--- title: "SmarterSelect Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about SmarterSelect Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Scholarship Management products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/140270/SmarterSelect/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-09-28" --- # SmarterSelect Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on September 28, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) SmarterSelect ## What is SmarterSelect? With an over 95% customer retention rate and over 98% customer satisfaction rate, SmarterSelect provides a comprehensive, yet easy-to-use, online application management solution for scholarships, grants, awards, fellowships, data collection, etc. Create, collect, analyze, and evaluate applications using our mobile-responsive user interface, text message notifications, inline calculations, dynamic application rules, online recommendations, file uploads, and much, much more. ## What is SmarterSelect used for? [Scholarship Management](https://www.capterra.com/scholarship-management-software/)[Grant Management](https://www.capterra.com/grant-management-software/)[Nonprofit](https://www.capterra.com/nonprofit-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 227 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 93% Neutral 5% Negative 2% Starting price $2000 Per Feature, Per Year Free trial available Free version not included Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for SmarterSelect?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/smarterselect/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### SmarterSelect 4.4 (227) VS. [4.8 (407)](https://www.capterra.com/p/158382/Submittable/reviews/) Starting Price $2000 Per Feature, Per Year Starting Price Contact vendor Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.1 (227) Ease Of Use 4.6 (407) Value For Money 4.5 (207) Value For Money 4.6 (302) Customer Service 4.5 (203) Customer Service 4.8 (368) ## SmarterSelect alternatives [4.7 (43)](https://www.capterra.com/p/232111/RQ-Awards/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.8 (193)](https://www.capterra.com/p/148148/Award-Force/reviews/) Starting price $2625.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 99% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.3 (31)](https://www.capterra.com/p/166429/SmartSimple-Cloud/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.8 (22)](https://www.capterra.com/p/206672/Good-Grants/reviews/) Starting price $3200.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 95% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars ## FAQs about SmarterSelect Overview ### What problems does SmarterSelect solve? SmarterSelect solves paper-heavy scholarship and grant workflows by centralizing customizable applications, supporting documents, recommendations, applicant communications, and records in one system. It helps foundations, scholarship coordinators, nonprofit staff, and review committees match applicants to awards, assign evaluators, collect scores, filter submissions, and export reporting data without manual sorting or duplicate data entry. Answer based on 168 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from SmarterSelect? SmarterSelect is most used by nonprofit executives, foundation directors, and program teams managing scholarship, grant, and application processes. Program officers, coordinators, and associates organize submissions and reviews, while administrative and operations staff handle applicant records, forms, and communications. Development leaders use it to support funding programs and track selection decisions. Answer based on 226 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is SmarterSelect built for? SmarterSelect is built primarily for small organizations (90%) in nonprofit organization management (49%). It serves community, private, and education foundations; associations; higher education organizations; and corporations, with education management (17%) and philanthropy (7%) also represented. Its most common use case is scholarship management (45%). Answer based on 227 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of SmarterSelect? SmarterSelect includes customizable forms and customizable questions for building distinct scholarship and grant applications. Its applicant portal, applicant tracking, and email reminders support application completion and status follow-up. Grant application management lets reviewers evaluate submissions, while data import/export sends application tables to Excel for offline analysis and reporting. Answer based on 40 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does SmarterSelect integrate with? SmarterSelect integrates with Zapier, allowing connections to a wide range of third-party apps and workflows through automation. This gives organizations flexibility to link SmarterSelect with tools across CRM, email, file sharing, and productivity categories, depending on the apps already in use. Answer based on 5 reviews Getting Started and Support ### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on SmarterSelect? SmarterSelect offers in-person and live online training, webinars, documentation, and videos. Reviewers report that nontechnical staff, volunteers, and evaluators can learn basic navigation and form setup quickly. Administrators configuring applications, scoring, reports, reviewer assignments, and advanced features may face a steeper learning curve and benefit from support or additional training. Answer based on 21 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does SmarterSelect offer, and how do users rate the experience? SmarterSelect offers Email/Help Desk, FAQ/Forum, Knowledge Base, and Chat support. Users often report prompt, helpful responses, thorough troubleshooting, and useful online resources. Some users find message-based support