CapIQ or FactSet, if you could only have one...

which would you take? keep in mind with capiq you don't get dealmaven, although they have their own shortcuts and smart trace macros. but you don't get preslink, which is pretty useful too. my bank is a little small so to cut costs some of the analsts get capiq and some get factset. if you had to pick, which would you choose and why?

 
Best Response

Honestly I think the interface is a lot better and it's easier to find information / also find names and contact information if you're networking or need to help friends with that.

Admittedly I always used Capital IQ a lot more than Factset but that's because I tested both and found Capital IQ easier to use in terms of the program itself and also the Excel plug-in that makes it very quick to spread comps.

Your mileage may vary but I would take CapIQ unless Factset has some kind of functionality that you need to use a lot.

 

thanks for the insights guys. i ended up with factset, but i got the chance to work with capiq for a week and i must say i miss the auditing feature that comes with the excel plug-in. being able to see where the numbers are pulling was pretty useful to me. factset has it in some cases with the whole audit and no audit thing...but it's pretty damn clunky in comparison.

 

I agree with Beluga - Factset's data is pretty dodgy, and on the whole I find it to be such an inefficiently programmed software compared to CapIQ. The best thing about Factset is undoubtedly Pres link though - that's the shittt.

 

well ... i download data with factset and double check with T1 and Bloomberg

I'm all about automation. I don't have time to be looking sht up manually (I work in capital markets for the most part)

That said yes factset data is slightly dodgy

 
ibanker2000:
I loved factset until my office got CIQ… The thing I missed the most was dealmaven until I found out CIQ has their own linking tool just like preslink AND the data and auditability is way better. I’d go for CIQ over factset any day

damn really?? was the presentation linking tool installed by default? i did not realize this at all during the week i had capiq...preslink was one of the things i thought factset had over capiq. not that i can switch anymore, but damn, if capiq has a preslink-like tool then i'd have to say capiq is just better almost all around. ultimately, both have pretty unreliable numbers, but at least capiq is more easily audited.

 
Buck2210:
All of the people saying "FactSet is way easier to update in excel than CapIQ" are idiots.

CIQ codes are where it is at - learn how to use them fellas. CapIQ over FactSet and it's not even close. I must say CapIQ support is 10x better than FactSet support. The FactSet people in India (after hours) are horrific.

I only used CapIQ for a summer internship, and I was able to memorize enough CIQ codes to make a complete comps project by the end. I found it's automation to be very easy, with the only downside being the slow down while updating (which wasn't that bad).

 

Factset FTW! The only issue I have is that ALT-S-F-A (updating) takes way too long sometimes, since I often huge spreadsheets. i.e. historical panel data for 100 companies with 100 financials variables for 36 quarters. Nothing makes me more furious than waiting for an hour to update that shit only to have excel crash ARGHHH!!!!! I swear to god if it was allowed, I would gladly punch through my monitors and pay for replacements the next day when that happens.

 

It is a great resource, especially the new interation that they just put out (or at least my bank just got). Had training this morning on the new platform which actually is very relevant in creating buyers lists (I am in financial sponsors group). I will not abandon CapIQ, however, as I am more familiar with it, but will supplement the two going forward.

Factset is really good for public comps if you have the excel plugin and saves a lot of time in terms of raw data.

 

factset is awesome for defining stock selection criteria. capiq is more of a google of company info. don't see how you could compare the two. bbg is alright, but it's more for traders.

way i see it.

factset -> investing bbg -> trading capiq -> banking

 

We currently use Factset and our contract is up for renewal but our base fees are in the Millions! Are your Base fees outragous?

Does anyone have a breakdown of costs for CapIQ vs. Factset? I may recommend we switch - enterprise wide.

 

I'm biased but if you are a PE or VC shop modeling financials and investment metrics for private companies you should explore ClearMomentum. They allow the report building and modeling you might expect with public companies via FDS or CapIQ but using your proprietary portfolio company financial data...

 

Only SNL if you are working in FIG. Doesn't cover BDCs and REITs to the same level as it does banks and insurers.

CapIQ pricing depends on the number of licenses. Ours runs around $15-20K. Heard mixed things about Factset. CapIQ has been crashing too often the past year and there is plenty of inaccurate data on it as well.

 

CapIQ is easier to use and faster than FactSet.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 

I'm fairly late to comment here, but for anyone else that reads this. I've used snl for some time and it's a good product; however, be prepared to get jammed at renewal time. They give the song and dance about unlimited users, but then hit you with 15 - 20% increase on price (year over year).

I've also used CapIQ and it's fairly slick. A better interface than SNL and worlds better than FactSet

 

I like CapIQ much better than Factset. At first I thought the user interface of Factset looked cooler and I was hopeful. But I soon found myself missing CapIQ. The only thing I like about Factset is they give you a bunch of foam footballs you can toss around the office. And then in a month they've all disappeared somehow and then the sadness returns.

 

Well, we generally use CapIQ for historical financials and FactSet for estimated financials in models. I really like that combination because I feel like CapIQ is more accurate in terms of historical financials, but I could be wrong. All in all, I mostly use FactSet for all types of tasks, CapitalIQ for broker reports, call transcripts, and screenings, ThomsonOne for broker reports and Bloomberg for broker reports and market data. If I had to choose, I would probably opt for FactSet or CapitalIQ (or even better, both). ThomsonOne is nice to have, but no must have imho. And it's super slow which is quite annyoing.

 

Late to the party, but you should check out Sentieo. It comes in a lot cheaper than either Factset or CapIQ, and can be useful for M&A when looking up precedent transactions. In particular, it takes about ten seconds to find the fairness opinion of any merger ranging back at least a decade using its document search.

To be fair, it doesn't have quite the breadth of data that either Factset or CapIQ does, but its equity data is on par, both domestic and internationally. I am a former employee of Sentieo, so I am a little biased of course, but for equity analysis and M&A work, I've yet to find a better value proposition.

 

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