Market research is foundational to strong decision-making, successful product development, and effective marketing strategies. However, choosing the right partner from the many market research companies available today can quickly become daunting.
This guide will help you navigate your options by highlighting 12 of the best market research firms, tools, and solutions to consider for consumer insights in 2025.
Table of Contents:
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Comparing traditional agencies and automated research platforms
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Key features and considerations of modern market research solutions
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How to evaluate market research companies for your specific needs
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How the right market research partnership solves common business challenges
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Why brands choose to partner with quantilope for their market research
Comparing traditional agencies and automated research platforms
Before diving into some of today’s best market research tools and solutions, we first have to cover traditional market research agencies and why they’ve historically dominated the insights industry.
Traditional market research agencies have long been valued for their deep expertise, bespoke study designs, comprehensive research capabilities, and high-volume research analysis. Traditional agencies are comprised of many internal teams that collaborate one on study; a client services team will work with the end client to craft a study and then pass it along to a programming team, a fielding team, a data processing team and finally, a reporting team. For more complex studies, a behavioral science team might also get involved. As you might guess, all these teams specialize in what they do, but they each work on their own timelines (and often charge their own fees) that all bundle up into one lengthy and expensive study for the end client.
Over the years, the need for research insights has increased to a point where these long turnaround times and outdated processes (think: manually-written surveys and version control issues) no longer cut it for brands trying to stay competitive. In response to this, automated research platforms and consumer insights solutions leveraged technology and machine learning to offer speed and cost-effectiveness without scarifying data quality. The rise of automated platforms meant researchers could work on their own timelines, be more hands-on with their study, and work directly with their final insights.
Automated platforms left brands with a new kind of decision to make: not whether or not to run research for the sake of time and money, but rather, which research platform to choose?
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Navigating the modern market research landscape
With the introduction of automated research platforms and solutions, brands now have more ownership of their research process with the ability to choose between traditional research providers or automated solutions. While some insights teams may continue to opt for traditional research providers, others might be drawn to market research platforms with built-in artificial intelligence and innovative features, allowing them to gather insights in just days (as opposed to weeks or months). With these modern research tools, brands are better equipped at making timely business decisions that match the speed consumers are moving (shifting trends, new preferences, and so on).
Regardless of using a traditional provider or a modernized research platform, the best research solutions are those that can turn raw data into clear, strategic guidance, empowering teams to act decisively and gain a competitive advantage. To make sure your chosen research partner meets your modern-day goals and expectations, consider the below criteria when evaluating your options.
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Key features and considerations of modern market research solutions
When selecting a market research company or partner, below are some criteria to consider depending on your research initiatives, goals, and objectives:
AI-driven research capabilities
Artificial intelligence (AI) can automate survey designs, suggest methodologies, analyze open-ended responses, identify patterns in consumer behavior, and even help in respondent recruitment and quality control, streamlining the overall data analysis process. When choosing a market research solution, look for ones that offer AI capabilities allowing you to get more done in less time.
Advanced methodologies
Platforms should offer a range of sophisticated quantitative and qualitative research approaches through user-friendly interfaces, without requiring in-depth statistical expertise. When choosing a solution, consider if it offers a variety of advanced methodologies (e.g., Conjoint, MaxDiff, TURF) that allow you to go beyond standard usage and attitude metrics. And, is there a learning curve in order to leverage those methodologies?
Data quality & reach
Market research solutions should make it easy to connect to any global research panel of your choice through a few simple clicks. When choosing a market research solution, consider if the provider is panel agnostic – meaning you can gather insights from anywhere (e.g., vetted panel providers, your own list of contacts, etc.). Also make sure the solution is feasible to reach your target audience and desired market size, and that it can screen for specific demographics to get a representative sample.
Real-time data processing and analysis
One key advantage to modern platforms (as opposed to traditional agency processes) is the ability to see data as it comes in and access instant data analysis. By no longer having to wait for fieldwork to close or for a data processing team to send you a data file, brands can make quick pivots and act on current market trends in real-time.
Technology integrations
How technologically advanced is the research platform you’re considering? Market research solutions typically offer integrations with other business intelligence tools such as CRM systems, ensuring researchers can easily leverage their market insights with other business data for a holistic view.
Automated reporting and visualizations
When it comes time to report on your data, you’ll want a market research solution that leans on automation so you can quickly share your findings with key stakeholders. Does the solution you’re considering offer dynamic dashboards, customization options, and an array of data visualizations? Is the reporting user experience easy to navigate and do insights update in real-time with any newly-available data? Removing the tedious reporting steps from traditional agency processes is a key advantage to using modernized research solutions, so make sure your chosen provider can offer those efficiencies.
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The exact criteria to judge market research services will of course depend on your personal research goals and what you’re hoping to get out of your insights process. Use the above criteria as a starting point to ensure you’re getting the most out of your research investment.
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Best market research companies by specialization
To help navigate the many market research providers available, below is an overview of leading companies across different research industry categories, each with their own unique strengths.
