Top 15 Alternative Data Providers Powering Smarter Decisions

It's 2025, and the world has moved on from the days when a quarterly report was enough to impress the team. Today, everyone from hedge funds to scrappy startups wants to know what’s happening right now—not last month, not last week, but this very minute. And they want it in a format that actually fits their workflow, not a 200-column CSV that takes a PhD to decode.

That’s the reality I see every day as someone who’s spent years building SaaS and automation products for business users. The alternative data market has exploded, and it’s not just for Wall Street quants anymore. Sales, marketing, operations, even real estate agents—everyone is hungry for external signals that give them an edge. But here’s the twist: more and more teams don’t want to buy a giant “mystery box” of data. They want to define their own fields, scrape just the info they need, and plug it straight into their favorite tools. That’s the new wave, and it’s what inspired us at to rethink what an alternative data provider can be.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the 15 most impactful alternative data providers out there—spanning web scraping, satellite imagery, app analytics, and more. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 strategist or a solo operator, you’ll see how the landscape is shifting from rigid, expensive data bundles to flexible, self-serve solutions that put the power back in your hands.

Why Alternative Data Providers Matter for Modern Businesses

Let’s face it: in today’s economy, having an information advantage is everything. The global alternative data market is already valued at and is growing at a breakneck pace—some say up to 50% a year. Why? Because traditional sources just don’t cut it anymore. If you’re still relying solely on financial statements or annual surveys, you’re probably missing the signals that actually move markets.

Alternative data providers step in to fill that gap. They supply insights that traditional sources often miss—think granular web activity, geolocation patterns, real-time job postings, or even satellite images of parking lots. Studies show that organizations with access to timely data experience compared to those stuck in the slow lane.

And it’s not just for Wall Street anymore. now use alternative data, but so do sales, operations, and marketing teams—thanks to a new generation of that put data collection in the hands of non-technical users.

Alternative data comes in many flavors:

• Web scraping: Real-time extraction of online content, prices, reviews, or company info.
• App analytics: Mobile app downloads, usage, and revenue signals.
• Satellite imagery: Visual evidence of economic or physical changes.
• Transaction data: Credit card swipes, purchase trends.
• Location/foot traffic: How many people visit a store, when, and for how long.

What unites these sources is their non-traditional nature—they tap into the digital exhaust of the modern world, from tweets and forum posts to IoT sensor readings and satellite snapshots. The result? Faster, smarter decisions and a real edge over the competition.

How We Chose the Top 15 Alternative Data Providers

The alternative data universe is massive, so picking the top 15 wasn’t just about who has the biggest dataset or the flashiest website. Here’s what I looked for:

• Data Variety & Uniqueness: Providers had to deliver robust datasets beyond what you’d find in standard reports—whether that’s web scraping, geospatial imagery, or consumer transactions. Bonus points for those who aggregate multiple types.
• Data Accuracy & Freshness: Quality matters. I prioritized companies with rigorous validation and frequent updates (real-time or daily, not “we’ll get back to you next quarter”).
• Accessibility & Self-Service: The industry is moving toward user-friendly platforms and no-code interfaces. I favored providers that empower non-technical users to get what they need, fast.
• Flexible Pricing & Customization: The days of “buy the whole haystack to get one needle” are over. Providers that let you buy just the data you need, or offer modular, pay-as-you-go pricing, scored high.
• Integration & Output Options: Data is only useful if it fits your workflow. I looked for platforms that export to Excel, Google Sheets, APIs, or integrate with BI tools.
• Use Case Breadth: I included a mix of providers serving enterprises, SMBs, and even solo operators—some are niche, some are broad, but all have proven impact.

This approach means you’ll see both the traditional heavyweights and the new, lightweight disruptors. Let’s get into the list.

The Best Alternative Data Providers at a Glance

Here’s a quick comparison table to help you spot which provider might fit your needs. (Spoiler: There’s no one-size-fits-all. But there is a right fit for every team.)

1. Thunderbit: Flexible Web Scraping for Non-Technical Teams

Let’s start with the tool closest to my heart—. We built Thunderbit because we saw a huge gap in the market: most alternative data providers were selling giant, fixed-schema datasets to big banks and enterprises. Great if you have a team of engineers and a six-figure budget—not so great if you’re a sales manager or a marketing analyst who just wants to grab 50 product prices or scrape a list of leads.

Thunderbit flips the script. It’s an that lets anyone—yes, even your most Excel-loving colleague—scrape almost any website in just a couple of clicks. No code, no drama, no IT ticket required.

The magic sauce? Our “AI Suggest Fields” button. Click it, and Thunderbit’s AI scans the page and recommends the data fields you might want (product name, price, rating, etc.). You can tweak or confirm the suggestions, then hit scrape. Need to go deeper? Thunderbit can even (like clicking into each product page for more details) and handle tricky sites with logins or infinite scroll.

