# Grant Manager Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra > With the help of Capterra, learn about Grant Manager Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Grant Management products and more. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/92667/Grant-Manager --- # Grant Manager Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on March 13, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. Independent research methodology Capterra’s researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider’s website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/) [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Grant Manager ## What is Grant Manager? Cloud-based accounting software for research institutions, university departments, and private non-profit agencies. Accountants and principal investigators use Grant Manager to create and track transactions; attach digital documents to transactions and accounts; speed up data entry with smart automation; import and export external data; graph spending trends and patterns to project over- or underspending grants; calculate FTEs and salary expenses across many grants and people; and much more. ## What is Grant Manager used for? [Grant Management](https://www.capterra.com/grant-management-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 7 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- Starting price $50 Per Feature, Per Month Free trial available 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 Grant Manager?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.northernlightssoftware.com&name=Grant Manager) ## 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. ### Grant Manager 4.9 (7) VS. [4.6 (73)](https://www.capterra.com/p/140294/OpenWater-Awards/reviews/) Starting Price $50 Per Feature, Per Month Starting Price $5100 Per Year Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.6 (7) Ease Of Use 4.2 (73) Value For Money 4.9 (7) Value For Money 4.3 (64) Customer Service 5.0 (7) Customer Service 4.9 (70) ## Grant Manager alternatives [4.3 (684)](https://www.capterra.com/p/76/Intacct/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 87% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.8 (398)](https://www.capterra.com/p/158382/Submittable/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.7 (38)](https://www.capterra.com/p/232111/RQ-Awards/reviews/) Starting price $1275.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [4.9 (172)](https://www.capterra.com/p/157005/Eleo/reviews/) Starting price $39.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 99% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/92667/Grant-Manager/alternatives/) ## Features Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically. Alerts/Notifications Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges Collaboration Tools Provides a channel for team members to share media files, communicate, and work together Contract/License Management Track, store, and access client contracts or licenses Data Import/Export Import and export data to and from software applications Document Management Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location Document Review Review and analyze existing information across documents Grant Manager 12 features Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges Provides a channel for team members to share media files, communicate, and work together Track, store, and access client contracts or licenses Import and export data to and from software applications Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location Review and analyze existing information across documents Track and manage the status of grant applications Track grant submission requirements, deadlines, and financial documentation for awarded grants Collect data to measure/track the positive impact an organization, nonprofit, or program has on social, environmental, or other groups. Track sent and received payments, invoices, and bills. Set & manage permission levels based on user roles and restrict access to only authorized individuals Search and filter data across systems to locate required information by entering keywords or certain criteria Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.4 (7) 4.4 Based on 7 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.9 (7) Free Trial Basic $50.00 Per Feature,Per Month Value for money 4.9 (7) 4.9 Based on 7 reviews ## Integrations [ Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) 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 5.0 (7) 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 5.0 (7) 5.0 Based on 7 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.9 Based on 7 reviews Filter by rating 5(6) 4(1) 3(0) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent DA Dorothy A. Bio/NSci Resource Coordinator Education Management ### "User friendly and reliable- great support" 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 June 3, 2020 I have been using Grant Manager software since 2000- To track and manage purchases, payroll and all account activity in the Biology and NSci Departments at Oberlin College. I use it every day and it has been very reliable and also easy to teach new users. The support is personal and thoughtful and very reliable. Truly the right software for my application. Pros The report feature is extremely helpful and the reports themselves are easy to read and very clear. Also love the search function- many ways to look up information Cons Sometimes due to the use of upper or lower case will make a search unreliable 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. AL Albert L. Laboratory Supervisor Higher Education ### "Grant Manager" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 April 30, 2020 Grant Manager has allowed us as a department within the larger University system, to maintain a consistent shadow budgeting system while University financial processes have changed over the years. It has also been adaptable for educational budgeting of laboratory course expenses particularly in calculation of course fees. Pros Grant Manager is easy to use and intuitive in its design. It allows for complex budgeting processes and tracking to be simplified so that faculty and staff who are not necessarily trained in accounting and finance can manage their grants easily. The application provides very clear and simplified reporting to researchers. Cons The application is only a "PC" based application. It would be helpful to have a MacOS compatible version as many researchers use Apple computers. 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. Response from Vendor May 5, 2020 While the on-premise version of Grant Manager is available only for Windows, the cloud version runs equally well on Windows, Macs, and Linux computers. JB Joy B. Research Administrator Research ### "Grant Manager is well worth the money!" