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Investment Analytics · head to head

BlackRock Aladdin vs Clarity AI

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
Clarity AI logo

Clarity AI

Investment Analytics

AI-driven sustainability, climate and SFDR data for investors and banks

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.; Clarity AI no prices are published for any module; the site routes every enquiry to Talk to an Expert, checked November 2026.
  • They diverge on capability: BlackRock Aladdin covers Front-to-back investment platform, Clarity AI covers Customisable ESG ratings.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BlackRock Aladdin and Clarity AI actually diverge.

Attributes where BlackRock Aladdin and Clarity AI differ
AttributeBlackRock AladdinClarity AI

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, API), 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 Clarity AI

  • Customisable ESG ratings
  • SFDR and EU regulatory reporting
  • Asset-level physical climate risk
  • Climate transition and carbon footprint
  • Source traceability
  • Fund and private company coverage
  • Retail banking carbon footprint
  • API, datafeeds and MCP connectors

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

Clarity AI

  • Producing SFDR PAI statements and Article 8 and 9 periodic disclosuresnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Testing whether holdings qualify as sustainable investments under a firm's own SFDR methodologynot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Assessing physical climate risk across a portfolio or loan book at asset levelnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Matching client sustainability preferences to products under MiFID IInot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Checking fund names against ESMA naming guidelinesnot BlackRock Aladdin
  • Showing retail banking customers the carbon footprint of their card spendingnot 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.

Clarity AI

  • No prices are published for any module; the site routes every enquiry to Talk to an Expert, checked November 2026.
  • The Glass Lewis merger closed in September 2026 with branding and product integration still to be settled, so buyers are signing up to a roadmap that will change; the company says existing products stay supported during a phased integration.
  • Coverage figures differ between pages: the homepage cites around 98,000 issuers, the ESG ratings page 60,000+ companies and the SFDR PAI page 65,000+, so the coverage for a given dataset needs confirming rather than assuming.
  • Heavy use of AI estimation fills gaps that analyst-led providers leave empty, but an estimated figure is still not a reported one, and users should check confidence levels before relying on it in regulatory disclosures.
  • The physical risk web app with an interactive hazard map was only scheduled for July 2026; before then the asset-level physical risk product was datafeed only.
  • Glass Lewis is majority owned by Peloton Capital Management and Stephen Smith and also issues proxy voting recommendations, so ratings and stewardship advice now sit in one group; the company publishes conflict-of-interest controls, but it is a structural change from an independent data vendor.

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

Clarity AI

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Priced by quotation through Talk to an Expert or the contact form
    • Licensed by module: climate, ESG risk, regulation, impact and retail banking
    • Delivered via web app, API, datafeed, MCP or partner platforms

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 Clarity AI if

  • You need customisable esg ratings.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want sfdr and eu regulatory reporting.
Clarity AI review

Questions people ask

Is BlackRock Aladdin or Clarity AI better?
Neither clearly leads. BlackRock Aladdin starts at On request and Clarity AI at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BlackRock Aladdin or Clarity AI?
BlackRock Aladdin starts at On request and Clarity AI at On request.
Does BlackRock Aladdin or Clarity AI run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Clarity AI is typically brought in for.
What can BlackRock Aladdin do that Clarity AI cannot?
BlackRock Aladdin covers Front-to-back investment platform, Aladdin Risk, Whole portfolio view with eFront and Preqin, Aladdin Wealth. Clarity AI covers Customisable ESG ratings, SFDR and EU regulatory reporting, Asset-level physical climate risk, Climate transition and carbon footprint.

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
Clarity AI: What does Clarity AI cover?

Sustainability and other extra-financial data for companies, funds and governments. The company cites coverage of around 98,000 issuers, 2.3 million private companies, more than 450,000 funds and 400-plus sovereigns, across climate, ESG risk, EU regulation and impact.

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
Clarity AI: How are Clarity AI ESG ratings built?

They are rules-based and use SASB materiality, drawing on more than 100 data sources with AI estimation and validation. Users can build custom profiles that choose topics, set weights and decide how missing data is handled, and trace each figure to its source.

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
Clarity AI: Does Clarity AI help with SFDR reporting?

Yes. It calculates PAI indicators at entity and product level with portfolio look-through and produces pre-filled SFDR Annex I entity reports, Annexes II to V product disclosures for Article 8 and 9 funds, and the European ESG Template for distributors.

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
Clarity AI: What happened between Clarity AI and Glass Lewis?

The two companies combined in a transaction that closed on 21 September 2026 and was announced on 24 September. Terms were not disclosed. Existing products remain supported and will be integrated in phases, with Madrid named as the centre of excellence for sustainability, data and AI.

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
Clarity AI: How is Clarity AI data delivered?

Through a web app, APIs, datafeeds, standalone apps and MCP connectors for AI agents. It is also available inside platforms such as Aladdin, eFront, Clearstream and Allfunds.

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
Clarity AI: Is Clarity AI regulated under the EU ESG Ratings Regulation?

Clarity AI Europe S.L. has applied to ESMA for authorisation of its ESG ratings products under Regulation (EU) 2024/3005, which has applied since 2 July 2026. The disclosures page states that over 98% of ESG rating revenue comes from investor-paid subscriptions.

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
Clarity AI: What does Clarity AI cost?

Prices are not published. The site directs buyers to Talk to an Expert or the contact form for a quote.

Source
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