difficult for complex or urgent issues, cite inconsistent chat resolution, and want more direct assistance when problems require detailed explanation. Answer based on 80 reviews Security ### How does SmarterSelect support evaluator access? SmarterSelect gives evaluators online access to assigned applications, scoring tools, notes, and remote review workflows, helping committees reduce paper handling and meeting time. Administrators can assign reviewers and limit applicant visibility. Some organizations find evaluator setup, multi-reviewer management, document viewing, and consolidated comments less intuitive, especially when processes change yearly. Answer based on 40 reviews Features and Usability ### How well does SmarterSelect handle applicant review? SmarterSelect makes applicant review easier by centralizing submissions, screening, matching, comments, and exports for grant and scholarship teams. Administrators can customize forms, lock submitted applications, and track incomplete entries. Some users want clearer reminder workflows, stronger branding options, and better handling when a parent or nominator creates an application. Answer based on 75 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 130 Scholarship Management reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of scholarship management software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Customizable Questions** (**75%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Applicant Portal** (**71%**) - **Data Import/Export** (**61%**) SmarterSelect supports all three of the features reviewers rate highest: **Customizable Questions**, **Applicant Portal**, and **Data Import/Export**. Together, these capabilities help businesses collect the right applicant information, give applicants a clear place to complete and track submissions, and move data in and out of the system more efficiently, allowing teams to manage scholarship programs with better accuracy and less manual work. Customizable Questions 4.5 (57) 66.67% of 57 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Tailored or customizable questions for more targeted and relevant data collection Applicant Portal 4.1 (28) 75.00% of 28 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Gateway through which end users can update personal information, track their applications, and more Data Import/Export 4.0 (51) 66.67% of 51 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Import and export data to and from software applications Customizable Forms 4.3 (42) 59.52% of 42 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Customize contracts and forms to collect specific information Applicant Tracking 4.4 (37) 64.86% of 37 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Find and manage potential candidates and their applications and resumes through the recruiting life cycle Grant Application Management 4.2 (33) 81.82% of 33 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Track and manage the status of grant applications SmarterSelect 46 features Track and document all activities across devices, networks, and other systems Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges Gateway through which end users can update personal information, track their applications, and more Find and manage potential candidates and their applications and resumes through the recruiting life cycle Track, manage and store the applications of potential future members, customers or candidates Plan, schedule, and execute organization's accounts and assets to ensure compliance with policies and laws Leave comments and notes on documents for others to view Manage and track all internal and external communication conducted via calls, email, text, or chat Track and manage adherence to policies for any service, product, process, or supplier Built-in customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities or integration with a third-party CRM system Customize data fields to support various needs and use cases Customize contracts and forms to collect specific information Tailored or customizable questions for more targeted and relevant data collection Alter the layout and content of reports Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements Import and export data to and from software applications Specify or track the date/time a project, task, etc., is due for completion Review and analyze existing information across documents Electronically collect payments for goods or services Reminders sent via email Software designed for grantmakers Software specialized for non-profit organizations Designed to be used by kindergarten, primary, middle, and senior secondary schools. Store, manage and track all forms in a centralized location Track and manage the status of grant applications Track grant submission requirements, deadlines, and financial documentation for awarded grants Monitor application statuses, proposals and award funds Create and track interviews with a reminder system Add, store and access information pertaining to members Manage and handle various international currencies Preview materials before finalizing projects Reporting on how each user, task or process has advanced since its initiation Ratings/Reviews Algorithmically generated suggestions based on user behaviors, preferences, or data patterns to enhance UX, productivity, or engagement Timed notification for any upcoming task, deadline, appointment, or activity Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns Ability that helps reviewers analyze applications, add comments/notes, and more Set & manage permission levels based on user roles and restrict access to only authorized individuals Automatically calculate score after the assessment Search and filter data across systems to locate required information by entering keywords or certain criteria Allow users to access multiple services after entering their