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Investment Analytics · head to head

Clarity AI vs Preqin

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
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: Clarity AI no prices are published for any module; the site routes every enquiry to Talk to an Expert, 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: Clarity AI covers Customisable ESG ratings, Preqin covers Preqin Pro.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clarity AI and Preqin actually diverge.

Attributes where Clarity AI and Preqin differ
AttributeClarity AIPreqin
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: pricing model (quote), 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 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

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.

Clarity AI

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

Preqin

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

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

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 Clarity AI if

  • You need customisable esg ratings.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want sfdr and eu regulatory reporting.
Clarity AI 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 Clarity AI or Preqin better?
Neither clearly leads. Clarity AI 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, Clarity AI or Preqin?
Preqin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Clarity AI and Free for Preqin.
Does Clarity AI or Preqin run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Preqin for free?
Yes. Preqin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Clarity AI starts at On request.
What is Clarity AI best used for?
Clarity AI is most often used for producing sfdr pai statements and article 8 and 9 periodic disclosures, testing whether holdings qualify as sustainable investments under a firm's own sfdr methodology, assessing physical climate risk across a portfolio or loan book at asset level, matching client sustainability preferences to products under mifid ii. Of those, producing sfdr pai statements and article 8 and 9 periodic disclosures and testing whether holdings qualify as sustainable investments under a firm's own sfdr methodology are not what Preqin is typically brought in for.
What can Clarity AI do that Preqin cannot?
Clarity AI covers Customisable ESG ratings, SFDR and EU regulatory reporting, Asset-level physical climate risk, Climate transition and carbon footprint. Preqin covers Preqin Pro, Investor (LP) profiles, Benchmarks and Indices, Term Intelligence.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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