Expert networks have become essential tools for investment research, due diligence, and strategic decision-making. By connecting professionals with subject matter experts, these platforms provide real-world insights that help organizations make informed choices and manage risk. GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group) pioneered this industry and remains the largest provider, setting standards for scale, compliance, and global reach.
As the market has matured, a new generation of expert networks has emerged, each offering unique strengths. These range from analyst-led research and technology-driven verification to more flexible, tech-enabled models. This article explores the leading GLG competitors in 2025, comparing their approaches and strengths for various use cases.
What is GLG and how does it work?
GLG is a global expert network that connects clients with subject matter experts through one-on-one calls, interview transcripts, surveys, and custom research projects. Its core value lies in its extensive network, international coverage, and a compliance infrastructure trusted by the world’s largest financial institutions.
GLG’s clients include major asset managers, investment banks, top-tier consultancies, and corporate strategy teams. These organizations rely on GLG for access to a broad spectrum of expertise, rigorous vetting processes, and the ability to support complex, multi-market research needs.
What are the strengths and limitations of GLG?
GLG’s primary strengths are its scale, global reach, and long-standing reputation for compliance and risk management. Its infrastructure is built to support the world’s largest financial institutions, offering a level of process, rigor, and geographic coverage that few can match.
However, these advantages come with trade-offs. GLG’s pricing is typically higher than many competitors, and its size can sometimes result in slower or more complex workflows. Additionally, while its network is vast, the depth of expertise in certain industries may not always match the more curated or analyst-led approaches of newer providers.
Why do organizations seek alternatives to GLG?
Despite GLG’s leadership, many organizations explore alternatives for several reasons. Premium pricing can be a barrier, especially for smaller teams or those with unpredictable research needs. Some clients seek deeper, analyst-led insights, faster turnaround times, or platforms with more transparent and flexible commercial models.
There is also growing interest in providers that combine expert calls with AI-driven analysis or structured data, enabling richer, more actionable insights. For specialized or rapidly evolving sectors, curated, high-quality conversations are often valued over sheer network size.
Before diving into detailed reviews, it is helpful to compare the main GLG competitors side by side.
In-depth reviews of the 6 leading GLG competitors
Third Bridge
Overview
Third Bridge combines a global expert network with analyst-led interviews and a large transcript library, giving clients structured, high-quality qualitative insights. All experts are custom sourced for each project, with no self-referrals, which ensures relevance, independence, and strong alignment with the brief. This blend of bespoke expert sourcing and curated interview content has made Third Bridge a preferred partner for investors who value depth, consistency, and rigor in primary research.
Strengths
Its analyst-moderated interviews consistently deliver deeper context than standard expert calls, and its transcript library provides recurring value for thematic, sector, and company-level research. This curated model is particularly well suited to investors who prioritize insight quality and repeatable coverage.
Limitations
Third Bridge focuses on depth rather than volume, so it may not be as geared toward rapid, high-frequency expert sourcing as some broader generalist networks. Its model is optimized for curated insight rather than large-scale call throughput.
Unique features
The platform’s analyst-led interview format and extensive transcript library create a structured, research-ready resource that traditional expert networks typically do not offer at the same level of consistency.
How it compares to GLG
Third Bridge provides deeper, more curated insight, while GLG offers broader global coverage and faster fulfillment for high-volume or highly specialized requests. GLG’s scale supports diverse corporate use cases, whereas Third Bridge stands out for investment teams seeking focused, consistently high-quality qualitative research.
AlphaSights
Overview
AlphaSights is a global expert network focused on rapid expert sourcing for consulting firms and corporate teams that need fast access to relevant industry practitioners.
Strengths
The platform is known for quick turnaround, strong client service, and broad global coverage. Its workflow is designed to match clients with qualified experts efficiently, making it effective for time-sensitive, high-volume project needs.
Limitations
AlphaSights does not offer analyst-led interviews or a transcript library, so it provides less structured qualitative depth than platforms centered on curated insight. Its model is built for speed rather than long-form or thematic research content.
