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Investment Analytics · head to head

BlackRock Aladdin vs FactSet

BlackRock Aladdin logo

BlackRock Aladdin

Investment Analytics

BlackRock's investment management platform for risk, trading, operations and accounting

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
FactSet logo

FactSet

Investment Analytics

Financial data workstation, portfolio analytics and data feeds for investment professionals

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BlackRock Aladdin no pricing, licence structure or implementation timeline is published on any Aladdin page; every product leads to a contact form.; FactSet no published pricing; FactSet's FAQ says cost depends on the use case and products required, and trials go through sales (checked November 2026).
  • They diverge on capability: BlackRock Aladdin covers Front-to-back investment platform, FactSet covers FactSet Workstation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BlackRock Aladdin and FactSet actually diverge.

Attributes where BlackRock Aladdin and FactSet differ
AttributeBlackRock AladdinFactSet
PlatformsWeb, APIWindows, Web, API

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

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 BlackRock Aladdin

  • Front-to-back investment platform
  • Aladdin Risk
  • Whole portfolio view with eFront and Preqin
  • Aladdin Wealth
  • Aladdin Provider
  • Aladdin Climate
  • Aladdin Data Cloud
  • Aladdin Studio and Copilot

Only in FactSet

  • FactSet Workstation
  • Universal Screening
  • Microsoft Office integration
  • Portfolio Analysis
  • Mercury AI assistant
  • Model Context Protocol servers
  • Data feeds and cloud delivery

What people use each for

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

BlackRock Aladdin

  • Running portfolio management, trading, compliance and operations for an asset manager or insurer on one platformnot FactSet
  • Multi-asset risk analytics and stress testing across a whole portfolionot FactSet
  • Combining public and private market holdings in one view through eFront and Preqinnot FactSet
  • Model portfolio management and rebalancing at scale for a wealth managernot FactSet
  • Outsourcing middle office and fund accounting to an asset servicer on the manager's own Aladdin instancenot FactSet
  • Climate scenario analysis on listed and unlisted assetsnot FactSet

FactSet

  • Equity and credit research with company fundamentals, estimates and screeningnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Performance attribution and risk reporting on buy-side portfoliosnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Building refreshable financial models and pitch books in Excel and PowerPointnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Loading FactSet datasets into Snowflake or Databricks for quant researchnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Querying portfolio analytics from an internal AI assistant over MCPnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Deal sourcing and due diligence for private capital teamsnot BlackRock Aladdin

Where each one falls short

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

BlackRock Aladdin

  • No pricing, licence structure or implementation timeline is published on any Aladdin page; every product leads to a contact form.
  • The vendor is also one of the world's largest asset managers. BlackRock separates BlackRock Solutions from its investment arm, but competing managers still run their positions and orders on a rival's technology.
  • It is built for institutions: there is no self-serve tier, trial or package for small advisers or individual investors.
  • Aladdin is an operating platform rather than a research desk, and much of its market, index and ESG data comes from partners such as MSCI, LSEG and Sustainalytics that are licensed separately.
  • Adopting the full platform means moving trading, compliance and accounting onto it, which makes it a front-to-back change of operating model and hard to unwind, rather than a tool added alongside existing systems.
  • BlackRock's own pages give inconsistent counts of how many institutions use Aladdin, so scale cannot be checked from the vendor's material.

FactSet

  • No published pricing; FactSet's FAQ says cost depends on the use case and products required, and trials go through sales (checked November 2026).
  • The Excel add-in is typically part of a broader subscription according to FactSet's FAQ, so Office integration cannot be bought as a lightweight standalone tool.
  • The installed Workstation is Windows only, with 16 GB or more of memory recommended and a base installation upgrade advised every 12 months, per FactSet's installation guide.
  • Portfolio Analytics MCP launched as a limited release in June 2026, so AI access to attribution and risk outputs is not yet a mature, generally available feature for every client.
  • Benchmark DataFeeds on Snowflake are built per client, and FactSet's own developer recipe says designing each workflow takes several days to a week.

Pricing, plan by plan

BlackRock Aladdin

On request
  • Aladdin Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • No prices published; prospects contact the Aladdin team
    • Front-to-back platform across public and private markets
  • Aladdin Risk$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation
    • Risk and return analytics without order management, trading or operations
  • Aladdin Wealth$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation
    • Platform for wealth managers and their advisers

FactSet

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the FactSet review.

