VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Tool Comparison

CB Insights vs Variant comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

CB Insights adds Data APIs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Screeners, Data Visualizations, Acquisitions, and Newsletters coverage that Variant skips.

Variant includes Stock Ideas, Market Sentiment, and Forums categories that CB Insights omits.

CB Insights ships a mobile app. Variant is web/desktop only.

In depth comparison

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

WebMobileAPI

Pricing

Subscription

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.

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Variant

variantinsights.com

Invite- and approval-based platform for professional and student investors. Variant combines an AI-powered “Catalyst Finder” with buyside discussions and a predictions marketplace focused on public-company outcomes and earnings sentiment. All content is user-generated (never investment advice), with strict prohibitions against material non-public information. Access is available via professional approval, student programs at select universities, or invite-only flows.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Other

Quick highlights

AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations.
Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments.
Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events.
Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios.
Access models include professional approval-based signup, student signup at partner universities, and invite-only admission.

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Where they differ

CB Insights

Distinct strengths include:

Data APIs Sheets / Excel Add-ins Screeners Data Visualizations Acquisitions Newsletters

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.

Variant

Distinct strengths include:

Stock Ideas Market Sentiment Forums

AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations.
Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments.
Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events.
Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	CB Insights	Variant
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: AI Unique: Data APIs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Screeners, Data Visualizations, Acquisitions, Newsletters	Shared: AI Unique: Stock Ideas, Market Sentiment, Forums
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, Other	Stocks
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, Mobile, API	Web
Pricing High-level pricing models	Subscription	Other
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique 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. Snowflake data delivery with feeds optimized for AI and analytics use cases.	Unique AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations. Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments. Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events. Structured prediction markets focused on company-specific outcomes and event-driven scenarios. Access models include professional approval-based signup, student signup at partner universities, and invite-only admission. Strict community standards: insights and analysis only, no investment advice, and zero tolerance for MNPI.
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 Variant both support?

Both platforms cover AI workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do CB Insights and Variant require subscriptions?

Neither platform maintains a free tier. Budget for a subscription to unlock the research coverage highlighted in this comparison.

Which tool has mobile access?

CB Insights ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Variant focuses on web or desktop access.

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 Variant stands out for AI Catalyst Finder scans filings, transcripts, and other documents to surface potential catalysts in public-company situations., Buyside discussion area with differentiated views and thousands of investor comments., and Predictions marketplace where users forecast outcomes and track sentiment on upcoming earnings events..

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