Consumer intelligence platforms with AI capabilities
These research platforms offer agile, tech-driven solutions to quickly uncover deep consumer understanding.
quantilope
A leader in the insights automation space, quantilope’s Consumer Intelligence Platform is a full-service platform, empowering researchers with the largest suite of automated, advanced methodologies. quantilope’s focus is on empowering teams to capture high-quality insights with speed and efficiency, making sophisticated market research accessible to researchers of any skillset or background. For researchers needing a bit more support, quantilope assigns a dedicated research consultancy team to every managed project, and the platform’s integrated AI co-pilot, quinn, is available throughout the entire insights journey for inspiration, support, and guidance. quantilope serves clients globally and is panel agnostic, allowing research teams to connect to consumers worldwide.
Brandwatch
Brandwatch is a social intelligence tool specializing in deep social listening and advanced analytics across a vast array of online conversations and data sources. The platform helps brands identify emerging trends, analyze consumer sentiment, and track competitor activity by tapping into billions of historical and real-time social media posts, news articles, forums, and reviews. Leveraging AI-powered tools, Brandwatch provides actionable insights to inform marketing strategies, product development, and overall brand health.
Meltwater
Meltwater is a consumer intelligence solution for gathering insights related to media, social, consumer, and sales. Meltwater primarily focuses on media monitoring and social listening, enabling businesses to track brand mentions, industry trends, and competitor activity across a vast array of online and social media sources. It utilizes AI-powered analytics to help users understand consumer sentiment, identify key influencers, and measure the impact of their communications.
Specialized research providers (industry-specific tools)
These companies offer deep expertise within particular sectors, including critical areas like healthcare.
IQVIA
IQVIA (formerly Quintiles and IMS Health, Inc.) is a global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and contract research services, specializing in tools and data services for the life sciences industry. Their platform is tailored to pharmaceutical and healthcare clients, offering both primary and secondary means of market research. IQVIA platform helps clients understand market potential for pharmaceuticals, patient needs, market entry strategies, and medical device product development/launch.
Politico Pro
Politico Pro is a subscription-based policy intelligence platform. It provides real-time, in-depth news analysis covering specific policy areas and the political figures influencing them. Market researchers can use Politico Pro to understand the potential impact of legislation, regulations, and political shifts on various industries and market conditions. This allows businesses to anticipate policy-driven market changes, identify risks and opportunities, and inform their strategic decision-making by tracking relevant government activities and sentiment.
Cascade Insights
Cascade Insights focuses exclusively on B2B technology market research, offering services like win/loss analysis, market segmentation, and customer journey mapping for technology companies. They conduct market research primarily through in-depth qualitative methods, such as interviews and focus groups with industry experts, competitors, and customers, to provide actionable insights for their clients. B2B researchers can use Cascade Insights to inform business decisions related to go-to-market strategy, product development, brand messaging, and competitive positioning.
DIY market research platforms
The following research platforms empower users to design, launch, and analyze their own research projects with no (or limited) consultancy support, often appealing to startups or agile teams.
Knit
Knit is an AI-powered market research platform designed to help businesses understand their target audiences. Knit combines quantitative and qualitative methodologies, offering an end-to-end solution from survey creation to reporting. While the platform leans on AI to automate many time-intensive tasks, Knit emphasizes their ‘Researcher-Driven’ platform model to keep researchers in the driver’s seat.
Pollfish
Pollfish specializes in reaching mobile-first audiences, distributing surveys through a network of mobile app publishers for quick data collection from a global and diverse respondent pool. Its platform is built for creating and launching surveys quickly, with real-time results and basic analytics. Pollfish is particularly strong for short, quick-pulse surveys, emphasizing ease of use for DIY researchers.
Typeform:
Typeform is a DIY-capable market research tool. Its intuitive form builder offers templates and features specifically designed for collecting market research data, making it accessible for individuals and small teams to conduct their own surveys and gather insights without needing to understand complex code or technical survey systems.
Competitive analysis market research tools
These are tools researchers can leverage to ensure their content creation is on track and they’re staying competitive in online search.
Semrush
Semrush is a comprehensive digital marketing suite offering robust tools for competitive analysis. It allows users to uncover competitors' organic and paid search strategies, analyze their backlink profiles, and identify their top-performing keywords and content. Semrush provides detailed insights into competitor traffic, audience demographics, and marketing tactics across various channels. Its Market Explorer feature helps to understand the broader competitive landscape and identify key players and their market share, making it a good platform for benchmarking performance.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is highly regarded for its powerful backlink indexing and SEO analysis capabilities, making it a strong choice for competitive research. Similar to Semrush, it excels at uncovering competitors' backlink profiles, identifying their top organic keywords, and analyzing the content that drives their search traffic. Ahrefs' "Content Gap" analysis helps users find keywords their competitors rank for but they don't, revealing valuable content opportunities. The platform also allows for tracking competitor keyword rankings and estimating their organic traffic, providing a clear view of their SEO performance.
Moz Pro
Moz Pro offers a suite of SEO tools that include significant features for competitive analysis, with a strong emphasis on improving a user's own SEO performance by understanding the competitive landscape. It helps users identify their true search competitors and analyze their Domain Authority, keyword rankings, and link profiles. Moz Pro's "Keyword Gap" and "True Competitor" tools allow for side-by-side comparisons to find opportunities where competitors are outperforming. The platform also facilitates tracking competitor ranking movements and discovering their top-performing content.