Once you’ve got your data, export it directly to Excel, Google Sheets, Airtable, or Notion—no hidden fees, no limits on exports. Our starts at just $15/month, and there’s a to let you try before you buy.

Thunderbit is perfect for:

• Lead generation (scraping directories or LinkedIn for contacts)
• Price monitoring (tracking competitors)
• Content aggregation (pulling articles, reviews, or social posts)
• Custom research (define your own fields, get exactly what you need)

And because it’s lightweight and cloud-enabled, you can scale up or down as needed—no more buying the whole haystack just to get a needle. For non-technical teams who want to build their own data assets, Thunderbit is a breath of fresh air in a world of heavy, expensive data platforms.

Want to see more? Check out our for use cases, or and try it for yourself.

2. Exploding Topics: Trend Discovery Through Web Data

Ever wish you could spot the next big thing before it hits the mainstream? Exploding Topics does exactly that. It scours the web—search queries, social media, forums, news—and uses algorithms to surface topics that are gaining traction fast. Think of it as your early-warning radar for what’s about to go viral.

What sets Exploding Topics apart is its blend of machine learning and human curation. Every trend is vetted by analysts to filter out short-term noise (no, “left-handed fidget spinners” probably aren’t the next iPhone). The result: a curated dashboard of emerging topics, complete with growth rates, search volume, and historical trend graphs.

Marketers, product managers, and investors use Exploding Topics to:

• Identify rising consumer interests
• Spot new product categories
• Adjust campaigns before the competition catches on

The platform offers a free tier for a taste of current trends, while the Pro subscription ($99/month) unlocks the full database, weekly updates, and API access. If you’re in the business of staying ahead, this is a tool worth bookmarking.

3. Thinknum: Real-Time Business and Consumer Web Data

Thinknum is all about turning the web into a giant, constantly-updating spreadsheet about companies. They scrape job listings, product prices, store locations, social media engagement, and more from over 450,000 companies—giving you a real-time read on business activity.

Why does this matter? Because hiring trends, price changes, and inventory shifts often signal what’s happening before it shows up in earnings reports. Thinknum’s web platform lets you query, visualize, and set alerts—no coding required. Analysts and investors use it to:

• Track company growth or contraction
• Benchmark competitors
• Spot market shifts as they happen

Data can be exported via API or delivered to your data warehouse, and Thinknum is cited by major media for its accuracy. It’s a powerhouse for anyone who wants to “wield the web as data.”

4. Lighthouse: Short-Term Rental and Property Data

If you’re in real estate, hospitality, or travel, Lighthouse is your go-to for short-term rental (STR) and hotel data. They track over 19 million active listings across Airbnb, Vrbo, , and more—covering pricing, occupancy, demand, and even future booking trends.

Lighthouse’s dashboards let you:

• Compare STR and hotel performance in any market
• Analyze supply, rates, and occupancy trends
• Identify investment opportunities

Forward-looking data (365 days of future bookings) is a game-changer for revenue forecasting. Whether you’re a hotel revenue manager, property investor, or tourism agency, Lighthouse shines a light on the short-term lodging market.

5. Quiver Quantitative: Alternative Data for Investors

Quiver Quantitative is on a mission to “democratize” investment data that was once the exclusive domain of hedge funds. Their platform aggregates everything from U.S. political insider trades (yes, you can track what Congress is buying and selling) to corporate insider trades, government contracts, social sentiment, and more.

For investors, Quiver is a one-stop dashboard for:

• Tracking political and regulatory signals
• Monitoring social buzz around stocks
• Accessing government contract and lobbying data

The core platform is free, with a $25/month premium tier for advanced features and API access. If you want to level the playing field with institutional investors, Quiver is a great place to start.

6. Verisk: Customer Identity and Transaction Data

Verisk is a heavyweight in consumer identity, behavior, and transaction data. Their “Identity Graph” covers 250 million individuals and 120 million U.S. households, linking names, addresses, emails, device IDs, and more. On top of that, they layer in demographics, psychographics, purchase history, and even life event indicators.

Verisk’s data is used for:

• Marketing personalization
• Fraud detection and risk assessment
• Enriching CRM and customer insights

Delivery is via API or data files, with a focus on compliance and real-time updates. If you need a 360-degree view of consumers at scale, Verisk is the gold standard.

7. Dataminr: Real-Time Event and Risk Detection

Dataminr is the “early warning system” for real-world events. Their AI scans social media, news, blogs, sensor data, and more to detect emerging risks—often minutes or hours before they hit mainstream news.

