★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Source check: CB Insights checked August 4, 2026
Tool Comparison
CB Insights vs ORTEX
Pick CB Insights if
CB Insights
Contact for pricing · Web · Mobile · API
- You care about sheets / excel add-ins, corporate actions & special situations, and newsletters, things ORTEX doesn't offer
Pick ORTEX if
ORTEX
Free • From $39/mo · Web · Mobile · API
- You'd rather start free and only pay if you outgrow it
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You care about short interest, insider data, and quant, things CB Insights doesn't offer
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
CB Insights and ORTEX cover a lot of the same ground (3 shared categories, APIs & data feeds, screeners, and data visualizations), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. ORTEX simply does more: 14 categories to CB Insights's 7, including short interest, insider data, and quant. CB Insights counters by keeping things simpler.
What readers say
CB Insights
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
ORTEX
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Key differences at a glance
- Free plan
- ORTEX
- Broader coverage
- ORTEX14 vs 7 categories
- Real-time data
- ORTEX
See for yourself
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.ShowHide
How they stack up
The side-by-side table: pricing, platforms, data, and coverage at a glance.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Contact for pricing | Free • From $39/mo |
Free tier | No | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 3 limits: Browser Analyst: pricing: Request pricing, Enterprise Platform: pricing: Request pricing +1 more | 9 limits: API Trader: credits per month: 1,000, API Trader: rate limit: 1 req/s +7 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | — | No |
Integrations | Salesforce, Microsoft Excel +6 more | Microsoft Excel (Add-in) and Python SDK |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 7 | 14 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America, Europe |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | — | 3 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +1 more |
Capabilities | — | Universe builder |
| Try it | Visit CB Insights | Visit ORTEX |
Where each one shines
What CB Insights and ORTEX each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What CB Insights and ORTEX each do best.What CB Insights does best
- Research coverage for private and public companies, investors, funding rounds, M&A, business relationships, earnings, markets, and competitive landscapes.
- Company profiles, market analytics, visual dashboards, deal insights, 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.
What ORTEX does best
- Monitoring short interest and securities-lending conditions with utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan.
- Comparison tools for lending-based short-interest estimates with official U.S. exchange-reported short interest and European flagged-short disclosures.
- Tracking intraday and real-time estimates from ORTEX lender and broker data pools where plan access supports those views.
- Research coverage for options activity and flow signals using OPRA-sourced options data, with OPRA terms required before access.
- Alpha-signal modules such as Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events as research context with back-tested statistics.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for CB Insights and ORTEX, side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for CB Insights and ORTEX, side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksOther | StocksETFsOptions |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEurope |
Coverage details | Not specified | Countries: USIdentifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Not specified | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | MinuteEOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | Not specified | REST |
API auth & delivery | Not specified | Auth: APIKeySDKs: Python |
Integrations | SalesforceMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft 365 CopilotSnowflakeAffinityZapierA2AMCP | Microsoft Excel (Add-in)Python SDK |
Export formats | Not specified | CSV |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Not specified | Universe builder |
Vendor & support | CB Information Services, Inc.Country: United StatesSupport: Email and Phone | Ortex Technologies LimitedCountry: United KingdomSupport: Email and Phone |
Curation ratings | Not specified | Methodology 4/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.ShowHide
What you'll actually pay
Plans, billing, trials, and per-month pricing for both tools.| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | — | Free |
| Entry paid plan | — | $39/mo“Basic Annual” |
| Tier 2 | — | $49/mo“Basic Monthly” |
| Tier 3 | — | $99/mo“Advanced Annual” |
| Tier 4 | — | $149/mo“Advanced Monthly” |
| Tier 5 | — | €49/mo“API Trader”credits per month: 1,000 · rate limit: 1 req/s · +1 more |
| Tier 6 | — | €129/mo“API Quant”credits per month: 10,000 · rate limit: 5 req/s · +1 more |
| Tier 7 | — | €379/mo“API Developer”credits per month: 100,000 · rate limit: 50 req/s · +1 more |
| Top plan | — | Subscription“API Enterprise” |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Browser Analyst”pricing: Request pricing | — |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between CB Insights and ORTEX?
CB Insights leans toward APIs & data feeds, sheets / excel add-ins, and screeners, while ORTEX puts more weight on short interest, insider data, and quant. They overlap in 3 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
Is CB Insights or ORTEX free to use?
ORTEX has a free tier, so you can get started without paying anything. CB Insights is paid-only. If budget matters, start with ORTEX and see how far it takes you before opening your wallet.
Do CB Insights and ORTEX have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose CB Insights or ORTEX?
It depends on what you're after. Pick CB Insights if sheets / excel add-ins and corporate actions & special situations matter to you; go with ORTEX if you'd rather have short interest and insider data. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do CB Insights and ORTEX cover?
Both cover stocks. CB Insights also handles other. ORTEX adds ETFs and options on top.
Does CB Insights or ORTEX have real-time data?
ORTEX offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. CB Insights runs on delayed or end-of-day data, which is perfectly fine for longer-term investors who don't live and die by the tick.
Can I export data from CB Insights and ORTEX?
ORTEX exports to CSV. CB Insights is stingier about getting data out.
Which has a better stock screener: CB Insights or ORTEX?
Both CB Insights and ORTEX include stock screeners, and they differ more in interface than raw power; try both and see which one clicks for you.
Keep researching
More comparisons to check
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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.