If you’ve ever tried to ideate the right IT strategies for your business without any professional help, you probably got tired of endless online searches, biased vendor chit-chats, and your cousin Bob’s “expert” IT advice. 👀
That’s where big guns like Gartner shine! Since it was founded in 1979, the consulting firm has been conjuring up the latest tech insights, trends, and magic spells (okay, maybe not actual spells) to keep businesses ahead of the curve.
But Gartner’s not the only game in town—many analyst platforms offer market-oriented competitive analysis to drive more sustainable tech decisions across industries.
In this article, we’re exploring 10 noteworthy Gartner alternatives, with a special focus on what makes each of them stand out. Plus, a bonus: we’ll also reveal a top-rated tool that can help you implement IT strategies more effectively. Let’s dive in!
10 Best Gartner Alternatives to Develop Solid IT Strategies
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Gartner?
As a leading IT research and advisory firm, Gartner’s expertise lies in gathering vast amounts of data, which includes market trends, vendor capabilities, and emerging technologies across the IT sector. It analyzes this data to produce a wide range of resources.
One of its well-known proprietary offerings is the Magic Quadrant, a package of market research reports that help businesses make informed decisions by evaluating and comparing technology products and services.
Gartner also hosts conferences and provides consulting services, offering companies research and insights that help gauge their market positioning and process efficiencies.
Although the firm is highly respected, it does not cater to every industry or company size. Plus, its services are on the pricier side, which could make them unattainable for smaller businesses or startups. It’s important to consider alternatives to Gartner to meet specific research challenges or get more tailored advice for your particular situation.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in Gartner Alternatives?
When exploring alternatives to Gartner, here are some key factors to consider:
- Specialized expertise: For more tailored and relevant insights, look for firms that specialize in your industry or the niche technologies you’re interested in
- Research methodology: See if the firm’s research methodologies are transparent and comprehensive enough to extract useful, actionable insights
- Credibility: Check the firm’s track record and reputation in the industry to assess the reliability and quality of service to expect
- Analytical tools and resources: Explore the firm’s market reports, predictive analyses, and benchmarking tools in terms of data depth and breadth
- Global vs. local insights: Depending on your business’s scope, you might need a firm with a strong global perspective or one with more localized, regional insights
- Innovation and forward-thinking: Especially in the tech industry, the advisory firm must keep up with the latest trends and innovations to provide pragmatic advice
- Flexibility in service: The ability to customize reports, data sets, and consultations greatly enhances the value you receive
- Community and networking opportunities: Like Gartner, the alternative should offer networking events, webinars, luncheons, or user communities for building connections
Summarize this article for me pleaseUnlock Consulting Magic with the 10 Best Gartner Alternatives
Let’s learn about the top 10 business software alternatives to Gartner that have made a mark in the industry. From in-depth market analyses to cutting-edge tech trends, these firms and platforms can cater to a variety of needs and niches! 💗
1. Forrester
If your business seeks to develop employee- or customer-centric operations strategies, Forrester can be a strong alternative to Gartner. Its research dives deep into how technology impacts consumer behavior and employee engagement.
Similar to Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave reports are detailed analyses of various technology markets. These reports evaluate and compare tech vendors, offering insights into each provider’s strengths and weaknesses.
Forrester is known for focusing on future trends to help businesses experiment with emerging technologies. Additional resources include benchmarking tools, playbooks, and even a GenAI chatbot, Izola, which helps clients streamline the process of querying complex research data.
Forrester best features
- Focus on customer experience
- A variety of reports, tools, and resources
- Handy predictions on future trends
- GenAI assistant
- Relevant to numerous geographic locations and industries
Forrester limitations
- Some users have expressed doubts about the neutrality of its research
- The depth of analysis may be weaker compared to Gartner
- Not many reviewers rated this software
Forrester pricing
- Contact Forrester for pricing
Forrester ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (30+ reviews)
2. TrustRadius
TrustRadius also brings a customer-centric approach to the table, providing real-world feedback and experiences from actual product users. The platform’s TrustMaps are a unique feature, offering a two-dimensional visual comparison of products in a particular category based on user satisfaction and research frequency.
