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Investment Analytics · head to head

Clarity AI vs FactSet

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

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Clarity AI and FactSet differ
AttributeClarity AIFactSet
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 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 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.

Clarity AI

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

FactSet

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

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

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

FactSet

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the FactSet review.

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 FactSet if

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

Questions people ask

Is Clarity AI or FactSet better?
Neither clearly leads. Clarity AI 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, Clarity AI or FactSet?
Clarity AI starts at On request and FactSet at On request.
Does Clarity AI or FactSet run on more platforms?
Clarity AI runs on Web, API. FactSet runs on Windows, Web, API.
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 FactSet is typically brought in for.
What can Clarity AI do that FactSet cannot?
Clarity AI covers Customisable ESG ratings, SFDR and EU regulatory reporting, Asset-level physical climate risk, Climate transition and carbon footprint. FactSet covers FactSet Workstation, Universal Screening, Microsoft Office integration, Portfolio Analysis.

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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