Comparison
The Great Grantsby vs Instrumentl
Instrumentl is a US-focused grant discovery platform built for non-profit organisations, foundations, and their development teams. It excels at matching 501(c)(3) organisations to private US foundation funders. The Great Grantsby is built for academic research labs in Europe — with native coverage of ERC, Horizon Europe, NWO, MSCA, DFG, ANR, and other programmes most research PIs actually apply to.
Comparison verified . Based on publicly available pricing and product information.
The Great Grantsby
Academic research funding in Europe, priced per researcher, delivered as a weekly digest.
Instrumentl
Private foundation funding for US-based non-profits, priced per organisation, accessed via a dashboard.
Pricing
The Great Grantsby
Free tier + €10/month Pro (per researcher)
Instrumentl
Paid plans only — Instrumentl does not publish pricing on their website. Third-party reports indicate starting around US$195/month for non-profits, with team plans several times higher; check their site for current pricing. No free individual tier.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Grantsby | Instrumentl |
|---|---|---|
| Primary audience | Academic PIs in Europe | US non-profit development teams |
| Funder coverage focus | EU / UK / national research councils + major academic foundations | US private foundations and federal grants |
| ERC, MSCA, Horizon Europe native | Yes — weekly scan with AI extraction | Not the focus |
| Delivery | Weekly personalised email digest | Dashboard with email alerts |
| Personalised match score per grant | Yes, 0–100 with explanation | Keyword-based filtering |
| AI summary of each grant | Yes — "who should apply", key dates, tips | No |
| Free tier available | Yes (top 10 matches, monthly digest) | Trial only |
| Individual researcher plan | Yes — €10/month | Built for organisations, not individual PIs |
Choose The Great Grantsby if…
- ✓European-based research labs and PIs
- ✓Individual researchers who want a weekly digest in their inbox
- ✓Early- and mid-career researchers tracking ERC, NWO, MSCA, DFG, ANR, FWO deadlines
- ✓Labs with €10/month budgets who do not want a five-figure institutional contract
Choose Instrumentl if…
- ✓US-based non-profits hunting private foundation funding
- ✓Development officers writing multiple grants a month
- ✓Teams with a dedicated grants budget
Our verdict
Instrumentl is the right tool if you run grant writing inside a US non-profit. It is not built for European academic PIs — the funder coverage, pricing, and workflow are optimised for a different buyer. For a researcher at TU Delft or the Karolinska tracking ERC and NWO deadlines, The Great Grantsby is the category fit.
FAQ
+Does Instrumentl cover ERC or Horizon Europe?
Instrumentl's coverage is centred on US federal and private foundation funding. European research council programmes (ERC, MSCA, Horizon Europe) are not the focus of the product. The Great Grantsby scans these as primary sources every week.
+Is Instrumentl cheaper than The Great Grantsby?
For an individual European researcher, no. Instrumentl's paid plans start at roughly US$195/month and are sold per organisation. The Great Grantsby Pro is €10/month per researcher, with a free tier that covers the core digest.
+Which should I pick if my lab is US-based?
If your lab applies primarily to US foundations and federal programmes, Instrumentl is the stronger fit. If you apply to ERC, NWO, MSCA, DFG, or other European schemes, The Great Grantsby will save you more time.
Other comparisons
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