TrustRadius emphasizes transparency in its reviews, employing strict guidelines to ensure authenticity and prevent biased or fake reviews. 👮
This intuitive platform makes it easy for companies of all sizes to access and interpret information across 400+ software categories. This is particularly helpful for startups or businesses with limited resources to dedicate to extensive research.
TrustRadius best features
- User reviews for community-driven insights
- Comprehensive product information
- TrustMaps for a quick overview of product ratings
- Healthy transparency practices
- Accessibility and ease of use
TrustRadius limitations
- Users have pointed out some unreliable reviews
- Customer service and support response time can be improved
- Another tool with limited reviewers rated
TrustRadius pricing
- TrustRadius for Buyers: Free
- TrustRadius for Vendors: Starts at $30,000/year (multi-year discount available)
TrustRadius ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.5/5 (30+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (60+ reviews)
3. IBM Consulting
IBM Consulting, formerly known as IBM Global Business Services, offers a holistic approach by combining strategic advice with practical implementation. This can be super advantageous for businesses seeking end-to-end service solutions.
With a presence in over 200 countries and territories, IBM Consulting can address the diverse needs of businesses operating in different regions. 🌍
This company has access to advanced analytics and research powered by IBM’s significant investments in these areas that go back to the mid-seventies. It places a strong focus on innovation, constantly exploring new technologies and methodologies, like AI and cloud computing. The focus on deep knowledge is especially valuable for businesses looking to implement complex IT infrastructures or invest in groundbreaking technologies.
IBM Consulting best features
- Integrated consulting and technology solutions
- Services global companies, nonprofits, and NGOs
- Advanced analytics and research capabilities
- Emphasis on data-led transformative advice
- Customized solutions within sectors such as healthcare and finance
IBM Consulting limitations
- Geared more toward large enterprises than small businesses
- May favor its own technology solutions over those of other vendors
IBM Consulting pricing
- Contact IBM for pricing
IBM Consulting ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.9/5 (50+ reviews)
4. Nucleus Research
Nucleus Research stands out for its ROI-centric approach, factual analysis, and affinity for practical, actionable insights. It facilitates the understanding of potential financial implications and real-world effectiveness of proposed technology investments.
Similar to Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, the platform’s Value Matrix provides a visual map to assess technology vendors based on their usability, functionality, and the value they deliver to customers. Nucleus Research also offers custom research services, allowing businesses to get tailored insights specific to unique contexts and challenges.
The reports here are designed to be highly actionable, providing specific hands-on advice that businesses can implement. Nucleus Research prides itself on its independence and objectivity, offering unbiased analyses that are not influenced by vendor sponsorship.
Nucleus Research best features
- ROI-focused research
- Insightful Value Matrix ranking
- Actionable reports
- Independent and unbiased analysis
- Custom research services
Nucleus Research limitations
- Strong emphasis on ROI analysis lessens the focus on qualitative factors
- No free resources
Nucleus Research pricing
- Reader Access: $750/quarter, billed quarterly
- Tech Advisor: Contact Nucleus Research for pricing
Nucleus Research ratings and reviews
- Not enough reviews to establish credible ratings
5. Nielsen
If you work in media, advertising, or related fields, Nielsen can provide you with vital audience measurement tools, including its renowned television ratings system, to help chalk out effective strategies. While its focus is different from Gartner’s IT-centric approach, the platform offers on-point insights into consumer behavior and market trends. 📺
Nielsen’s approach is heavily data-driven. It offers a generous selection of analytical tools and services, such as Nielsen ONE, which combines viewing data across multiple media platforms, including TV, streaming services, desktop, and mobile, for ad campaign planning.
Nielsen has been integrating advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to propel its research methodologies to enhance the accuracy and depth of its insights.
Nielsen best features
- Extensive market and consumer research
- Focus on media and advertising
- Cross-platform viewership measurement with Nielsen ONE
- Tailored solutions available through custom research and consulting services
- Commitment to innovation and technology integration
Nielsen limitations
- It might not be as useful for businesses outside the media sector
- Downloading reports can be time-consuming
Nielsen pricing
- Contact Nielsen for pricing
Nielsen Marketing Cloud ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (15+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (10+ reviews)
6. Comparably
Comparably gathers data primarily from employees, offering authentic insights into company culture, salaries, and workplace experiences. It can help you make informed decisions about potential partners or vendors based on their internal practices and values, which you may or may not want to endorse.
