Is there a Bloomberg Terminal alternative for private-market research?
Yes. The Terminal costs about $31,980 a seat a year (Multiples, August 2026) and is built for public markets. For private companies, funds and deals, PitchBook, S&P Capital IQ and Preqin are the usual specialist alternatives, and filing-based tools cover private company research for far less.
Does the Bloomberg Terminal cover private companies?
It does, and the coverage is growing. Bloomberg says it already supplies data on more than 3 million private companies, 50,000 private funds and 16,000 private direct loans, and on 29 July 2026 it agreed to acquire Canoe Intelligence, which automates the collection of private fund documents (Canoe Intelligence, July 2026). The Terminal's core strengths remain live public-market data, news, fixed income and trading workflows.
For a private equity or venture team, that means a Bloomberg seat often sits next to a private markets tool rather than replacing it. PitchBook's own comparison page says many institutional firms use both, PitchBook for private capital data and Bloomberg for public markets (PitchBook, 2026). That page is written by a competitor, so weigh it accordingly.
Why do private-market teams look beyond Bloomberg?
Cost, contract length and learning curve. Third-party guides put a seat at about $24,000 to $32,000 a year, usually on a 2-year contract (PageCrawl, 2026). On G2, the Terminal averages 4.4 out of 5 across 69 reviews, and users mention an initial learning curve; G2 users comparing the 2 products rate PitchBook easier to set up, easier to administer and more usable (G2, 2026). Our Bloomberg Terminal cost guide covers the full price picture.
How did we choose these alternatives?
We looked for tools that answer private-market questions: who owns or funds a private company, what it raised, which funds hold what, and which deals closed. For each we checked a price reported in 2026 by a named source, its private company and fund coverage, and its main gap. We ranked them by how well they replace the private-market part of a Bloomberg seat for a small team.
Which alternatives cover private markets best?
1. PitchBook
PitchBook is the most widely used private capital database, covering companies, deals, funds and sponsors.
- Reported price: about $12,000 to $70,000 a year, quote-based (VC Beast, 2026).
- Best for: VC, PE and M&A deal sourcing, fund benchmarks and LP data.
- Main gap: no live public-market data or trading, and G2 reviewers report stale data on smaller companies (G2, 2026).
2. S&P Capital IQ Pro
Capital IQ combines public and private company financials, M&A transactions and credit data, with strong Excel integration.
- Reported price: about $13,000 to $30,000 per user a year (Multiples, August 2026).
- Best for: banking and corporate development teams that need comps and transaction data.
- Main gap: thinner on venture rounds and early-stage companies than PitchBook.
3. Preqin
Preqin is a private markets data provider, owned by BlackRock since March 2025 (BlackRock, 2025).
- Reported price: quote-based; a competing vendor estimates $20,000 to $50,000 a year for teams of 2 to 5 users (Altss, 2026).
- Best for: fund performance, fund managers and LP research.
- Main gap: limited company-level and early-stage data.
4. Tamarly Intelligence
Tamarly Intelligence is Tamarly's research platform on companies, funds, countries and markets, built from official filings and open data.
- Published price: Free plan at $0; Level 2 at $145 a month; Level 3 at $399 a month; 7 days of Level 3 free, no card.
- Best for: sourced private company and fund research built from SEC filings, registries and court records, with a deals database built from SEC merger filings.
- Main gap: no market prices or trading, no fund performance benchmarks, no LP commitment data and no Excel data feed.
5. Crunchbase Pro
Crunchbase is a company and funding database aimed at startups.
- Reported price: $49 a month billed annually or $99 billed monthly (ZoomInfo, May 2026).
- Best for: quick lookups of startups and funding rounds.
- Main gap: no fund performance, LP commitment data or deal multiples (VCBacked, 2026).
6. Dealroom
Dealroom is a startup and venture database strongest in Europe.
- Reported price: a free research tier; Premium at about €12,600 a year with a 3-seat minimum (Angel's Partners, July 2026).
- Best for: European venture ecosystems.
- Main gap: seat minimum and thinner US coverage.
How do the private-market alternatives compare?
| Tool | Reported or published price | Best for | Main gap | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomberg Terminal | About $31,980 a seat a year | Public markets, news, trading | Price; private data secondary | Multiples |
| PitchBook | $12,000 to $70,000 a year | Private deals, funds, LPs | Stale small-company data | VC Beast |
| S&P Capital IQ Pro | $13,000 to $30,000 per user a year | Comps and M&A | Venture coverage | Multiples |
| Preqin | Quote-based | Funds and LPs | Company-level data | Altss |
| Tamarly Intelligence | $0 to $399 a month, published | Sourced company and fund research | No benchmarks or market prices | Tamarly |
| Crunchbase Pro | $49 a month billed annually | Startup lookups | No fund data | ZoomInfo |
| Dealroom | About €12,600 a year, 3 seats | European startups | US depth | Angel's Partners |
Prices above are reported by third parties, several of which sell competing tools. Check current terms with each vendor.
When should you keep the Bloomberg Terminal?
Keep it if your team trades, prices securities, works in credit or needs live public-market data and news alongside private research. Bloomberg's private coverage is also widening, and the Canoe deal points to deeper fund document data inside the Terminal over time. If nobody on the team uses the public-market side every day, a private markets tool plus free public records usually costs less. Our PitchBook alternatives list and our Bloomberg vs FactSet comparison help you decide which seat to keep.
Where does Tamarly Intelligence fit?
Tamarly Intelligence covers 19,910 company pages, 2,888 funds (holdings for 1,290 and country exposure for 2,696) and 15,359 fund managers from SEC filings, along with 22 sectors and a Risk Atlas that scores 214 of 218 countries every week. It uses free and open data only, including SEC EDGAR (Form D, 13F and Form ADV), UK Companies House, GLEIF, CourtListener and the official sanctions lists. Every figure links to the filing or record it came from, and when Tamarly does not cover a company it says so. It shows no market prices, so it complements a Terminal or replaces only the private company research part of one.
Research private companies and funds from their filings, free for 7 days
Frequently asked questions
Is Bloomberg or PitchBook better for private equity?
PitchBook is usually the more useful tool for private equity deal sourcing and fund research, and G2 users comparing the 2 rate it easier to set up and use (G2, 2026). Bloomberg is stronger if the team also needs live public-market data, credit or trading.
How many private companies does Bloomberg cover?
Bloomberg says it supplies data on more than 3 million private companies, 50,000 private funds and 16,000 private direct loans (Canoe Intelligence, July 2026). Depth varies by company, as with every private markets database.
What is the cheapest way to research private markets without a Terminal?
Start with free public records: SEC EDGAR for Form D and Form ADV, UK Companies House and state registries. Crunchbase Pro at $49 a month billed annually adds funding lookups (ZoomInfo, May 2026), and Tamarly Intelligence has a Free plan at $0.
About the author. Melvine Manchau is the founder of Tamarly and author of the Tamarly Newsletter. He previously worked at PwC, Salesforce, BlackRock/eFront and Lazard.
About Tamarly Research. Tamarly Research is part of Tamarly Media, which holds no investment positions. Tamarly is a New York research house that studies how AI is changing regulated institutions.