Altss vs Preqin: Which is Right for Fundraising in 2026?

15 min read

Preqin is the legacy institutional database for alternative assets, which became part of BlackRock via a $3.2 billion acquisition completed in March 2025. Altss is OSINT-powered LP intelligence built for fund managers raising from family offices and institutional allocators. Both have strengths — this page covers where each wins, honestly.

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9,000+
Family offices in Altss database
150,000+
Institutional LP entities
1.5M+
Verified LP-side contacts
30 days
Full database re-verification cycle

#At-a-glance comparison

At-a-glance comparison of Altss and Preqin
DimensionAltssPreqin
Founded20252003 (became part of BlackRock in March 2025 via $3.2B acquisition2)
Team size11 (lean, OSINT-first team)500+ employees across 16 offices globally4
Family office coverage9,000+ global family offices94,592 family offices (per Preqin's own 2024 "Fundraising from Family Offices" report)1
Institutional LP coverage150,000+ institutional LP entities9Extensive — 170,000+ total entities (investors, fund managers, placement agents, service providers, advisors) per Preqin Data Coverage Map6
Fund manager coverageNot tracked67,000+ fund managers across 160+ countries (2025)3
Fund performance dataNot provided15,000+ private capital funds and 30,000+ hedge funds with transparent returns4
Service providersNot provided436,000+ service provider relationships3
Data collection methodOSINT (open-source intelligence) with source evidence attached to every recordMix of FOIA requests, self-reporting surveys, manual analyst research, voluntary contributions, and public filings
Data refresh cycle30-day full re-verification, real-time signals on mandate shiftsSurvey-based cycles for contact and mandate data
Email verificationLive bounce-check before records appear; invalid mailboxes never reach the userSelf-reported contact data; no live verification
Real-time allocator signalsYes — mandate shifts, personnel changes, event participation, fund launchesHistorical allocations and fund performance focus
Fund performance benchmarkingNot providedDeep — 20+ years of IRR, TVPI, DPI benchmarks
PricingCustom enterprise pricing, scoped to team size and coverage tier. Reduced rates for emerging managers raising Fund I–III.Sales-gated. Typically $20,000–$50,000/yr for small teams (2–5 users); $50,000–$120,000/yr mid-size. Average per Vendr transaction data: $51,500/yr8
Best forFund managers raising from family offices and global LPsLPs doing due diligence, fund performance benchmarking, institutional investors

Coverage numbers reflect Altss internal database as of April 2026. Preqin family office figure sourced from Preqin's "Fundraising from Family Offices" 2024 report. Preqin fund manager, service provider, and total entity figures from "The Best of Preqin: 2025" publication and Preqin Data Coverage Map accessed April 2026. Preqin pricing compiled from Vendr transaction data and TrustRadius customer reports as of 2026.

Preqin has clear advantages in historical fund performance data, institutional LP coverage, and 20+ years of benchmarking depth across alternative assets. Altss leads in family office coverage, data freshness, and real-time allocator signals. Where you spend most of your fundraising time determines which platform delivers more value.
Altss LP intelligence dashboard — OSINT-powered family office and institutional LP data
The Altss platform — 9,000+ family offices and 150,000+ institutional LPs in one OSINT-native workspace.

#What is Altss?

Altss is an OSINT-powered LP intelligence platform built for fund managers raising capital in alternative assets. Instead of relying on self-reported survey data, Altss uses open-source intelligence — SEC filings (Form ADV, Form D, 13F), pension CAFRs, Form 990 and 990-PF for foundations, endowment annual reports, sovereign wealth fund disclosures, verified corporate registries, and published allocator statements — to build verified profiles of 9,000+ family offices and 150,000+ institutional LP entities worldwide9.

Every record is live-verified before it reaches the platform. Emails are bounce-checked; if a mailbox cannot accept mail, the record never appears. The full database re-verifies on a rolling 30-day cycle, with faster updates for high-velocity signals like personnel changes, mandate shifts, and fund launches.

Altss was built by former fund managers and OSINT specialists who experienced firsthand the inefficiency of legacy databases. The platform is trusted by emerging managers, established GPs, independent sponsors, institutional sales teams at global banks, and capital introduction desks.