Comparably features employer comparisons and rankings based on various criteria, such as leadership and work-life balance. It also provides insights into diversity and inclusion within organizations, an increasingly important aspect of company culture.
The platform’s data services provide a unique perspective into companies, complementing more traditional research and advisory services. It also offers employer brand management tools to help showcase your company in a positive light.
Comparably best features
- Company culture, diversity, and inclusion insights
- Detailed compensation breakdowns
- Brand management services for employers
- User-friendly interface
Comparably limitations
- The price tag for services may be relatively high
- Not enough companies listed
Comparably pricing
- Contact Comparably for pricing
Comparably ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.3/5 (Under 5 reviews)
7. IDC
Particularly well-suited for businesses in the tech sector, IDC (International Data Corporation) offers extensive analysis of a wide range of IT markets, helping businesses understand trends, opportunities, and challenges. It also produces specialized research reports, such as the IDC MarketScape, which offers comprehensive graphical assessments of competitors.
You’ll love IDC’s deep insights into specific sectors within the industry, such as IT infrastructure, software, telecommunications, and emerging technologies like AI and Internet of Things (IoT). It hosts numerous conferences and events that bring together industry leaders, providing networking opportunities and peer insights into the latest technological motivations.
IDC’s approach combines quantitative data analysis with qualitative insights, offering a well-rounded perspective on the IT landscape.
IDC best features
- In-depth market intelligence with personalized guidance
- Specialized research and reports
- Sector-specific insights
- Thought leadership events
- Quantitative and qualitative research
IDC limitations
- Limited resources outside of the tech field
- The customer support could use more training around technical issues
IDC pricing
- Contact IDC for pricing
IDC ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (20+ reviews)
8. Qmarkets
Qmarkets specializes in idea and innovation management. It’s designed to facilitate ROI-focused brainstorming, team collaboration at all levels, and the implementation of innovative solutions within organizations.
Besides continuous improvement and portfolio innovation, one of Qmarkets’ key strengths is Q-scout, a product that helps you identify promising technologies and scout the market for potential partnerships or acquisitions. Q-trend is another tool that enables you to maintain longevity by identifying, analyzing, and adapting to hot trends in your industry or immediate market.
Qmarkets offers advanced analytics and reporting capabilities essential for business evaluation, allowing organizations to track the progress of their initiatives, measure impact, and make data-driven decisions.
Qmarkets best features
- Idea management and crowdsourcing
- Collaborative approach
- Live and on-demand webinars
- Tools like Q-scout and Q-trend to enhance adaptability
- Advanced analytics and reporting
Qmarkets limitations
- Setup can be somewhat challenging
- Some users find the interface unintuitive
Qmarkets pricing
- Contact Qmarkets for pricing
Qmarkets ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (40+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (30+ reviews)
9. G2
User reviews coupled with detailed analytics make G2 a go-to resource for comparing software and technology solutions. The platform is a repository of 15,000+ market reports, such as:
- Grid® Reports: Provide an overview of various technology products, ranking them based on customer satisfaction and market presence
- Index Reports: Evaluate and rank products based on criteria like likelihood to recommend, user adoption, ROI, and time to go live
- Momentum Reports: Focus on the growth trajectory of products that are evolving
- Compare Reports: Present a side-by-side comparison of up to four competing products, contrasting their satisfaction ratings and various metric highlights
If your business has limited resources for extensive research or requires rapid decision-making, you may appreciate the direct, user-based insights G2 provides.
G2 best features
- Over 2 million real user reviews
- Dynamic reporting
- Direct product comparisons
- Includes multimedia resources and video reviews
G2 limitations
- Limited to no reviews for niche or emerging solutions
- The reliability and neutrality of user-generated content varies
G2 pricing
- Contact G2 for pricing
G2 ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (3,600+ reviews)
- TrustRadius: 7.4/10 (20+ reviews)
10. Omdia
Omdia was formed in 2020 through the merger of Informa Tech’s legacy research brands: Ovum, IHS Markit Technology, Tractica, and Heavy Reading. Its research covers a wide scope of topics, from detailed supply chain analysis and emerging technologies to telecom industry insights.
