Bloomberg Terminal vs. FactSet Workstation

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Bloomberg Terminal
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Sitting on the desks of 325,000 of the world’s most influential decision makers, the Bloomberg Terminal is a modern icon of financial markets. Launched in 1981, long before PCs and the internet became ubiquitous, the Bloomberg Terminal connected market participants to data, analytics and information-delivery service.N/A
FactSet Workstation
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
The FactSet Workstation is a dynamic platform designed to empower financial professionals with seamless data access, advanced analytics, and technology. Integrating over 800 data sources across asset classes and markets, it consolidates crucial insights and elevates decision-making. Its AI-powered tools include smart search and chat features. The workstation simplifies complex workflows, enabling users to uncover insights quickly and improve collaboration. From research and portfolio…N/A
Pricing
Bloomberg TerminalFactSet Workstation
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Bloomberg TerminalFactSet Workstation
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Bloomberg TerminalFactSet Workstation
Considered Both Products
Bloomberg Terminal
Chose Bloomberg Terminal
While there are a lot of competitive services in the marketplace, each good in its own right, the Bloomberg Terminal is considered the top product. It has key fast information and can help individuals make fast decisions. It also has a top-tier support desk that can answer …
FactSet Workstation
Chose FactSet Workstation
PitchBook is better for private company data and getting contacts. It is also more useful for capital raises and data
AlphaSense is great for more targeted searches which FactSet is very bad at. FactSet often makes it hard to do searches and then once you get to a specific …
Features
Bloomberg TerminalFactSet Workstation
Financial Research
Comparison of Financial Research features of Product A and Product B
Bloomberg Terminal
-
Ratings
FactSet Workstation
4.2
1 Ratings
52% below category average
Private Company Data00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Industry-Specific Information00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Independent Research Access00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
M&A Analysis00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Macroeconomic News00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Search Tools00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Bloomberg TerminalFactSet Workstation
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
S&P Capital IQ
S&P Capital IQ
Score 8.1 out of 10
S&P Capital IQ
S&P Capital IQ
Score 8.1 out of 10
Enterprises
S&P Capital IQ
S&P Capital IQ
Score 8.1 out of 10
S&P Capital IQ
S&P Capital IQ
Score 8.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Bloomberg TerminalFactSet Workstation
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(1 ratings)
6.0
(5 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Bloomberg TerminalFactSet Workstation
Likelihood to Recommend
Bloomberg
Depending on which area of the finance sector you may work in, the Bloomberg Terminal will have plenty of helpful functionality for you. Two specific scenarios for myself in the Structured Finance area are tracking the pricing benchmark and following outstanding deals in the market. You can follow progress of the deals, how well they are advancing, and final pricing details
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FactSet
FactSet Workstation is great for equity research. It is very simple to use and has the most crucial items an analyst needs. Wish it can bridge some of the gaps a Bloomberg Terminal can provide such as the search function and most importantly the chat function. You can easily find an investor on Bloomberg and get the contact info to do more research, it's basically non-existent on FactSet Workstation. Also, I use the FactSet Workstation news function and a lot of times, the news are a repeat of the same thing through the day. I feel like reading the same thing. Better to send one less update if the customer/user already read it.
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Pros
Bloomberg
  • Communicating with investors, banks, partners, etc
  • Tracking key market metrics
  • Monitoring existing and previous structured finance deals
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FactSet
  • Easy/clear UI for navigation
  • Easily find and sort through financial filings to get to the data
  • Document search functionality seems to be improving consistently with more robust features
Read full review
Cons
Bloomberg
  • Visual user interface
  • A lot of functionality, need tutorials and lessons to narrow down
  • Expensive!
  • Some information may be delayed
Read full review
FactSet
  • Excel add-in formulas are not constructed in an intuitive way and too often require assistance from help desk
  • No chat function for help desk, which means delayed assistance time or talking with non-native English speakers, some of whom can be difficult to understand
  • There should be an AI chatbot that can answer routine queries; for more advanced questions, a human rep can be connected
  • Portfolio performance metrics should be downloadable using Excel add-in rather than being available only on Workstation
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Likelihood to Renew
Bloomberg
No answers on this topic
FactSet
We need the FactSet data and capabilities to complete 75% of the financial analyses that we complete for both internal and external purposes. It is invaluable and I am not aware of any other provider that would be able to fill this gap that FactSet does
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Usability
Bloomberg
No answers on this topic
FactSet
It does everything I need. It is pretty user friendly and easy to work with whatever technology interface I am using (desk top, notebook, tablet, or mobile phone). I am able to get work done whether I am in the office, at home, or traveling. The user up time is very good. They are rarely doing maintenance when I need to use the platform
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Support Rating
Bloomberg
No answers on this topic
FactSet
I think the data delivery could be improved, but it's a good data set.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Bloomberg
While there are a lot of competitive services in the marketplace, each good in its own right, the Bloomberg Terminal is considered the top product. It has key fast information and can help individuals make fast decisions. It also has a top-tier support desk that can answer questions for you and teach you functionality to apply to your role
Read full review
FactSet
Product is magnitudes more affordable and provides 80% of the functionality that Bloomberg has and is working to build out the remaining. The workstation is more user friendly than bloomberg but still not perfect. Not as robust as a Bloomberg Terminal and doesn't have the chat/trading features.
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Return on Investment
Bloomberg
  • Appropriate pricing of deals due to market comparisons
  • Instant communication with key stakeholders
  • Top and quick newsbreaks
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FactSet
  • FactSet Workstation is essential to my work - let's just say I use it daily and feel more comfortable having it on in the background
  • Consensus info and transcripts are the go to feature
  • Newsflow is a third I use FactSet Workstation for - but would like it more if they provide more details like Visible Alpha
Read full review
ScreenShots

FactSet Workstation Screenshots

Screenshot of PM Hub, which simplifies portfolio management with tools for building, analyzing, and simulating trades for multi-asset class portfolios and exposures. Users can monitor positions in real time with customizable views, ensure compliance, and execute trades through its integration. Link IRN data to foster deeper collaboration between research analysts and portfolio managers.Screenshot of FactSet Internal Research Notes (IRN), which streamlines research with one connected platform. These can be used to organize, share, and analyze everything from market trends to individual securities. Its AI tools help to boost collaboration, enhance workflows, and drive smarter investment decisions.Screenshot of some of the available information which can used to analyze performance, risk, and attribution across multi-asset portfolios. This integrates portfolio, market, and proprietary data into a single platform to streamline workflows, adapt to market changes, and make confident decisions. From stress testing and scenario analysis to AI-driven insights, FactSet provides tools to strengthen portfolio resilience, uncover drivers of performance, and foster collaboration with customizable reports and data sharing.Screenshot of a display of all accounts in one personalized dashboard. Viewers can analyze top positions, spot trends with proprietary signals, and track market-moving events. Access summary stats like total market value and asset allocation across an entire book or by household and strategy.Screenshot of FactSet’s proprietary news, which delivers real-time, focused market insights across regions like the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. From stocks to sectors to broad markets, StreetAccount simplifies updates to cut through the clutter. This critical news is available anytime via the Workstation, web, email, app, or API.Screenshot of one of FactSet's unique datasets, Geographic Revenue (GeoRev), used to quickly understand a company's revenue exposure in countries impacted by geopolitical, macroeconomic, and market risk through a highly structured and normalized display of companies' revenues by geography.