GLG vs AlphaSights (2026): How the two largest research networks differ on price, vetting, and verticals

GLG (founded 1998, New York City) is the world's largest expert network with over 1 million vetted professionals across every major industry sector. Pricing runs on annual enterprise contracts starting at approximately $50,000/year, with premier engagements reaching $250K–$500K+ for dedicated research staff and bespoke sector coverage. AlphaSights (founded 2008, London/New York) is a primary-research network with approximately 75,000 active experts. Pricing runs on annual contracts starting at roughly $25,000/year, with differentiation in APAC and emerging markets, and a 24–72 hour first-call delivery standard. Both networks vet experts against claims, run conflict-of-interest screening, and handle NDA infrastructure for the client.

The right answer depends on three variables: where the experts you need practice, how fast you need a first call, and how much you are willing to commit annually. This page walks through each variable with primary-research, not pay-per-call, evidence.

The Short Answer

What GLG Actually Is

GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group, founded 1998, headquartered in New York City) is the world's largest expert network with over 1 million vetted professionals. It is the default choice for US investment firms, Fortune 500 strategy teams, and global consultancies running primary research at scale. The platform operates exclusively on annual enterprise contracts, with no pay-per-call or SMB-accessible pricing — the smallest enterprise tier starts at approximately $50,000/year and reaches $250,000–$500,000+ for clients requiring dedicated sector analysts and high call volume. Its core verticals include:

• US financial services: PE, hedge funds, investment banking, asset management, insurance — GLG's deepest sector
• US healthcare & life sciences: pharma, biotech, payers, providers, FDA-regulated specialists
• US technology & Silicon Valley: operators, ex-startup founders, sector specialists
• US industrials & energy: oil & gas, manufacturing, supply chain

GLG's vetting process is the strictest in the industry: background checks, employment and credential verification, conflict-of-interest screening, and conservative approval thresholds, particularly for former government officials, C-suite executives, and regulated-sector specialists. The platform runs a centralized compliance team that screens every engagement against client portfolios before each call. For compliance-grade US diligence — FDA matters, regulated-utility diligence, defense contractor vetting — GLG is the safer institutional choice. Trade-offs: ~5–7 business days for first-call delivery, no SMB entry point, and the highest price floor in the category. Read more on glginsights.com.

What AlphaSights Actually Is

AlphaSights (founded 2008, London and New York) is a mid-enterprise primary-research network with approximately 75,000 active experts. Its pitch is speed-to-expert and global coverage at a lower entry price than GLG. Annual contracts start at approximately $25,000/year for the smallest tier and scale upward by call volume, sector coverage, and dedicated research-staff allocation. AlphaSights' core verticals include:

• Asia-Pacific: Greater China, SE Asia, India, Japan, Australia — AlphaSights' deepest geographic edge
• Emerging markets: Middle East, Africa, Latin America
• European cross-border: EMEA transformation, regulated-finance, energy
• US tech & growth markets: digital, consumer, healthcare (growing-tier)

AlphaSights runs a faster sign-up flow than GLG and emphasizes sectoral recency — experts who have done the job recently, not just talked about it. Standard first-call delivery is 24–72 hours from brief submission, with priority sectors and executives typically available the same business day. The platform runs a centralized conflict-of-interest check with faster turnaround than GLG. AlphaSights is the stronger choice for APAC market entry, emerging-market diligence, and live-deal research where call speed is binding. See AlphaSights rates and analyst model on alphasights.com.

Head-to-Head: When Each Network Wins

Is AlphaSights better than GLG? Our verdict:

AlphaSights is better than GLG when your engagement is urgency-driven, APAC-weighted, or priced below the GLG $50K minimum. Live deal teams, market-entry programs in Asia, and emerging-market diligence all benefit from AlphaSights' 24–72-hour first-call delivery, smaller curated pool, and lower annual minimum. For a same-day call with a former APAC central-bank official, a 4-week emerging-market sector study, or a budget-conscious mid-enterprise research program, AlphaSights is the closer fit.

GLG is better than AlphaSights when you need the largest possible expert pool, the strictest vetting, and the deepest US/Europe sector coverage. Fortune 500 PE diligence, US healthcare and life-sciences studies, multi-region multi-year research programs, and compliance-grade engagements all benefit from GLG's 1M+ expert pool, conservative vetting process, centralized compliance team, and dedicated sector analyst tier. For US biotech FDA expertise, regulated-utility diligence, or complex multi-region programs, GLG is the closer fit.

Neither platform is built for SMB, fractional, or solo-founder use cases — both require annual contracts that exceed typical early-stage research budgets. For SMB / fractional engagements below the $25K–$50K minimum threshold, ExpertStackHub's hourly fractional model at $175–$375/hour works better. For AI-era programs where speed-to-evolving-expert matters more than raw pool size, a hybrid pattern (AlphaSights for fast-evolving topics, GLG for institutional compliance work) typically outperforms either platform alone.

When to Choose GLG vs AlphaSights