Buyer-side procurement · Checked 31 October 2026
Ziva vs Lio: the bidder’s side vs the buyer’s side (2026)
Lio and Ziva serve opposite sides of the same purchase. Choose Ziva if your company answers tenders and RFPs and needs the response, the buyer’s files and the package finished, at a published price per project. Choose Lio if you run a large enterprise procurement department and want agents to handle purchasing, sourcing and supplier work.
Choose Ziva if
A supplier that has to answer what buyers send, from questionnaire to pricing sheet, and wants the submission finished.
Choose Lio if
A large enterprise procurement team that wants to automate direct and indirect purchasing, supplier management and invoice work.
At a glance
Ziva and Lio, fact by fact.
Every Lio entry links to its source and shows when we checked it. Where we could not find a published fact, we left the row out.
| Fact | Ziva | Lio |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | ZivaOne published price per project. You choose how many new projects you open each month. | LioNot published. The website offers a demo booking. Lio homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Trying it first | ZivaStart paid, with a first-month money-back right: ask for a refund within the first month and you get the full amount back. | LioDemo on request. No free trial is described. Lio homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Public tender search | ZivaYes. The public tender directory on zephior.com/tenders is free to browse, without an account. Ziva Intelligence, search and analysis for one country, is CHF 199 per month. | LioNo. Lio runs the buyer’s purchasing; it does not find tenders for suppliers to bid on. Lio homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Full proposal package | ZivaYes. Proposal, forms, pricing sheet and presentation as finished Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. | LioNo. Its agents cover the buyer’s work: matching, chasing suppliers, negotiation preparation and contract and supplier lifecycle. Lio homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Hosting | ZivaCloud hosting in Switzerland, the EU or the US. | LioMicrosoft Azure, with ISO 27001 certification and GDPR data processing agreements. Lio security(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
Ziva prices exclude VAT. See current pricing for every plan and currency.
In their own words
Where Lio falls short.
Taken from Lio’s own pages and from public reviews, each with its source.
Built for buyers, not bidders
Lio describes itself as a virtual procurement department for enterprises. A supplier preparing a tender response is not its user.
“virtual procurement department”
Lio homepage(opens in a new tab)No public price
The website has no pricing information and leads to a demo booking.
Lio homepage(opens in a new tab)
Where Ziva goes further
What changes for your bid team.
The supplier’s side of the purchase
Ziva works for the company that answers the buyer. She reads the tender package against your company knowledge and drafts the response your team approves.
The buyer’s files, filled in
Whatever a buyer sends, Ziva fills their own Excel workbook in place and writes inside their Word template, keeping tabs, layout and formatting.
A published price per project
From CHF 500 a month for one project, with unlimited users and unlimited company knowledge, and no platform fee.
What Lio does well
- Covers direct and indirect procurement, finance and logistics in one operating layer. Lio homepage(opens in a new tab)
- Says it is trusted by more than 150 large global enterprises, with named customer stories. Lio homepage(opens in a new tab)
- ISO 27001 certified by an external auditor and hosted on Microsoft Azure. Lio security(opens in a new tab)
Switching
Moving from Lio to Ziva.
- 1
Check which side you are on
If your team issues requests and buys, a buyer-side tool is the right category. If your team answers requests to win work, Ziva is built for that job.
- 2
Start with one live request
Upload a tender or RFP you received and a few past responses into a Ziva project, and let Ziva qualify it and draft the answer.
- 3
Decide on evidence
Ziva has a first-month money-back right, so you can judge the finished submission before you commit.
Questions
Ziva vs Lio: straight answers.
Is Lio an alternative to Ziva?
Not directly. Lio automates purchasing for enterprise buyers; Ziva helps suppliers answer those buyers and win the work.
Lio homepage(opens in a new tab)Does Lio publish prices?
No. Ziva does: from CHF 500 (USD 650) per month for one project, with unlimited users in every plan.
Lio homepage(opens in a new tab)Can Ziva answer a request sent from a buyer’s procurement system?
Yes. Ziva works on the documents the buyer sends, fills their Excel and Word files, and you submit through the channel the buyer requires.
Sources and method
We read Lio’s own website and, where noted, public review pages. Last full check: 31 October 2026. Review quotes are short excerpts from the named page. Zephior publishes this page and sells Ziva; our facts follow our published pricing and product pages. If anything about Lio has changed, tell us at hello@zephior.com and we will correct it.
Try it on a real bid
Bring a tender you know.
Compare what comes back.
Run a live tender, or one you submitted before, in your first month. If Ziva does not convince you, you get your money back.