Comparison 2026
Tender software compared 2026
Six providers for finding public tenders, side by side. Pricing, matching logic, data coverage, and industry focus - compared fairly so you can find the right tool.
What does this comparison cover?
The market for tender services ranges from established databases to young AI platforms. This comparison puts six of the most-mentioned providers side by side: Auftrag One, DTAD, Vergabepilot, Patterno, Tendit, and ibau. We assess pricing transparency, trial options, matching logic, data coverage, and industry focus. The decisive difference is how a tool classifies tenders: by keyword, by AI search, or - with Auftrag One - through a fixed topic taxonomy where every tender is assigned one of 331 topics across 25 sectors as it arrives. All details are based on publicly available information (as of July 2026).
Provider
Comparison at a glance
The key criteria for all six providers side by side. For details on individual tools, see the linked head-to-head comparisons.
Auftrag One
- Entry price
- free, paid plans from EUR 49/month
- Free trial
- 30 days, full
- Matching logic
- 331 topics plus semantic search
- Focus
- Cross-industry, DE-speaking
DTAD
- Entry price
- On request
- Free trial
- No
- Matching logic
- Keywords and categories
- Focus
- Cross-industry, DE
Vergabepilot
- Entry price
- Free BASIC plan
- Free trial
- BASIC free forever
- Matching logic
- AI search
- Focus
- Cross-industry, DE-speaking
Patterno
- Entry price
- From EUR 99/month
- Free trial
- Free start
- Matching logic
- AI search
- Focus
- Cross-industry, EU
Tendit
- Entry price
- Around EUR 300/month
- Free trial
- 8 weeks
- Matching logic
- AI, profile-based
- Focus
- IT service providers
ibau
- Entry price
- On request
- Free trial
- No
- Matching logic
- Keywords and categories
- Focus
- Construction
The providers in detail
Auftrag One
Our toolTopic-based tender service: every tender is assigned one of 331 topics across 25 sectors as it arrives. On top of that, semantic search, real-time notifications, AI summaries, and automated requirement checklists. Cross-industry with a German-speaking focus and a transparent self-service start without a sales call.
- Entry price
- Starter free forever, then four plans from EUR 49 to EUR 399/month, pricing publicly listed
- Free trial
- Starter free forever, 30-day trial on paid plans, no credit card
- Best for
- SMBs and teams across all industries that want their tenders pre-sorted by topic at predictable pricing.
DTAD
German tender database established for over 25 years, with deep historical coverage and personal enterprise support. A solid data base, but dated UX and no AI-powered matching.
- Entry price
- No public pricing, custom quote after consultation
- Free trial
- No self-service trial, onboarding via a sales call
- Best for
- Organisations that value a long-established database and personal support over modern AI features.
Vergabepilot
AI-powered tender service with a permanently free basic plan. Broad coverage of German procurement platforms including TED and bund.de, listed on OMR Reviews.
- Entry price
- Permanently free BASIC plan, paid team plans above it
- Free trial
- BASIC usable for free indefinitely
- Best for
- Beginners and small teams that want to start free and cover the German procurement landscape.
Patterno
AI-powered tender service with very broad EU-wide coverage across 2,000+ portals and additional AI-powered bid drafting via chat. Document analysis of a tender in around 30 seconds.
- Entry price
- From EUR 99/month, pricing publicly listed
- Free trial
- Free start, trial length not publicly stated
- Best for
- Companies that bid EU-wide and want to actively use AI-powered bid drafting.
Tendit
AI tender service specialised in IT service providers. Profile-based matching on skills, certificates, and references, automatic suitability checks, and a per-tender risk assessment.
- Entry price
- No public pricing, entry in the range of around EUR 300/month
- Free trial
- 8-week free trial
- Best for
- IT service providers with 5 to 100 employees that regularly bid on public IT procurements.
ibau
Established construction data service with a very large project database of over 1M tender records. Planned and past construction projects, bills of quantities, and tender award results, with keyword- and category-based search.
- Entry price
- No public pricing, custom quote after a presentation
- Free trial
- Free presentation, no self-service trial
- Best for
- Companies in construction and related trades that need deep project data and tender award results.
How to choose the right tool
By budget and pricing transparency
Auftrag One and Patterno list their pricing publicly, and Vergabepilot offers a permanently free entry point. DTAD, Tendit, and ibau only quote after a conversation - plan for more lead time there.
By industry
For construction, ibau is strong with its large project database; for IT procurements, Tendit with profile-based matching. Auftrag One, DTAD, Vergabepilot, and Patterno work cross-industry.
By region
Patterno covers the EU with 2,000+ portals. Auftrag One and Vergabepilot focus on the German-speaking market, while DTAD and ibau focus primarily on Germany.
By matching logic
This is where the field splits: DTAD and ibau work keyword- and category-based, while Vergabepilot, Patterno, and Tendit rely on AI search or profile-based matching. Auftrag One additionally pins every tender to a fixed topic - 331 topics across 25 sectors - so the list is already sorted instead of recomputed on every search.
Frequently asked questions
Which tender software is the cheapest?
Vergabepilot offers a permanently free BASIC plan. Among the paid tools, Auftrag One has the lowest publicly stated entry price (free, paid plans from EUR 49/month), followed by Patterno from EUR 99/month. DTAD, Tendit, and ibau do not publish pricing.
Which tool fits the construction industry?
ibau is specialised in construction and offers over 1M tender records with planned and past construction projects, bills of quantities, and tender award results. Cross-industry tools like Auftrag One also cover construction tenders, without the construction-specific data depth.
How do the matching approaches differ?
Vergabepilot, Patterno, and Tendit use AI to match tenders, while DTAD and ibau rely on keyword- and category-based search. Auftrag One combines semantic search with a fixed topic taxonomy: every tender is assigned one of 331 topics across 25 sectors as it arrives.
Why topics instead of CPV codes?
Contracting authorities often assign CPV codes imprecisely or not at all. Auftrag One instead assigns every tender one of 331 topics, so you still find relevant work when the CPV code is a poor fit.
Which tool has the broadest coverage?
Patterno states the broadest coverage with 2,000+ portals across DE, AT, and the EU. ibau has the largest construction database with over 1M tender records. Auftrag One covers 300+ procurement platforms, including TED, the federal notice service and the portals of all 16 German states; Vergabepilot states 300+ German portals.
Which tools can I try for free?
Auftrag One offers 30 days with the full feature set, Tendit an 8-week trial, and Vergabepilot a permanently free BASIC plan. DTAD and ibau do not offer a self-service trial and instead start with a conversation or a presentation.
Try Auftrag One free for 30 days
331 topics across 25 sectors, real-time notifications, and requirement checklists free, paid plans from EUR 49/month. No credit card, no sales call - compare for yourself.
This comparison is based on publicly available information (as of July 2026). Third-party details are researched carefully but no guarantee is given for accuracy or completeness. All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective owners.