For more than four decades, Gartner has been the undisputed leader in the global research and advisory industry. More than 15,000 organizations, including a large number of Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies, rely on Gartner’s insights to guide billions of dollars in annual technology investments.
The firm generates over $6.4 billion in annual revenue and employs over 21,000 professionals worldwide. About 90% of the revenue comes from recurring research and advisory subscriptions. [1]
Gartner’s influence extends across every boardroom where technology, strategy, and transformation decisions are made. The firm states that its insights come from more than 2,500 experts, over 500,000 client interactions, 27,000 vendor briefings, and around 715,000 verified peer reviews.
However, Gartner does not operate in isolation. The global advisory and market-intelligence ecosystem is populated by a range of powerful competitors, each offering distinct strengths, specializations, and methodologies.
This article explores the top Gartner competitors (along with their analyst depth, market strengths, and technological differentiators) to understand how the global research and advisory sector is evolving.
Did you know?The global market research services market is projected to surpass $110.7 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.4%. [2]
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13. Euromonitor International
Founded in 1972Headquarters: London, UK
Number of Employees: ~2,000
Competitive Edge: Covers 210 countries, High-quality data and forecasting
Euromonitor International is an independent global market-intelligence and strategic research firm that provides data insights and analysis across industries, economies, and consumers.
Its core product is Euromonitor Passport, a digital market intelligence platform that provides access to industry data, forecasts, and analytics tools. It’s sold as an annual subscription, customized by region, industry, or business function. Clients use Passport for competitive benchmarking, strategic planning, and tracking global trends. [3]
Unlike many research firms that focus on qualitative or survey-based studies, Euromonitor excels in quantitative modeling and global data harmonization. It operates 16 offices worldwide, works with analysts in over 100 countries, and serves clients in 110 countries. Notably, about 92% of its revenue comes from outside the UK.
As a privately held firm, Euromonitor operates free from investor or vendor influence. This neutrality enhances its credibility with governments, financial institutions, and multinationals seeking unbiased intelligence.
12. Accenture Research
Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland
Number of Employees: 300+
Competitive Edge: Access to a large consulting & tech ecosystem
Accenture Research serves as the analytical engine behind Accenture’s consulting, strategy, and technology divisions. Its mission is to combine deep industry knowledge, data science, and economic modeling to identify and interpret the forces shaping industries, economies, and societies.
It supports Accenture’s clients and consultants by generating data-driven insights, market forecasts, and scenario-based thought leadership that guide transformation strategies.
The research division employs around 300 researchers in 20 countries and publishes hundreds of reports, articles, and points-of-view annually. Plus, it collaborates with more than 200 world-class organisations (institutions, start-ups, innovation hubs) to study new tools/approaches and co-develop insights.
Its research spans themes such as generative AI, digital transformation, sustainability, emerging business models, workforce and human-machine collaboration. For example, one report noted only 11% of organisations feel equipped to execute human-AI co-learning effectively.
11. Ipsos
Headquarters: Paris, France
Number of Employees: 18,600+
Competitive Edge: Global scale, Trusted reputation, and Data accuracy
Ipsos is one of the world’s largest and most recognized market research and data analytics companies that focuses on survey-based research, opinion polling, marketing insights, and behavioral analytics.
Over the past decade, Ipsos has transitioned from a traditional survey firm into a data analytics and behavioral science company, integrating AI, neuroscience, and passive data collection into its research methodologies.
Today, it serves over 5,000 clients globally, including many of the world’s top 100 brands, offering insight into consumer behavior, political sentiment, media consumption, and brand performance.
Compared to Gartner, Ipsos occupies a distinct space in the research ecosystem. While Gartner focuses primarily on B2B technology, IT strategy, and enterprise decision-making, Ipsos specializes in B2C consumer behavior, marketing, and societal sentiment analysis.