Use cases include:

• Corporate security and crisis management
• Financial trading (getting news before the wire services)
• Newsrooms and public sector emergency response

Dataminr’s alerts are delivered via dashboard, app, email, or API, and are tailored to your specific risks or interests. For organizations where “minutes matter,” Dataminr is a real-time risk radar.

8. WageScape: Hiring and Compensation Insights

WageScape(from Dewey Data) transforms the chaos of online job ads into structured, real-time labor market intelligence. They scrape hundreds of job boards and corporate sites, covering over 600 million listings and adding 24+ million new postings each month.

With WageScape, you can:

• Benchmark salaries by role, location, or company
• Track hiring demand and skill requirements
• Analyze labor market trends in near real-time

Dashboards make it easy to slice and dice the data, and there’s a freemium model for small queries. For HR, recruiting, or economic analysis, WageScape is a must-have.

9. FlightAware: Aviation and Logistics Data

FlightAware is the definitive source for real-time flight tracking and aviation data. They aggregate feeds from air traffic control, airlines, and a global network of ADS-B receivers to track commercial, private, and cargo flights worldwide.

Industries use FlightAware to:

• Monitor logistics and supply chain disruptions
• Track airline performance and recovery trends
• Analyze economic activity via flight patterns

There’s a free tier for basic tracking, with paid APIs for integration and high-volume needs. If it flies, FlightAware probably knows about it.

10. Capitol Trades: Government Investment Tracking

Capitol Trades brings transparency to the financial dealings of U.S. government officials by tracking their stock trades and investments. The platform aggregates disclosures from Congress and other officials, making it easy to filter by politician, asset, trade size, party, and more.

Capitol Trades is used by:

• Journalists and watchdogs
• Investors looking for “political alpha”
• Compliance teams monitoring for conflicts

Best of all, it’s free and open to the public. If you want to see what lawmakers are doing with their money, this is the place.

11. Umbra: Satellite Imaging for Alternative Data

Umbra is shaking up the satellite imagery game with on-demand, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Unlike traditional satellites, SAR works night and day, through clouds or smoke—giving you a direct view of what’s happening on the ground.

Use cases include:

• Monitoring oil rigs, pipelines, and mining activity
• Counting cars in retail parking lots
• Tracking shipping containers and port activity
• Assessing natural disaster damage

Umbra’s pay-per-image model makes satellite data accessible to smaller businesses and analysts—no need for a six-figure subscription.

12. SimilarWeb: Website Traffic and Digital Analytics

SimilarWeb is the market leader in digital intelligence, providing estimations of website and app traffic, engagement, and market share. Their data comes from browser extensions, panels, partnerships, and direct site measurements.

Marketers and strategists use SimilarWeb to:

• Benchmark their site against competitors
• Analyze traffic sources and audience demographics
• Spot emerging digital trends

There’s a free tier for basic info, with paid plans for full access and API integration. If you need to know who’s winning online, SimilarWeb is your best friend.

13. Apptopia: Mobile App Performance Data

Apptopia brings transparency to the mobile app economy. They estimate downloads, active users, revenue, retention, and even SDK integrations for virtually every major app.

Apptopia is used by:

• App developers and product teams for benchmarking
• Marketers tracking competitor growth
• Investors looking for early signals on tech companies

The dashboard is user-friendly, with alerts and API access for deep analysis. If you care about the app landscape, Apptopia makes it quantifiable.

14. SafeGraph: Location and Foot Traffic Data

SafeGraph is the go-to for geospatial data—covering millions of points of interest (POIs) and aggregating anonymized mobile location data to measure foot traffic. Updated monthly, SafeGraph’s data is used for:

• Retail site selection and marketing measurement
• Real estate investment analysis
• Urban planning and tourism analytics

Their transparent schema and privacy protections make them a trusted source, and data is available via API or CSV download.

15. YipitData: Custom Web Data for Investors

YipitData is the “outsourced alternative data team” for institutional investors. They don’t just sell datasets—they build custom web scraping and analysis projects to answer specific questions about companies and industries.

YipitData covers 70+ public companies across e-commerce, ride-hailing, streaming, and more. Their analysts combine web data, transaction data, and app usage to deliver actionable insights via reports and dashboards. It’s a premium, analyst-driven service for those who need the deepest dives.

Comparing Alternative Data Providers: Features, Flexibility, and Pricing

Let’s make this even easier. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of all 15 providers:

Key takeaways:

• Traditional providers like SimilarWeb, SafeGraph, and Verisk offer broad datasets with enterprise integrations, but often at higher cost and via annual licenses.
• Newer entrants like Thunderbit and Capitol Trades emphasize flexibility and low/no cost accessibility—perfect for smaller teams or individuals.
• Some providers are highly specialized (FlightAware for flights, Lighthouse for STR, Capitol Trades for political trades), while others like Thinknum and YipitData cover many sectors but are geared toward institutional use.

