COMPARE
InstantSam and Fed-Spend, side by side
What each costs and what each does, from each company's own website. Fed-Spend's column was read on 1 November 2026.
What each costs, and how you buy it
Prices as each company prints them on its own pricing page. Where a company prints only a monthly price, the yearly figure is worked out and says so.
| Product | How you buy it | Lowest paid plan | One person, a year | Five people, a year | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InstantSam | Monthly or yearly, bought online. Professional can also be bought monthly in the iPhone app. | Essential, $24.99 a month billed yearly, or $29.99 monthly with a first subscription's first two months at $19.99. Professional, which has every feature in the table below that is not marked Premier, is $59.99 a month billed yearly or $69.99 monthly | $299.88 on Essential billed yearly, or $719.88 on Professional. Monthly Professional: $799.88 in the first year, two months at $49.99 and ten at $69.99, then $839.88 a year | $1,799.88 on Premier billed yearly, which covers up to 5 people. Monthly: $1,999.88 in the first year, two months at $124.99 and ten at $174.99, then $2,099.88 a year | Free plan with no time limit and no card, with 3 document reviews once, each with its compliance checklist |
| Fed-Spend | Monthly or yearly, bought online; Enterprise through sales | Researcher, $49 a month, or $39 a month billed yearly | $588: Researcher, $49 a month for twelve months | Not published; Professional Team is 3 seats at $399 a month | Free plan with 10 searches a month |
Where they differ
Of the 31 rows below, the two are the same on 13. The others are listed here both ways. Not listedmeans not found on a company’s public pages on the date shown; it may exist behind a sign in, so ask.
Where InstantSam lists more
Federal grants (Grants.gov)
InstantSam: Yes, Posted and forecast. Fed-Spend: Not listed, Says Grants.gov tracking is on its roadmap.
State and local bids
InstantSam: Partly, Eight portals: TX, NYC, FL, NC, LA, MA, NJ, IL. Fed-Spend: Not listed, Says it is federal; no state or local data.
DLA DIBBS requests for quotation
InstantSam: Yes. Fed-Spend: Not listed.
DoD SBIR and STTR topics
InstantSam: Yes, DoD topics from DSIP. Fed-Spend: Not listed.
Forecasts before a solicitation posts
InstantSam: Yes, The federal forecast tool and the City of Boston plan. Fed-Spend: Partly, Predicted RFP windows; full timelines on Professional.
AI reads the attachments, not only the notice
InstantSam: Yes, Fifteen attachments, or up to 30 for 2 or 3 reviews; three reviews free. Fed-Spend: Partly, One uploaded, pasted or linked solicitation.
Compliance checklist or matrix
InstantSam: Yes, Up to 40 requirements that decide acceptance, part of the notice's review; three reviews free. Fed-Spend: Partly, Full matrix on Professional; free teaser only.
Each requirement shown with its source sentence
InstantSam: Yes, Each quote checked against the document. Fed-Spend: Unclear, Shows a section ref; source sentence not stated.
Questions answered from the documents
InstantSam: Yes, Answers quote the documents. Fed-Spend: Not listed.
Tells you what an amendment changed
InstantSam: Yes, Shown on the notice; alerts on every paid plan. Fed-Spend: Not listed.
Writes proposal text for you
InstantSam: Yes, Five proposal drafts a month from your outline and your own record; Sources Sought letters on every paid plan. Fed-Spend: Partly, Proposal shell and exec summary; Professional.
Labor rates or price to win
InstantSam: Yes, GSA CALC+ ceiling rates. Fed-Spend: Partly, Price-to-Win bands; full range on Professional.
Contract vehicles (IDIQs, GWACs, schedules)
InstantSam: Yes. Fed-Spend: Not listed, Parent IDV is a data field; no vehicle tracker listed.
Reminder before a certification expires
InstantSam: Yes, Emails at 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days. Fed-Spend: Not listed.
Calendar feed for Google or Outlook
InstantSam: Yes. Fed-Spend: Partly, iCal feed on Professional and above.
Team seats and shared work
InstantSam: Yes, Five seats. Fed-Spend: Partly, 3 seats on Professional Team; more on Enterprise.
Native iPhone and Android apps
InstantSam: Yes, iPhone and Android. Fed-Spend: Not listed, No store links; site has a PWA manifest.
SSO or a FedRAMP environment
InstantSam: Yes, SSO through Okta, Microsoft Entra or Google Workspace, and two-factor sign-in; not FedRAMP authorized. Fed-Spend: Not listed, Google or GitHub sign-in; SOC 2 in progress.
Where Fed-Spend lists more
No row.
