Best AI tools to research private companies and deals

Short answer

PitchBook ranks #1 for research private companies and deals (score 8.4/10). Pricing: Unverified; free tier: Unverified. Runners-up: Crunchbase, CB Insights.

Top 5, ranked by our published rubric. Sponsorship never affects the order. Last updated 2026-10-13.

Compare the top 5 side by side

#	Tool	Score	Pricing	Paid from	Free tier	What it is
1	PitchBook	8.4	Unverified	Unverified	Unverified	Private market data
2	Crunchbase	7.8	From $99	Pro $99/mo billed monthly	unknown	Company data and prospecting
3	CB Insights	7.2	Custom	Custom pricing (contact sales)	Unverified	Market and company intelligence
4	AlphaSense	6.3	Custom	Custom (contact sales)	no	Market intelligence and AI search over filings
5	Hebbia	5.8	Custom	Custom pricing (demo/contact sales)	Unverified	AI for document-heavy finance work

Rank 1

PitchBook

UnverifiedVisit PitchBook (opens in a new tab)

Private market data

Score 8.4/10Paid from: UnverifiedFree tier: UnverifiedLast verified 2026-10-13

Why ranked: PitchBook: Private market data. We placed it 1st of 5 on fit for this task. Pricing unverified.

Fit 10.0 · value 5.0 · breadth 10 · availability 7 (how we score) · no readable pricing page · site bot-blocked (403)

Rank 2

Crunchbase

From $99Visit Crunchbase (opens in a new tab)

Company data and prospecting

Score 7.8/10Paid from: Pro $99/mo billed monthlyFree tier: unknownLast verified 2026-10-13

Why ranked: Its own site says: “Discover private company data, funding insights, and AI-powered predictions with Crunchbase.” We placed it 2nd of 5 on fit for this task. No free plan confirmed; paid from Pro $99/mo billed monthly.

Fit 8.5 · value 4.4 · breadth 10 · availability 10 (how we score) · pricing source · site live

Rank 3

CB Insights

CustomVisit CB Insights (opens in a new tab)

Market and company intelligence

Score 7.2/10Paid from: Custom pricing (contact sales)Free tier: UnverifiedLast verified 2026-10-13

Why ranked: Its own site says: “Private company ratings and intelligence to source your next investment, acquisition, partner, or customer.” We placed it 3rd of 5 on fit for this task. No public price (sales-led).

Fit 7.0 · value 5.0 · breadth 10 · availability 10 (how we score) · pricing source · site live

SPONSORED Your tool here: paid placement is shown here, separate from the ranking, and never changes the order. Advertise

Rank 4

AlphaSense

CustomVisit AlphaSense (opens in a new tab)

Market intelligence and AI search over filings

Score 6.3/10Paid from: Custom (contact sales)Free tier: noLast verified 2026-10-13

Why ranked: Its own site says: “Find company insights, market data and research across 500M+ documents instantly.” We placed it 4th of 5 on fit for this task. No public price (sales-led).

Fit 5.5 · value 4.4 · breadth 10 · availability 10 (how we score) · pricing source · site live

Rank 5

Hebbia

CustomVisit Hebbia (opens in a new tab)

AI for document-heavy finance work

Score 5.8/10Paid from: Custom pricing (demo/contact sales)Free tier: UnverifiedLast verified 2026-10-13

Why ranked: Its own site says: “The leading AI platform for finance, used by the world's leading asset managers, investment banks, law firms and Fortune 500 companies.” We placed it 5th of 5 on fit for this task. No public price (sales-led).

Fit 4.0 · value 5.0 · breadth 10 · availability 10 (how we score) · pricing source · site live

FAQ

What is the best AI tool to research private companies and deals?

By TaskRanking's published rubric, PitchBook ranks first, followed by Crunchbase and CB Insights.

Is there a free AI tool to research private companies and deals?

None of the top 5 had a confirmed free tier when we checked on 2026-10-13.

How are these tools ranked?

Score = 50% fit, 25% value (from vendor pricing pages), 15% breadth, 10% availability. Sponsorship never affects rank.