The Shift Toward Flexible, Self-Serve Data Collection

Here’s the big trend: the market is moving away from monolithic, bundled data feeds and toward . Why? Because teams want to:

• Define their own data needs: No more paying for 1,000 tickers when you only care about five.
• Move faster: Self-serve platforms let you get answers in minutes, not weeks.
• Save money: Modular, pay-as-you-go pricing means you only pay for what you use.
• Empower non-technical users: No-code tools like Thunderbit put data collection in the hands of business users.

This democratization is a game changer. Now, a marketing analyst can scrape a competitor’s site for prices on Monday, test a hypothesis by Wednesday, and have a new campaign live by Friday—all without waiting for IT or buying a giant data bundle.

Providers who enable easy slicing, dicing, and integration of their data are gaining favor. Some, like Thunderbit, let you literally decide “I want these three fields from these 50 pages” and get it instantly. Others, like SafeGraph, let you download just the foot traffic data for your region, not the whole country.

The benefits are clear:

• Lower barrier to entry: Small teams can now harness alt data.
• Faster decision-making: Real-time data means real-time action.
• Customization: Focus on the signals that matter to you.
• Cost savings: No more overpaying for unused data.

We’re moving toward a world where accessing external data is as easy as spinning up a Google Doc—and that’s unlocking a whole new wave of data-driven decision making.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Alternative Data Provider for Your Team

So, how do you pick the right provider? Here’s my cheat sheet:

• Match data to your use case: Are you tracking online trends, benchmarking competitors, forecasting sales, or monitoring risk? Choose a provider that specializes in your domain.
• Team size and skills: If you have a data science team, raw datasets and APIs might be best. For business analysts or small teams, look for user-friendly dashboards or no-code tools.
• Budget and scale: Enterprise providers bring comprehensive data (and support), but at a price. For budget-conscious needs, explore freemium and mid-tier options.
• Data freshness and frequency: Need real-time alerts? Go for Dataminr or Thinknum. Weekly or monthly data? Most providers fit the bill.
• Integration and compatibility: Make sure the data fits your workflow—whether that’s Excel, Tableau, or a custom CRM.
• Test and learn: Take advantage of free trials and proof-of-concept offers. Scrape a sample with Thunderbit, trial Exploding Topics Pro, or download a SafeGraph sample before you commit.

And don’t be afraid to mix and match. Many teams use a hybrid approach—combining self-serve scraping for niche needs with broader data feeds for macro trends.

The bottom line: The alternative data landscape in 2025 is more flexible, accessible, and powerful than ever. By clearly defining your needs and leveraging the new generation of providers, you can build a data strategy that’s both cost-effective and impactful. No more settling for pre-packaged insights that don’t quite fit—get exactly the data you need, when you need it.

As always, keep an eye on data provenance and vendor reputation to ensure you’re getting accurate, ethically-sourced information. With the right provider (or combo), alternative data can power smarter, faster decisions for your team—transforming raw information into a true competitive edge.

Ready to start building your own data asset? and see how easy it is to go from “I wish I had that data” to “Here it is, in my spreadsheet, right now.” And if you’re hungry for more insights, check out our for deep dives, tutorials, and the latest in web scraping and alternative data trends.

FAQs

1. What is alternative data and why is it important in 2025?

Alternative data refers to non-traditional information sources—like web scraping, app analytics, satellite imagery, and foot traffic—that offer real-time insights into markets, consumer behavior, and business trends. In 2025, it's become essential for businesses across industries to gain a competitive edge, as traditional data sources often lag behind or lack granularity.

2. Who uses alternative data besides investors?

While hedge funds were early adopters, alternative data is now widely used by marketing teams, sales departments, real estate professionals, HR recruiters, operations managers, and startups. Tools like Thunderbit make it accessible to non-technical users who want to gather and analyze their own external data quickly and affordably.

3. How are companies shifting their approach to buying data?

Businesses are moving away from large, expensive, pre-packaged datasets in favor of flexible, self-serve platforms. They want to define their own data fields, pay only for what they need, and plug the results directly into their existing tools—without needing engineering support or data science teams.

4. What makes Thunderbit different from other data providers?

Thunderbit is a no-code, AI-powered web scraping tool designed for non-technical users. It runs as a Chrome extension, automatically detects key data fields on websites, and allows easy export to Google Sheets, Excel, or Airtable. Its affordability, ease of use, and self-serve flexibility make it ideal for small businesses and agile teams.

5. What should I consider when choosing an alternative data provider?

Key factors include: your specific data needs (e.g., trend tracking, job data, flight tracking), your team’s technical ability, your budget, data update frequency, integration options, and whether the provider offers trials or sample datasets. Combining multiple providers may be the best way to build a tailored data strategy.