VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing CB Insights and Semrush will find that Both CB Insights and Semrush concentrate on Data APIs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. CB Insights leans into Screeners, Data Visualizations, and Acquisitions, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. Semrush stands out with App & Website Traffic, APIs & SDKs, and Blogs that the competition lacks. Use the feature-by-feature table to inspect unique capabilities and confirm which roadmap best maps to your process.
Head-to-head
CB Insights vs Semrush
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
- CB Insights adds Screeners, Data Visualizations, Acquisitions, Newsletters, and AI coverage that Semrush skips.
- Semrush includes App & Website Traffic, APIs & SDKs, and Blogs categories that CB Insights omits.
- CB Insights highlights: Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity., APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets., and Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets..
- Semrush is known for: Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks., Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4)., and API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing..
- Semrush keeps a free entry point that CB Insights lacks.
CB Insights
cbinsights.com
An enterprise-grade market intelligence platform covering both private and public companies. CB Insights combines company profiles, deal tracking, and predictive scoring with AI-powered search and visual analytics. APIs and enterprise integrations (Salesforce, Excel, Snowflake, Microsoft 365 Copilot) are available on paid plans. A 10-day free trial is offered for new users.
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity.
- APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets.
- Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets.
- Salesforce integration to embed company and investor insights into CRM workflows.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Graph Connector to surface CB Insights data directly inside Copilot experiences.
Semrush
semrush.com
Comprehensive SEO, marketing, and web traffic analytics platform. API access for core Analytics and Projects requires a Business plan, with usage billed in API units. Some APIs—like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker—don’t consume units. Enterprise security options include SAML SSO on Guru and Business tiers. A 7-day free trial is available for all paid plans.
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks.
- Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4).
- API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing.
- Flexible exports in CSV, Excel, and PDF across tools. Position Tracking and Site Audit modules generate PDF reports; Position Tracking also supports direct Google Sheets export.
- Google Sheets integration through the App Center ‘AI Automated Data Connector’ for automated reporting pipelines.
Shared focus areas
Both platforms align on these research themes, so you can stay within one workflow when your use case involves them.
Where they differ
CB Insights
Distinct strengths include:
- Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity.
- APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets.
- Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets.
- Salesforce integration to embed company and investor insights into CRM workflows.
Semrush
Distinct strengths include:
- Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks.
- Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4).
- API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing.
- Flexible exports in CSV, Excel, and PDF across tools. Position Tracking and Site Audit modules generate PDF reports; Position Tracking also supports direct Google Sheets export.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
| Attribute | CB Insights | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Data APIs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins Unique: Screeners, Data Visualizations, Acquisitions, Newsletters, AI | Shared: Data APIs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins Unique: App & Website Traffic, APIs & SDKs, Blogs |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, Other | Other |
Experience levels Who each product is built for | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Platforms Where you can access the product | Web, Mobile, API | Web, Mobile, API |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Subscription | Free, Subscription |
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor | Unique
| Unique
|
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat | Not yet | Not yet |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Standard listing | Standard listing |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do CB Insights and Semrush both support?
Both platforms cover Data APIs, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Which tool offers a free plan?
Semrush offers a free entry point, while CB Insights requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.
How can you access CB Insights and Semrush?
Both CB Insights and Semrush support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.
What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?
CB Insights differentiates itself with Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity., APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets., and Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets., whereas Semrush stands out for Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks., Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4)., and API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing..
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.