HigherGov is annual-only with plans at $500–$5,000/year. Keystone starts at $499/month with week-to-week flexibility and the same SAM.gov set-aside coverage.
| Keystone Ops Flow | HigherGov | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $499/mo | $500–$5,000/yr (annual only) |
| Contract length | Month-to-month, cancel anytime | Annual only — no month-to-month |
| SAM.gov coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Set-aside filtering 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB | ✓ Native | ✓ Full support |
| Email alerts / inbox delivery | ✓ Weekly | Dashboard only |
| Onboarding time | 5 minutes | Self-serve (annual commitment) |
| Dashboard | ✓ | ✓ Pursuit CRM |
| Annual contract required | No | Yes (annual-only) |
| API access | Custom plan only | Standard & Leader plans |
| Free trial | 5 free contracts on /preview (no card) | No free tier |
If you spend 2 hours per week searching SAM.gov at a $75/hr contractor rate, that is $750/month in labor. Keystone is $499/month — with automated scanning, set-aside filtering, and email delivery.
Both cover SAM.gov with set-aside filtering. HigherGov adds federal/state/local/grants data, labor rate benchmarking, and pursuit CRM. Keystone focuses on SAM.gov set-aside matching with weekly email delivery — no dashboard to check, no annual commitment. If you want broader coverage beyond SAM.gov, HigherGov has it. If you want SAM.gov set-asides without annual lock-in, Keystone is the better fit.
HigherGov has federal/state/local/grants data, FOIA requests, labor rate benchmarking (470K+ prices), opportunity forecasting, and 1M+ partner/competitor database. Keystone is SAM.gov + email delivery focused. If you need the broader data layer or pursuit CRM, HigherGov earns its price. If you just want SAM.gov set-aside matching and weekly emails, Keystone is simpler and cheaper.
Export your saved searches from HigherGov. In Keystone, enter your NAICS codes and set-aside certifications at /onboarding. Your first matched opportunities will arrive in your inbox within the week.
You can run both in parallel — use Keystone for weekly email delivery while your HigherGov plan runs out. When it is time to renew, compare what you actually used. Many HigherGov users pay for features they rarely touch.
Yes. /preview shows 5 real SAM.gov contracts matched to your business profile, no credit card needed. If you want ongoing weekly delivery, the Professional tier is $499/month with no annual commitment.
5 real SAM.gov contracts matched to your business — no credit card, no sales call. Upgrade to weekly scans when you are ready.