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InstantSam and SamSearch, side by side

What each costs and what each does, from each company's own website. SamSearch'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.

Prices and how each product is bought
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
SamSearch	Quoted on a demo call, by team size and markets; annual, with no self-serve checkout, their docs say	Not published	Not published	Not published	No free plan listed; a 2 to 4 week pilot by arrangement, their FAQ says

Where they differ

Of the 31 rows below, the two are the same on 21. 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

Labor rates or price to win
InstantSam: Yes, GSA CALC+ ceiling rates. SamSearch: Partly, Award price ranges, DIBBS unit prices; no labor rates.
Reminder before a certification expires
InstantSam: Yes, Emails at 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days. SamSearch: Not listed, No expiry reminders found in docs.
API or webhooks
InstantSam: Yes, A read-only API and webhooks. SamSearch: Partly, Enterprise or partner API by request; no webhooks listed.
Native iPhone and Android apps
InstantSam: Yes, iPhone and Android. SamSearch: Not listed, No app store link or listing found.
Free plan with no time limit
InstantSam: Yes, No time limit, no card. SamSearch: Not listed, Trial or pilot only; no free plan listed.
Monthly billing, cancel any time
InstantSam: Yes. SamSearch: Unclear, Terms allow monthly; pricing page says annual.
Prices published on the website
InstantSam: Yes. SamSearch: Not listed, No prices on any page; quoted on a demo call.
Buy without a sales call or demo
InstantSam: Yes. SamSearch: Not listed, Demo-led; docs say no self-serve checkout.

Where SamSearch lists more

State and local bids
InstantSam: Partly, Eight portals: TX, NYC, FL, NC, LA, MA, NJ, IL. SamSearch: Yes, All 50 states, they say; needs SLED access.
Research by human analysts
InstantSam: No. SamSearch: Partly, Analysts verify recompete windows; team files FOIA.

Every row

Features of InstantSam and SamSearch
Feature	InstantSam	SamSearch
Where the work comes from
Federal contract notices (SAM.gov)	YesFreeSolicitations, presolicitations and sources sought	YesSAM.gov plus DoD PIEE amendments
Federal grants (Grants.gov)	YesFreePosted and forecast	YesFrom grants.gov; needs SLED access
State and local bids	PartlyFreeEight portals: TX, NYC, FL, NC, LA, MA, NJ, IL	YesAll 50 states, they say; needs SLED access
DLA DIBBS requests for quotation	YesFree	YesNSNs, approved sources, past award pricing
DoD SBIR and STTR topics	YesFreeDoD topics from DSIP	YesAll agencies incl. DoD; open and pre-release only
Forecasts before a solicitation posts	YesProfessionalThe federal forecast tool and the City of Boston plan	YesAgency forecasts, linked to recompetes
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	YesSummaries cover PDF, DOC, DOCX; restricted files skipped
Compliance checklist or matrix	YesEssentialUp to 40 requirements that decide acceptance, part of the notice's review; three reviews free	YesRow per requirement, with status and risk
Each requirement shown with its source sentence	YesEssentialEach quote checked against the document	YesView source opens the exact page and passage
Questions answered from the documents	YesEssentialAnswers quote the documents	YesCites page and highlighted passage
Tells you what an amendment changed	YesFreeShown on the notice; alerts on every paid plan	YesRe-shred shows added, changed, removed
Writes proposal text for you	YesProfessionalFive proposal drafts a month from your outline and your own record; Sources Sought letters on every paid plan	YesProposal volumes and form filling
Deciding whether to bid
Alerts on new matching notices	YesEssentialEmail, and push on the phone	YesDaily digests by email; Slack or Teams digest too
Win likelihood or pWin	YesProfessionalA verdict with its reasons, no percentage	YesHigh, medium or low read in Journey Hub Insights
Competition: offers received, who won	YesProfessionalOffers received and repeat winners	YesOffer counts and winners; bidders not named
Market intelligence	YesProfessional	YesMarket Watch plus agency, NAICS, PSC analytics
Recompetes and expiring contracts	YesProfessionalContracts ending in 6 to 18 months	YesFederal only; state and local in development
Labor rates or price to win	YesEssentialGSA CALC+ ceiling rates	PartlyAward price ranges, DIBBS unit prices; no labor rates
Contract vehicles (IDIQs, GWACs, schedules)	YesProfessional	YesVehicle lists, task orders, GSA eBuy RFQs
Reminder before a certification expires	YesEssentialEmails at 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days	Not listedNo expiry reminders found in docs
Running the bid and the team
Pursuit pipeline	YesFreeWith tasks, notes and a go or no-go record	YesJourney Hub: stages, tasks, calendar
Calendar feed for Google or Outlook	YesEssential	YesDue dates sync to Google and Outlook calendars
Team seats and shared work	YesPremierFive seats	Yes1 seat included; more are add-ons; viewers free
API or webhooks	YesPremierA read-only API and webhooks	PartlyEnterprise or partner API by request; no webhooks listed
Native iPhone and Android apps	YesiPhone and Android	Not listedNo app store link or listing found
Research by human analysts	No	PartlyAnalysts verify recompete windows; team files FOIA
SSO or a FedRAMP environment	YesPremierSSO through Okta, Microsoft Entra or Google Workspace, and two-factor sign-in; not FedRAMP authorized	YesSAML SSO (Enterprise); not FedRAMP authorized
Buying it
Free plan with no time limit	YesNo time limit, no card	Not listedTrial or pilot only; no free plan listed
Monthly billing, cancel any time	Yes	UnclearTerms allow monthly; pricing page says annual
Prices published on the website	Yes	Not listedNo prices on any page; quoted on a demo call
Buy without a sales call or demo	Yes	Not listedDemo-led; docs say no self-serve checkout

Where each cell came from

SamSearch’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.

All the products side by side and InstantSam’s own prices.

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