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 April 24, 2020 The absolute best aspect of Grant Manager is the customer service! Whenever we have a question or need, Northern Lights is there for us, quickly and always with a (virtual) smile. They are wonderful to work with! Pros We use Grant Manager as an accounting tool for our small institute. Although it might not have the bells and whistles of the more expensive, higher end products used by larger institutions, it is quite robust and fulfills our needs. We have been very happy with it! Cons Like any product, it requires a bit of training and use before fully understanding the system. 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. AG Alexandra G. Program Administrator Research ### "Personnel Manager from Northern Lights" 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 April 9, 2020 Pros Personnel Manager is a fantastic way to manage personnel costs on grants. I cannot imagine using any other tool for this purpose (and most definitely not Excel, even though I'm a huge Excel fan!). It is super easy to use and has incredible flexibility and functionality. Salary and fringe expenses can be easily checked and/or a variety of reports run by person, by grant, and/or by date range. It is very versatile and accommodates just about any option for paying people (i.e., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, hourly, etc.). It also is very easy to doublecheck salary expenses (the largest cost on any grant) to ensure that personnel are paid correctly. Cons None--Personnel Manager is a terrific, indispensable tool! Reasons for choosing Grant Manager Not only is the functionality terrific, the customer service is equally amazing. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, without time to prepare to work remotely, I had an issue accessing Personnel Manager from my institution's server. Shortly after emailing customer support, I was on a call with Northern Lights, and in no time, Personnel Manager had been moved to Northern Lights' cloud service, and I was back up-and-running. Truly an amazing experience. Come for the product, and stay for the stellar customer support! 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. JD Jodie D. Admin. Program Specialist Higher Education ### "Grant Manager makes my job easier!" 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 April 9, 2020 I have been using Grant Manager for over 20 years. It was easy to learn and makes my job much easier. Any time I have had issues they were addressed right away and a solution was found. I started using the web-based version when I had to work from home due to a family emergency. Northernlights Software was always available for any questions or concerns. Now that we find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic and under the stay-at-home order I can once again continue my work without any problems. Going into our fiscal year end will continue instead of coming to a difficult end. I cannot say enough good things about this company or software especially using it for a university accounting system. Pros I work for a major university at the department level and handle many accounts that have multiple PI's assigned to them. Grant Manager makes it easy to set up sub-accounts and core users so I can run reports with budgets for each one that request their expenditures and balances. This makes the job run smoothly without having to keep separate spreadsheets for each PI. Cons I haven't found anything that I do not like about this software. 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. MS Marjorie S. Associate Dirctor Education Management ### "Overall, Grants Manager works well as a back up system to track expenses in real time." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 April 8, 2020 Grants Manager has been our financial software of choice since its inception; the cloud version is currently used with 25 access licenses. For our purpose, Grants Manager works well as an interdepartmental backup system to produce real-time data because the university financial system does not always provide real-time data. It depends on when the update takes place. Pros I like the ease of use, not a real complicated software. The customer support is superb; they always respond expeditiously. If I need something the program does not offer, they will work with you to develop what you need. We like the ability to manage funds for several different grants all in the same in the system. It allows us to manage data, track expenses in real-time, upload related documents, and produce reports. Cons System access can sometimes be difficult without technical support. Grants manager does not integrate with other processes in the university. Reconciliation has to be done manually to reconcile with Banner, the university financial system. Our grants are awarded annually for five years. .When annually adding funds to an account or transferring funds from one account code to another it does not calculate in a manner that is easy to understand. The balance appears as negative or positive. You really can't tell what the true balance is. Some reports are difficult to create even when using the widget. Reasons for choosing Grant Manager Many of the products reviewed involved a very difficult learning curve and/or offered either too much or not exactly what was needed. 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. Response from Vendor April 15, 2020 We appreciate and value your review and feedback. We want to note that Grant Manager includes a built-in, user-configurable utility that can be used to quickly and easily import and reconcile data from Banner, Oracle, or any other accounting system that can generate spreadsheet export files. Since this is an advanced feature, it is sometimes easy to overlook. While complex custom reports may be difficult for end-users to create or edit, we are more than happy to help to make sure our customers can create and run reports that meet their specific needs. SD Sandy D. Accounts Manager Research ### "Grant Manager and Personnel Manager" 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 April 8, 2020 Grant Manager has given me a central location for storing my data for government reporting. From the reports, I can prepare government reports. Pros The majority of our income comes through government funding. They are very particular about classification of income and expenses. Personnel Manager gives me the ability to categorize our payroll by different grant sources. Grant Manager gives me the ability to categorize expenses to prepare for receiving draws. Personnel Manager detail can be transferred into Grant Manager easily, making a one source vehicle for reporting. Cons There are reports for every situation, making it more difficult to find the right reports. Once you find the ones you want, it's smooth sailing. Reasons for choosing Grant Manager Working with someone who has experience with a product is more valuable than reading about one. 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/92667/Grant-Manager/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. Independent research methodology Capterra's researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider's website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/)