • A private foundation whose grant process differs enough between programmes that packaged software would need four separate instancesnot Sumac
  • A government department that must show a full audit trail of every decision and payment against public fundsnot Sumac
  • A health charity running grants and beneficiary case management in one system with shared contact recordsnot Sumac

Sumac

  • A social service agency that must record client cases and donor gifts without buying two systemsnot SmartSimple Cloud
  • A charity that wants only donor and grant modules and refuses to pay for an events suite it will not usenot SmartSimple Cloud
  • A Canadian organisation wanting local support hours and receipting conventionsnot SmartSimple Cloud
  • An agency replacing a legacy Access or FileMaker database with something supportednot SmartSimple Cloud

Where each one falls short

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

SmartSimple Cloud

  • Almost everything useful is configured rather than switched on, so first-year cost is dominated by professional services and a live system is typically months rather than weeks away.
  • Because each deployment is bespoke, upgrades and new platform features often need configuration work before they apply to your instance, which slows the benefit of paying an annual subscription.
  • Organisations that lose their internal configurator become dependent on the vendor or a partner for even routine form changes, which turns small requests into billable work.
  • The user interface is dense and utilitarian; occasional users such as grant reviewers and applicants need instructions, which increases support load during a funding round.
  • It is priced and scoped for large funders, so a small foundation running one annual round will pay for flexibility it never uses and would be served faster by a packaged tool.

Sumac

  • Pricing is not published at all, so a small organisation cannot compare Sumac against per contact priced competitors without committing to a sales process.
  • The interface reflects the product's age, and staff arriving from consumer grade software find navigation and data entry slower than in newer CRMs.
  • Holding client case notes and donor records in one database makes permission design a compliance obligation, and a misconfigured role can expose confidential client material to fundraising staff.
  • The integration catalogue is small, so payment, email and accounting connections outside the listed few mean manual export or paid custom work.
  • Modular licensing means the price rises in visible steps as programmes expand, and organisations frequently discover the module they need most was not in the original quote.

Pricing, plan by plan

SmartSimple Cloud

On request
  • SmartSimple Cloud$undefined/year
    • Configurable grants, review and case management
    • Grantee and reviewer portals
    • Annual subscription plus separate implementation engagement

Sumac

On request
  • Sumac$undefined/year
    • Quoted by module selection and organisation size
    • Case management is a separately licensed module
    • Implementation and data migration quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose SmartSimple Cloud if

  • You need configurable object model.
  • You also want workflow and approval engine.
SmartSimple Cloud review

Choose Sumac if

  • You need donor and gift management.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want case management module.
Sumac review

Questions people ask

Is SmartSimple Cloud or Sumac better?
Neither clearly leads. SmartSimple Cloud starts at On request and Sumac at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SmartSimple Cloud or Sumac?
SmartSimple Cloud starts at On request and Sumac at On request.
Does SmartSimple Cloud or Sumac run on more platforms?
SmartSimple Cloud runs on Web. Sumac runs on Web, Windows.
What is SmartSimple Cloud best used for?
SmartSimple Cloud is most often used for a national research council running peer-reviewed funding calls with panel conflict rules and multi-year milestone payments, a private foundation whose grant process differs enough between programmes that packaged software would need four separate instances, a government department that must show a full audit trail of every decision and payment against public funds, a health charity running grants and beneficiary case management in one system with shared contact records. Of those, a national research council running peer-reviewed funding calls with panel conflict rules and multi-year milestone payments and a private foundation whose grant process differs enough between programmes that packaged software would need four separate instances are not what Sumac is typically brought in for.
What can SmartSimple Cloud do that Sumac cannot?
SmartSimple Cloud covers Configurable object model, Workflow and approval engine, Peer review, Budget and payments. Sumac covers Donor and gift management, Case management module, Memberships and volunteers, Grant management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SmartSimple Cloud: How long does implementation take?

Plan in months, not weeks. Complex multi-programme funders routinely run six to twelve month implementations, and that work is billed separately from the subscription.

Sumac: Is Sumac the same product as Societ?

The vendor has been moving its products under the Societ brand, so you may see both names for the same platform during a sales cycle.

SmartSimple Cloud: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by modules, user counts and configuration scope. Ask specifically what future configuration changes cost, because that is the recurring surprise.

Sumac: Can it handle client case management?

Yes, that is its clearest differentiator among donor CRMs. It is a licensed module, not part of the base product.

SmartSimple Cloud: Can it handle multi-currency, multi-year grants?

Yes. Tranche payments conditional on milestone reports and multi-currency awards are among the reasons large international funders choose it.

Sumac: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by module and organisation size, which makes like for like comparison harder than with published per contact products.

SmartSimple Cloud: Do we need our own administrator?

Practically, yes. Organisations without an internal configurator end up paying the vendor for routine form and workflow changes.

Sumac: Does it work for US charities?

Yes, though the vendor is Canadian and its receipting and support conventions are strongest for Canadian organisations.

Share

Related pages

More on SmartSimple Cloud

More on Sumac

Keep looking

Other head to heads