In May 2026, Altss is expanding into a 50M+ companies dataset, scaling to 70M+ by end of Q2 2026, which enables the full relationship graph: LPs → GPs → portfolio companies — all within a single OSINT-native platform.

#What is Preqin?

Preqin is a London-headquartered alternative assets data provider, founded in 2003. In March 2025, Preqin became part of BlackRock through a $3.2 billion acquisition2 — one of the largest private capital data acquisitions in history. Preqin founder Mark O'Hare has since launched Valhalla Ventures, his own family office allocating 70% of its portfolio outside public markets. Preqin data is now being integrated into BlackRock's Aladdin ecosystem via eFront Insight.

Preqin pioneered the institutional LP database category and remains the most widely recognized provider of fund performance benchmarking in private equity, private debt, venture capital, hedge funds, infrastructure, real estate, and natural resources. Per Preqin's own 2025 coverage reports, the platform covers:

  • 67,000+ fund managers across 160+ countries3
  • 170,000+ total entities (investors, fund managers, placement agents, service providers, advisors)6
  • 15,000+ private capital funds with transparent return data4
  • 30,000+ hedge funds globally4
  • 436,000+ service provider relationships3
  • 4,592 family offices (per Preqin's 2024 "Fundraising from Family Offices" report, up 3x from 1,285 in 2019)1
  • 500+ employees across 16 global offices4
  • 200,000+ professional users rely on Preqin5

For LPs conducting due diligence on fund managers, Preqin's benchmarking data is difficult to match.

Preqin uses a combination of FOIA requests (which Preqin pioneered for collecting transparent fund return data), voluntary fund manager submissions, self-reported survey data, manual analyst research, and public filings. Contact and mandate data are updated via survey cycles; deal news and fund closes refresh more frequently.

#Coverage comparison

Family office coverage

Altss tracks 9,000+ family offices globally9 — nearly double Preqin's 4,592 (per Preqin's own 2024 report)1. Coverage extends beyond the top 200 U.S. names into European industrial families, Asian dynastic wealth, Middle Eastern family conglomerates, and emerging-market principal investors.

Preqin's family office coverage has historically been the weaker part of its dataset. The platform was built for institutional LPs and performs best there. Prospects evaluating Altss consistently cite family office depth as the most frequent switching reason. (Note: Preqin's own data shows family offices tripled from 1,285 in 2019 to 4,592 in 20231, underscoring how rapidly this segment has grown — and Preqin's coverage still trails the market.)

Institutional LP coverage

Preqin's institutional LP database is deep — pensions, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, insurers — with 20+ years of allocation history. Altss covers 150,000+ institutional LP entities with current mandate, personnel, and allocation signals, but does not match Preqin's historical depth on fund-level performance data.

Geographic depth

Preqin has historically been strongest in North American institutional coverage. Altss has deliberately prioritized global family office depth — Asia, Middle East, and Europe — where Preqin's coverage is thinner.

#Data freshness

Data staleness is the most common complaint against legacy databases. Fund managers raising capital need current mandates, working emails, and accurate personnel information.

Altss

  • 30-day full database re-verification cycle
  • Real-time updates on personnel changes, mandate shifts, and fund launches
  • Every email is live-verified before appearing in the platform
  • Every record is traceable to a public source with a verification timestamp

Preqin

  • Survey-based refresh for most contact and mandate fields
  • Deal news and fund closes updated more frequently
  • Self-reported contact data; no live verification
  • Contact and personnel data depends on firm proactively submitting updates

This is the most frequent point raised by prospects switching from Preqin to Altss.

#Methodology: OSINT vs. self-reporting

The core methodological difference shapes everything downstream.

Preqin's approach: Survey-based plus manual analyst research, with FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests used to collect transparent fund return data — a methodology Preqin pioneered. Family offices and institutional LPs submit information via questionnaires. Preqin's analyst team supplements with public disclosures and industry research. Voluntary data contributions come from thousands of fund managers. This model produces deep historical data but struggles with currency — a family office that hasn't updated its Preqin profile in 18 months shows 18-month-old contact and mandate information.

Altss's approach: OSINT-first. Altss treats LP intelligence as an open-source intelligence problem. Data is sourced from SEC filings (Form ADV, Form D, 13F), state pension CAFRs, Form 990 and 990-PF for foundations, endowment annual reports, sovereign wealth fund disclosures, verified corporate registries, public news, and published statements. Every record is traceable to its public source and timestamped. Nothing relies on the allocator filling out a survey.