login credentials once Security protocol that ensures secure, encrypted communication over the internet, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access Track the status over time for a request, process, asset, or transaction Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes Web form that allows users to enter data that is sent and processed for different reasons Ability that lets users rebrand the software to make it look like their own Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.2 (227) 4.2 Based on 227 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.5 (207) Free Trial Basic $2,000 Per Feature,Per Year Value for money 4.5 (207) 4.5 Based on 207 reviews ## Integrations [ Zapier](https://www.capterra.com/p/130182/Zapier/) Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.5 (203) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.5 (203) 4.5 Based on 203 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.4 Based on 227 reviews Filter by rating Counts reflect reviews available in this feed. 5(117) 4(94) 3(12) 2(4) 1(0) Mentioned topic Recent reviews first, then most helpful RE Reviewer Development Associate Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great software. Great support. Great value." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 29, 2017 It's easy to make custom applications and export the data from those applications, which saves time doing boring data entry work. The custom options help me offer tools to our review committees, which makes their partnerships with us more meaningful. It also has turned our application process nearly paperless, which saves us printing and paper costs, and makes looking up historical information easy. Pros Smarter Select is an easy-to-use platform that meets many needs for our organization. We can easily and quickly create custom applications for our variety of grant and scholarship programs. We find it very valuable to have online evaluator access, which allows our committees to get a jump start on the review process, oftentimes allowing them to reduce their number of in-person meetings, which is a big plus for busy schedules. Because application data can be easily exported into a csv/spreadsheet file, it is easy to upload to our database management system, which saves me countless hours of data entry. When I have had issues in the past, their support staff have been amazingly responsive -- my issues are often addressed and fixed the same day. I also appreciate their focus on education. Their free webinars have made it easy for me to understand the software's capabilities and new features and upgrades. All around, I'm a big fan of Smarter Select and would not be able to do my job as efficiently or easy without it! Cons Honestly, I have very few negative comments concerning Smarter Select. There are a few quirks to the system that you have to get used to, but once you do, it's very reliable and easy to use. Honestly, I'm hard pressed to come up with an actual con. If I can offer an improvement, it would be that once users log in, they could see any applications they have yet to complete, instead of just past applications. I would also like a way to better sort disabled past applications -- we have a lot of different apps and it gets a little crowded looking through our history. Other than that, it really is a great product. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. KF Krista F. Development and Grants Manager Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Happy Client" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 13, 2022 I have had a very positive experience with SmarterSelect. It is really easy to fix something or add a question in an application and customer service and their help desk is really responsive. Pros Customer Service is extremely helpful! Anytime I had a question, they helped answer it for me and walked me through how to do that task. Cons I think one thing that can be improved on is the custom emails template. I did a custom template and what would be helpful is if we can create a name for that template instead of it saying "Custom Template 1" Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Program Officer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "SmarterSelect Review" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 2/10 September 14, 2022 It was fine for the first several years, but I believe we may have outgrown the software. Plus we are looking for software that is all inclusive for all of our programs, not stand alones. Pros The ease of using it initially was great. However, last year we ran into may issues with the software that the support team could not help with. The evaluators and applicants didn't have much of an issue, except for a few. Cons SmarterSelect changing major components of the software during the critical time in our scholarship program without any notice or warning or any tutorials of what is going on. We had major issues with code breaking when we copied over the applications last year that then created many other problems for our users. This year for some reason the software is making duplicate applications for our grants. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Consultant Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "I would reccomend SmarterSelect for organizations searching for a quality Grant Management software" 4.0 September 7, 2022 SmarterSelect allowed our company to move from countless emails to a streamlined grant application process that allows for far greater efficiencies for both the grant applicant and grant reviewer. Pros \-It's easy to learn and to navigate. -The knowledgebase is a great resource. -The setup of the application and questions is very intuitive and there are lots of options to perfect your applications. Cons Our company logo doesn't always appear in the emails that are sent out (could be a dimensions issue?) Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Programs & Donor Services Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "You can't go wrong with SmarterSelect" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 23, 2020 Pros I have done a lot of research into software that could improve the work we do at our Foundation, specifically our management of a 65+ scholarship fund portfolio that kicks off nearly $500k each year. SmarterSelect allowed us to take our manual paper process to an incredibly efficient, streamlined, paperless approach. Since implementation we have increased our application submissions by over 400% Cons The ONLY reason I might consider another software is for the integration aspect. Our Foundant and Blackbaud have similar products but the edge they bring is the ability to integrate with our accounting software. That said, I am still not convinced that the integration will improve our system because I truly have been so pleased with the product, and the price, that SmarterSelect has to offer. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. SS Seth S. Program Director Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Using for application reviews" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 September 13, 2022 We are using SmarterSelect to select students for a leadership program. We have not been through one full selection cycle yet, but so far it seems to be working well! Pros It was really easy to get setup, and the customer service has been great. I've had a few questions, but they are quick to answer and give exactly the support I need. Cons I think the email tool could use a little help. It's functional, but could be a little more customizable and easy to use. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Coordinator of Volunteer Services Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Unconventional and Easy" 4.0 November 23, 2020 We were able to create a pre-screening questionnaire for our volunteer application. A potential applicant would have to pass the pre-screening to be able to move onto the actual application. It has drastically reduced the # of 'casual' applicants and just led to less wasted time on our end, narrowing it down to those who are serious about serving our patients. We ALSO added references as a required part of the application. This cut down on time we spend on the phone tracking down references and writing them. Pros The ability to create and customize applications. Cons Sometimes it's difficult to navigate and could use more sorting options. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer scholarship/fellowship coordinator Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 September 7, 2022 Smarter select stores all of our applications/evaluations/awards and it saves us storage and busy work and of creating places to store that information. Pros I find smarter select very easy to use. Since I've started using it I haven't had a problem with any of the functions. It is so easy to keep your awards organized and separate. We use a few home grown systems for tracking but we are trying to utilize smarter select more since it is so easy to use with so much to use. Cons Sometimes my institution's firewall blocks the reporting emails and it was slightly difficult to fix that this year. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Beth M. Director of Data & Evaluation Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "SmarterSelect Review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 September 21, 2022 SmarterSelect has made it possible for our organization to grow our programs quickly by streamlining our application processes. Pros It is easy to create customized forms in SmarterSelect, to evaluate and assign students to programs, and to email students directly through SmarterSelect. Cons It can be difficult to manage applications when you want to take into account multiple evaluations Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Program Coordinator Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "The platform is easy to navigate and very helpful. I do have issues with getting responses from CS." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 2.0 2.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 17, 2017 This has helped our program streamline our application process. It also makes it possible to contact applicants and receive documentation more efficiently. Thank to this program we are able to track metrics and properly evaluate our recruitment and program. Pros I love the new features and how easy it is to contact/update applicants. Creating our own blast emails and having the capability to edit pre-formatted ones also helps us with our unique application process. Cons Whenever I have an issue with the platform, or unsure about the limitations of a feature I find it difficult to contact customer service or a specialist. The "Submit form" process is not personable and difficult to explain the issues I experience. I would prefer to have an account manager to discuss how to maximize the efficiency of the platform rather than the videos, which are not helpful in our unique process. Also, I would like to have the capability to split the application into phases, and not sure if that is possible with this platform. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/140270/SmarterSelect/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [Submittable vs SmarterSelect](https://www.capterra.com/compare/140270-158382/SmarterSelect-vs-Submittable)[RQ Platform vs SmarterSelect](https://www.capterra.com/compare/140270-232111/SmarterSelect-vs-RQ-Awards) [SurveyMonkey Apply vs SmarterSelect](https://www.capterra.com/compare/123374-140270/SurveyMonkey-Apply-vs-SmarterSelect)[Award Force vs SmarterSelect](https://www.capterra.com/compare/140270-148148/SmarterSelect-vs-Award-Force)