Both SamSearch and Cleatus AI are GovCon-specialized AI platforms founded in 2023. This is a genuine head-to-head: compare portal coverage, data sources, features, and workflow to find your best fit.
Cleatus AI (cleat.ai) is a GovCon-specialized AI platform targeting federal, state, local, and education contractors. Their tagline is 'AI for GovCon: Find, Bid & Win Contracts.' Features include Proposal Writer, Pursuit Management / GovCon CRM, Forecasts & Pre-Forecasts, AI Document Hub, Market Intelligence with agency hierarchy and competitor award analysis, and coverage of SAM.gov, 40,000+ SLED portals, DLA DIBBS, and Canada Buys. Pricing: Essential plan at $300/month billed annually; 7-day free trial. Listed in Claude.ai Connectors and ChatGPT Apps directories. (Information based on publicly available sources as of May 2026.)
SamSearch is a GovCon AI platform with 50,000+ monitored SLED portals plus full federal, grants, SBIR, and subcontracting in one feed—alongside AI search, Journey Hub pipeline, procurement forecasts, and proposal generation. Available on AWS Marketplace and recognized on Gartner Peer Insights.
Side-by-side view of capabilities that matter for capture, proposals, and market coverage—SamSearch versus Cleatus AI.
| Capability | SamSearch | Cleatus AI |
|---|---|---|
| GovCon Specialization | Purpose-built for government contractors | Purpose-built for government contractors |
| SLED Portal Coverage | 50,000+ SLED portals monitored in real-time | 40,000+ SLED portals (per their marketing) |
| Federal Coverage | SAM.gov + full federal agencies | SAM.gov federal coverage |
| DIBBS / DoD Coverage | DIBBS included in unified feed | DLA DIBBS coverage included |
| Grants & SBIR | Grants, SBIR/STTR, subcontracts in one feed | Not publicly listed as a coverage category |
| AI Proposal Generation | RFP/Grant responses, outline builder, inline editing | Proposal Writer feature (advertised as '80% less proposal labor') |
| Pipeline / CRM | Journey Hub with Kanban boards, contact management | Pursuit Management + GovCon CRM (Kanban, @mentions, auto-logs) |
| Procurement Forecasts | 6-18 month advance intelligence with agency contacts | Forecasts & Pre-Forecasts included in Essential plan |
| AI Document Intelligence | AI analysis of complex government documents | AI Document Hub + Contract Breakdown feature |
| Market Intelligence | Market trends, competitive analysis, ROI analytics | Market Intelligence: agency hierarchy, competitor awards, agency spend flows |
| Instant Setup | Ready to use immediately | 7-day free trial with instant start |
| AWS Marketplace | Available on AWS Marketplace | Not listed on AWS Marketplace |
| Gartner Peer Insights | Listed on Gartner Peer Insights | Not listed on Gartner Peer Insights |
| Canada Buys Coverage | U.S.-focused (federal + SLED + grants) | Canada Buys coverage included |
Practical considerations teams raise when evaluating these two platforms side by side.
SamSearch monitors 50,000+ SLED portals; Cleatus markets 40,000+. In a coverage-driven category, the breadth of monitored portals directly affects how many opportunities surface in your feed.
What this means for your team
Contractors on SamSearch see more state and local opportunities across a wider portal footprint
Cleatus AI's published coverage focuses on federal contracts, SLED, DIBBS, and Canada. Grants, SBIR/STTR, and subcontracting are not listed as covered categories on their public marketing.
What this means for your team
Teams pursuing grants or SBIR alongside contracts may need a separate platform when using Cleatus
SamSearch is available on AWS Marketplace and listed on Gartner Peer Insights—providing procurement convenience and third-party validation. Cleatus does not currently appear in either directory.
What this means for your team
Teams procuring through AWS or referencing Gartner for vendor evaluation have a simpler path with SamSearch
Federal awards plus 50,000+ monitored SLED portals give you more active U.S. government contracts in one workspace—then AI-native capture tooling keeps your team out of spreadsheet sprawl.
SamSearch monitors 10,000 more SLED portals than Cleatus markets—more opportunities surface in your feed across state and local markets.
SamSearch covers federal contracts, SLED, grants, SBIR/STTR, and subcontracting in one workspace. Cleatus focuses on contracts and DIBBS.
Available on AWS Marketplace for simplified procurement. Recognized on Gartner Peer Insights for third-party validation.
Multiple plan tiers designed for different team sizes—compare directly with Cleatus's $300/month Essential plan to find your best fit.
Competitor information is based on publicly available sources as of May 2026. Features, pricing, and company details may have changed. SamSearch makes no warranties about the accuracy of third-party information. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Bring your workflows and we'll show you how SamSearch compares in practice.
50,000+ SLED portals · Federal + grants · AI capture & proposals