How much does the FactSet API cost?

FactSet does not publish its API pricing. Programmatic access is quoted per dataset and per use case, and reported engagements run from $30,000 to well past $100,000 a year. Workstation seats are separately reported at $12,000-$40,000 per user per year.

What kind of API is the FactSet API?

REST. FactSet publishes OpenAPI specifications for its Content APIs and generates client libraries for .NET, Java, Python and TypeScript.

What is the FactSet Formula API?

It takes the same formula syntax used in the FactSet workstation and Excel plug-in, and returns the results over HTTP. It is the quickest route for someone who already knows the formula language and wants it outside the spreadsheet.

Does the FactSet API include M&A or VC rounds data?

Not by default - it is a separate add-on module.

Is there a cheaper alternative to the FactSet API?

Yes. Multiples API is the closest enterprise-grade alternative to FactSet API. It delivers 1:1 data quality, as it licenses data from FactSet directly. Multiples pricing starts at $1,499 a month.

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Compare FactSet API pricing and alternatives

Last verified: Aug 20, 2026

FactSet sells its data through REST Content APIs, a Formula API for spreadsheet-style requests, and bulk feeds.Pricing is quoted per dataset and use case, reported from $30,000 to well past $100,000 a year.This page compares the FactSet API with its main alternatives (like Capital IQ, Multiples and LSEG) on cost, coverage and integration time.

Try Multiples - FactSet alternative See more FactSet alternatives

What is the FactSet API?

FactSet API provides programmatic access to institutional-grade global financial data, market prices, fundamentals, and portfolio analytics. It enables developers (and other builders) to pull multi-asset class information directly into their workflows, without relying strictly on traditional desktop terminals.

Alongside its core APIs sit bulk products. Standard DataFeed delivers files for warehouse loads, and Open:FactSet Marketplace sells 3rd party datasets through the same API offering.

FactSet is the strongest across public equities data: consensus estimates with full analyst revision history, company ownership, global fundamentals.

Pricing is not publicly listed and operates entirely on custom, enterprise-level contracts negotiated directly through FactSet sales. Access usually requires an underlying workstation subscription or a specific programmatic environment entitlement.

Compare FactSet API cost and features vs alternatives

	FactSet	Multiples	Bloomberg	LSEG	Capital IQ	Intrinio
License cost	$30k-$100k+/yr*	from $1,499/mo	$32k/yr; API quoted*	$25k-$100k+/yr*	$30k-$100k+/yr*	From $150/mo
Type	REST	REST	SDK	REST · SOAP	REST · bulk file	REST
Geo coverage	Global	Global	Global	Global	Global	US-centric
Public companies	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Private companies	PartialAdd-on	Yes	Yes	Partial	Yes	No
Cross asset coverage	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	PartialEquities, options
Consensus estimates	Yes	YesLicensed from FactSet	Yes	Yes	Yes	PartialNot institutional-grade
Metrics coverage	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	Basic fundamentals, estimates, prices, valuation ratios	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	Fundamentals, estimates, prices, news	US fundamentals, options, basic ratios
Pre-computed ratios	Partial	Yes	No	No	Partial	PartialBasic ratios
Real-time prices	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Time to first call	Weeks+	Minutes	Weeks+	Weeks+	Weeks+	Same day

* = reported figure, FactSet does not officially publish API pricing. It also licenses data to other vendors (like Multiples). Prices are stated as they stand in August 2026.

