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BuyerIQ vs Market Research Consultants

Enterprise insights without the enterprise timeline or budget

Last updated: January 2026

The consultant paradox

You hire a consultant to validate your market. 8 weeks later, you get a 60-page deck. By then, you've already pivoted twice or a competitor shipped.

Consultants deliver comprehensive research, but startups need speed. The market doesn't wait for your findings.

Comparison

ConsultantsBuyerIQ
Cost$15,000 - $100,000+$39/month unlimited
Time to Insights4-12 weeks30 seconds
Iteration SpeedNew project = new engagementUnlimited analyses
MethodologyVaries by firmConsistent, validated AI
Buyer Segments5-10 personas typically100+ segments analyzed
Purchase IntentQualitative assessmentQuantified scores (0-100)

When to use each

Use consultants for

  • • Board-level strategic decisions
  • • Regulatory or compliance research
  • • M&A due diligence
  • • Industry-specific deep dives

Use BuyerIQ for

  • • Rapid market validation
  • • Positioning experiments
  • • Pitch deck market sizing
  • • Weekly iteration on ICP

The bottom line

Consultants are valuable for complex strategic decisions with long time horizons. But for startup validation, you need speed. BuyerIQ delivers 80% of the insight in 0.1% of the time at 0.3% of the cost.

Get Consultant-Level Insights in 30 Seconds →