In 2024, Ipsos generated €2.4 billion in revenue, maintaining a stable global presence across EMEA (46%), the Americas (38%), and Asia-Pacific (17%). [4]
10. BCG Research
Founded in 1963 (the parent)Headquarters: Massachusetts, US
Major Research Reports: BCG Innovation Survey, SEDA Index
Competitive Edge: Academic and Institutional partnerships
BCG Research represents the research, data science, and thought-leadership division of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the “Big Three” management consulting firms, alongside McKinsey & Company and Bain & Company.
This research division operates under the umbrella of BCG Henderson Institute (BHI) and BCG X (its data science and AI innovation arm). Together, these units produce some of the most cited and influential business research worldwide, focusing on corporate strategy, digital transformation, sustainability, innovation, and macroeconomic trends.
It competes with Gartner primarily in the executive intelligence and strategic insight space, though their approaches differ fundamentally. While Gartner is a commercial research and advisory firm, BCG Research serves as an internal knowledge engine and thought-leadership driver that enhances BCG’s management consulting practice.
BCG Research publishes hundreds of industry reports and thought-leadership papers annually, addressing the world’s most pressing business and societal challenges. Its insights often appear in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Forbes, World Economic Forum reports, and major academic journals.
9. NielsenIQ
Headquarters: Illinois, US
Number of Employees: 28,000+
Competitive Edge: Unrivalled Consumer & retail data coverage
NielsenIQ is one of the world’s largest and longest-running consumer intelligence and retail analytics companies, focused on data measurement, market tracking, and analytics for consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail industries.
The firm’s mission is to provide “the Full View” of consumer behavior: it offers clients a 360-degree understanding of what people buy, how they shop, and why they make purchasing decisions. Its analytics cover both in-store and online retail ecosystems, tracking billions of transactions and consumer behaviors daily.
More specifically, NielsenIQ measures $7.2 trillion of global consumer spending, tracking 177 million products across 21 million stores and 1,800+ categories. It processes nearly 3.1 trillion data records per week.
Not just data. NielsenIQ emphasizes “what you should do next.” Its platforms and analytics help companies turn insights into action across areas like innovation, pricing, and channel strategy. This execution-focused approach sets it apart from traditional research or consulting firms.
The company generates more than $4 billion in annual revenue, driven by its syndicated measurement data, analytics services, and technology solutions. [5]
8. CB Insights
Headquarters: New York, US
Number of Employees: 200+
Competitive Edge: AI-powered research automation, Massive data ecosystem
CB Insights is a market-intelligence and analytics platform focused on private-company, venture-capital, startup, and technology-innovation data.
It employs roughly 200 professionals, including data scientists, machine learning engineers, and industry analysts, who work together to extract predictive intelligence from massive datasets.
Unlike traditional research firms that rely primarily on analyst expertise, CB Insights’ core strength lies in its AI-driven data aggregation and predictive analytics engine, which tracks millions of data points across private companies, patents, venture funding rounds, partnerships, M&A transactions, and emerging technologies.
Its proprietary machine-learning engine, called Mosaic Algorithm, evaluates startup health, market momentum, and investor behavior. It leverages large data sets and visualization tools to help clients forecast which technologies or companies are likely to succeed or fail.
More specifically, the platform monitors data from over 10 million companies and 12,000 VC funds, making it one of the most comprehensive innovation databases in the world.
7. Omdia
Founded in 2020Headquarters: London, UK
Number of Employees: 600+
Competitive Edge: Extensive data coverage, Integration of legacy research brands
Omdia emerged through the merger of several established research brands, including Ovum, IHS Markit Technology, Tractica, and parts of Heavy Reading. Although the Omdia name is relatively new, it carries more than 50 years of combined research expertise from these legacy companies.
Their analysts track and forecast innovation across areas like telecom networks, semiconductors, consumer electronics, media streaming, AI, IoT, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and industrial automation.
Omdia tracks over 12,000 companies, covers more than 3,000 topics, and serves clients in 180+ countries. It draws on more than 200 million data points to produce over 4,000 deliverables each year, including market analyses and data-driven insight products. [6]
Compared to Gartner, which leads in enterprise IT strategy and C-suite advisory services, Omdia’s strength lies in depth, technical accuracy, and industry specificity. Many organizations use both together: “Gartner for strategy, Omdia for quantification.”