Every row
| Feature | InstantSam | Fed-Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Where the work comes from | ||
| Federal contract notices (SAM.gov) | YesFreeSolicitations, presolicitations and sources sought | YesLive SAM.gov opportunities, refreshed hourly |
| Federal grants (Grants.gov) | YesFreePosted and forecast | Not listedSays Grants.gov tracking is on its roadmap |
| State and local bids | PartlyFreeEight portals: TX, NYC, FL, NC, LA, MA, NJ, IL | Not listedSays it is federal; no state or local data |
| DLA DIBBS requests for quotation | YesFree | Not listed |
| DoD SBIR and STTR topics | YesFreeDoD topics from DSIP | Not listed |
| Forecasts before a solicitation posts | YesProfessionalThe federal forecast tool and the City of Boston plan | PartlyPredicted RFP windows; full timelines on Professional |
| Reading the solicitation | ||
| AI reads the attachments, not only the notice | YesEssentialFifteen attachments, or up to 30 for 2 or 3 reviews; three reviews free | PartlyOne uploaded, pasted or linked solicitation |
| Compliance checklist or matrix | YesEssentialUp to 40 requirements that decide acceptance, part of the notice's review; three reviews free | PartlyFull matrix on Professional; free teaser only |
| Each requirement shown with its source sentence | YesEssentialEach quote checked against the document | UnclearShows a section ref; source sentence not stated |
| Questions answered from the documents | YesEssentialAnswers quote the documents | Not listed |
| Tells you what an amendment changed | YesFreeShown on the notice; alerts on every paid plan | Not listed |
| Writes proposal text for you | YesProfessionalFive proposal drafts a month from your outline and your own record; Sources Sought letters on every paid plan | PartlyProposal shell and exec summary; Professional |
| Deciding whether to bid | ||
| Alerts on new matching notices | YesEssentialEmail, and push on the phone | YesEmail alerts; Slack and webhooks also listed |
| Win likelihood or pWin | YesProfessionalA verdict with its reasons, no percentage | Yes0 to 100 score; 1 a day Free, 5 Researcher, 25 Pro |
| Competition: offers received, who won | YesProfessionalOffers received and repeat winners | YesOffer counts on expiring contracts |
| Market intelligence | YesProfessional | YesNAICS competition, buyer and subaward intelligence |
| Recompetes and expiring contracts | YesProfessionalContracts ending in 6 to 18 months | YesExpiring contracts, alerts 180 days out |
| Labor rates or price to win | YesEssentialGSA CALC+ ceiling rates | PartlyPrice-to-Win bands; full range on Professional |
| Contract vehicles (IDIQs, GWACs, schedules) | YesProfessional | Not listedParent IDV is a data field; no vehicle tracker listed |
| Reminder before a certification expires | YesEssentialEmails at 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days | Not listed |
| Running the bid and the team | ||
| Pursuit pipeline | YesFreeWith tasks, notes and a go or no-go record | Yes25 items on Researcher; unlimited on Professional |
| Calendar feed for Google or Outlook | YesEssential | PartlyiCal feed on Professional and above |
| Team seats and shared work | YesPremierFive seats | Partly3 seats on Professional Team; more on Enterprise |
| API or webhooks | YesPremierA read-only API and webhooks | YesREST API and MCP; 100 calls a day on Researcher |
| Native iPhone and Android apps | YesiPhone and Android | Not listedNo store links; site has a PWA manifest |
| Research by human analysts | No | Not listedSays it has no human analyst desk |
| SSO or a FedRAMP environment | YesPremierSSO through Okta, Microsoft Entra or Google Workspace, and two-factor sign-in; not FedRAMP authorized | Not listedGoogle or GitHub sign-in; SOC 2 in progress |
| Buying it | ||
| Free plan with no time limit | YesNo time limit, no card | Yes10 searches a month, no card, no time limit |
| Monthly billing, cancel any time | Yes | YesMonth to month; refund wording differs by page |
| Prices published on the website | Yes | YesEnterprise $999 on pricing page, Custom on home page |
| Buy without a sales call or demo | Yes | YesExcept Enterprise (Contact Sales button) |
Where each cell came from
Fed-Spend’s own pages, read on 1 November 2026. InstantSam’s column comes from our own product, with the plan that includes each feature. Nothing here comes from review sites, roundups or price estimates.
- fed-spend.com
- fed-spend.com/pricing
- fed-spend.com/pre-rfp-forecast
- fed-spend.com/rfp-shredder
- fed-spend.com/price-to-win
- fed-spend.com/dashboard/pwin
- fed-spend.com/mcp
- fed-spend.com/alternatives/highergov
- fed-spend.com/blog/rfp-shredder-compliance-matrix-generator-2026
- fed-spend.com/blog/quiet-incumbents-one-offer-full-and-open-federal-contracts-expiring-2027
- fed-spend.com/search
- fed-spend.com/switch-from-govtribe
- fed-spend.com/blog/federal-contract-platforms-compared-2026-one-question-test
- fed-spend.com/llms.txt
- fed-spend.com/blog/pre-rfp-forecast-predict-federal-solicitations-2026
- fed-spend.com/blog/rfp-to-proposal-shell-compliance-draft-chain-2026
- fed-spend.com/blog/federal-contract-alerts-bid-notifications-guide-2026
- fed-spend.com/recompete
- fed-spend.com/blog/bid-calendar-capability-statement-teaming-finder-launch-2026
- fed-spend.com/api/v2
- fed-spend.com/manifest.json
- fed-spend.com/privacy
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- 01
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- 02
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- 03
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