Answer library · Checked 31 October 2026
Responsive (RFPIO) alternative: Ziva vs Responsive (2026)
Choose Ziva if you want to pay for bids, with no platform fee and no licences, and get the buyer’s own files back finished. Choose Responsive, formerly RFPIO, if you run a large, governed content library across many teams and can carry a platform that starts from USD 10,000 a year before user licences and add-ons.
Choose Ziva if
You want every contributor in the bid without licences, need tender packages and buyer templates completed, and want to start on a live tender instead of a content migration.
Choose Responsive if
You are an enterprise with a dedicated content team, a review calendar for your library and a budget for platform, licences and services.
At a glance
Ziva and Responsive, fact by fact.
Every Responsive 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 | Responsive |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | ZivaOne published price per project. You choose how many new projects you open each month. | ResponsiveAnnual platform fee, then user licences, then add-ons and services. Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Published entry price | ZivaCHF 500 (EUR 550, USD 650) per month for one project, falling to CHF 400 per project at 20 a month. Annual billing saves 10%. | ResponsiveEmerging Edition starting from USD 10,000. Growth and Enterprise: contact sales. Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Platform or setup fee | ZivaNone. | ResponsiveYes. The platform fee is an annual subscription for access to the platform. Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Users included | ZivaUnlimited users and unlimited company knowledge in every plan. | ResponsiveUser licences are sold on top of the platform fee. Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Features by plan | ZivaThe same capabilities in every plan. Only the number of projects changes. | ResponsiveIntake requests, advanced access controls and flexible hosting options start at the Growth Edition. Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Time to the first bid | ZivaNo library to build first. Upload past bids and documents as they are and start on a live tender, or on one you submitted before. | ResponsiveNo timeline published. G2 reviewers put time to implement at about two months. Responsive product details on G2(opens in a new tab) Checked 30 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. | ResponsiveNo. Its AI agents cover intake, analysis, answering and output of documents you bring. Responsive AI agents(opens in a new tab) Checked 30 October 2026 |
| Full proposal package | ZivaYes. Proposal, forms, pricing sheet and presentation as finished Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. | ResponsiveA proposal builder generates first drafts by pulling from the content library. Responsive blog: what is an AI agent(opens in a new tab) Checked 30 October 2026 |
| Bid help from people | ZivaYes. Our Zelius bid team can take on a tender with you, scoped per bid. | ResponsiveProfessional services with APMP-certified experts, listed under add-ons and services. Responsive pricing(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 Responsive falls short.
Taken from Responsive’s own pages and from public reviews, each with its source.
A platform fee before the first answer
The entry edition is quoted as a starting platform fee, with user licences and add-ons listed on top.
“Starting from $10,000”
Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab)The library is a second job
Responsive’s own guidance asks for content owners, a moderator and review cycles: corporate content every 90 days, product content every 6 to 12 months.
“conducting a review cycle every 90 days”
Responsive blog: RFP answer library content audit(opens in a new tab)A steep learning curve
Learning curve and ease of use are among the most frequent complaints in G2 reviews.
“For a new user, this makes the learning curve a bit long.”
Responsive reviews on G2(opens in a new tab)Formatting breaks on export
Reviewers report inconsistent formatting when exporting to Excel or Word, which means manual cleanup before submission.
“the formatting often becomes inconsistent despite selecting a specific font”
Responsive reviews on Software Advice(opens in a new tab)Buyer files do not always import cleanly
Reviewers describe buyer documents that are hard to upload, so the work is done twice.
“not all are easy to upload in responsive causing duplication of effort”
Responsive reviews on Capterra(opens in a new tab)
Where Ziva goes further
What changes for your bid team.
The buyer’s file comes back finished
Ziva fills the buyer’s own workbook, cell by cell, with its tabs and formatting intact, and writes the narrative inside their Word template. What you send back is their file, ready to submit.
The whole proposal package
Cover letter, contents, tables, charts, pricing sheet with working formulas and the presentation: Ziva produces the full package as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.
Every answer shows its evidence
Each answer cites the documents it came from and shows a confidence score for how well your evidence supports it, preferring your newest approved wording. Reviewers approve, comment and restore earlier versions on the answer itself.
Priced per project, for the whole team
No platform fee and no seats. Every plan includes unlimited users, unlimited company knowledge and the same capabilities, monthly or annual.
What Responsive does well
- Mature AI agents for import, writing and requirement extraction, plus Agent Studio for custom agents. Responsive AI agents(opens in a new tab)
- Broad certifications, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 42001. Responsive security(opens in a new tab)
- Scale: nearly 2,000 customers and more than 300,000 users. About Responsive(opens in a new tab)
Switching
Moving from Responsive to Ziva.
- 1
Bring your answers and past bids
Export your answer library and recent submissions and upload them as they are, in Excel, Word or PDF. Ziva turns them into company knowledge with sources, with no column mapping.
- 2
Run one bid side by side
Take a tender you submitted before, or a live one, and run it in Ziva during your first month. Compare the finished files with your original submission.
- 3
Invite the whole team
Every plan has unlimited users, so subject experts, legal and finance can review in Ziva from the first bid without a seat budget.
- 4
Decide on evidence
If the first month does not convince you, ask for your money back. Keep your current tool until Ziva has produced a package you would send.
Questions
Ziva vs Responsive: straight answers.
Is Ziva cheaper than Responsive?
Yes at entry. Responsive’s Emerging Edition starts from USD 10,000 a year as a platform fee, before user licences and add-ons. Ziva’s one-project plan costs USD 7,020 a year billed annually, or USD 650 a month, with unlimited users and no platform fee.
Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab)Is RFPIO the same as Responsive?
Yes. Responsive was founded as RFPIO in 2015 and later renamed.
About Responsive(opens in a new tab)Does Responsive find public tenders?
No. Responsive works on documents you bring. Zephior’s public tender directory on zephior.com/tenders is free to browse.
Responsive AI agents(opens in a new tab)Does Ziva charge per user?
No. Every Ziva plan includes unlimited users and unlimited company knowledge, with the same capabilities whichever plan you choose.
Can we move our Responsive content library to Ziva?
Yes. Export your library and recent submissions and upload them as they are. Ziva keeps the source of every answer, so reviewers can see where it came from.
Sources and method
We read Responsive’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 Responsive has changed, tell us at hello@zephior.com and we will correct it.
- Responsive pricing(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive AI agents(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive blog: what is an AI agent(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive blog: RFP answer library content audit(opens in a new tab)
- About Responsive(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive security(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive reviews on G2(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive product details on G2(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive reviews on Software Advice(opens in a new tab)
- Responsive reviews on Capterra(opens in a new tab)
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.