Strutter vs Responsive vs Loopio: Which RFP Tool Is Actually Built for Buyers?

If you're researching RFP software, you've probably seen Responsive (formerly RFPIO) and Loopio at the top of every list. They're established, well-funded, and widely reviewed on G2 and Capterra.

But here's what those reviews won't tell you: Responsive and Loopio are built for vendors who respond to RFPs. Strutter AI is built for buyers who create them. They solve different problems for different users.

This comparison is honest. We'll tell you what each tool does well, where Strutter fits, and what we don't do.

What is Responsive?

Responsive (formerly RFPIO) is a response management platform. It helps vendors respond to RFPs, security questionnaires, and due diligence requests faster by maintaining a content library of pre-approved answers. When a new RFP arrives, Responsive uses AI to match questions to existing answers, so the vendor team can assemble a response in hours instead of days.

Built for: Vendors, sales teams, presales engineers Primary use case: Responding to incoming RFPs faster and more consistently

What is Loopio?

Loopio is a response management and RFP response automation platform. Like Responsive, it maintains a content library and uses AI to auto-fill responses. Loopio also offers collaboration features for teams that manage high volumes of RFP responses.

Built for: Vendors, proposal teams, bid managers Primary use case: Automating and scaling RFP response workflows

What is Strutter AI?

Strutter AI is an RFP management platform built for the buyer side. It handles the full procurement lifecycle: creating RFPs with AI, inviting vendors, collecting structured responses, auto-scoring submissions, comparing vendors side-by-side, and recommending a winner.

Built for: Procurement teams, buyers, RFP issuers Primary use case: Creating, managing, and evaluating RFPs from the buyer's perspective

The fundamental difference

This is the most important thing to understand about this comparison:

Responsive and Loopio are not competitors to Strutter. They serve the opposite side of the table. If you're a vendor who receives RFPs, Responsive or Loopio will help you respond faster. If you're a buyer who creates RFPs, Strutter will help you create, evaluate, and decide faster.

In fact, a vendor using Responsive could be responding to an RFP that was created in Strutter. The tools are complementary, not competing.

Feature comparison

Pricing comparison

Note: Responsive and Loopio pricing is not publicly listed. Estimates are based on industry reports and G2 reviews. Strutter AI pricing is published at strutterai.com/pricing.

Who each tool is for

Choose Responsive if:

• You are a vendor that responds to a high volume of RFPs
• You need a content library to maintain consistent, pre-approved answers
• Your team spends significant time on repetitive RFP response work
• You want AI to auto-fill answers from past responses

Choose Loopio if:

• You are a vendor with a large proposal team
• You need collaboration features for multi-person response workflows
• You manage security questionnaires and DDQs alongside RFPs
• You want a polished response management platform

Choose Strutter AI if:

• You are a buyer that creates and evaluates RFPs
• You want AI to generate complete RFPs from a description of your need
• You need automated scoring, vendor comparison, and AI recommendations
• You want a free tier to get started without a sales call or enterprise contract

What Strutter does not do

We believe in honest comparisons. Here is what Strutter does not currently offer:

• CRM integrations. CRM integrations are not currently available.
• Multi-stage evaluation. Strutter supports single-round evaluation. Multi-stage processes (shortlist, presentation, final evaluation) are not currently supported.
• Approval workflows. There is no built-in approval chain for RFP publication. If your organization requires legal or executive sign-off, that happens outside the platform.
• Multi-language support. Currently available in English.

What Strutter does already offer that may not be obvious: a reusable Question Library for issuers, a Q&A Library for vendors, API access on Pro and Enterprise tiers, organizational memory that learns from past RFPs, and AI self-review that checks your RFP for quality before publish.

If any of the gaps above are dealbreakers, we'd rather you know now than find out after signing up.

Can you use them together?

Yes. There's no conflict between a buyer using Strutter to create and evaluate an RFP and a vendor using Responsive or Loopio to respond to it. The buyer creates the RFP in Strutter, invites vendors, and vendors respond through Strutter's portal (using whatever tools they want to prepare their answers).

The RFP market has two sides. Responsive and Loopio serve one. Strutter serves the other.

Frequently asked questions

Is Strutter trying to replace Responsive or Loopio? No. They solve different problems for different users. A vendor can use Responsive to prepare their response to an RFP that was created in Strutter. The tools are complementary.

What if I'm both a buyer and a vendor? Some organizations both issue RFPs and respond to them. Use Strutter for the RFPs you create and evaluate. Use Responsive or Loopio for the RFPs you respond to.

Why doesn't Responsive or Loopio offer buyer features? Their business model and product are built around the vendor workflow: content libraries, response auto-fill, and proposal management. Adding buyer-side features would mean building a fundamentally different product. That's what Strutter is.

How do I know if I need a buyer tool or a vendor tool? If you create RFPs and send them to vendors: buyer tool (Strutter). If you receive RFPs and prepare responses: vendor tool (Responsive, Loopio). If you're unsure, ask yourself: "Am I writing the questions or answering them?"

Try Strutter free

If you're a buyer evaluating RFP management options, the fastest way to decide is to try it. Strutter's free tier lets you create one AI-generated RFP, invite vendors, score responses, and compare results, all without paying or talking to sales.

Start free at rfp.strutterai.com. See which side of the table your RFP tool should be built for.