CB Insights vs Exploding Topics
A side-by-side comparison of CB Insights and Exploding Topics — two options for data & market intelligence. Pricing, features, and honest pros and cons.
Category
Data & Market Intelligence
Data & Market Intelligence
Rating
4.2 / 5
3.8 / 5
Pricing
Enterprise / Custom
From ~$39/mo
Best for
Landscape research and thesis development
Cheap idea generation for thesis development
Key features
- Private tech company and funding data
- Mosaic company health scores
- Market maps and industry analytics
- Analyst research and briefs
- Investor and CVC activity tracking
- Trend database ranked by search-growth acceleration
- Meta-trends grouping related topics
- Trending-startup lists tied to each topic
- Trend forecasts and historical curves
- Alerts and API on higher tiers
Pros
- Excellent market maps and category research
- Mosaic scoring adds a useful comparative lens
- Strong coverage of corporate VC activity
- Surfaces early demand curves for pennies
- Startup lists connect trends to investable companies
- Zero learning curve
Cons
- Less depth on round terms than PitchBook
- Enterprise pricing
- Search-derived signals need validation before conviction
- Skews consumer; enterprise trends surface less cleanly
- Popular tool — the edge erodes as usage spreads