The practical difference: a family office that promoted a new head of investments last month shows up correctly in Altss within days via OSINT signals, whereas the same change might not appear in Preqin until the family office proactively updates its Preqin profile — which many private family offices never do.

#Pricing

Altss

Altss typically comes in materially below Preqin's $51,500 average for LP-focused fundraising workflows8. Three coverage tiers — Family Offices, Full LP, and Full LP + Companies — scoped to team size, seat count, and organization type. Reduced rates for emerging managers raising Fund I–III. Enterprise 5-seat packages and multi-year agreements across all tiers. Book a demo for a scoped quote.

Preqin

Preqin (based on Vendr transaction data and customer reports, 2026):

  • Small teams (2–5 users, 1–2 asset classes): $20,000–$50,000/year8
  • Mid-size teams (5–15 users, 2–4 asset classes): $50,000–$120,000/year8
  • Larger enterprise deployments: $120,000+/year8
  • Average per Vendr transaction data: ~$51,500/year8
  • Entry-level subscriptions with very limited scope reported from $5,000/year
  • API access typically adds 30–60% to base subscription cost

Altss is materially below Preqin's pricing for equivalent seat counts and coverage depth. For scoped pricing specific to your team, book a demo.

Preqin pricing data compiled from Vendr Marketplace transaction data, TrustRadius verified customer reports, and multiple independent third-party pricing databases accessed April 2026.

#Where Preqin wins

Honest comparison requires honest acknowledgment. Preqin has real strengths Altss does not replicate.

  1. 01

    Historical fund performance data

    Preqin's 20+ years of IRR, TVPI, DPI, and cash flow data across thousands of funds is unmatched. The platform has transparent return metrics for 15,000+ private capital funds and 30,000+ hedge funds4. If your workflow requires benchmarking a specific fund's returns against peers by vintage and strategy, Preqin is the right tool.

  2. 02

    Institutional LP brand recognition

    Preqin is the default answer for LP-side due diligence teams at pensions, endowments, and large allocators. "Running the numbers in Preqin" is institutional shorthand. 200,000+ professionals rely on the platform.

  3. 03

    Credit and direct lending data

    Preqin's coverage of private debt funds, BDC data, and credit strategy benchmarking goes deeper than Altss's current coverage.

  4. 04

    Regulatory history and LP commitments

    For LPs researching how a given institution has allocated across vintages and fund types historically, Preqin's depth is hard to match.

  5. 05

    BlackRock backing

    Preqin becoming part of BlackRock (completed March 2025) signals long-term continuity, enterprise resources, and integration with BlackRock's Aladdin platform via eFront Insight. Large enterprise buyers value platform stability.

  6. 06

    Cross-asset-class breadth

    PE, VC, hedge funds, infrastructure, real estate, natural resources. For multi-asset-class firms, Preqin's breadth across alternatives is genuine.

  7. 07

    Fund manager coverage

    67,000+ fund managers across 160+ countries — Preqin's GP-side database is broader than Altss's today.

  8. 08

    Service provider ecosystem

    436,000+ service provider relationships covering placement agents, law firms, fund administrators, auditors, custodians, and prime brokers. For teams conducting diligence across the full service provider stack, Preqin is the reference.

If your primary questions are "How did this fund perform?" or "What are median PE returns by vintage?" — Preqin delivers more than Altss.

#Where Altss wins

  1. 01

    Family office depth

    9,000+ family offices9 vs. Preqin's 4,592 (per Preqin's own 2024 report)1. Global coverage across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. This is the single biggest reason fund managers switch.

  2. 02

    Data freshness

    30-day full re-verification vs. Preqin's survey-based refresh cycles. For fundraising — where current contacts matter more than historical performance — this is decisive.

  3. 03

    OSINT methodology

    Every record traces to a public source. No reliance on self-reported survey data. Prospects describe Preqin as "extremely outdated, especially individual and company level data" after long-term use.

  4. 04

    Email verification

    Live bounce-check means invalid emails never reach the UI.

  5. 05

    Real-time allocator signals

    Mandate shifts, personnel changes, fund launches, and event participation surface as live signals — not quarterly survey updates.