Omdia Vendor Selection combines expert analyses and user feedback (via a partnership with TrustRadius) to evaluate vendors and highlight businesses and technologies that should be on your radar. 🔍
Omdia’s end-to-end consulting services are backed by a team of over 400 experts. The Ask an Analyst option ensures that clients have direct access to these professionals, allowing for personalized consultations and in-depth discussions on specific research areas.
Omdia best features
- Integrated expertise from legacy brands
- Customized consulting services
- Go-to-market strategies and services like segmenting and target messaging
- Direct access to the analyst directory
Omdia limitations
- Doesn’t cover broader interdisciplinary fields such as FinTech and EdTech
- Limited public case studies
Omdia pricing
- Contact Omdia for pricing
Omdia ratings and reviews
- No reviews available yet
Summarize this article for me pleaseOther Tools for IT Consulting and Implementing New Tech
Picked your consultant for research? Well, your job is far from over—the only way to implement IT strategies successfully is to have reliable project management practices in place. According to 2023 statistics, 75% of respondents in the IT industry have no confidence in new strategies and often have to spend a lot of time aligning them with business goals—and all of this can be avoided if you use a capable project management solution.
ClickUp
You can save time and add value to your company by using ClickUp as a centralized hub for project management, communication, and document sharing. It supports the operations of both businesses and advisory firms across niches.
ClickUp is an end-to-end tool for handling knowledge sharing and implementation. Let’s say you received a report detailing the steps necessary to execute an ambitious IT strategy. With ClickUp Tasks, you can break down the process into manageable tasks and subtasks, each with its own deadlines, assignees, and priority levels to ensure timely completion. Throughout the project, your team can use comments and mentions within tasks to communicate and share updates, ask questions, or seek clarifications effortlessly!
Struggling to keep up with repetitive admin tasks during consultations? Take the edge off with easy-to-use ClickUp Automations—it offers a no-code interface to automate routine workflows. For example, every time a task (like Draft Report) is marked complete, an email notification is automatically sent to you for review, and the task status is updated to Review in Progress.
ClickUp is all about making the process of developing, selecting, and implementing business strategies smooth!
For instance, you can use 15+ different views to evaluate available strategies or see the progress of a project through phases. You’ll love the Board view to track progress in a Kanban-style format, following tasks from In Progress to Completed. The Gantt Chart and Calendar views are also helpful for planning out, optimizing, and executing strategies on a large scale.
Enjoy productive consultancy sessions with Clickup!
ClickUp offers several collaboration tools to enhance your consultation processes! Its free consulting templates cover everything from service agreements and time-tracking to consultancy reports.
For collaborative editing and feedback, use ClickUp Docs to work with consultants on new strategies and frameworks. With customizable permission settings, you get a streamlined place to exchange feedback and finalize documents.
To sweeten the deal, ClickUp AI can help you save time by intelligently analyzing data and summarizing documents. It can also assist you in writing and optimizing employee-facing documents to facilitate easy understanding. 🤖
If you use tools like Google Drive or Slack, integrate them with ClickUp to reduce context switching between apps.
ClickUp best features
- One-stop solution for organizing and tracking projects and team resources
- Easy task management with task lists, due dates, priorities, and dependencies
- Task automation for streamlining repetitive workflows
- ClickUp Whiteboards and Chat view for brainstorming and communicating
- Document sharing and collaborative editing
- ClickUp AI for writing support
- 15+ views for monitoring projects
- 1,000+ integrations
- Secure client collaboration
- Built-in reports and analytics to measure progress
- 1,000+ templates for various project needs
ClickUp limitations:
- Takes time to explore all features and functionalities
- The mobile app has fewer features than the desktop version
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp AI is available on all paid plans for $5 per Workspace member per month
*All listed prices refer to the yearly billing model
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,500+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseImplement Ambitious IT Strategies with ClickUp
Choosing the right research and advisory firm can give your business a competitive edge, but that’s just the start. To milk the value you get, leveraging innovative project management software like ClickUp can be a game changer.
Whether it’s through improved organization, better communication, or enhanced transparency, ClickUp can make your collaboration with consultants more productive and result-oriented.
Ready to kick off your next IT strategy? Sign up for ClickUp to make it a roaring success! 🤩
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