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Investment Analytics · head to head

Bloomberg Terminal vs Preqin

Bloomberg Terminal logo

Bloomberg Terminal

Investment Analytics

Real-time market data, news, analytics, messaging and execution across all asset classes

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Preqin logo

Preqin

Investment Analytics

Alternative assets data on funds, managers, investors, deals and performance

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Preqin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bloomberg Terminal no published pricing or plan tiers; the product page offers only a demo request (checked November 2026).; Preqin no paid prices are published; Preqin's product pages lead to a demo request, and the free account lists what it includes but not where its limits are.
  • They diverge on capability: Bloomberg Terminal covers Cross-asset market data and analytics, Preqin covers Preqin Pro.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bloomberg Terminal and Preqin actually diverge.

Attributes where Bloomberg Terminal and Preqin differ
AttributeBloomberg TerminalPreqin
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, Android, APIWeb, API

Identical on both: pricing model (quote), 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 Bloomberg Terminal

  • Cross-asset market data and analytics
  • Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Intelligence
  • Instant Bloomberg (IB)
  • Launchpad
  • Execution and order management
  • BQL, BQuant and Excel add-in
  • ASKB
  • Bloomberg Anywhere and Professional app

Only in Preqin

  • Preqin Pro
  • Investor (LP) profiles
  • Benchmarks and Indices
  • Term Intelligence
  • Transaction and Company Intelligence
  • Cash flow pacing and forecasting
  • Enterprise Data Solutions
  • Preqin MCP

What people use each for

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

Bloomberg Terminal

  • Real-time monitoring of prices, news and alerts across asset classes on a trading desknot Preqin
  • Communicating with counterparties and clients over Instant Bloombergnot Preqin
  • Fixed income and derivatives pricing and analyticsnot Preqin
  • Pulling market and fundamental data into Excel models with the add-in or BQLnot Preqin
  • Executing and managing orders with pre- and post-trade analyticsnot Preqin
  • Following company and industry research from Bloomberg Intelligencenot Preqin

Preqin

  • Finding and qualifying LPs to approach during a fundraisenot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Manager selection and due diligence by LPs and investment consultantsnot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Benchmarking fund performance against private market peer groups and indicesnot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Comparing fund terms such as fees against similar fundsnot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Forecasting capital calls and distributions for a private markets portfolionot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Feeding private markets data into a data warehouse or AI workflownot Bloomberg Terminal

Where each one falls short

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

Bloomberg Terminal

  • No published pricing or plan tiers; the product page offers only a demo request (checked November 2026).
  • The installable Terminal is Windows-only. Bloomberg's own FAQ says it is not available for native installation on Mac, and points Mac users to Bloomberg Anywhere in a browser.
  • Access requires biometric (fingerprint) and multi-method authentication, which adds a hardware or app step for every user and complicates shared or locked-down environments.
  • The interface is driven by function codes rather than menus; Bloomberg runs a dedicated Terminal Essentials video series for new users, and the learning curve is a real onboarding cost.
  • ASKB, the AI interface, was announced as a beta, so the natural-language layer competitors are shipping is not yet a general feature.

Preqin

  • No paid prices are published; Preqin's product pages lead to a demo request, and the free account lists what it includes but not where its limits are.
  • Coverage figures are inconsistent across Preqin's own and BlackRock's pages, with firm counts of 48,000 and 67,000+ and fund counts of 135,000+, 210,000 and 235,000+, so what a licence covers has to be confirmed in a demo.
  • Performance data comes from GP-to-LP reports enriched by FOIA requests, which means coverage is strongest where public pension investors are obliged to disclose and thinner for funds without such LPs.
  • It is a private markets specialist; public equity and fixed income analytics, real-time prices and portfolio risk need a separate terminal or platform.
  • Since March 2025 Preqin is owned by BlackRock, itself a large alternatives manager, and integration into Aladdin and eFront is described only as happening over time, which leaves the standalone roadmap uncertain for firms that do not use BlackRock technology.
  • Preqin MCP is listed only for ChatGPT and works within existing entitlements, so it extends a paid licence rather than offering a separate way in.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bloomberg Terminal

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Bloomberg Terminal review.

Preqin

Free
  • Free accountFree
    • Selected free alternative assets datasets and analytics
    • Free benchmarks
    • Industry reports and news
  • Preqin Pro and data products$undefined/mo
    • No prices published; access is arranged through a demo request
    • Preqin Pro, Benchmarks and Indices, Term Intelligence, Transaction Intelligence and Company Intelligence sold as named products
    • Global Reports included with the Private Markets Research (Insights+) subscription
  • Enterprise Data Solutions$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation
    • Feeds APIs, Operational APIs and data feeds
    • Snowflake and AWS marketplace listings

Which should you pick?