  6. 06

    Enterprise pricing with emerging manager accessibility

    Altss is scoped to what your team actually needs — coverage tier, seat count, organization type. Reduced rates for Fund I–III. Preqin pricing is sales-gated with a wide reported range ($20K–$120K+) depending on asset classes and seats, and the Vendr average of $51,500/year illustrates where mid-size teams land.

  7. 07

    Built for fundraising, not due diligence

    Preqin was architected for LPs doing due diligence. Altss was architected for GPs raising capital. The tools reflect the difference.

  8. 08

    Emerging manager friendly

    Preqin is often described by emerging managers as priced for institutional budgets. Altss's pricing, data, and workflow are explicitly built for Fund I and Fund II GPs.

  9. 09

    Upcoming 50M+ companies dataset

    Altss is expanding into company-side coverage in May 2026 (scaling to 70M+ by end of Q2 2026) — enabling the full fundraising and sourcing relationship graph on a single OSINT-native platform.

#Full feature comparison

Full feature comparison of Altss and Preqin
FeatureAltssPreqin
Family office coverage✅ 9,000+⚠️ 4,592 (Preqin 2024 report)
Institutional LP coverage✅ 150,000+ entities✅ 170,000+ total entities
Fund manager coverageNot tracked✅ 67,000+ across 160+ countries
Fund count with performanceNot tracked✅ 15,000+ private capital funds; 30,000+ hedge funds
Fund performance benchmarking❌ Not provided✅ Best-in-class (IRR, TVPI, DPI)
20+ years historical data❌✅
Companies dataset🚀 50M+ launching May 2026 (70M+ by Q2 end)❌ Not a focus
Data refresh cycle✅ 30 days⚠️ Survey-based
Real-time mandate signals✅❌
Live email verification✅❌
OSINT source traceability✅❌
Self-reporting dependency❌ None⚠️ High
FOIA data collection✅✅ (Preqin pioneered for fund returns)
Personnel change tracking✅ Real-time⚠️ Lagging
Event participation signals✅❌
Public pricingEnterprise, custom-scoped❌ Sales-gated
Credit/direct lending benchmarks⚠️ Limited✅ Deep
Regulatory filing integration✅ Form ADV, Form D, 13F✅
Global family office coverage✅ NA/EU/Asia/ME⚠️ Primarily US/EU
Emerging manager focus✅❌
Cross-asset-class coverage⚠️ LP-side only today; company expansion May 2026✅ PE/VC/HF/Infra/RE/NR
Hedge fund coverage⚠️ Limited✅ 30,000+ funds
Service provider coverage❌✅ 436,000+ relationships
Employee count11 (lean team)500+ across 16 offices
Total professional usersGrowing200,000+
UI-only access (no data export)✅ By design❌ API add-on available
Starting priceCustom enterprise scoping~$20K–$50K/year (2–5 users, per Vendr)
Enterprise ownershipAltss Inc.BlackRock (completed March 2025, $3.2B)

Comparison accurate as of April 18, 2026. Altss coverage figures reflect internal database counts and planned May 2026 company dataset launch. Preqin figures from Preqin's own 2024 "Fundraising from Family Offices" report, "The Best of Preqin: 2025" publication, Preqin Data Coverage Map, and Preqin Global Data Coverage (June 2025 PDF). Pricing compiled from Vendr transaction data and TrustRadius customer reports.

#What fund managers are saying

“Preqin's contact information is up to 60% outdated. For active fundraising, that's unworkable. Altss gave us a live feed of mandate changes and working emails — the campaign economics shifted overnight.”

— Principal at a US venture capital fund1

“Preqin feels dated. It relies on managers to update their own information, which they don't. For a fund running real campaigns, the data quality is the whole game.”

— Managing Director, European private equity2

“Same emails going to the same LPs. No way to stand out. LPs don't answer anymore. We had to change our entire outreach approach — starting with the data source.”

— Head of Investor Relations at a North American PE firm3

“Preqin only gave us access to the largest family offices. We were missing the target segment of smaller, less visible offices — which is exactly who we needed to reach. Altss covers that gap.”

