PitchBook vs CB Insights, which one should you buy in 2026?
Buy PitchBook for fund, deal and LP data; buy CB Insights for technology trends and market maps. Both are quote-based. 2026 guides report PitchBook at $12,000 to $70,000 a year (VC Beast) and CB Insights at about $29,800 to $100,000 a year (CostBench).
What is the main difference between PitchBook and CB Insights?
The two products answer different questions. A 2026 comparison describes PitchBook as a deal-level data platform covering more than 6 million companies, 2.7 million investments and 570,000 investors, used for PE and VC deal sourcing and financial analysis. It describes CB Insights as a market intelligence platform built around its Mosaic scores, Expert Collections and ChatCBI assistant, aimed at corporate strategy teams tracking emerging technologies (CostBench).
Put simply, PitchBook tells you who invested in what, on which terms and how funds performed. CB Insights tells you which technologies and startups are gaining ground and how a market is organized.
Which is cheaper, PitchBook or CB Insights?
PitchBook usually costs less at entry level, though neither publishes prices. Buyer guides report PitchBook at $12,000 to $70,000 a year, and one customer reported $7,000 a seat with a 5-seat minimum (Prospeo). CostBench estimated CB Insights at about $29,796 a year for its Essential plan and $99,996 for Enterprise in March 2026 (CostBench), and a 2026 review estimates an average CB Insights subscription near $60,000 a year (ZoomInfo).
Another comparison site reports CB Insights at or above PitchBook's level (Multiples). In practice your quote depends on seats and modules, so compare written quotes for the same team size. Our guides on PitchBook's cost and CB Insights' cost break down each one.
| Tool | Reported or published price | Best for | Main gap | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PitchBook | $12,000 to $70,000 a year, quote-based | VC, PE and M&A deals, fund benchmarks, LP data | Price; stale data on small companies | VC Beast, G2 |
| CB Insights | About $29,800 to $100,000 a year, quote-based | Technology trends, market maps, startup scoring | PE fund-level and LP depth | CostBench, CostBench |
| Crunchbase Pro | About $588 a year | Broad startup funding data | Little fund-level data | VCBacked |
| Tamarly Intelligence | Free for 7 days, then $399 a month on Level 3 | Sourced reads on private companies, funds and sectors | No fund performance benchmarks or LP data | Tamarly |
Prices above are reported by third parties, several of which sell competing tools. Check current terms with each vendor.
Which is better for venture capital and private equity?
PitchBook, for most funds. A 2026 ranking of PitchBook alternatives notes that CB Insights skews toward earlier-stage companies and that its main gap against PitchBook is depth in PE fund-level data and LP relationships (CostBench). If your work involves fund benchmarks, LP commitments or deal multiples, PitchBook is the reference source.
CB Insights can still help a venture team that invests by thesis. Its market maps and scoring help rank many early-stage companies in a theme before the team does its own diligence.
Which is better for corporate strategy and corporate development?
CB Insights, if the job is spotting technologies, partners and acquisition targets across many markets. Its tools are built for strategy teams that write trend reports for leadership (CostBench). PitchBook suits corporate development teams that need comparable deals, valuations and buyer histories for a specific transaction.
What do users say about each?
PitchBook has the larger review base. It holds 4.5 out of 5 on G2 across 262 reviews, with 64 mentions of easy data access and 45 of good support. Complaints include 36 mentions of outdated information, 29 of thin small-company data and 20 of price (G2).
CB Insights has few public reviews. G2 shows 4.4 out of 5 from 16 reviews (G2). GetApp rates CB Insights 4.7 against PitchBook's 4.5 (GetApp), but on a small sample. Review summaries for CB Insights mention pricing that feels steep for smaller organizations and thinner coverage of smaller companies (ZoomInfo). Both products share the same weak spot: small private companies.
When should you keep PitchBook or CB Insights?
Keep PitchBook if your team uses fund benchmarks, LP data or deal terms every week. Keep CB Insights if your team publishes technology research or market maps and uses its scoring to rank startups. Keep both only if you have both jobs and several daily users for each; the combined cost can pass $100,000 a year on the estimates above.
Reconsider either one if only 1 or 2 people log in, if most lookups are single private companies or if your targets are the smaller companies that reviewers of both products say are covered less well. Our guide on how to research a private company shows how to fill that gap with primary records.
Where does Tamarly Intelligence fit?
Tamarly Intelligence is Tamarly's research platform on companies, funds, countries and markets, built from official filings and open data. Every figure links to the filing or record it came from, and when Tamarly does not cover a company it says so. It covers 19,910 company pages, 2,888 funds with holdings for 1,290 of them, 15,359 fund managers from SEC filings and 22 sectors. Its Venture workflow reads every new Form D from operating companies and rebuilds each company's Form D history into rounds.
Tamarly replaces neither product in full. It has no fund performance benchmarks, no LP commitment data, no expert-call transcripts and no investor names on private rounds. It suits teams that want a sourced second read on private companies and sectors at a monthly price. Level 3 costs $399 a month after a 7-day trial that needs no card.
Compare any private company's filings free for 7 days
Frequently asked questions
Is CB Insights cheaper than PitchBook?
Usually not. 2026 estimates put CB Insights at about $29,800 to $100,000 a year (CostBench) and PitchBook at $12,000 to $70,000 a year (VC Beast). Both sell by quote, so the gap depends on seats and modules.
Does CB Insights have fund performance data like PitchBook?
Not at the same depth. A 2026 ranking names PE fund-level data and LP relationships as CB Insights' main gap against PitchBook (CostBench). Teams that need fund benchmarks generally choose PitchBook or a specialist fund data provider.
Can you use PitchBook and CB Insights together?
Yes. A team can use CB Insights to find themes and startups and PitchBook to diligence deals and funds. The combined cost can pass $100,000 a year on 2026 estimates, so most smaller teams pick the one that matches their daily work.
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.