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How to evaluate market research companies for your specific needs
While the above list offers insight into some of the best market research companies for various needs, below are some questions to consider as your narrow down and evaluate your options.
Essential questions to ask before partnering
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What is your approach to data quality and respondent sourcing for data collection?
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What level of support and expertise do you offer for custom research projects?
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How does your pricing model work, and what's included in it?
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How do you ensure the research methods you offer are robust and reliable for accurate forecasting?
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What type of data analytics and data visualizations does your platform offer?
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What is your typical turnaround time for a project like mine, especially for a new product launch?
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How the right market research partnership solves common business challenges
As highlighted above, there are many types of market research providers to choose from when kicking off your insights process. Investing in the right market research solution for your needs is key, as no two are built exactly the same.
Below are just a few reasons why choosing the right partner can effectively help you solve key business challenges.
Accelerating time-to-insights for faster decision making
The right market research platform will dramatically reduce the time from research initiation to actionable findings, enabling businesses to seize opportunities and mitigate risks before or as they’re happening - not as an afterthought.
Maximizing research budget efficiency
Market research providers vary in price, some offering more or less for your budget (i.e., the ability to run more studies or to get access to certain included features). Choosing the right partner means investing in a market research approach that will allow you to gather high-quality insights without completely maxing out your research budget. Brands can use this extra budget to invest in additional research efforts or other business optimization projects.
Democratizing advanced methodologies across teams
Brands today can choose providers that make more complex and costly research methods (like Conjoint analysis or TURF) accessible to anyone – not just specialized researchers. Brands can take these advanced method insights directly into boardroom conversations, proving their value as a strategic arm of their business.
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Why brands choose to partner with quantilope for their market research
quantilope stands out for its commitment to automation and innovation. quantilope’s Consumer Intelligence Platform combines the speed and cost-efficiency of automation with the rigor of advanced, scientifically-backed research methodologies that are essential for gaining a competitive advantage in today’s crowded marketplace.
quantilope allows businesses to:
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Conduct sophisticated market research in days, not weeks: From setting up studies with advanced methods to automated data analysis and reporting, quantilope’s intuitive interface allows users to quickly gather the insights they need to make competitive business decisions.
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Access high-quality global audiences: quantilope partners with trusted panel providers to ensure reliable and representative data for understanding the global market.
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Benefit from AI assistance: quantilope’s AI co-pilot, quinn, offers always-on guidance at any step of the research journey - from survey creation to analysis and reporting. Researchers can ask quinn any custom research questions (broad or technical), have quinn generate chart headlines, or lean on quinn for guidance whenever they get stuck.
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Democratize research: quantilope's intuitive interface allows users of varying expertise levels to execute high-quality research projects and gain critical customer insights.
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Lean on expert consultation: quantilope’s certified research consultants provide support and guidance to ensure impactful, actionable insights for every study.
By making advanced consumer intelligence accessible, agile, and actionable, quantilope helps businesses stay ahead of the curve and make business decisions with confidence, understanding true market dynamics before launching any new products or services.
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What's the difference between traditional market research firms and consumer intelligence platforms?
Traditional market research firms focus on project-based research, utilizing methods like surveys, focus groups, and interviews to answer specific business questions. These firms often have multiple siloed teams that all collaborate on one client project, such as a client services team, data processing team, and reporting team.
Consumer Intelligence Platforms offer more modernized ways to run research, often leveraging AI and automation to provide real-time insights into consumer behavior, motivations, and market trends. While traditional firms often provide in-depth analysis for specific queries, Consumer Intelligence Platforms like quantilope aim to empower uses to be more hands-on for an ongoing, dynamic understanding of their consumer.
Are automated research methods as reliable as traditional research approaches?
Automated research methods are highly reliable, often excelling in speed, scalability, and the ability to analyze vast datasets. Automated methods can even uncover patterns missed by the human eye with traditional, non-automated solutions.
The reliability of any research method (traditional or automated) depends on factors like proper survey design, data quality, and the appropriate application.
Learn more about all of quantilope's automated research methods.
Can small research teams effectively leverage advanced market research methods?
Yes, small research teams can effectively leverage advanced market research methods!
The increasing availability of user-friendly and scalable market research tools, including AI-powered platforms and automated solutions, has made sophisticated market research techniques like advanced methods much more accessible. By clearly defining research objectives, prioritizing methodologies that offer the most impact, and utilizing technology for data collection and analysis, even small teams can gain powerful insights without the extensive resources traditionally required.
How do I measure the ROI of my investment in market research technology?
Measuring the ROI of market research technology involves comparing the gains from the investment against its costs to implement.
Key steps include defining clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) before implementation – such as increased sales, improved customer acquisition cost, or enhanced market share. Track these metrics post-implementation and calculate the net profit or value generated (e.g., cost savings, revenue growth attributed to insights), relative to the total cost of the technology (including subscription, training, and operational expenses).