— Partner at a European growth equity fund4

1–4 Testimonials reflect verified customer and prospect feedback captured in recorded evaluation calls between October 2025 and April 2026. Testimonials are lightly edited for clarity and anonymized at speaker request. Full verbatim source transcripts and speaker identities are retained by Altss under NDA and can be provided to qualified prospects on request. References available.

#Which is right for you?

For emerging managers (Fund I & II)
Altss is the clear choice. Preqin's pricing, LP-side orientation, and institutional focus make it a poor fit for managers raising their first institutional capital. Altss offers reduced pricing for emerging managers (Fund I–III) and its family office depth and real-time signals match the emerging manager workflow directly.
For established GPs raising from family offices
Altss. Nine out of ten fund managers raising primarily from family offices cite Altss's 9,000+ FO coverage as the switching reason from Preqin.
For institutional LPs conducting manager due diligence
Preqin. Fund performance benchmarking, 20+ years of IRR data, and institutional allocation history are what you need — and Altss does not try to replicate them.
For capital introduction and placement teams
Both, used together. Preqin for LP-side performance benchmarking and fund screening. Altss for real-time allocator signals and family office outreach targeting. Most sophisticated placement teams use both.
For independent sponsors and deal-by-deal raisers
Altss. Preqin's LP coverage is oriented around committed-fund structures; Altss's signals and family office depth fit better for deal-specific capital raising.
For credit and private debt GPs
Mixed. Preqin has deeper credit benchmarking. Altss has deeper family office coverage for private debt allocators. Evaluate both.
For hedge fund managers
Preqin. 30,000+ hedge funds with transparent returns is a level of coverage Altss does not match.

#Pros and cons

Altss

Pros

  • +9,000+ family offices — nearly 2x Preqin's coverage
  • +150,000+ institutional LP entities with current data
  • +30-day re-verification cycle
  • +OSINT methodology with source traceability
  • +Live email verification
  • +Real-time mandate and personnel signals
  • +Transparent and predictable enterprise pricing (custom-scoped, not list-gouging)
  • +Purpose-built for emerging and established GPs raising capital
  • +50M+ companies dataset launching May 2026 (full LP→GP→portfolio graph)

Cons

  • −No fund performance benchmarking
  • −No 20+ year historical IRR database
  • −Less depth on credit, hedge funds, and direct lending
  • −UI-only access (no data export by design)

Preqin

Pros

  • +Industry-leading fund performance benchmarking
  • +20+ years of historical IRR, TVPI, DPI data
  • +15,000+ private capital funds and 30,000+ hedge funds with transparent returns
  • +Deep credit and private debt coverage
  • +67,000+ fund managers across 160+ countries
  • +436,000+ service provider relationships
  • +BlackRock-backed enterprise stability (acquisition completed March 2025 for $3.2B)
  • +Institutional LP brand recognition
  • +Full cross-asset-class coverage

Cons

  • −Family office coverage ~51% of Altss's (4,592 vs 9,000+ per Preqin's own report)
  • −Self-reporting model produces inconsistent quality
  • −Sales-gated pricing — small teams often quoted $20K–$50K/year
  • −Average customer spend $51,500/year (Vendr data)
  • −Not purpose-built for emerging managers
  • −Contact data currency dependent on firm submission behavior

#Using both together

Many sophisticated fundraising teams use both platforms.

  • Preqin for LP-side fund performance benchmarking, vintage comparisons, credit market coverage, and institutional allocation history
  • Altss for real-time allocator signals, family office outreach, and current contact/mandate data

If your team's workflow involves both LP-side due diligence and active GP-side capital raising, both tools serve different purposes. For teams focused primarily on raising capital, Altss alone typically replaces Preqin entirely.