6. 451 Research
Headquarters: New York, US
Number of Employees: 500+
Competitive Edge: Specialization in emerging technologies
As part of S&P Global, 451 Research plays a strategic role in connecting financial market data with technology market intelligence. Its strength lies in deep, early-stage technology analysis (identifying and interpreting innovations before they hit mainstream adoption).
451 Research is known for identifying and tracking technologies at early stages of adoption, from edge computing and Kubernetes orchestration to blockchain infrastructure, AI platforms, and cyber resilience frameworks. Its reports often precede Gartner’s by several quarters in identifying market inflection points.
It employs approximately 500 professionals globally, including 250+ technology analysts, economists, and data scientists.
The firm benefits from extensive data assets like its Datacenter KnowledgeBase, which tracks 12,960+ facilities, and its M&A KnowledgeBase, which tracks 80,000+ tech and telecom company transactions. These resources give the firm a strong edge in delivering data-rich insights. [7]
451 Research publishes thousands of reports, forecasts, and market trackers each year. Its “Voice of the Enterprise (VoTE)” and “Voice of the Customer” survey programs collect insights from over 60,000 IT professionals and executives globally, enabling it to deliver quantitative and sentiment-based intelligence about digital transformation trends, adoption barriers, and investment priorities.
5. Everest Group
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas, US
Number of Employees: 1,200+
Competitive Edge: Proprietary PEAK Matrix framework, BPO expertise
Everest Group has built a strong reputation as one of the most data-driven and analytically rigorous competitors in the enterprise research space. It focuses tightly on technology services, outsourcing ecosystems, business process services (BPS), and engineering & R&D services.
For example, its “BPS Top 50” report analyses the largest third-party providers of business process services globally.
Everest Group has its proprietary PEAK Matrix Assessments, a series of benchmarking frameworks that evaluate vendors based on market impact, vision, and delivery capability. It has also launched “Advanced SciTech” and coverage of generative AI, digital transformation, and next-gen services.
The Group operates across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, with major research centers in India, the UK, and the US. It employs roughly 700 professionals, including 350+ industry analysts and consultants.
It competes directly with Gartner’s Sourcing & Vendor Management (SVM) and Technology Services research divisions. Many enterprise uses Everest Group alongside Gartner (Gartner for strategic technology vision and Everest Group for execution-level benchmarking and sourcing validation).
4. McKinsey Global Institute
Headquarters: Washington, DC, US
Number of Employees: 10,000+
Competitive Edge: Independence and credibility, High-profile research themes
The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) is the economic and research think tank of McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms. It serves as McKinsey’s internal research and analytics arm, producing independent, data-driven insights that address global economic, business, and policy issues.
MGI combines macro-level economic research with industry-level analytics to inform public and private sector leaders. Its work covers a wide range of themes, including global growth trends, the impact of AI on productivity, climate transitions, urbanization, and inclusive development.
Each year, it publishes 20-30 major reports supported by hundreds of detailed economic datasets, often co-authored with McKinsey’s senior partners and industry experts.
And here’s the most interesting part: MGI publishes its reports, data visualizations, infographics, and interactive tools publicly and free of charge. [8]
Instead of relying on client subscriptions, MGI is funded through McKinsey & Company’s partner pool. Because its research is not commissioned by external clients, the institute maintains strong editorial independence.
3. Frost & Sullivan
Headquarters: California, US
Number of Employees: 1,200+
Competitive Edge: Growth-first mindset, Deep industry specialization
Frost & Sullivan (F&S) is one of the world’s longest-established and most diversified research, consulting, and growth strategy firms. It helps companies identify, analyze, and capitalize on emerging opportunities across global industries.
The firm pioneered the concept of “growth consulting,” a hybrid approach of market research, business advisory, and innovation strategy.
