AlphaSense vs S&P Global Market Intelligence (2026)
AlphaSense and Capital IQ sit side by side on many research desks rather than replacing each other, so the decision is which one leads your workflow. If analysts mostly read, searching broker research, transcripts, expert calls and filings for what was said, AlphaSense is the stronger tool. If they mostly model and screen, pulling fundamentals, estimates and deal data into spreadsheets, Capital IQ Pro from S&P Global Market Intelligence is. Capital IQ Pro covers 109,000 public companies, 60 million private companies, 110,000 private equity and venture funds and 200 million Visible Alpha estimate data points from more than 200 brokers. Its ChatIQ assistant, built with Kensho, answers from that data with a click through to the source. AlphaSense pairs a licensed content estate, including hundreds of thousands of expert call transcripts, with summaries of every earnings call, a grid that asks one question of many documents and workflow agents. AlphaSense also lets a firm hold its own encryption keys or keep data in its own storage, and holds its model providers to zero data retention.
- Analysts live in qualitative research. AlphaSense searches broker research, filings, event transcripts, expert call transcripts, news and trade journals in one place.
- Expert calls matter. The content estate holds hundreds of thousands of expert call transcripts, and AlphaSense bought Tegus for $930 million in 2024.
- Internal research should sit beside outside content. AlphaSense ingests a firm's own documents and mirrors the permissions already attached to them.
- Data control is a condition of purchase. Bring your own key and bring your own storage leave keys and data with the firm, and customer data never trains the models.
- Analysts build models and screens. Capital IQ Pro covers 109,000 public and 60 million private companies, with fixed income, loans and country risk alongside.
- Consensus estimates drive the work. Visible Alpha contributes 200 million estimate data points from more than 200 brokers.
- Screens should start from a plain question. Natural language screening turns a question into criteria, and ChatIQ answers with a click through to the source.
- Back office work belongs with the data vendor. The division also runs securities processing, corporate actions, loan portfolio management and trade reporting.
This comparison is published by AI FinTech Index, an independent research platform that publishes independent ratings of AI vendors for financial services. AlphaSense and S&P Global Market Intelligence are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials and the regulatory record, under the AI FinTech Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| AlphaSense | S&P Global Market Intelligence | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Capital Markets & Research AI | Capital Markets & Research AI |
| Founded | 2011 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States | New York, New York, United States |
| Website | www.alpha-sense.com | www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence |
Side by Side
Select any grade to read the note behind it.
| Axis | A AlphaSense |
S S&P Global Market Intelligence |
|---|---|---|
| AI Centrality | ||
| Autonomy and Oversight Model | ||
| Model Risk Management and Transparency | ||
| Operational and Outcome Evidence | ||
| AI Safety and Data Stewardship | ||
| GLBA and Data Privacy Posture | ||
| Security Certifications and Trust Center | ||
| Regulatory Status and Licensure | ||
| AI Governance and Bias Disclosure | ||
| AI Liability and Recourse | ||
| Model Supply Chain Disclosure | ||
| Core Systems and Integration Depth | ||
| Deployment Model and Data Residency | ||
| Commercial Transparency | ||
| Institution and Segment Coverage |
The short version of each
AlphaSense
AlphaSense is a market intelligence and search platform for investment banks, hedge funds, private equity firms, asset managers, consultancies and corporate strategy teams. Jack Kokko founded it in 2011 after working as a Morgan Stanley analyst. It pairs natural language search and generative tools with a licensed content estate of broker research, filings, event transcripts, trade journals and hundreds of thousands of expert call transcripts, much of it added through acquisitions such as Tegus. Generated summaries cite their sources, and a firm's own research can sit beside outside content with its existing permissions mirrored. Customer data never trains the models, model providers are held to zero data retention, and a firm can keep its own encryption keys or storage. More than 6,500 organizations use it, including 88 percent of the S&P 100. Pricing is quoted after a sales call.
Source: AI FinTech Index, 2026
S&P Global Market Intelligence
S&P Global Market Intelligence is the data, analytics and enterprise software division of S&P Global, separate from S&P Global Ratings. Its flagship S&P Capital IQ Pro covers 109,000 public companies, 60 million private companies and 110,000 private equity and venture funds, with 200 million Visible Alpha estimate data points from more than 200 brokers. Country risk research spans 236 countries and territories. ChatIQ, built with the group's Kensho AI center, answers from that data with a click through to the source, beside Document Intelligence, transcript summaries and natural language screening. The division also runs securities processing, corporate actions, loan portfolio management and trade reporting for institutions. Capital IQ Pro is quoted per seat through a demo request.
Source: AI FinTech Index, 2026
Common questions
Is AlphaSense a replacement for Capital IQ?
Usually not. According to the AI FinTech Index, AlphaSense leads on qualitative research, with broker research, transcripts and expert calls under one search. Capital IQ Pro leads on fundamentals, private company data, deal data and consensus estimates for modeling and screening. Many buy side and sell side teams license both.
Does Capital IQ have an AI assistant like AlphaSense?
Yes. ChatIQ, built with Kensho, is trained on Capital IQ Pro's own tabular and textual data and links each answer back to the source. Document Intelligence, Chart Explainer, transcript summaries and natural language screening sit beside it. AlphaSense offers summaries of every earnings call with citations, document question answering, a grid that runs one question across many documents and workflow agents. Graded by AI FinTech Index against the same capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How much do AlphaSense and Capital IQ cost?
Both sell by quote. AlphaSense routes trials through a form and a sales call, and Capital IQ Pro is quoted per seat through a demo request. Graded by AI FinTech Index against the same capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Which is more secure, AlphaSense or Capital IQ?
AlphaSense holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 with bridge letters in its trust center, keeps customer data out of model training and offers bring your own key and bring your own storage. Capital IQ Pro's product material carries no named certification, hosting region or residency option. Graded by AI FinTech Index against the same capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers. The full set for this category is on the Capital Markets & Research AI page.
Both run their generative features on unnamed language models, and neither attaches an accuracy figure to its summaries. S&P Global Market Intelligence is a division of S&P Global, separate from S&P Global Ratings, and its AI line is built largely with Kensho, the group's AI center bought in 2018. AlphaSense is independent, valued at $4 billion in its latest round.