Compare / InstantSam
OppBeacon vs InstantSam: new SAM.gov bids scored for you every morning, not 5 reviews a month
Every morning at 7 AM ET OppBeacon scores the new SAM.gov notices for your company and sends you the ones that fit. Solo is $29/month with AI bid/no-bid analyses unlimited under fair use (150/month); InstantSam Essential is $29.99/month for 5 document reviews.
Pick your industry and state. No UEI, no password, no card.
SAM.gov title: CON | Z2DA | REPLACE CHILLER 1 B104 | 580-24-111 | SOLICITATION
OppBeacon: Replace chiller 1 B104
In our data on Nov 5, 2026: 12,974 open SAM.gov notices, 3,852 set aside for small or certified businesses, 4,481 due within 7 days.
Side by side
| OppBeacon | InstantSam | |
|---|---|---|
| Every morning | New SAM.gov notices scored 0–100 for your company and sent at 7 AM ET, by email, Slack, Teams, Discord or Telegram | Alerts checked every hour, sent by email and push; a daily digest of what needs you (paid plans) |
| Price | Free plan · Solo $29/mo ($278/yr) · 14-day trial, no card · Pro $79/mo for 5 seats | Essential $29.99/month · Professional $69.99/month · Premier $174.99/month for up to 5 people; yearly about 14–16% less; a first monthly subscription pays less for its first two months (Essential $19.99) |
| Free option | Free plan (3 AI analyses a month) and a 14-day Solo trial, no card | Free plan: browsing, plus your first 3 document reviews in all (not monthly), no card |
| AI reading of the solicitation | AI bid/no-bid on the solicitation files, each answer cited to file and page, plus a list of files it could not read. Solo: unlimited within a 150/month fair-use cap | Document review with a compliance checklist quoting each source sentence: 5 a month on Essential, 15 on Professional, 40 per team on Premier |
| Says which files it did not read | Yes: files read (with pages), files not read and why; result marked preliminary when files are missing | Reads up to 15 attachments per review (up to 30 for 2–3 reviews); files past the 30th are not read |
| Coverage | Federal: SAM.gov contract opportunities, award notices, DHS and GSA forecasts | SAM.gov, Grants.gov, DoD SBIR/STTR, DLA DIBBS and 8 state and local portals |
| Past-award prices | Price range from similar past awards (USAspending.gov) on every notice page, free plan included | Price to win (GSA rates) on Essential; comparable prices from past awards on Professional and up |
| Readable titles | Plain-English title on every notice (codes like "Z1DA--" and solicitation numbers removed) | Not listed on the pricing page |
| Follow one notice | "Track this bid": type your email on any notice, get amendment, deadline and award alerts | Amendment watch on notices you follow (paid plans) |
| Published accuracy test | Public test on 50 real solicitations, scored field by field, 20 of them held out (see /accuracy) | Not published on the pricing page |
InstantSam details are from its public pages, checked Nov 4, 2026. Prices change; check the source links below.
Where InstantSam is the better pick
- Wider coverage: Grants.gov, SBIR/STTR topics, DLA DIBBS and eight state and local portals.
- Its compliance checklist quotes the source sentence for every requirement, so it cites its sources too.
- More proposal tooling: proposal outlines, submission packages, Sources Sought drafts, and proposal drafts on Professional and Premier; iPhone and Android apps.
Choose InstantSam if: You also bid grants, SBIR or state and local work, or you want proposal drafts and submission packages built for you.
Choose OppBeacon if: You bid federal SAM.gov work and want a morning shortlist ranked by fit, with a cited bid/no-bid on many notices a month rather than a handful.
FAQ
How much does InstantSam cost?
InstantSam's pricing page lists Essential at $29.99/month (5 document reviews), Professional at $69.99/month (15) and Premier at $174.99/month for a team of up to 5 (40 reviews), with a free plan that includes 3 reviews in all (checked 2026-11-04).
Is OppBeacon cheaper than InstantSam?
The entry prices are close: OppBeacon Solo is $29/month and InstantSam Essential is $29.99/month, and $19.99 for the first two months of a first monthly subscription, so it can cost less at first. The bigger difference is the allowance: Essential counts 5 document reviews a month, while Solo runs AI bid/no-bid analyses within a 150/month fair-use cap.
Does OppBeacon cover grants or state and local bids?
Not today. OppBeacon covers federal SAM.gov contract opportunities, award notices and DHS and GSA forecasts. InstantSam also covers Grants.gov and eight state and local portals.
Can I try both for free?
Yes. InstantSam's free plan includes 3 document reviews with no card. OppBeacon has a free plan and a 14-day trial of the full Solo plan with no card.
Sources
- InstantSam — Pricing (checked Nov 4, 2026)
- OppBeacon — Pricing (checked Nov 4, 2026)
- OppBeacon — Accuracy test (checked Nov 4, 2026)
Other comparisons
- OppBeacon vs SAM.gov saved-search email alerts
- OppBeacon vs HigherGov: from $29/month vs HigherGov’s $500/year Starter (checked Nov 4, 2026)
- OppBeacon vs GovTribe: daily SAM.gov matches without a $1,900 seat
OppBeacon is independent and not affiliated with SAM.gov, the U.S. government or the companies named here. Product names are trademarks of their owners.