What Is OpenVC, and Is It Worth Using in 2026?
OpenVC is a free startup fundraising platform: an investor directory, deck tracking, a fundraising CRM and screened deck submissions, with Premium at $99/month or $299/year as of October 2026. Round Funded is the pick for founders who want to find active investors, email them from their own Gmail and track replies.
Short verdict: OpenVC is a directory with a screened deck queue. The limits are volume and control: deck submissions go through OpenVC, which screens them, at 1 a day free and 5 on Premium, so any other outreach is yours to send.
Per Swanbase, OpenVC (openvc.app) is a separate company from OpenVC.com, a US asset manager.
OpenVC at a Glance
| OpenVC | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A free fundraising platform: investor directory, deck tracking, CRM and screened outreach |
| Best for | Deck submissions through its own platform; to email investors from your own Gmail, Round Funded is the pick |
| Pricing | Free plan; Premium $99/month or $299/year, as of October 2026 |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan (unlimited search, 1 deck submission a day); no Premium trial |
| Founded or launched | Launched on Product Hunt in March 2021 by Stephane Nasser and Lucas Roquilly |
| Headquarters | No official address found; Angels Partners describes a small Paris-based team |
| What it does not do | Send platform outreach from your own inbox (per Angels Partners), exceed 5 deck submissions a day, or offer a non-English interface |
What OpenVC Is and How It Works
OpenVC calls itself bootstrapped and says more than 40,000 startups have used it for their fundraising.
The investor database covers VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators: 16,000+ on OpenVC's CRM page, 20,000+ on its about page and 50,000 on its upgrade page. Angels Partners, which sells its own investor database, read the live counter at 16,696 in September 2026 and says coverage skews to the US and Europe. Each profile shows thesis, check size and the preferred approach: deck, email, form or warm intro.
Pitches you send through OpenVC to Verified investors are screened for fit: a SaaS startup cannot spam 100 biotech VCs, OpenVC's co-founder said on Reddit in 2025. Deck tracking shows who opened it and for how long, and startups can join OpenVC's deal flow for investor requests.
OpenVC Pricing in 2026
OpenVC has one paid tier for founders, Premium, at $99 per month or $299 per year as of October 2026, per its pricing page and help docs. It takes no equity or success fee on your raise. Investors use OpenVC free; fund managers can add the LP Navigator at $300 a month as of October 2026, with no annual commitment.
| Plan | Price and billing (as of October 2026) | Key limits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, free forever | Unlimited search, 4 filters, 1 deck submission a day, basic deck review, CRM, deck analytics |
| Premium, monthly | $99/month, cancel anytime | 5 deck submissions a day, 10 filters, Intro Finder, unlimited deck reviews, perks library |
| Premium, yearly | $299/year billed annually (shown as $25/month) | Same as monthly |
One subscription covers the whole team. With no trial and no refunds, OpenVC's FAQ suggests starting free, then paying monthly to test Premium. The pricing page lists deck analytics as free, but the same FAQ calls them a Premium feature.
A breakdown by InvestorLists.vc matches these prices. A $399 six-month plan in OpenVC's February 2025 release notes is absent from its current pricing page.
What OpenVC Is Built For
OpenVC is built around a free directory and a screened deck queue.
- A free plan. Unlimited investor search, 4 filters, 1 deck submission a day, a CRM and deck analytics.
- Screened submissions. Decks sent to its Verified investors are screened for fit, then go out through the platform.
- A CRM with deck tracking, team seats and CSV export.
- Intro Finder on Premium, which OpenVC says scans your Gmail and LinkedIn for warm-intro paths.
Where OpenVC Falls Short
OpenVC's limits are volume, control and data depth.
- Capped submissions. 1 deck submission a day through OpenVC free, 5 on Premium; Swanbase puts an 80-fund campaign at several weeks on the free plan.
- Not your inbox. Outreach runs through the platform, per Angels Partners.
- Thin data past the big names. Founders on Reddit report outdated or vague entries beyond well-known funds, per Angels Partners.
- Few independent reviews. None on Trustpilot, G2 or Capterra as of September 2026, per Angels Partners; Product Hunt's 4.7 rests on 3 reviews.
- No KYC. OpenVC's co-founder said on Reddit in 2025 that investors are verified from public sources, sometimes with proof of past investments for angels. The same comment says OpenVC runs no KYC or AML checks, so founders remain responsible for their own safety.
- English-only interface, no trial, no refunds, per Swanbase and OpenVC's own FAQ.
OpenVC vs Round Funded
OpenVC is a free directory with a deck queue; Round Funded is a system to find, email and track investors who are writing checks now. Our Round Funded vs OpenVC comparison goes deeper.
| Criteria | OpenVC | Round Funded |
|---|---|---|
| Investors | 16,000+ to 20,000+ on its CRM and about pages; 50,000 on its upgrade page | 60,000+ active, filtered to a check in the last 6 months |
| Price (as of October 2026) | Free; Premium $99/month or $299/year | Round+ $99/month, Round Pro $249/month, Lifetime $899 one-time |
| Free option | Free plan, no Premium trial | No free tier; 3-day free trial on Round+ and Round Pro for first-time accounts, card required |
| Outreach | Through OpenVC, screened | From your own Gmail |
| CRM and pipeline | Free CRM: tasks, notes, follow-ups, team seats, CSV export | Up to 2,500 investors in your pipeline on Round+, 5,000 on Round Pro; CSV export with a monthly cap |
| Volume | 1 deck submission a day through OpenVC free, 5 on Premium | Email up to 1,000 investors a month on Round+, 5,000 on Round Pro |
| Deck sharing | Free deck tracking: opens and time spent | Free Data Room; per-investor analytics from $99/month as of October 2026 |
| Languages | English-only interface; messages can be in other languages | 12 languages |
Round Funded is the pick on list size (60,000+ active investors), Gmail outreach to up to 1,000 investors a month on Round+, a 12-language interface and a free Data Room, with every investor filtered to a check in the last 6 months. OpenVC's model is a free directory and 1 to 5 screened deck submissions a day.
