OpenWater feels overwhelming. Reviewr feels effortless.
OpenWater may be powerful, but that power comes buried under endless menus, dense settings, and a steep learning curve — an interface its own users call dated and clunky. Reviewr gives you everything you need to run scholarship, grant, and award programs in a modern experience that's clear from the first click.
OpenWater may be powerful, but its users consistently describe a significant learning curve and an interface that feels dated and clunky — across the applicant, admin, and reviewer experiences. The admin portal alone carries a large number of menus, submenus, and settings.
A modern, intuitive experience that admins, applicants, and reviewers can pick up quickly — the same depth, without the manual or the menu maze.
In OpenWater's side-by-side judging, the application and scorecard scroll together — there's no independent scrolling — and judges can't view file uploads inline, so reviewing files means downloading PDFs. Results list scores but don't appear to offer averages or normalization.
A native side-by-side reviewer view with independent scrolling and embedded files, plus normalized scoring that surfaces reviewer bias — so judging is fast and fair.
In 2022, OpenWater was acquired by ASI, the association-software company behind iMIS, and folded into that ecosystem — it's now sold as "iMIS Awards." That makes your programs one line item in an association platform's priorities, rather than the whole point.
Reviewr is independent and built for one thing: providing industry leading tools to help you achieve your goals. There's no parent suite pulling focus elsewhere — every release goes toward running your programs better.
OpenWater doesn't publish pricing — it's quote-based — and supports per-submission fees, so what you'll pay can be hard to predict as your programs grow.
Straightforward pricing that directly relates to the value you will receive with measurable ROI. Every standard report included. No surprise add-ons when you need a combined data export.
OpenWater's own users say it best: it's a robust, capable system — and there's a significant learning curve, with an interface that feels dated and clunky across the applicant, admin, and reviewer experiences. The features are all there; finding them is the work. For judges specifically, the application and scorecard scroll together with no independent scrolling, files can't be viewed inline (you download PDFs), and results don't offer averaging or normalization.
None of that means OpenWater is a bad platform — it's a powerful one, with strong support and genuine end-to-end breadth. The question is what your team should have to learn to get there. Reviewr delivers the same depth where it counts with a modern experience admins and reviewers pick up quickly — no manual required.
No sales pressure. No commitment required.
The all-in-one platform for managing scholarships, grants and awards programs.
