The Crunchbase Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Crunchbase in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Crunchbase
The Insider’s Guide
Private company data with funding and growth predictions
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among lead and email finders, read from Crunchbase’s own pages.
Made by Crunchbase Inc. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Crunchbase’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Crunchbase’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 5 of the 49 other lead and email finders we grade
Crunchbase is a database of private companies covering funding rounds, investors, leadership changes and growth signals, with prediction models for funding, acquisition and IPO events. It is sold as Crunchbase Pro and a higher Business tier, and used by sales teams, investors and analysts. Its pricing page could not be read, so no prices are listed here.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Crunchbase, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It doesn't list direct emails or phones for contacts, and no price is on record.
- 1
Best for funding and investor research
Crunchbase holds private company data, funding rounds and growth scores, with a trial on its Pro plan.
- 2
You can try it first
Free trial offered on Crunchbase Pro; length and terms not stated where read
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Private company coverage
The site says it holds more than 4 million private companies and processes over 30 million verified data updates a year.
- 5
Funding and investor data
Funding history, investor data and leadership changes for each company, with live financials.
- 6
Growth and heat scores
AI-powered insights such as Growth and Heat Scores that point to companies gaining momentum.
- 7
A 1.8 GPA, above 5 of 49
That is against the other lead and email finders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Crunchbase you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Crunchbase at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free trial offered on Crunchbase Pro; length and terms not stated where read
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Crunchbase Inc.
- Category
- Lead & Email Finders
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for funding and investor research
Crunchbase holds private company data, funding rounds and growth scores, with a trial on its Pro plan. It doesn't list direct emails or phones for contacts, and no price is on record.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price was readable because the pricing page returned a bot check. Business is sold through sales. |
| Free plan and trial | D | A free trial on Pro, but its length and terms aren't stated. No free plan on record. |
| Features | C | Funding and investor data, growth and heat scores, tracking and exports. It does not mention contact emails or phones, which most of this category is about. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Searching and filtering company data takes some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, and the listing names no integrations. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Crunchbase is for
- Fits if you research startups, funding and investors
- Works for sellers who time outreach to a funding round
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want contact details, as the pages read don't mention direct emails or phones
- Tight if you export a lot: 2,000 rows a month on Pro and 5,000 on Business
- Skip it if you want a price, as none is shown and Business is by sales only
- Watch out: the trial's length and terms aren't stated
Good to know
Good for
- Sales teams targeting recently funded companies
- Investors and analysts researching the private market
- Founders benchmarking competitors and finding investors
Worth knowing
- No price was readable: the pricing page returned a bot check, so prices are not listed.
- Business, the predictive tier, is sold through sales rather than by self-serve checkout.
- Monthly exports are capped at 2,000 rows on Pro and 5,000 on Business.
- The pages read describe company, funding and signal data and do not mention direct emails or phone numbers for contacts.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Crunchbase's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price was readable because the pricing page returned a bot check.
We could not confirm Crunchbase’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. crunchbase.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Private company data with funding and growth predictions. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, research.
Funding and investor data, growth and heat scores, tracking and exports.
- Private company coverage
- The site says it holds more than 4 million private companies and processes over 30 million verified data updates a year.
- Funding and investor data
- Funding history, investor data and leadership changes for each company, with live financials.
- Growth and heat scores
- AI-powered insights such as Growth and Heat Scores that point to companies gaining momentum.
- Predictions on Business
- Crunchbase Business adds predictions on funding, growth, acquisition, IPO and other events, with CRM integrations and auto-enrichment.
- Tracking and notes
- Notifications when tracked companies change, a Kanban-style board, and notes and tags on company profiles.
- Exports
- Pro allows exports of up to 2,000 rows a month, and Business up to 5,000 rows a month.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Crunchbase is made by Crunchbase Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/49
Other lead and email finders it is graded above
Crunchbase's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 5 of the 49 other lead and email finders we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on value for money (C, above 6 of 49) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 6).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 50 lead and email finders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Crunchbase’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 49
- DFree plan and trialAbove 6 of 49
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 49
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 49
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 49
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Crunchbase you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 42 of the 49 other lead and email finders grade higher.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Crunchbase’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
D&B Hoovers, ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, 6sense and Demandbase
The 5 tools Crunchbase is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
D&B Hoovers
Free trial
- 2.8GPA
ZoomInfo
Free plan
B2B contact and company data platform with AI sales tools.
- ZoomInfo has a free plan. Crunchbase does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ZoomInfo lists an iOS app.
- Only ZoomInfo lists a browser extension.
- 2.4GPA
Apollo.io
Free plan · from $49/mo
B2B contact database with built-in email sequences and a dialer.
- Apollo.io has a free plan. Crunchbase does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Apollo.io lists a browser extension.
- Crunchbase also covers research.
- 1.6GPA
6sense
Paid
Account-based platform with intent data and AI sales agents.
- Only 6sense lists a browser extension.
- Crunchbase also covers research.
- 6sense also covers workflow automation.
- 1.6GPA
Demandbase
Paid
Account-based go-to-market platform for sales and marketing.
- Crunchbase also covers research.
- Demandbase also covers workflow automation.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Crunchbase free?
No, Crunchbase is a paid product, but you can try it first. Free trial offered on Crunchbase Pro; length and terms not stated where read.
What platforms does Crunchbase work on?
Crunchbase is available on Web.
Does Crunchbase have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Crunchbase is listed for Web.
Does Crunchbase have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Crunchbase is listed for Web.
Is Crunchbase open source?
Crunchbase is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Who makes Crunchbase?
Crunchbase is made by Crunchbase Inc.
What are the alternatives to Crunchbase?
The closest alternatives to Crunchbase in our directory are D&B Hoovers, ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, 6sense and Demandbase.
How does Crunchbase compare with other lead and email finders?
Crunchbase's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 5 of the 49 other lead and email finders we grade, and level with 2.
Could I make my own version of Crunchbase?
To replace Crunchbase you would be making a library of papers and sources to search.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Crunchbase’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Crunchbase's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Crunchbase Inc. Prices change, so check crunchbase.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Crunchbase, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/crunchbase
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Crunchbase: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/crunchbase
Know someone choosing between lead and email finders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/crunchbase/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded lead and email finders after Crunchbase, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Lead & Email Finders Insider's GuideEvery one of the 50 lead and email finders we grade, compared
- Clay Insider's GuideData enrichment tables that query 150+ data providers in one place2.8 GPA
- FullEnrich Insider's GuideEmail and phone finder that checks 20+ data providers in turn2.8 GPA
- GetProspect Insider's GuideEmail finder and B2B database with a LinkedIn extension2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Crunchbase’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Crunchbase is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Crunchbase Inc. Prices and plans change: check crunchbase.com before you buy.