Best OpenVC Alternatives in 2026
Round Funded is the best OpenVC alternative for founders raising a round. Swanbase also names Foundersuite or Visible for investor relations and Crunchbase or Dealroom for fund research; those cover narrower jobs. We also compare AngelMatch.
1. Round Funded: find, email and track
Round Funded fits founders who outgrow OpenVC's 1 deck submission a day (5 on Premium). Instead of platform submissions, you email up to 1,000 investors a month on Round+ (5,000 on Round Pro) from your own Gmail and log replies in a built-in pipeline. There is no free tier, only a 3-day free trial on Round+ and Round Pro for first-time accounts, card required; the Find Investors tool is free.
2. Foundersuite or Visible: investor relations with a data room
Investor-relations software for reporting to investors you already have, per Swanbase. If the data room is what is missing, Round Funded's Data Room for Startups is free to build and share. Per-investor analytics come with Round+ at $99 a month as of October 2026.
3. Crunchbase or Dealroom: fund research
Research databases for studying a fund's portfolio and recent deals, per Swanbase. Neither sends outreach.
4. Angels Partners: an investor database
Angels Partners, a competitor whose review is cited here, sells an investor database with a free browsing tier and paid plans.
| Logo | Tool | Best for | Price (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Round Funded | Finding, emailing and tracking investors | $99 or $249/month, or $899 one-time |
 | Foundersuite | Investor relations with a data room | Not covered here |
 | Visible | Investor relations with a data room | Not covered here |
 | Crunchbase | Researching a fund's recent deals | Not covered here |
 | Dealroom | Researching a fund's recent deals | Not covered here |
| Angels Partners | An investor database | Free tier; paid plans |
Who OpenVC Is Built For
- OpenVC is built for founders mapping their market who send a few screened decks a week.
- Use Round Funded if you are raising now: email up to 1,000 investors a month from your own Gmail on Round+, with a free Data Room and investors filtered to a check in the last 6 months. Start with the free Investor Match.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does OpenVC cost?
OpenVC is free; Premium costs $99 a month or $299 a year as of October 2026 and covers the whole startup team. There is no trial, purchases are final, and OpenVC takes no equity or success fee. Investors use OpenVC free; the LP Navigator add-on for fund managers costs $300 a month as of October 2026, with no annual commitment.
Does OpenVC have a free plan or a free trial?
OpenVC has a free plan but no Premium trial. Free covers unlimited investor search, 4 filters, 1 deck submission a day, the CRM and deck analytics. Round Funded has no free tier, but a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts, card required, on Round+ and Round Pro, and its Data Room, Fundraising CRM and Find Investors tools are free.
Is OpenVC legit, and what do reviews say?
It is a real platform. OpenVC's co-founder said on Reddit in 2025 that it verifies investors from public sources but runs no KYC or AML checks, so vet investors yourself. Reviews are thin: Angels Partners found none on Trustpilot, G2 or Capterra as of September 2026. Round Funded filters its 60,000+ investors to a check in the last 6 months and deliverability-checks every contact.
What is OpenVC used for?
Founders use OpenVC as a free investor database: search investors, build a target list, send a deck through the platform and track the raise in a CRM. Investors use it free for deal flow. Round Funded's free Fundraising CRM also tracks a raise from first email to close.
How do you submit a deck on OpenVC?
You send your deck to an investor through OpenVC: 1 a day free, 5 on Premium. Submissions to Verified investors are screened for fit before they go out through the platform, not from your own inbox. Check each profile's preferred approach first.
What does OpenVC Premium include?
Premium raises deck submissions through OpenVC from 1 to 5 a day and search filters from 4 to 10. It adds Intro Finder, which OpenVC says finds warm-intro paths via Gmail and LinkedIn, plus unlimited AI deck reviews and a perks library. It costs $99 a month or $299 a year as of October 2026.
What is the best OpenVC alternative?
Round Funded: it finds investors with a check in the last 6 months and emails them from your own Gmail, up to 1,000 a month on Round+, with a free Data Room. Research databases and investor-relations tools cover narrower jobs. Our investor database comparison covers more tools.
Is Round Funded affiliated with OpenVC?
No. Round Funded is not affiliated with OpenVC. This comparison draws on OpenVC's public pages, checked in October 2026. Third-party sources are Swanbase and Angels Partners (September 2026), InvestorLists.vc (July 2026), a 2025 Reddit comment by OpenVC's co-founder and Product Hunt's review page. Round Funded sells a competing product, so verify current plans before deciding.
Final Word
OpenVC is a free directory with a screened deck queue. For a raise that needs volume, outreach from your own Gmail and investors who are writing checks now, Round Funded is built for that job.