Which should you pick?

Choose BlackRock Aladdin if

  • You need front-to-back investment platform.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want aladdin risk.
BlackRock Aladdin review

Choose FactSet if

  • You need factset workstation.
  • You work on Windows, Web, API.
  • You also want universal screening.
FactSet review

Questions people ask

Is BlackRock Aladdin or FactSet better?
Neither clearly leads. BlackRock Aladdin starts at On request and FactSet at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BlackRock Aladdin or FactSet?
BlackRock Aladdin starts at On request and FactSet at On request.
Does BlackRock Aladdin or FactSet run on more platforms?
BlackRock Aladdin runs on Web, API. FactSet runs on Windows, Web, API.
What is BlackRock Aladdin best used for?
BlackRock Aladdin is most often used for running portfolio management, trading, compliance and operations for an asset manager or insurer on one platform, multi-asset risk analytics and stress testing across a whole portfolio, combining public and private market holdings in one view through efront and preqin, model portfolio management and rebalancing at scale for a wealth manager. Of those, running portfolio management, trading, compliance and operations for an asset manager or insurer on one platform and multi-asset risk analytics and stress testing across a whole portfolio are not what FactSet is typically brought in for.
What can BlackRock Aladdin do that FactSet cannot?
BlackRock Aladdin covers Front-to-back investment platform, Aladdin Risk, Whole portfolio view with eFront and Preqin, Aladdin Wealth. FactSet covers FactSet Workstation, Universal Screening, Microsoft Office integration, Portfolio Analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BlackRock Aladdin: What does Aladdin do?

Aladdin connects portfolio management, trading, compliance, operations and risk oversight on one platform and one set of data. It is multi-asset, covering equities, fixed income, FX, bank loans, derivatives and alternatives such as real estate, commodities and private equity.

Source
FactSet: How much does FactSet cost?

FactSet does not publish prices. Its FAQ says the cost varies with your use case and the specific products and services you need, and quotes and trials are arranged through the sales team.

Source
BlackRock Aladdin: Since when has BlackRock sold Aladdin to other firms?

BlackRock began selling Aladdin in 1999. It is sold through BlackRock Solutions, which BlackRock describes as a business unit distinct from its investment management business.

Source
FactSet: Does FactSet have an Excel add-in?

Yes. FactSet's Office tools create auditable, refreshable links to FactSet content in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. The FAQ notes the Excel add-in is typically part of a broader subscription.

Source
BlackRock Aladdin: Can Aladdin be bought for risk analytics only?

Yes. Aladdin Risk provides the risk and return analytics without order management, trading or operations, and can be paired with BlackRock's risk consulting services.

Source
FactSet: What are the system requirements for FactSet Workstation?

The installed Workstation and Office add-ins are a single MSI installer for Windows desktop and server operating systems. FactSet recommends 16 GB or more of memory, Windows 11 64-bit and Office 2016 or Microsoft 365, and upgrading the base installation every 12 months.

Source
BlackRock Aladdin: How does Aladdin handle private markets?

Through eFront, acquired by BlackRock in 2019, and Preqin, acquired in 2025. BlackRock is integrating Preqin's data and research tools with Aladdin and eFront, starting with Preqin benchmarks available inside Aladdin.

Source
FactSet: Can FactSet data be delivered to Snowflake?

Yes. Standard DataFeed content can be delivered as Snowflake data shares, with each feed appearing as a schema with tables. Benchmark DataFeeds are customised per client and take several days to a week to design.

Source
BlackRock Aladdin: What is Aladdin Copilot?

A generative AI layer across the Aladdin platform that gives answers through a conversational interface with permission-dependent access to insights. It is available to all Aladdin clients, does not give investment advice and does not answer questions outside the platform.

Source
FactSet: What is the FactSet Portfolio Analytics MCP?

A Model Context Protocol server, announced as a limited release on 26 June 2026, that lets buy-side firms query governed performance, attribution and risk outputs from FactSet inside their own AI environments.

Source
BlackRock Aladdin: What is Aladdin Data Cloud?

A managed investment data platform powered by Snowflake, preloaded with normalised Aladdin data, that can also hold non-Aladdin data with access controls and connects to business intelligence tools for dashboards and custom analytics.

Source
BlackRock Aladdin: How much does Aladdin cost?

BlackRock does not publish pricing for Aladdin or any of its products. Prospective clients are directed to contact the Aladdin team.

Source
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