Reviews
Part of Small business grants reviews: how to compare advisers
Small business grants product comparison: testing discovery, portals and advisory packages
Compare grant discovery, application, advisory and management products using matched tasks, evidence, security, total cost, contract and exit criteria.
What to take away
- This comparison uses public information only. No product was tested hands on, so there are no scores here, just checks you can run.
- Discovery splits two waysfree official services (Find a grant, the DBT finance and support finder) and paid curated search (Idox GrantFinder). 360Giving GrantNav is free and shows awards already made.
- Funders normally choose the application portal. Test Submittable, Good Grants or SmartSimple only where you can genuinely choose.
- Quotes from Grant Thornton, BDO, MHA, Azets and Buzzacott are bespoke. Public prices are rare and a proposal is not proof of delivery.
- Entry price is not total cost. Renewal terms, exports, notice periods and deletion rules settle what you pay.
Which products do which job
Start with the task, not the brand. Discovery, application, advisory and management products do different work.
Four services lead discovery in England: Idox GrantFinder, 360Giving GrantNav, Find a grant and the DBT finance and support finder. GrantFinder is a paid subscription used by councils and businesses. GrantNav is free and searches published UK grant data.
Find a grant is a free GOV.UK service listing government grants. The DBT finder covers wider finance and support. Neither proves eligibility, so open the controlling funder page before acting. For a supplier view, see how five England providers compare on scope.
Before trusting any discovery service:
- Run the same query on the same day.
- Count current relevant opportunities, not total listings.
- Note closed and stale records.
- Check whether each result links to the controlling funder page.
Discovery service checks
- Coverage, geography and filters
- Source links and update dates
- Alerts and export options
- Sample live and closed opportunities
- Result leads to controlling funder page
Application portals and the choice you actually have
The funder usually decides the portal. UKRI states that relevant Innovate UK applications must use the Innovation Funding Service, which also assigns duties to lead applicants and partners.
Submittable handles application intake and review. Good Grants is cloud grants management. SmartSimple is an enterprise grants platform. Compare them only where you have a genuine choice; otherwise prepare to use what you are given.
Test access, collaborator roles, saving, attachments, validation, export and acknowledgement. Keep internal drafts in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Notion or Airtable, then reconcile them with the funder record. Review security through the NCSC small organisations guidance.
Application portal tests
- Test access and collaborator roles
- Check saving and attachments
- Validate and export application
- Confirm acknowledgement
- Reconcile with final funder record
Advisory packages and tax credits
Grant Thornton, BDO, MHA, Azets and Buzzacott are UK accountancy firms offering grant, tax and incentive support. Public price lists are rare. Quotes typically run from a few thousand pounds for a review to tens of thousands for full bid management.
Check the tax position early. R&D tax relief is for companies liable to Corporation Tax, so sole traders are outside it, as HMRC guidance confirms.
Give every firm the same written brief and ask it to name poor fit and missing evidence. Score public claims and sales responses separately from paid sample work. Settle contract points with advisers and suppliers before work starts.
Example: one query, two discovery services
Fix the profile once: one sector, one size band, one location, one project type, one search phrase. Run that phrase on Find a grant and on 360Giving GrantNav on the same day, and log filters, device and time spent.
The two services answer different questions. Find a grant lists open government grants with eligibility rules and closing dates. GrantNav searches data published by UK funders, so it shows awards already made rather than competitions open now.
Record four counts per run: relevant opportunities, false matches, stale records, and results linking to the controlling funder page. Repeat after a month and compare.
Cost, renewal and exit
Prices below are indicative list prices or typical quote bands from what providers publish. Confirm each against the current price list before budgeting.
| Product | Typical cost | Main driver |
|---|---|---|
| Find a grant | Free | Government service |
| DBT finance and support finder | Free | Government service |
| 360Giving GrantNav | Free | Published grant data |
| Idox GrantFinder | Often low thousands of pounds a year | Users, modules, geography |
| Submittable | Often mid hundreds to low thousands of pounds a month | Applicant volume, seats |
| Good Grants | Often low hundreds of pounds a month | Users, applicants |
| SmartSimple | Often tens of thousands of pounds a year | Users, configuration |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | Around £5 to £6 per user a month ex VAT | Users, term, VAT |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | Around £5 per user a month ex VAT | Users, term, VAT |
| Notion | Free tier; paid around £8 to £12 per user a month | Users, billing period |
| Airtable | Free tier; paid around £15 to £20 per user a month | Users, records |
| Grant Thornton, BDO, MHA, Azets, Buzzacott | Review often £2,000 to £8,000; bid management often £10,000 to £40,000 | Scope, deadline, success fee |
List prices change, so check the vendor page before you buy. Free tools still consume staff time. Model no award, a reduced award and delay before signing, then check export formats, notice periods and deletion terms.
Which to choose if
- Free official leads and you will verify eligibility yourselfFind a grant plus the DBT finder.
- Curated coverage of trusts, foundations and local schemes, and you will pay for it: Idox GrantFinder.
- What funders actually awarded in your field360Giving GrantNav.
- A funder portal you must usethe Innovation Funding Service, Submittable, Good Grants or SmartSimple.
- No bid-writing capacity, or you need tax advicebrief Grant Thornton, BDO, MHA, Azets or Buzzacott, and read how four consultancies stand up on public evidence.
Common questions
Were these products tested and rated here?
No. They are grouped by task and described from published information, so there are no scores. Run the checks above before relying on any ranking.
How do I test a discovery service fairly?
Give each service the same profile, phrase and date. Count relevant opportunities, false matches, stale records and links to the funder page. Repeat after a month.
Are sole traders eligible for grants and tax credits?
Grant rules vary, and many schemes accept sole traders and companies. R&D tax relief is company-only, because it applies to firms liable to Corporation Tax.