Unique features
Its emphasis on service efficiency and rapid expert matching sets it apart, particularly for consulting-style research demands and tight deadlines.
How it compares to GLG
AlphaSights is typically faster and more flexible in fulfilling requests, while GLG offers a larger network and stronger support for complex, multi-market, or compliance-heavy projects. AlphaSights is preferred when speed is the priority, and GLG is stronger when scale and breadth matter more.
Guidepoint
Overview
Guidepoint is a large generalist expert network that provides broad global coverage and reliable access to experts across a wide range of industries. Its model focuses on breadth, efficient sourcing, and flexible support for diverse project needs.
Strengths
The platform is known for its wide geographic reach and ability to source experts across common and niche sectors. Its service model is straightforward and dependable, making it suitable for corporate teams and strategy groups that require steady access to experts across many topics.
Limitations
Guidepoint’s generalist approach does not emphasize analyst-led interviews or deeply curated content. It offers fewer structured insight products than competitors that focus on qualitative depth or sector specialization.
Unique features
Guidepoint stands out for its global footprint, strong fulfillment capabilities, and the variety of expert formats it supports, including calls, surveys, and broader research solutions.
How it compares to GLG
Guidepoint offers similar breadth to GLG at a typically more flexible commercial structure. GLG provides larger scale and more mature compliance infrastructure, while Guidepoint is often seen as a strong, cost-effective alternative for organizations that value broad coverage and reliable sourcing without requiring extensive premium features.
Atheneum Partners
Overview
Atheneum Partners is an expert network with strong coverage across Europe and an expanding global presence. It provides expert calls, surveys, and custom research, making it useful for organizations that need regional insight combined with flexible research formats.
Strengths
The platform has deep access to European markets and offers reliable sourcing across multiple sectors. Its combination of expert interviews and survey capabilities appeals to teams conducting market assessments or regional strategy work.
Limitations
Atheneum’s network depth in North America is generally smaller than more established global providers. Its model focuses on regional expertise rather than large-scale global breadth or analyst-led content.
Unique features and differentiators
Its strong European footprint and integrated mix of calls and surveys allow clients to gather both qualitative and quantitative insight within one platform.
How it compares to GLG
Atheneum provides targeted regional strength and flexible research formats, while GLG offers greater global scale and faster sourcing across more markets. Clients choose Atheneum when European expertise and mixed-method research are priorities, and GLG when breadth and enterprise-level support are more important.
NewtonX
Overview
NewtonX is a research platform that specializes in highly targeted B2B surveys and expert consultations verified through its proprietary AI matching technology. Its model focuses on precision, data quality, and the ability to reach very specific professional audiences at scale.
Strengths
NewtonX excels at finding hard-to-reach B2B respondents and validating their credentials, which results in reliable, high-quality survey data. Its technology-driven approach allows clients to run large or highly specific studies with confidence in respondent accuracy.
Limitations
NewtonX is primarily a survey and data-focused platform rather than a traditional expert network. It does not offer a large transcript library or the breadth of one-on-one calls available from broader networks, so it is less suited for teams that rely heavily on qualitative interviews.
Unique features
Its AI-driven verification system and ability to source highly specialized B2B professionals set it apart from traditional networks. NewtonX is particularly strong for projects that require validated, scalable quantitative insight.
How it compares to GLG
GLG offers broader expert-call coverage and a larger global network, while NewtonX provides greater precision in B2B targeting and stronger capabilities for large-scale surveys. NewtonX is chosen for validated data and specificity, and GLG for generalist expert access and call-based workflows.
Mosaic
Overview
Mosaic is an expert network designed for investment professionals, offering access to operators, former executives, and subject-matter experts, along with a curated library of investor-focused content.
Strengths
The platform emphasizes depth in key sectors including technology, healthcare, industrials, and consumer. Its expert calls and content library are tailored to the needs of hedge funds and asset managers, focusing on insights that support idea generation and due diligence.
