Deductly vs ChatGPT
Why not just ask ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is fast and free, and it has got better. In a June 2026 test it recommended a grant that had closed, quoted a cap that had been cut in half, and invented an Ontario program: three of ten matches actively wrong. We ran it again in August with web search on and it was accurate, current, and flagged a closed programme by itself. So we are not going to tell you it hallucinates. What it still does not give you is a ranked list with a dollar figure, a cap we checked against the source page, or the documents and steps to actually apply. Both tests are below, dated, and you can run them yourself.
The accuracy test · June 2026
We ran the test. Here is the receipt.
One realistic business owner's question, run against a general AI model in June 2026, then checked program by program against the official sources. Of 10 programs it returned, 3 were clean, 4 were real but flawed, and 3 were actively wrong.
“I run a 6-person software/SaaS company incorporated 2 years ago in Ontario, about $400k revenue, we do some R&D and want to start exporting. What Canadian government grants and tax credits do we qualify for?”
- CDAP (Canada Digital Adoption Program)Actively wrong
Model said: Recommended a $15,000 grant plus a $100k loan.
Verified: CDAP stopped accepting applications on Feb 19, 2024. No new applicants, no direct federal replacement. Acting on it wastes hours on a dead program.
- "Ontario Small Business Innovation Grant"Actively wrong
Model said: Listed it as a real program.
Verified: No standing federal or Ontario program by this name exists. This is a plausible-sounding confabulation.
- CanExport SMEsActively wrong
Model said: Quoted up to $99,999.
Verified: The program is open, but the 2026-27 maximum was cut to $50,000. The model quotes the old cap, off by nearly 2x.
- SR&EDReal but flawed
Model said: "Up to 35% refundable".
Verified: Real and current, but the 35% refundable rate applies to CCPCs on the first tranche of qualified spend. Stated as a blanket rate it misleads.
- FuturpreneurReal but flawed
Model said: Recommended without conditions.
Verified: Real, but age-capped (typically 18 to 39). Recommended without checking the founder’s age, so it can be a false match.
- Student Work Placement / Canada Summer JobsReal but flawed
Model said: "You qualify".
Verified: Both real, but deadline-driven with intake windows the model cannot know in real time. "You qualify" is useless without "the window is open until [date]".
- Women Entrepreneurship StrategyReal but flawed
Model said: Suggested it.
Verified: Real federal strategy, but eligibility is demographic-specific and was recommended without confirming it applies.
- NRC IRAPReal and current
Model said: Funding plus advisory for innovation.
Verified: Real and current. The model omits that it is advisor-gated (you need an Industrial Technology Advisor, not a simple apply), but the program is right.
- MitacsReal and current
Model said: Subsidized research interns.
Verified: Real and current research-internship funding. A good call.
- OIDMTC (Ontario Interactive Digital Media)Real and current
Model said: Listed for a SaaS company.
Verified: The credit is real, though eligibility (interactive digital media) is narrower than "any SaaS". The model over-broadens it.
For a quick sense of what is out there, a general model is genuinely useful and free, and several of its answers here were real. Deductly only earns its place when you need programs that are correct, currently open, and actually claimable. That is exactly where the model fails, and where money is on the line.
Paste the prompt above into a current general AI model, then check each program against its official source. Count the closed programs, invented programs, and stale caps. We re-run this when programs or caps change.
Verified means we re-check the program against its official source, confirm it is still open, and confirm the facts that change, the dollar caps and the deadlines, then stamp the date you see on it. It is a source re-check, not a CPA sign-off, and we say so.
- The freshness numbers on this site are generated from the live data on every build.
- An automated job re-checks every source URL and snapshots each program’s cap, deadline, and status. We publish the date of the last run rather than promise a cadence. Drift opens a review issue; when a canonical page is gone we fall back to the issuing organization and flag it.
- Programs that have ended are marked closed and are never recommended, only kept as reference pages.
See the live freshness audit on the data quality page.
When ChatGPT is the right tool
ChatGPT is great for drafting a cover letter, summarizing a long document, or thinking through structure. It is the wrong tool for "which Canadian program am I eligible for and how much could I get." That is what Deductly does.
See it for yourself.
Take the 3-minute quiz. You will know in under 5 minutes whether Deductly is worth it for your business.
See a real list in 3 minutes