Unlike many other research firms that primarily offer vendor evaluations or industry overviews, F&S emphasises growth. It identifies where clients can expand, innovate, enter new markets, shift business models, and exploit disruptive technologies.
F&S offers tools like FROST AI, Growth Vector, and Growth Pipeline-as-a-Service, along with best-practice benchmarking and growth-mapping frameworks. These solutions provide deeper insights beyond traditional research.
Compared to Gartner, which dominates enterprise technology and IT strategy, F&S is exceptionally strong in sector-specific intelligence and innovation-driven consulting, particularly in manufacturing, energy, transportation, defense, and healthcare.
2. Forrester Research
Headquarters: Massachusetts, US
Number of Employees: 1,500+
Competitive Edge: Proprietary frameworks like Wave and Technographics
Forrester Research is one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms that helps companies drive growth through customer experience, digital transformation, and technology strategy.
It is widely regarded as Gartner’s closest challenger in the qualitative and strategic advisory segment of the research industry. While Gartner advises “what technologies to buy and how to use them,” Forrester helps clients determine “how technology impacts customers and revenue.”
Its proprietary frameworks, like Forrester Wave, Technographics, and CX Index, provide measurable, differentiated evaluation methodologies that directly compete with Gartner’s Magic Quadrant and Hype Cycle.
The firm has grown both organically and through acquisitions (such as the 2019 acquisition of SiriusDecisions) to augment its capabilities in B2B research, marketing & sales advisory, and peer-community programs.
It hosts flagship events like Forrester CX North America, Forrester B2B Summit, and Forrester Data Strategy Forum, attracting thousands of senior leaders annually. These events generate both sponsorship and attendance revenue while reinforcing Forrester’s thought-leadership brand.
In 2024, Forrester reported $432.5 million in revenue. The company has over 1,500 employees worldwide and serves a significant portion of large enterprises, with 61% of the Fortune 100 listed as clients. [9]
1. International Data Corporation (IDC)
Headquarters: Massachusetts, US
Number of Employees: 2,500+
Competitive Edge: Quantitative Depth, Scale & global footprint
IDC has spent more than six decades building a strong reputation as a data-driven research leader. It is known for its detailed market forecasts, industry tracking reports, and in-depth data analytics.
IDC has more than 1,300 analysts operating in 110+ countries, delivering regional and local expertise. The company emphasises its data & analytics capabilities, citing over 11 billion data points, covering 115+ technologies and 600,000+ companies. [10]
Unlike traditional management consulting firms, IDC focuses heavily on quantitative data and predictive modeling, offering clients detailed market sizing, vendor market share, and technology adoption forecasts that span five- to ten-year horizons.
It collectively generates thousands of forecasts and industry reports each year. These reports cover every major segment of IT, including cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, data management, semiconductors, and telecommunications.
IDC also hosts major industry events and executive conferences, such as the IDC Directions series, where CIOs, IT leaders, and technology vendors come together to discuss market trends and future innovations.
This event network supports IDC’s engagement with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, helping build brand recognition similar to that of Gartner’s global conference business.
Read More
- 18 Best Science And Technology Research Labs In The World
- 8 Different Types Of Research [With Examples]
- 13 Best Market Research Tools You Must Use
- Rating Action, Fitch affirms Gartner at ‘BBB’, Fitch Ratings
- Industry Report, Global market research services trend analysis, The Business Research Company
- Passport, Research spans 210 countries and 99.9% of the world’s consumers, Euromonitor
- Key Figures, Revenue by region and audience, Ipsos
- NIQ Global Intelligence, NIQ’s annual revenue is over $4.1 billion, Investing
- About Us Page, Intelligence and advice powered by decades of global expertise, Omdia
- 451 Research, Covering all phases of technology innovation from adoption to investment, S&P Global
- About MGI, A fact base to aid decision making on the economic and business issues, McKinsey
- Fact Sheet, Forrester analysts and consultants serve clients globally, Forrester
- Data & Analytics, Driving growth and differentiation through analysts and rich data, IDC
