AAPU or Aspicore Apuraha4?
Apuraha4 is the most widely used grant system in Finland. This page shows where AAPU differs from it and where it does not. The comparison is based on what Aspicore publishes on its own website.
Information checked on 12 September 2026 from Aspicore’s public pages.
Aspicore Oy has developed Apuraha4 for about twenty years and reports around 140 customers. Since September 2025 Aspicore has been part of Stockholm-based PubliX Group, whose portfolio consists of companies selling software to the public sector. AAPU is Finnish-owned: it is developed and owned by Huiske in Kuopio. Apuraha4 is a safe choice, and many foundations are happy with it. AAPU is younger and smaller, and it is built on different premises: applicants need no account, prices are public and decisions are signed with strong authentication.
| AAPU | Apuraha4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Public pricing | Yes: 1,500 € setup, 2,999 € per year including 100 forms | No, price on quotation |
| Modules | No modules: every feature is included in the annual fee | Modular system (messaging, application, pre-processing, evaluation, meeting handling, payments, reporting, annual tax statements), price on quotation |
| Applicant login | No account, the form is filled in directly in the browser | Applicant portal with login, application history and messaging |
| Electronic signature | Strong authentication for decisions and minutes | Not stated on the website |
| Committee discussion | Built-in chat alongside each application | Not stated on the website |
| Board meetings | Included: invitations, materials, attendance, minutes | Separate board portal product |
| Mela notifications | Yes, data compiled from the decision | Yes |
| research.fi announcement | Yes, directly from the system | Not stated on the website |
| Interim and final reports | Yes, on the same form base | Yes |
| Payments | Excel export to bookkeeping, no separate payments module | Payments handled in the system |
| Languages | Finnish, Swedish, English | Finnish, Swedish, English |
| User licenses | None, all users included | Not stated on the website |
| Developer | Huiske, Kuopio | Aspicore Oy, Espoo |
| Ownership | Finnish: Huiske, Kuopio | Part of Stockholm-based PubliX Group since September 2025 |
When is Apuraha4 the better choice?
If your foundation wants an applicant portal where applicants log in and see their application history, or needs payments handled inside the same system, Apuraha4 covers that out of the box.
When is AAPU the better choice?
If you want the lowest possible barrier to applying, want to know the price before requesting a quotation, and want decisions signed with strong authentication without a separate e-signing service. AAPU is not sold as separately priced modules: the application form, decision-making, signatures, board meetings, reports and notifications are all in the same annual fee.
How to compare for yourself
Ask both vendors for a demo and a price estimate with the same number of forms. Ask separately about user licenses, signature fees and the cost of change requests. Our article on grant system costs lists the questions.
Sources
- aspicore.com: Apuraha4 product page, references and board portal, read on 12 September 2026
- publixgroup.io: PubliX Group expands to Finland through a partnership with Aspicore, press release 2 September 2025
- aspirapartners.se: PubliX Group enters Finland through the partnership with Aspicore, press release 2 September 2025
- aapu.fi: features and pricing
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