PitchBook vs CB Insights
Financial Data & Terminals pricing comparison · 2026
PitchBook pricing ranges from $1000–$3333/user/year, while CB Insights ranges from $2483–$8333/year. PitchBook is typically 60% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
PitchBook and CB Insights both serve the private markets intelligence space, but from fundamentally different angles. PitchBook (Morningstar) is the deal-level data platform covering 6M+ companies, 2.7M investments, and 570K investors — the go-to for PE/VC deal sourcing and financial analysis. CB Insights is the AI-powered market intelligence platform with the Mosaic scoring system, Expert Collections, and ChatCBI — built for corporate strategy teams tracking emerging technology trends.
This comparison helps PE/VC firms and corporate strategy teams evaluate which platform fits their primary workflow and intelligence needs.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | PitchBook | CB Insights |
|---|---|---|
| PitchBook Core | $1K /user/year | $2.5K /year |
| PitchBook Pro | $2K /user/year | $5K /year |
| PitchBook Pro Plus | $3.3K /user/year | $8.3K /year |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Cost at Scale
Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.
PitchBook
5 scenariosCB Insights
3 scenariosMarket Intelligence
PitchBook
- Median annual cost
- $4,188
- Based on
- 25 deals
CB Insights
- Median annual cost
- $500
- Based on
- 22 deals
Our Verdict
Choose PitchBook if you're a PE/VC professional doing deal sourcing, financial analysis, and investor targeting. PitchBook has deeper transactional data (2.7M investments), comprehensive fund performance metrics, LP intelligence, and Excel integration for financial modeling. It's the deal-maker's tool.
Choose CB Insights if you're on a corporate strategy or innovation team tracking emerging technology, competitive landscapes, and market trends. CB Insights excels at AI-powered market intelligence with Mosaic scores, Expert Collections, ChatCBI, and customer sentiment data. It's the strategic intelligence tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 PitchBook vs CB Insights: which costs more?
CB Insights is generally more expensive. CB Insights Essential starts at $29,800/year; Advanced is $60,000/year. PitchBook Core starts at $12,000/user/year; Pro is $24,000/user/year. For a single seat, PitchBook is 40-60% cheaper at comparable tiers. However, CB Insights includes team access (5 seats) in Advanced, which changes the per-seat math.
02 Which is better for PE/VC deal sourcing?
PitchBook is the clear winner for deal sourcing. It covers 6M+ companies, 2.7M investments, and 570K investors with detailed transaction data, financial metrics, and investor profiles. CB Insights has company profiles but lacks PitchBook's deal-level depth, fund performance data, and LP intelligence.
03 Which is better for market intelligence?
CB Insights excels at market intelligence. Its AI-powered Mosaic scoring, Expert Collections (curated tech sector lists), ChatCBI, and Customer Transcripts provide strategic insights that PitchBook doesn't offer. For tracking emerging technology trends and competitive landscapes, CB Insights is purpose-built.
04 Does either replace the other?
Rarely. They serve different primary workflows: PitchBook for financial deal analysis, CB Insights for strategic market intelligence. Firms with both PE/VC deal teams and corporate strategy teams often subscribe to both. Overlap exists in company data and funding information, but the analytical approaches differ significantly.
05 Which has better AI features?
CB Insights leads on AI capabilities. ChatCBI is an AI Q&A engine trained on proprietary data. AI-generated Scouting Reports provide on-demand company analysis. Browser Analyst gives instant context on web content. PitchBook is adding AI features but CB Insights is further ahead in AI-powered intelligence.
06 Which has better data coverage?
PitchBook has broader company coverage (6M+ companies) and deeper financial transaction data (2.7M investments, 147K funds). CB Insights covers 10M+ companies but with less financial depth — focusing on firmographics, funding history, and market signals rather than detailed deal terms and fund performance.
07 Which offers better Excel integration?
PitchBook offers Excel plug-ins for both Windows and Office 365, allowing direct data pulls for financial modeling and comp analysis. CB Insights offers data export capabilities but doesn't have a comparable Excel plug-in. For financial modeling workflows, PitchBook is significantly better.
08 How do contract terms compare?
Both require annual contracts. PitchBook offers 1-year minimums with multi-year discounts of 10-20%. CB Insights similarly requires annual commitments. Both have experienced 5-10% annual price escalation at renewal. PitchBook generally offers more flexible volume discounts for larger teams.