Tool Comparison
AlphaSense vs CB Insights
- Paid from
- On request
- Free plan
- No
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile, API
Best if
- You want news, alerts, and financials.
- Paid from
- On request
- Free plan
- No
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile, API
Best if
- You want corporate actions & special situations and newsletters.
- You're newer to investing and want something approachable
Pick AlphaSense if
AlphaSense
Contact for pricing · Web · Mobile · API
- You want news, alerts, and financials.
Pick CB Insights if
CB Insights
Contact for pricing · Web · Mobile · API
- You want corporate actions & special situations and newsletters.
- You're newer to investing and want something approachable
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
AlphaSense and CB Insights cover a lot of the same ground (5 shared categories, including screeners, data visualizations, and AI research), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. AlphaSense simply does more: 11 categories to CB Insights's 7, including news, alerts, and financials. CB Insights counters by keeping things simpler.
What readers say
AlphaSense
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CB Insights
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Key differences at a glance
- Asset coverage
- CB InsightsAdds other
- Broader coverage
- AlphaSense11 vs 7 categories
- Beginner friendly
- CB Insights
What AlphaSense does best
- Ask Generative Search a research question and get an answer linked to cited source documents.
- Use Deep Research for multi-step searches that can cite more than 100 sources and take 10 to 30 minutes.
- Search broker and independent research, expert transcripts, SEC filings, news, and regulatory content.
- Monitor companies, topics, markets, and research themes with dashboards, alerts, watchlists, and a mobile app.
- Screen companies, compare peers, review M&A and funding activity, and inspect valuation data where beta access is available.
What CB Insights does best
- Research coverage for private and public companies, investors, funding rounds, M&A, business relationships, earnings, markets, and competitive markets.
- Company profiles, market analytics, visual dashboards, deal analysis, and sector tracking to map markets and competitors.
- Mosaic Score and other proprietary measures to evaluate private-company health and growth signals.
- Strategy Terminal, Browser Analyst, ChatCBI, and team-of-agents workflows for AI-assisted scouting, briefs, trend discovery, and market analysis.
- Access to CB Insights data into workflows through Excel, Salesforce, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Snowflake, Zapier, Affinity, A2A, MCP-style, and data-solution integrations where licensed.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
Free tier | No | No |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | — | 3 limits: Browser Analyst: pricing: Request pricing, Strategy Terminal: pricing: Request pricing +1 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Integrations | Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint +6 more | Salesforce, Microsoft Excel +6 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Institutional Investors, Analysts +2 more | — |
Categories covered | 11 | 7 |
Regions | — | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data partners | Tegus and Canalyst | — |
Capabilities | Universe builder and AI summaries: Filings, Transcripts, and News | — |
Security | 5 signals: SOC2, ISO27001 +3 more | — |
| Try it | Visit AlphaSense | Visit CB Insights |
Standout features
The best features of AlphaSense and CB Insights.ShowHide
Standout features
What AlphaSense does best
- Ask Generative Search a research question and get an answer linked to cited source documents.
- Use Deep Research for multi-step searches that can cite more than 100 sources and take 10 to 30 minutes.
- Search broker and independent research, expert transcripts, SEC filings, news, and regulatory content.
- Monitor companies, topics, markets, and research themes with dashboards, alerts, watchlists, and a mobile app.
- Screen companies, compare peers, review M&A and funding activity, and inspect valuation data where beta access is available.
What CB Insights does best
- Research coverage for private and public companies, investors, funding rounds, M&A, business relationships, earnings, markets, and competitive markets.
- Company profiles, market analytics, visual dashboards, deal analysis, and sector tracking to map markets and competitors.
- Mosaic Score and other proprietary measures to evaluate private-company health and growth signals.
- Strategy Terminal, Browser Analyst, ChatCBI, and team-of-agents workflows for AI-assisted scouting, briefs, trend discovery, and market analysis.
- Access to CB Insights data into workflows through Excel, Salesforce, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Snowflake, Zapier, Affinity, A2A, MCP-style, and data-solution integrations where licensed.
All details
Every attribute we track for AlphaSense and CB Insights.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Stocks | StocksOther |
Experience | IntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Institutional InvestorsAnalystsAsset ManagersHedge Funds | Not specified |
Regions | Not specified | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
Coverage details | Identifiers: Ticker and CIK | Not specified |
| Data | ||
Data partners | TegusCanalyst | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | GraphQLREST | Not specified |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey and OAuth2SDKs: TS and PythonDocs | Not specified |
Integrations | Google DriveMicrosoft SharePointDropboxBoxEgnyteMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft PowerPointMCP | SalesforceMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft 365 CopilotSnowflakeAffinityZapierA2AMCP |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | SOC2ISO27001Encryption at restEncryption in transitRole-based access | Not specified |
Capability signals | Universe builderAI summaries: Filings, Transcripts, and News | Not specified |
Vendor & support | AlphaSense Inc.Founded 2011Support: Email | CB Information Services, Inc.Country: United StatesSupport: Email and Phone |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Market Intelligence” | Contact sales“Browser Analyst”pricing: Request pricing |
Alternatives
Free alternatives
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between AlphaSense and CB Insights?
AlphaSense leans toward news, alerts, and screeners, while CB Insights puts more weight on APIs & data feeds, sheets / excel add-ins, and screeners. They overlap in 5 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do AlphaSense and CB Insights cost?
Neither has a free plan; you'll need a paid subscription for the full feature set of either. Check each tool's current plan details before buying.
Which is better for beginners: AlphaSense or CB Insights?
CB Insights is the friendlier place to start; its interface takes less getting used to. Both work fine once you're past the basics.
Do AlphaSense and CB Insights have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose AlphaSense or CB Insights?
It depends on what you're after. Pick AlphaSense if news and alerts matter to you; go with CB Insights if you'd rather have corporate actions & special situations and newsletters. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do AlphaSense and CB Insights cover?
Both cover stocks. CB Insights adds other on top.
Which has a better stock screener: AlphaSense or CB Insights?
Both AlphaSense and CB Insights include stock screeners, and they differ more in interface than raw power; try both and see which one clicks for you.
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Curation & Accuracy
This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).
Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.