Limitations
Mosaic’s coverage is more concentrated than broader generalist networks. It does not match the global scale or multi-industry reach of providers like GLG, and it offers fewer research formats outside its core call and content model.
Unique features and differentiators
Its curated content library and consistent access to operators and former executives create a research experience built specifically for professional investors rather than a broad corporate audience.
How it compares to GLG
Mosaic provides more targeted, investor-oriented insight, while GLG offers far greater breadth, scale, and global coverage. Mosaic is chosen when sector depth and investor-focused content matter most, and GLG when organizations need wide-ranging expertise across many industries.
Key factors to consider when choosing a GLG alternative
Selecting the right expert network depends on the type of insight you need, how quickly you need it, and the level of structure or specialization your research workflow requires. Because each platform operates with a different model, it is important to match the provider’s strengths to your team’s priorities rather than defaulting to size or brand recognition alone.
- Insight model: Determine whether you need a broad generalist network, analyst-led interviews, curated transcripts, or AI-verified B2B survey data.
- Quality and relevance of experts: Assess how experts are sourced, vetted, and matched, including whether they are custom-sourced or drawn from existing panels.
- Turnaround time and workflow support: Consider the speed of expert matching, the responsiveness of the service team, and the ease of scheduling, compliance, and project management.
- Geographic and sector coverage: Evaluate whether the provider’s network aligns with your target markets and the industries you research most frequently.
- Pricing structure: Compare retainers, credit-based models, project fees, and subscriptions to determine which aligns best with your volume of calls or content usage.
Matching expert networks to use cases
- Investment and hedge fund teams:
Third Bridge, AlphaSights, and Mosaic support investment workflows, but Third Bridge’s analyst-led interviews and transcript library often make it the most useful for teams that rely on consistent sector insight and repeatable qualitative depth. - Consulting and corporate strategy teams:
GLG, Guidepoint, and AlphaSights offer broad coverage and fast sourcing for diverse project demands. Third Bridge can also add value to engagements that require deeper industry understanding or structured expert perspectives. - Market research and insights teams:
NewtonX and Atheneum excel in survey-driven and regional research, while Third Bridge provides strong qualitative depth for teams that need authoritative, interview-based insight to complement quantitative findings.
Frequently asked questions
What is GLG best known for in the expert network space?
GLG is known for its scale. It operates the largest global expert network, supported by a strong compliance framework and the ability to handle large, complex research demands across many regions and industries.
How does GLG’s network size compare with the main competitors?
GLG remains the largest in breadth and global coverage. Guidepoint and AlphaSights also offer wide reach, while Third Bridge and Mosaic prioritize curated, higher-quality conversations instead of maximizing network size.
Why might an organization choose Third Bridge or AlphaSights instead of GLG?
Third Bridge is chosen for its analyst-led interviews and transcript library, which deliver deeper qualitative insight. AlphaSights is preferred when fast expert sourcing and a responsive service model are the top priorities. Both align well with specialized workflow needs.
Which GLG competitors are best suited to smaller or more cost-sensitive teams?
Guidepoint and Atheneum often offer more flexible or project-based pricing. NewtonX can also be cost-efficient for survey-driven work. Third Bridge may be economical for teams that gain more value from transcripts than from high call volumes.
How do pricing models typically differ between these expert networks?
Expert networks use a mix of retainers, credit systems, project-based fees, and content subscriptions. Platforms that provide curated interviews or structured content tend to price differently from networks focused mainly on expert calls.
Conclusion
GLG remains a leading choice for organizations that prioritize scale, compliance, and global reach. However, competitors such as Third Bridge, AlphaSights, Guidepoint, Atheneum, NewtonX, and Mosaic each offer distinct advantages in qualitative depth, speed, pricing flexibility, or technology.
Ultimately, the best expert network for your team will align with your research model, budget, and decision timelines rather than defaulting to the largest provider by reputation alone.
Start a conversation with Third Bridge to see how expert insights can strengthen your next decision.
