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Investment Analytics · head to head

FactSet vs Preqin

FactSet logo

FactSet

Investment Analytics

Financial data workstation, portfolio analytics and data feeds for investment professionals

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: 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).; 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: FactSet covers FactSet Workstation, Preqin covers Preqin Pro.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FactSet and Preqin actually diverge.

Attributes where FactSet and Preqin differ
AttributeFactSetPreqin
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Web, 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 FactSet

  • FactSet Workstation
  • Universal Screening
  • Microsoft Office integration
  • Portfolio Analysis
  • Mercury AI assistant
  • Model Context Protocol servers
  • Data feeds and cloud delivery

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.

FactSet

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

Preqin

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

FactSet

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the FactSet 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 FactSet if

  • You need factset workstation.
  • You work on Windows, Web, API.
  • You also want universal screening.
FactSet 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 FactSet or Preqin better?
Neither clearly leads. FactSet 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, FactSet or Preqin?
Preqin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for FactSet and Free for Preqin.
Does FactSet or Preqin run on more platforms?
FactSet runs on Windows, Web, 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. FactSet starts at On request.
What is FactSet best used for?
FactSet is most often used for equity and credit research with company fundamentals, estimates and screening, performance attribution and risk reporting on buy-side portfolios, building refreshable financial models and pitch books in excel and powerpoint, loading factset datasets into snowflake or databricks for quant research. Of those, equity and credit research with company fundamentals, estimates and screening and performance attribution and risk reporting on buy-side portfolios are not what Preqin is typically brought in for.
What can FactSet do that Preqin cannot?
FactSet covers FactSet Workstation, Universal Screening, Microsoft Office integration, Portfolio Analysis. Preqin covers Preqin Pro, Investor (LP) profiles, Benchmarks and Indices, Term Intelligence.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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