Softwr

Investment Analytics · head to head

Bloomberg Terminal vs Morningstar Sustainalytics

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics logo

Morningstar Sustainalytics

Investment Analytics

ESG Risk Ratings, controversies and regulatory data for investors

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bloomberg Terminal no published pricing or plan tiers; the product page offers only a demo request (checked November 2026).; Morningstar Sustainalytics no prices are published for any dataset or platform licence; everything goes through a request-details form, checked November 2026.
  • They diverge on capability: Bloomberg Terminal covers Cross-asset market data and analytics, Morningstar Sustainalytics covers ESG Risk Ratings.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bloomberg Terminal and Morningstar Sustainalytics actually diverge.

Attributes where Bloomberg Terminal and Morningstar Sustainalytics differ
AttributeBloomberg TerminalMorningstar Sustainalytics
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, Android, APIWeb, 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 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 Morningstar Sustainalytics

  • ESG Risk Ratings
  • Controversies Research
  • Low Carbon Transition Ratings
  • Regulatory datasets
  • Country Risk Ratings and sanctions screening
  • Global Access platform
  • API and data feeds
  • Corporate licences and second-party opinions

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 Morningstar Sustainalytics
  • Communicating with counterparties and clients over Instant Bloombergnot Morningstar Sustainalytics
  • Fixed income and derivatives pricing and analyticsnot Morningstar Sustainalytics
  • Pulling market and fundamental data into Excel models with the add-in or BQLnot Morningstar Sustainalytics
  • Executing and managing orders with pre- and post-trade analyticsnot Morningstar Sustainalytics
  • Following company and industry research from Bloomberg Intelligencenot Morningstar Sustainalytics

Morningstar Sustainalytics

  • Screening an investment universe on unmanaged ESG risk before portfolio constructionnot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Monitoring holdings for ESG controversies with daily alertsnot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Producing SFDR, EU Taxonomy and EBA Pillar III disclosures from licensed datanot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Measuring portfolio alignment with net zero through implied temperature risenot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Prioritising engagement and proxy voting by material ESG issuenot Bloomberg Terminal
  • Licensing a company's own rating for marketing or a sustainability-linked loannot 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.

Morningstar Sustainalytics

  • No prices are published for any dataset or platform licence; everything goes through a request-details form, checked November 2026.
  • The ESG Risk Ratings measure financial risk to the company from ESG issues, not the company's impact on the world, so a firm with a damaging product can still score low risk. Buyers wanting impact or double materiality need separate datasets.
  • The ratings depend on analyst assessment, which caps coverage: the ESG Risk Ratings page cites more than 16,000 companies, a fraction of the universe that model-driven providers claim.
  • Distribution is uneven by product: the Low Carbon Transition Ratings page lists FactSet, Aladdin and Bloomberg as planned rather than live, so a dataset available in one terminal may not be in another.
  • Since 1 December 2023 the site states its ESG ratings and data are not intended for India-based clients, users or residents.
  • Morningstar sells both these ratings and Morningstar Direct, and corporates can pay to license their own rating; investors relying on it should read the conflict-of-interest disclosures that come with the ESMA application, which was still pending in November 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bloomberg Terminal

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Bloomberg Terminal review.

Morningstar Sustainalytics

On request
  • Investor solutions$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation through a request-details form
    • Licensed by dataset: ESG Risk Ratings, controversies, climate, regulatory and screening
    • Delivered via Global Access, API, datafeed or partner platforms
  • Corporate solutions$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation
    • ESG rating licences, Top-Rated Companies badges and second-party opinions

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 Morningstar Sustainalytics if

  • You need esg risk ratings.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want controversies research.
Morningstar Sustainalytics review

Questions people ask

Is Bloomberg Terminal or Morningstar Sustainalytics better?
Neither clearly leads. Bloomberg Terminal starts at On request and Morningstar Sustainalytics at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bloomberg Terminal or Morningstar Sustainalytics?
Bloomberg Terminal starts at On request and Morningstar Sustainalytics at On request.
Does Bloomberg Terminal or Morningstar Sustainalytics run on more platforms?
Bloomberg Terminal runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android, API. Morningstar Sustainalytics runs on Web, API.
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 Morningstar Sustainalytics is typically brought in for.
What can Bloomberg Terminal do that Morningstar Sustainalytics cannot?
Bloomberg Terminal covers Cross-asset market data and analytics, Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Intelligence, Instant Bloomberg (IB), Launchpad. Morningstar Sustainalytics covers ESG Risk Ratings, Controversies Research, Low Carbon Transition Ratings, Regulatory datasets.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: What do Sustainalytics ESG Risk Ratings measure?

The amount of material ESG risk a company leaves unmanaged. Exposure is set at sub-industry level, unmanageable risk is separated out, and the remainder is assessed against the company's policies, programmes and controversies. The result falls in one of five bands: negligible, low, medium, high or severe.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: How many companies does Sustainalytics rate?

The ESG Risk Ratings page states analyst coverage of more than 16,000 companies across public equity, fixed income and private issuers, using over 200 indicators and 1,800 data points. Controversies Research monitors more than 19,000 entities.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: How is Sustainalytics data delivered?

Through the Global Access web platform, an API documented in OpenAPI and Swagger, scheduled datafeeds to SFTP, and partner platforms including Morningstar Direct, Bloomberg, Aladdin, FactSet, RIMES, Markit and Style Analytics.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: Who owns Sustainalytics?

Morningstar, Inc. It acquired a 40% stake in 2017 and completed the purchase of the remainder in July 2020.

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
Morningstar Sustainalytics: Is Sustainalytics authorised under the EU ESG Ratings Regulation?

Sustainalytics B.V. has applied to ESMA for authorisation as an ESG rating provider, covering eleven products including ESG Risk Ratings, controversy ratings and low carbon transition ratings. A decision had not been announced as of November 2026.

Source
Morningstar Sustainalytics: What does Sustainalytics cost?

Prices are not published. Investor and corporate products are sold by quotation through a request-details or contact form.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Bloomberg Terminal

More on Morningstar Sustainalytics

Keep looking

Other head to heads