Most "alternative" terminals dodge the comparison. We don't. Below: a head-to-head table on signal latency, DCF transparency, cross-border coverage, and cost. We win some, lose some, document everything. Every cell is a public claim — push back if you have receipts.
Twelve dimensions retail, prop desks, and emerging-fund analysts actually care about. Win/loss/tie called honestly.
| Dimension | Bloomberg Terminal | FactSet | Refinitiv (LSEG) | Catalyst Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signal latency (median) | 1–3sDirect exchange feeds | 5–15sAggregator pipeline | 10–30sEikon refresh cadence | 8sSEC EDGAR pull cadence — competitive at 5-10× lower cost |
| DCF transparency (every input visible) | 2/10Final value only · methodology gated | 2/10Black-box composite | 2/10Editable model, but inputs not sourced | 10/10Revenue CAGR · OCF · capex · WACC · terminal · equity bridge — every line traceable to SEC XBRL |
| Cross-border ADR ↔ home on one screen | NoAll data exists, no composite signal | NoSame — separate tickers | No | Yes43 countries · 6 continents · 4-point convergence score in one panel |
| Free tier | None | None | Workspace trial only | Forever-freePublic scanner · top 5 DCF · 3 alerts/day · 100 API req/day |
| API access (default plan) | Add-on (BLPAPI · enterprise only) | Add-on (paid) | Add-on (paid) | Included on all paid tiers22 endpoints · 1k–unlimited req/day |
| Cost / seat / yr | $24,000 | ~$12,000 | ~$22,000 | $468 (Pro)98% cheaper than Bloomberg · 96% cheaper than FactSet |
| Hit rate published & auditable | No | No | No | 89%Public outcome log · see /trust |
| Retail-friendly UI | Power-user · keyboard codes | Excel-first | Eikon learning curve | Browser · zero trainingSame nav as a consumer SaaS app |
| Mobile | Mobile app (limited) | Mobile app | Mobile app | Responsive web · PWA installable |
| Agent / SDK ready (LangChain, etc.) | No public SDK | Limited | Limited | Python + Node SDK · LangChain on roadmapSee /sdk |
| White-label dashboards | No | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | $499/seat/mo EnterpriseCustom domain · LP-ready brand |
| Transparent pricing | "Contact sales" | "Contact sales" | "Contact sales" | Public · 5 tiersStripe checkout · cancel anytime |
Why does it matter that every DCF input is visible? Because if you can't audit the model, you can't trust the call. Side-by-side mockups of the same META analysis in two different worlds.
Final value rendered. Inputs hidden behind methodology paywall. Want to know the WACC assumption? Submit a research request.
Same answer, every line auditable. Click any number → trace it back to the SEC EDGAR XBRL filing it came from. Disagree? Edit any assumption and re-run.
BABA on one ticker. 9988.HK on another. Want to know if they're diverging today? Open both, eyeball the gap, hope your eyes are calibrated.
ADR + home listing collapsed into one row with a 4-point convergence score. Same direction? Both vol-spiking? STRONG setup highlighted in real time.
All-in seat cost across competing terminals, modeled at flat list price (no enterprise discount). Real-world comparisons reach into Series A budgets.
That's a senior analyst hire. A Series A milestone. Two years of office rent. The cost gap isn't a rounding error — it's the difference between "we have data" and "we have a team."
We benchmark ourselves so you don't have to. If a competitor beats us on any axis listed above, we ship the patch within 48 hours. If we can't, we update this page to say so. Receipts in /changelog. Outcomes in /trust.
You are one page deep in a scanner that grades its own picks in public, wins and losses alike.
Tier 1 setups touched +2% intraday 48.9% of the time across 374 tracked calls. Baseline for everything else: 40.9%. That is a +8.0 point edge, measured from the NEXT OPEN — the first price you could actually pay, not the prior close. We publish the misses too: https://catalystedgescanner.com/trust/
29 of 30 founding seats left. The price goes up when they are gone.
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