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Real Estate · head to head

ARGUS Enterprise vs CoStar

ARGUS Enterprise logo

ARGUS Enterprise

Real Estate

Cash flow forecasting and valuation software for commercial real estate, the industry-standard modelling tool now sold by Altus Group with no published price

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CoStar logo

CoStar

Real Estate

Commercial real estate data subscription with strict per-seat licensing, sold on multi-year contracts and enforced through active anti-piracy litigation against password sharing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ARGUS Enterprise pricing is entirely unpublished and quoted per user, making it hard to budget for a growing team without an ongoing sales relationship with Altus Group.; CoStar per-seat licensing with no published rate makes budgeting for headcount growth unpredictable, since adding users typically requires a new negotiation rather than a self-service upgrade.
  • They diverge on capability: ARGUS Enterprise covers DCF valuation, CoStar covers Property and ownership records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ARGUS Enterprise and CoStar actually diverge.

Attributes where ARGUS Enterprise and CoStar differ
AttributeARGUS EnterpriseCoStar
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Real Estate).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ARGUS Enterprise

  • DCF valuation
  • Traditional capitalisation methods
  • Lease-by-lease analysis
  • Portfolio budgeting
  • ARGUS Intelligence
  • ARGUS file interoperability

Only in CoStar

  • Property and ownership records
  • Lease and sales comparables
  • Tenant and space data
  • Market analytics
  • STR hospitality data
  • CoStar Real Estate Manager

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ARGUS Enterprise

  • An institutional investor needing DCF valuations in the ARGUS file format lenders and counterparties expectnot CoStar
  • An appraiser producing defensible, industry-standard valuation reports for institutional clientsnot CoStar
  • A REIT or investment manager running portfolio-wide budget and scenario comparisons across propertiesnot CoStar
  • A CRE professional pursuing ARGUS Software Certification as a recognised credential for career progressionnot CoStar

CoStar

  • A commercial brokerage needing lease and sales comparables to support underwriting and pitch materialsnot ARGUS Enterprise
  • An institutional investor or lender wanting standardised market analytics across submarkets for portfolio decisionsnot ARGUS Enterprise
  • A corporate real estate team needing lease administration through CoStar Real Estate Managernot ARGUS Enterprise
  • An appraiser needing sourced, defensible comparable transaction data for valuation reportsnot ARGUS Enterprise

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ARGUS Enterprise

  • Pricing is entirely unpublished and quoted per user, making it hard to budget for a growing team without an ongoing sales relationship with Altus Group.
  • Because the ARGUS file format is the institutional standard, firms are effectively locked into the platform to participate fully in institutional deal flow, regardless of whether a cheaper tool would otherwise serve them.
  • The interface and modelling workflow have a steep learning curve, which is precisely why the ARGUS Software Certification exists as a distinct, paid credentialing track.
  • Altus Group also owns Reonomy, a CRE data product, which means a firm buying both ARGUS and Reonomy is concentrating spend with a single vendor across valuation and data.
  • It is a modelling and valuation tool, not a data source; a firm still needs separate market data (CoStar, Reonomy or similar) to populate the assumptions ARGUS models run on.

CoStar

  • Per-seat licensing with no published rate makes budgeting for headcount growth unpredictable, since adding users typically requires a new negotiation rather than a self-service upgrade.
  • CoStar actively pursues legal action against password sharing and unauthorised access, which is a genuine compliance and litigation risk for a firm that is loose about login discipline, intentionally or not.
  • A June 2026 antitrust lawsuit names CoStar alongside major brokerages over an alleged price-fixing scheme, a live legal matter that could affect the company standing or practices during a long-term contract.
  • Multi-year contract structures reduce a buyer flexibility to switch providers even if a cheaper or better data source emerges during the term.
  • The breadth of the platform (property, hospitality via STR, lease admin) means a firm often pays for modules it does not use just to access the specific data set it needs.

Pricing, plan by plan

ARGUS Enterprise

On request
  • ARGUS Enterprise$undefined/year
    • No published pricing, quote required from Altus Group
    • Licensed per user, typically annual subscription
    • ARGUS Intelligence and certification training priced separately

CoStar

On request
  • CoStar$undefined/year
    • Per named user licensing, no published rate
    • Multi-year contracts standard
    • Terms explicitly prohibit password or login sharing

Which should you pick?

Choose ARGUS Enterprise if

  • You need dcf valuation.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want traditional capitalisation methods.
ARGUS Enterprise review

Choose CoStar if

  • You need property and ownership records.
  • You also want lease and sales comparables.
CoStar review

Questions people ask

Is ARGUS Enterprise or CoStar better?
Neither clearly leads. ARGUS Enterprise starts at On request and CoStar at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ARGUS Enterprise or CoStar?
ARGUS Enterprise starts at On request and CoStar at On request.
Does ARGUS Enterprise or CoStar run on more platforms?
ARGUS Enterprise runs on Windows, Web. CoStar runs on Web.
What is ARGUS Enterprise best used for?
ARGUS Enterprise is most often used for an institutional investor needing dcf valuations in the argus file format lenders and counterparties expect, an appraiser producing defensible, industry-standard valuation reports for institutional clients, a reit or investment manager running portfolio-wide budget and scenario comparisons across properties, a cre professional pursuing argus software certification as a recognised credential for career progression. Of those, an institutional investor needing dcf valuations in the argus file format lenders and counterparties expect and an appraiser producing defensible, industry-standard valuation reports for institutional clients are not what CoStar is typically brought in for.
What can ARGUS Enterprise do that CoStar cannot?
ARGUS Enterprise covers DCF valuation, Traditional capitalisation methods, Lease-by-lease analysis, Portfolio budgeting. CoStar covers Property and ownership records, Lease and sales comparables, Tenant and space data, Market analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ARGUS Enterprise: Is there a published ARGUS Enterprise price?

No. Altus Group quotes pricing directly, licensed per user on typically an annual basis.

CoStar: Can multiple people share one CoStar login to save cost?

No. Terms explicitly prohibit this, and CoStar has an active pattern of suing individuals and firms for unauthorised access under shared credentials.

ARGUS Enterprise: What is ARGUS Software Certification?

A professional credential recognising proficiency in ARGUS Enterprise, reflecting how central the platform is to institutional CRE valuation work.

CoStar: Is CoStar pricing published anywhere?

No. It is quote-only, licensed per named user, on multi-year contracts.

ARGUS Enterprise: Why is ARGUS considered an industry standard?

Its output file format has become the de facto exchange standard lenders and institutional investors expect when reviewing a commercial property valuation.

CoStar: Is there a current legal risk in signing with CoStar?

A June 2026 antitrust lawsuit names CoStar and several major brokerages over an alleged price-fixing conspiracy; buyers with long-term contracts should track that litigation.

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