DFX Intelligence vs S&P Capital IQ
S&P Capital IQ is the desktop data and analytics platform of S&P Global Market Intelligence, covering public and private capital markets with research, reference data, market data, derived analytics and valuation services.[1] DFX Intelligence is a private-market intelligence and data company whose Data Factory resolves US public filings and registries into one graph of firms, funds, companies, people and dated events, with a source and a date on every fact.
The main difference is breadth across markets: Capital IQ is a multi-asset-class platform spanning public and private markets, credit and valuations for global finance professionals, while DFX publishes a narrower graph of US private-market firms, funds, advisers and allocators from public filings, with the headline figures free to read.[1]
Facts about S&P Capital IQ as of , each linked to its source below. DFX currently tracks 7,654 private equity firms, 2,367 private credit firms and 50,650 investment adviser firms, as of 11 October 2026.
Side by side
S&P Capital IQ comes out ahead on 4 of the 6 rows below. We say so because a comparison written by one side is only worth reading if it is willing to lose.
| Criterion | DFX Intelligence | S&P Capital IQ | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markets covered | Private markets only: no public company market data, prices or estimates. method | Multi-asset-class data and analytics covering both public and private capital markets.[1] | S&P Capital IQ |
| Research | No broker research. method | Third-party research alongside S&P Global's data, analytics and valuation services.[1] | S&P Capital IQ |
| Credit | Private credit as the BDC schedules show it, position by position. No credit ratings. method | S&P Global Market Intelligence sells S&P Global Ratings' credit ratings, related data and research, and financial risk analytics.[1] | S&P Capital IQ |
| Data delivery | A real estate MCP server and an llms.txt index for AI assistants; the other graphs are read through the public pages. No CRM sync or bulk feed is published. method | Desktop, Office and mobile products, with feed-based and API delivery.[1] | S&P Capital IQ |
| Free public figures | Headline counts, rankings and dataset pages are free to read, dated, and carry a recommended citation. method | Sold mainly as subscriptions delivered through feed and web channels.[1] | DFX |
| US private-market niches | RIAs, independent sponsors and BDC schedules of investments are datasets of their own. method | Described in S&P Global's annual report as data, research and valuation across public and private markets; RIAs, independent sponsors and pension board minutes are not named.[1] | DFX |
Who S&P Capital IQ is for
S&P Global names investment managers, investment banks, private equity firms, insurance companies, commercial banks, corporations, professional services firms, government agencies and regulators as Market Intelligence's key customers.[1]
Who DFX Intelligence is for
Choose DFX if your work is the US private markets from the public record (advisers by CRD, family offices, independent sponsors, pension commitments and BDC positions) and you want to read and cite the headline figures before you buy.
How DFX sources its data
- SEC Form ADV filings since 2011 and the daily IAPD adviser feeds, for investment advisers, their private funds, owners and registered advisers. Method
- SEC Form D notices, for private fund offerings and venture rounds. Method
- SEC Form 13F holdings, read as long positions in 13(f) securities and never as a portfolio or as assets under management. Method
- Business development company 10-Q and 10-K schedules of investments, read position by position. Method
- Public pension board and investment committee minutes, for dated fund commitments, each carrying the sentence that states it. Method
Every registered source is listed on the sources page. The figures DFX publishes are on the statistics page (for example this one), and each dataset, with how to cite it, is on the datasets page.
Sources for the S&P Capital IQ column
- S&P Global Inc. annual report on Form 10-K for 2025 (Market Intelligence section), filed 11 February 2026, read 10 October 2026.
Every statement about S&P Capital IQ on this page comes from the sources above, read on the dates shown. We do not state prices, ratings or judgements about another company's data. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.