★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Source check: CB Insights checked August 4, 2026
Tool Comparison
CB Insights vs Portfolio123
Pick CB Insights if
CB Insights
Contact for pricing · Web · Mobile · API
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You care about sheets / excel add-ins, corporate actions & special situations, and newsletters, things Portfolio123 doesn't offer
Pick Portfolio123 if
Portfolio123
Free • From $25/mo · Web · API · Desktop
- 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 quant, stock ideas, and scores, things CB Insights doesn't offer
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
See alternativesOutbound links may include affiliate or sponsor codes.
Our take
The bottom line
CB Insights and Portfolio123 cover a lot of the same ground (4 shared categories, including APIs & data feeds, screeners, and data visualizations), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. Portfolio123 simply does more: 19 categories to CB Insights's 7, including quant, stock ideas, and scores. CB Insights counters by keeping things simpler.
What readers say
CB Insights
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Portfolio123
Vote once to reveal the community verdict.
Key differences at a glance
- Free plan
- Portfolio123
- Broader coverage
- Portfolio12319 vs 7 categories
- Mobile app
- CB Insights
- Desktop app
- Portfolio123
- Real-time data
- Portfolio123
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 $25/mo |
Free tier | No | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 3 limits: Browser Analyst: pricing: Request pricing, Enterprise Platform: pricing: Request pricing +1 more | Free Screener & Backtesting Access: duration days: 30 |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Desktop app | No | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | — | Yes |
Integrations | Salesforce, Microsoft Excel +6 more | Interactive Brokers and Tradier |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +5 more |
Categories covered | 7 | 19 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America, Europe |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | — | 5 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +3 more |
Data partners | — | 4 partners: FactSet, S&P Global Market Intelligence +2 more |
Capabilities | — | 6 signals: Custom formulas, Ranking backtests +4 more |
| Try it | Visit CB Insights | Visit Portfolio123 |
Where each one shines
What CB Insights and Portfolio123 each do best.ShowHide
Where each one shines
What CB Insights and Portfolio123 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 Portfolio123 does best
- Tools for building multifactor ranking systems, stock screens, ETF screens, and complete rules-based strategies through a web research environment.
- Tools for running simulations and backtests with long historical equity data, custom universes, buy and sell rules, position sizing, hedging, rebalancing, and realistic assumptions.
- Point-in-time data designed to avoid survivorship and look-ahead bias, with fundamentals, estimates, corporate actions, sector and industry classifications, and historical issues.
- Tools for creating ranking systems from fundamental, technical, sentiment, and macro factors, including public factor documentation and FRED-linked economic series.
- AI Factor to train machine-learning predictors for expected returns and feed those predictions into rankings, simulations, and asset-level analysis.
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for CB Insights and Portfolio123, side by side.ShowHide
Every detail we compared
Every tracked attribute for CB Insights and Portfolio123, side by side.| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksOther | StocksETFsClosed-End Funds |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Not specified | Retail TradersPro RetailInstitutional InvestorsAnalystsQuants/DevelopersFinancial AdvisorsStudents/Researchers |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEurope |
Coverage details | Not specified | Countries: US and CAIdentifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Not specified | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | EOD |
Data partners | Not specified | FactSetS&P Global Market IntelligenceICE Data ServicesFRED |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | Not specified | REST |
API auth & delivery | Not specified | Auth: APIKeySDKs: PythonDocs |
Import methods | Not specified | BrokerOAuthCSV |
Integrations | SalesforceMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft 365 CopilotSnowflakeAffinityZapierA2AMCP | Interactive BrokersTradier |
Export formats | Not specified | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Not specified | Custom formulasRanking backtestsUniverse builderBroker syncRebalancingCorrelation |
Vendor & support | CB Information Services, Inc.Country: United StatesSupport: Email and Phone | Portfolio123Support: Forum |
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“Manage (Free)” |
| Entry paid plan | — | $25/mo“Retail Research Plans” |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Browser Analyst”pricing: Request pricing | Contact sales“Professional / API & Data Licenses” |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between CB Insights and Portfolio123?
CB Insights leans toward APIs & data feeds, sheets / excel add-ins, and screeners, while Portfolio123 puts more weight on screeners, data visualizations, and quant. They overlap in 4 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
Is CB Insights or Portfolio123 free to use?
Portfolio123 has a free tier, so you can get started without paying anything. CB Insights is paid-only. If budget matters, start with Portfolio123 and see how far it takes you before opening your wallet.
Can I use CB Insights or Portfolio123 on my phone?
CB Insights lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. Portfolio123 doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web, API, and desktop.
Do CB Insights and Portfolio123 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 Portfolio123?
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 Portfolio123 if you'd rather have quant and stock ideas. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do CB Insights and Portfolio123 cover?
Both cover stocks. CB Insights also handles other. Portfolio123 adds ETFs and closed-end funds on top.
Does CB Insights or Portfolio123 have real-time data?
Portfolio123 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 Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 exports to CSV. CB Insights is stingier about getting data out.
Which has a better stock screener: CB Insights or Portfolio123?
Both CB Insights and Portfolio123 include stock screeners, and they differ more in interface than raw power; try both and see which one clicks for you.
Can I track my portfolio with CB Insights or Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 handles portfolio tracking. CB Insights is really a research tool; you'd track your portfolio elsewhere.
Keep researching
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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.