Selecting the right expert network partner is a critical decision for investment, consulting, and strategy teams. The quality, speed, and reliability of your research provider directly impact due diligence, market intelligence, and strategic decision-making.
GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group) is recognized as the pioneer and largest global expert network, known for its scale and breadth.
Third Bridge has quickly established itself as a leader in content depth, offering client and Third Bridge analyst-led interviews and an extensive transcript library.
This guide explores the core differences, GLG’s scale and throughput versus Third Bridge’s structured, qualitative insight, and provides practical advice to help you choose the best fit for your research needs.
Key differences at a glance
While both GLG and Third Bridge connect clients with subject-matter experts, their approaches differ:
Third Bridge focuses on deep qualitative insight through Third Bridge analyst-led interviews and private-market expertise. This creates differentiated intelligence, especially in niche sectors where context and accuracy matter most.
GLG provides broad expert access at scale but tends to deliver more transactional and variable-quality interactions that often require the client to extract the insight themselves.
Third Bridge’s main advantage is the strength and structure of its research outputs, including Third Bridge analyst-led calls, transcript libraries, thematic interviews, and value-chain intelligence that investors can act on immediately.
GLG’s main advantage is volume. A large expert pool supports a wide range of generalist requests, but without the same depth or analytical rigor Third Bridge is known for.
Third Bridge is especially aligned to buy-side and strategy teams, demanding decision-ready insight, comprehensive due diligence support,and consistent depth across every project.
GLG remains useful for high-volume expert access and broad global coverage, but it can lack the curated precision and private-market insight that differentiates Third Bridge.
What is GLG?
Founded in 1998, GLG is the original architect of the modern expert network model. Branded as the “World’s Insight Network,” GLG maintains a global roster of approximately 1.2 million professionals. It serves top private equity funds, hedge funds, corporates, and consultancies by connecting clients rapidly to subject-matter experts for calls, surveys, events, and integrated research programs. All services are supported by a robust, long-standing compliance framework.
What is Third Bridge?
Third Bridge is a global expert-insight and primary-research firm serving investors and business leaders with a suite of content-led products. These include expert calls, a vast transcript library, and more.
Third Bridge’s strength lies in qualitative research, Third Bridge analyst-led interviews, curated transcripts and value-chain visualizations tailored for investment and strategy workflows. The firm custom sources experts for each project and follows a strict no self-referral policy, which helps ensure higher relevance, independence, and reduced bias compared with open expert marketplaces.
Its typical users are private equity, hedge funds, mutual funds, and management consultancies seeking differentiated insights on both public and private companies.
Detailed comparison: GLG vs Third Bridge
Network scale and coverage: breadth vs focus
Why it matters: Access to the right expert, in the right market, at the right time is foundational to effective research. Network breadth determines how quickly and reliably you can source relevant expertise.
- GLG: With approximately 1.2 million experts spanning every major sector and geography, GLG excels at quickly filling mainstream and common requests. Its scale is unmatched, making it the go-to for broad, multi-sector coverage.
Trade-off: Sheer breadth does not always guarantee the deepest or most specialized fit. - Third Bridge: Smaller but closely aligned to investor use cases, with strong context due to it’s extensive Library and value chain insights.
Trade-off: Narrower coverage outside core investment focus.
Best fit: GLG for broad coverage and responsiveness. Third Bridge for focused depth.
Speed and workflow efficiency
Why it matters: Research timelines and deal velocity are critical.
- GLG: Fast matching and high throughput for calls and surveys.
Trade-off: Speed may outweigh perfect alignment. - Third Bridge: Analyst-led interviews deliver higher context.
Trade-off: Lead times may be slightly longer.
Best fit: GLG for high-frequency needs. Third Bridge for strategic depth.
Content and insight format: calls vs reusable assets
Why it matters: Teams differ in how they need insights delivered.
- GLG: Primarily call-driven with some library content.
Trade-off: More client synthesis required. - Third Bridge: Transcript and value chain insights provide reusable insight.
