Every startup database sells the same promise: every company, every round, every investor. The real differences are price, access and what you can do with the data.
PitchBook has the deepest archive and a five-figure seat. OpenVC is free and barely a database. Most founders, analysts and small funds need something in between.
We scored ten platforms on eleven metrics. The scores reward tools you can start using this week, in a browser, a spreadsheet or an AI agent.
Platform reviews
Ranked by average score. Each review covers what the table cannot: who the tool is for and where it hurts.
1. Parsers VC
Best for: founders, analysts and AI agents on a budget.
Parsers VC is the most open platform in this list. You sign up, pick a plan from a public price page and start working. No demo call, no annual contract.
It treats automation as a feature, not a threat. The API is priced like a developer tool. AI agents connect through native LLM integrations instead of scraping pages. Founders fix their own profiles after a company email check.
Strong
- Public prices and a free tier.
- API cost a solo developer can carry.
- Native LLM tooling, no scraping needed.
- Profile edits verified by company email domain.
Weak
- Shorter archive than the legacy terminals.
- Thinner fund performance and LP data than Preqin or PitchBook.
- A younger brand. Some investment committees still ask for PitchBook.
Pick it if you want startup and investor data inside a script, a spreadsheet or an agent this week.
Skip it if your work depends on decades of deal history.
2. Crunchbase
Best for: quick lookups and a name everyone recognizes.
Crunchbase is the default first search. Its free profiles rank for almost every startup name, and the paid plans are self-serve.
The trouble starts when you automate. Full API access is an enterprise deal, and the site blocks bots fast. Small, early companies can also go stale between updates.
Strong
- Huge, familiar dataset.
- Public pricing with monthly plans.
- Anyone can suggest corrections.
Weak
- Serious API access means an enterprise contract.
- Aggressive bot blocking.
- Seed stage data can lag.
Pick it if you browse companies by hand.
Skip it if your workflow runs through code or agents.
3. Tracxn
Best for: coverage outside the US and Western Europe.
Tracxn covers India, Southeast Asia and other emerging markets better than its US rivals. Its sector feeds make it quick to map a niche.
It sits between the self-serve tools and the enterprise terminals. You will still talk to sales for the plans that matter.
Strong
- Wide emerging markets coverage.
- Clear sector taxonomy.
- Cheaper than the top tier.
Weak
- Built for analysts, slow for quick lookups.
- The API is an add-on, not a starting point.
Pick it if your market is India or another emerging economy.
Skip it if you only track US seed rounds.
4. OpenVC
Best for: founders who need an investor list today.
OpenVC is not a startup database. It is a free directory of investors, with thesis, stage and check size, plus a way to send them your deck.
For a founder raising a round, that is often enough. For research, deal flow or market maps it is close to useless.
Strong
- Free.
- Investors manage their own profiles.
- Built around how founders actually pitch.
Weak
- Almost no startup or deal data.
- No API to build on.
Pick it if you are raising now.
Skip it if you invest or do research.
5. Dealroom
Best for: European ecosystems and public sector teams.
Dealroom is the reference for European tech. Cities and governments build their ecosystem reports on it, and the coverage there shows.
Founders can claim and edit their profiles, with checks behind them. Outside Europe the data thins out. The price assumes an institutional buyer.
Strong
- Best European coverage in this list.
- Verified founder edits.
- Good ecosystem and trend views.
Weak
- The free account shows little.
- API sold as a data package.
- Weaker on US seed deals.
Pick it if Europe is your market or you work for a public body.
Skip it if you need US coverage on a small budget.
6. Owler
Best for: free competitor alerts.
Owler started as crowdsourced company intelligence. It does one thing well: telling you when a competitor raises, hires or hits the news.
For venture work it is mostly noise. Millions of ordinary businesses sit beside the startups, and funding detail is thin.
Strong
- Useful free tier.
- Daily competitor news alerts.
- Cheap paid plans.
Weak
- Generic business listings bury the startups.
- Minimal investor coverage.
- No affordable API.
Pick it if you want to watch competitors for free.
Skip it if you need deal data.
7. Harmonic AI
Best for: deal sourcing inside a VC fund.
Harmonic is a sourcing engine. It watches people move between companies and flags new startups, often before they announce a round.
It is excellent at that job and priced for funds. There is no public price and no self-serve plan. History is short because the product looks forward, not back.
Strong
- Early signal on new and stealth companies.
- Strong people and contact data.
- An API funds plug into their own tools.
Weak
- A sales call before you see anything.
- Little historical depth.
- Not built for founders.
Pick it if you run sourcing at a fund.
Skip it if you pay for tools out of your own pocket.
8. PitchBook
Best for: institutional diligence when the firm pays.
PitchBook has the best private market data in this list. Deals, valuations, funds, LPs and people, most of it checked by analysts.
It is also too expensive for solo founders and small funds. You cannot buy it online or try it without sales. The API is a separate negotiation. The low score is about access, not quality.
Strong
- Deepest deal and valuation data.
- Excellent fund and LP coverage.
- A source investment committees trust.
Weak
- Five figures per seat, every year.
- No free trial.
- Strict limits on automation.
Pick it if you work at a fund or bank and someone else pays.
Skip it if you are a founder. Put that money into the product.
9. CB Insights
Best for: corporate strategy and innovation teams.
CB Insights sells answers more than records: market maps, analyst briefings and its Mosaic health score for private companies.
Corporate teams like it. Everyone else will struggle to justify the price. The raw company records are not clearly better than cheaper rivals.
Strong
- Market maps that save analyst hours.
- Company health scoring.
- Strong trend research.
Weak
- Enterprise pricing only.
- No trial without a sales process.
- API access is an expensive add-on.
Pick it if you advise a corporate team on where to invest or buy.
Skip it if you need a list of companies and contacts.
10. Preqin
Best for: LP and fund research.
Preqin is a private capital terminal, now part of BlackRock. It shines on funds, LPs, fund performance and asset classes beyond venture.
As a startup database it is the wrong tool. Young companies get thin coverage, and the price is built for asset managers.
Strong
- Best LP and fund performance data.
- Long history across private equity, credit and real assets.
- Strong institutional contacts.
Weak
- Thin early stage coverage.
- Enterprise pricing only.
- Automation means a paid data feed.
Pick it if you raise a fund or research LPs.
Skip it if you are looking for startups.