Overview of FactSet API alternatives

Product	Overview	Pricing	Strengths	Limitations
Multiples	Investment-grade financial data API provider. Great API alternative to FactSet, as Multiples officially licenses public markets data from FactSet itself. Full public comps coverage (historical and consensus estimates data), and private transactions (M&A and VC). 130+ pre-calculated financial metrics, multiples and ratios, 500K+ transactions. Affordable pricing vs. FactSet starting at $1,499 a month.	Pro: $239/mo (billed annually) or $299 (monthly) Pro Max: $399/mo (billed annually) or $499 (monthly) API: from $1,499/mo Free 3-day trial	Enterprise-grade API for both public comps and precedent transactions Highest quality data (licensed from FactSet and Morningstar) Affordable pricing vs. enterprise providers	No FX, fixed income or news No real-time prices
Bloomberg	Bloomberg APIs deliver institutional access to real-time and historical market data across equities, fixed income, FX, commodities, and derivatives. It also allows for proprietary Bloomberg content (BVAL pricing, indices, news, ESG datasets). Much more real-time data focused vs. FactSet APIs that emphasize fundamentals, estimates, and portfolio analytics.	$31,980/seat/yr single seat $28,320 multi-seat (as of 2026) 2-year minimum contract Data License priced separately	Streaming, reference breadth Bloomberg News and the IB chat network FIGI symbology	May be a major overkill for simple use cases API feed quoted separately from the seat Very steep learning curve
LSEG Data & Analytics	LSEG APIs provide live and historical market prices, including detailed tick history. They also include Reuters news, long-term economic time series (Datastream), analyst estimates (I/B/E/S), company financials, reference pricing, and index data. FactSet APIs focus less on live market feeds and more on company fundamentals, estimates, fund data, research, and portfolio analytics.	Custom quote Reported $12k-$24k/seat/yr	I/B/E/S consensus estimates Great FX and fixed income depth Reuters news	Every data set is a separate add-on RICs identifiers, moving over means might mean re-mapping Limited M&A or venture deal data
S&P Capital IQ	S&P Capital IQ APIs provide company financials, ownership and capital structure data, private comps coverage, and transaction and M&A information (as add-ons though). Cap IQ API also includes estimates, screening, and S&P credit ratings. FactSet APIs cover similar company and estimates data, but are stronger on fund holdings, portfolio analytics, and a broader set of modular research feeds.	Custom quote Reported $13k-$30k per seat per yr Add-ons needed for M&A and VC data	Brand name across investment banking industry Deep public comps data, on par with FactSet and Multiples Decent private markets coverage	No real-time data No FX or fixed income depth M&A/transactions feed is a separate module
Intrinio	Intrinio APIs offer US stock and options prices (real-time, delayed, and historical), financial statements, basic estimates, and institutional ownership. Coverage is strongest across the US and is designed for straightforward developer access. FactSet APIs cover a wider global universe and provide much higher quality data, consensus estimates, and enterprise-grade analytics.	Individual: $150/mo (personal use only) Startup: $333/mo for 6 months, then $666/mo for 6 months, then $1,499/mo Enterprise: from $1,250/mo, custom terms	High quality history of 15+ years of US fundamentals Real-time options and equities data Openly publishes pricing, free trial	US-focused coverage Entry tier forbids redistribution or display Estimates are very limited vs. enterprise vendors or Multiples More expensive than FMP or Alpha Vantage

Which FactSet API alternative fits your use case?

Platform	Best For	Institutional grade	Equity coverage	Deals coverage	Geo coverage	Real-time data	Ease of implementation
FactSet	Investment banks, buy-side firms, asset managers, equity research	High	High	Medium	High	Medium	Low
Multiples	M&A advisors, VC and PE funds, corp dev teams and CFOs	High	High	High	High	Low	High
Bloomberg Terminal	Trading desks, investment banks, hedge funds	High	High	Medium	High	High	Low
LSEG Data & Analytics	Investment banks, trading firms, treasury and macro teams	High	High	Medium	High	High	Low
S&P Capital IQ Pro	Bulge bracket banks, hedge funds, large PE/VC firms	High	High	Medium	High	Medium	Low
Intrinio	Small-scale fintech products, developers, students	Low	High	Low	Low	High	High

Should you choose FactSet or look for an alternative?

FactSet strengths

Very strong fit for research, portfolio analytics to power custom dashboards through API

Modular catalog: buy the datasets you need instead of one all-in terminal

Developer-friendly, REST APIs plus Python, C#, and Java SDKs

FactSet trade-offs

Weaker than Bloomberg on ultra-low-latency market data, fixed income depth

Subpar M&A and VC coverage compared to Multiples or PitchBook

Enterprise-grade pricing, long procurement cycles, limited redistribution rights

Why teams switch from the FactSet API

Priced per dataset (and per use case)

FactSet API access is quoted through sales and is usually tied to a workstation or enterprise contract. Datasets are priced differently depending on the use case. Reported engagements run from $30,000 to well past $100,000 a year.

Weaker real-time and trading coverage

The FactSet API is built for research, fundamentals, estimates, and portfolio analytics. It is not a low-latency market-data or execution stack (like Bloomberg or LSEG).

Deal data is a separate purchase

M&A and private markets coverage are add-on modules, so if you require both public and private markets data, you will need to pay double.

Harsh enterprise licensing limits

Redistribution, derived data, and use outside licensed users are heavily restricted. Teams that need pay-as-you-go or product-embedded data might consider API providers like Multiples.