Trade-off: Higher per-insight costs and licensing complexity.
Best fit: GLG for interaction-driven workflows. Third Bridge for content-driven workflows.
Scalability and repeatability of research
Why it matters: Enterprise teams need sustained volume across many topics.
- GLG: Built for large enterprises with recurring needs.
Trade-off: May feel heavy for smaller or niche users. - Third Bridge: Efficient for research on defined investment universes.
Trade-off: Less ideal for broad, high-volume variability.
Cost structure and predictability
Why it matters: Budget strategies differ across firms.
- GLG: Retainer and prepayment structures allow efficient scaling.
Trade-off: Utilization must be monitored. - Third Bridge: Separate call and content pricing provides strong value per insight.
Trade-off: Can be expensive for volume-driven teams.
Conclusion
GLG and Third Bridge each offer valuable benefits for primary research teams. GLG delivers strong scale, broad geographic reach, and the ability to support high volumes of expert calls across many sectors. This makes it useful for exploratory or wide-ranging research needs.
Third Bridge provides deeper qualitative insight, curated content, and structured research outputs such as transcripts and maps that help decision makers ramp up faster with less effort. Its Third Bridge analyst-led approach and focus on private markets give investment and strategy teams stronger context and a more efficient path to actionable conclusions.
For many organizations, Third Bridge offers greater long-term value by reducing reliance on repeated calls, enhancing knowledge sharing, and delivering insights that are ready to use. Teams focused on informed decision making, clear investment theses, and reusable institutional knowledge often find Third Bridge the better strategic fit.
Frequently asked questions
What types of projects are GLG and Third Bridge best for?
GLG is best for fast, broad discovery projects that involve multiple sectors, large addressable markets, or frequent expert calls. This includes strategy work, market landscaping, and due diligence with high call volume. Third Bridge is best for deep qualitative research focused on specific companies, value chains, or private-market targets, especially when reusable content such as transcripts and maps is important.
How quickly can each platform source experts for a call?
Both GLG and Third Bridge can move quickly on standard profiles, with GLG benefiting from its large expert pool and established matching workflows. Third Bridge offers comparable turnaround while adding custom expert sourcing for each request, ensuring higher relevance and a stronger fit for specific research needs.
Does Third Bridge provide more than live expert calls?
Yes. Third Bridge offers a large transcript Library, value-chain maps, primers, and Third Bridge analyst-led interviews designed to provide immediate context without needing a live call. These reusable assets can accelerate research and support knowledge sharing across teams.
How does pricing work for GLG compared to Third Bridge?
Both platforms usually charge per expert interaction or operate on credit or prepayment models. GLG pricing can be more efficient for high-volume expert usage, especially under retainers. Third Bridge may charge separately for content products, resulting in higher cost per insight but lower need for repeat interviews.
Which expert network platform is better for private-company or niche-sector research?
Third Bridge is generally stronger for private-company and niche-sector diligence due to its curated sourcing and contextual interview format. GLG can still support these requests, but reaching the same depth may require multiple calls or more hands-on synthesis from the client side.
Can GLG and Third Bridge be used together in a research workflow?
Yes. Many investors, consulting firms, and corporate strategy teams use both platforms to balance breadth and depth. GLG provides quick access to a wide range of experts, while Third Bridge offers deep content and reusable insights, ensuring comprehensive research coverage.
How do GLG and Third Bridge compare in compliance and expert vetting?
Both providers maintain strong compliance programs designed for regulated sectors such as healthcare and financial services. GLG has a long track record with large institutional clients and emphasizes scale and consistency. Third Bridge also follows strict standards with compliance fully integrated into its content workflows. Most regulated firms find either suitable.
What should smaller funds with limited budgets consider when choosing between expert network platforms?
Smaller firms should evaluate expected call volume, research format needs, and whether reusable content will reduce overall spend. GLG may offer better value for frequent expert calls and broad coverage. Third Bridge may provide more cost efficiency if content reuse and targeted due diligence reduce the number of live calls required.