#Frequently asked questions

Is Altss a full replacement for Preqin?
For fund managers raising capital, yes — in most cases. For institutional LPs conducting fund performance benchmarking, no — Altss does not provide historical IRR data. If your primary use case is fundraising, Altss replaces Preqin. If your primary use case is LP due diligence on fund returns, Preqin remains the right tool.
How much does Altss cost compared to Preqin?
Altss is enterprise-priced, scoped to team size and coverage tier (Family Offices / Full LP / Full LP + Companies). Reduced rates for emerging managers raising Fund I–III. Preqin pricing is sales-gated; customer reports and Vendr transaction data indicate small teams (2–5 users) typically pay $20,000–$50,000/year, with average total customer spend around $51,500/year. Book a demo for scoped pricing specific to your team.
Did BlackRock actually buy Preqin?
Yes. BlackRock completed its acquisition of Preqin for approximately $3.2 billion in March 2025, integrating Preqin's data assets into BlackRock's Aladdin platform via eFront Insight. Preqin founder Mark O'Hare has since launched Valhalla Ventures, his own family office allocating 70% of its portfolio outside public markets.
How many family offices does Preqin track?
Per Preqin's own "Fundraising from Family Offices" report (2024)1, Preqin tracks 4,592 family offices globally — up from 1,285 in 2019. Altss tracks 9,000+ family offices, approximately 2x Preqin's coverage9.
Can I migrate my Preqin data to Altss?
Altss operates as a UI-only platform with no bulk export or import of records. If you're switching, prospects typically run both platforms in parallel for 30–60 days to identify gaps, then sunset the Preqin subscription. Altss support can help with onboarding workflows.
Does Altss cover fund performance benchmarking?
No. Altss is focused on allocator intelligence — who the LPs are, what they're mandating, who to contact. Fund performance benchmarking requires different data structures and is not part of Altss's current product scope.
How fresh is Altss data vs. Preqin?
Altss re-verifies every record on a rolling 30-day cycle, with real-time updates for high-velocity signals (personnel changes, mandate shifts, fund launches). Preqin refreshes contact and mandate data via survey cycles, meaning currency depends on how frequently a given LP updates its Preqin profile.
What is Altss's 50M companies dataset launching in May 2026?
Altss is expanding its OSINT-powered intelligence platform to include a 50M+ companies dataset in May 2026, scaling to 70M+ by end of Q2 2026. This enables the full relationship graph on one platform: LPs → GPs → portfolio companies. Combined with Altss's existing 9,000+ family office and 150,000+ institutional LP coverage, this brings fundraising, sourcing, and portfolio intelligence into a single OSINT-native platform.
Can I trial Altss before switching?
Yes. Book a demo to get a working account and evaluate coverage for your specific strategy, geography, and ticket-size focus before committing.

Ready to see Altss live?

Book a demo and evaluate Altss against your current Preqin workflow. We'll walk through your specific LP targets, show you the live coverage, and scope pricing to your team. Early access available to the 50M+ company dataset launching May 2026.

Book a DemoTalk to a customer who switched from Preqin

See also

All comparisonsAltss vs PitchBook →

Sources

  1. 1.Preqin family office count: Preqin, "Fundraising from Family Offices: A guide to raising capital," 2024 report (4,592 family offices, up from 1,285 in 2019; cited in WealthBriefing and Family Wealth Report coverage, March 2024) View source ↗
  2. 2.BlackRock acquisition of Preqin: Bloomberg, "Billionaire Preqin Seller's Family Office Builds Buyout Firm Bet," February 2026; Preqin's own statement "March 2026 will mark one year since Preqin became part of BlackRock" (from "The Best of Preqin: 2025") confirms March 2025 closing date; $3.2B acquisition price per multiple business press coverage View source ↗
  3. 3.Preqin fund manager count (67,000+), service provider coverage (436,000+): "The Best of Preqin: 2025" publication, published by Preqin (a part of BlackRock), 2025 View source ↗
  4. 4.Preqin fund performance coverage (15,000+ private capital; 30,000+ hedge funds), FOIA methodology, employee count (500+): Preqin Global Data Coverage PDF, June 2025 edition View source ↗
  5. 5.Preqin professional user count (200,000+): Preqin.com homepage, accessed April 2026 View source ↗
  6. 6.Preqin total entity count (170,000+): Preqin Data Coverage Map, preqin.com/data/data-coverage-map, accessed April 2026 View source ↗
  7. 7.Preqin family office growth (524% since 2016, 4,067 with private markets exposure): CNBC, "Family offices flock to private markets," August 2025, citing Preqin data View source ↗
  8. 8.Preqin pricing: Vendr Marketplace transaction data; TrustRadius verified customer reports; accessed April 2026 View source ↗
  9. 9.Altss internal database counts and May 2026 company dataset launch plan: Internal platform metrics and product roadmap, April 2026 View source ↗