Choose Bloomberg Terminal if

  • You need cross-asset market data and analytics.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want bloomberg news and bloomberg intelligence.
Bloomberg Terminal review

Choose Preqin if

  • You need preqin pro.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want investor (lp) profiles.
Preqin review

Questions people ask

Is Bloomberg Terminal or Preqin better?
Neither clearly leads. Bloomberg Terminal starts at On request and Preqin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bloomberg Terminal or Preqin?
Preqin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Bloomberg Terminal and Free for Preqin.
Does Bloomberg Terminal or Preqin run on more platforms?
Bloomberg Terminal runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android, API. Preqin runs on Web, API.
Can I use Preqin for free?
Yes. Preqin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bloomberg Terminal starts at On request.
What is Bloomberg Terminal best used for?
Bloomberg Terminal is most often used for real-time monitoring of prices, news and alerts across asset classes on a trading desk, communicating with counterparties and clients over instant bloomberg, fixed income and derivatives pricing and analytics, pulling market and fundamental data into excel models with the add-in or bql. Of those, real-time monitoring of prices, news and alerts across asset classes on a trading desk and communicating with counterparties and clients over instant bloomberg are not what Preqin is typically brought in for.
What can Bloomberg Terminal do that Preqin cannot?
Bloomberg Terminal covers Cross-asset market data and analytics, Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Intelligence, Instant Bloomberg (IB), Launchpad. Preqin covers Preqin Pro, Investor (LP) profiles, Benchmarks and Indices, Term Intelligence.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bloomberg Terminal: How much does the Bloomberg Terminal cost?

Bloomberg does not publish a price. The product page directs prospective clients to request a demo, and the subscription is quoted by Bloomberg's sales team.

Source
Preqin: Is Preqin owned by BlackRock?

Yes. BlackRock announced the acquisition on 30 June 2024 for £2.55 billion, approximately $3.2 billion, in cash, and announced its completion on 3 March 2025. Preqin founder Mark O'Hare joined BlackRock as a Vice Chair.

Source
Bloomberg Terminal: Does the Bloomberg Terminal run on a Mac?

Not as a native install. Bloomberg's FAQ says the Terminal software is not available for native installation on Mac platforms; Mac users with a Bloomberg Anywhere subscription can access it through a web browser.

Source
Preqin: Is Preqin still sold separately from Aladdin?

Yes. BlackRock states that Preqin will remain available as a standalone solution, while Preqin's data and research tools are integrated with Aladdin and eFront over time, starting with Preqin benchmarks inside Aladdin.

Source
Bloomberg Terminal: What is Bloomberg Anywhere?

The remote access subscription that lets a user connect to the Terminal from a PC, the office, home or mobile devices, including through the Bloomberg Professional app.

Source
Preqin: How much does Preqin cost?

Preqin does not publish prices for Preqin Pro or its data products; its product pages lead to a demo request. A free account is available with selected datasets, free benchmarks and industry reports.

Source
Bloomberg Terminal: What is Instant Bloomberg?

The Terminal's messaging service. It supports persistent chat rooms, tabs and folders, structured data that links to other Terminal functions, and IB Connect for adding proprietary chatbots to chats.

Source
Preqin: Where does Preqin's data come from?

Preqin says more than 500 multilingual researchers verify data at source, using direct relationships with managers and investors, regulatory filings, press releases, news, websites and Freedom of Information Act requests. Fund performance data is sourced from GP-to-LP reports and enriched via FOIA requests.

Source
Bloomberg Terminal: Can Bloomberg data be used in Excel or Python?

Yes. Bloomberg provides Office add-ins for Excel, Bloomberg Query Language, BQuant Desktop and the BLPAPI programming interfaces. ASKB also returns the BQL behind its answers so the analysis can be extended in Excel or BQuant.

Source
Preqin: Can Preqin data be delivered into our own systems?

Yes, through Enterprise Data Solutions: Feeds APIs for bulk structured datasets, Operational APIs for targeted on-demand access such as CRM views, more than 100 data feeds, and listings on the Snowflake and AWS marketplaces.

Source
Preqin: Does Preqin work with AI tools?

Preqin MCP brings Preqin data into AI workflows and is available on the ChatGPT Marketplace and through ChatGPT for Financial Services. It operates within a client's existing entitlements and complements Preqin Pro rather than replacing it.

Source
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