Guide
Crypto Research Firms and Platforms, Compared by Category
Before you compare two providers, it helps to know they are often not the same kind of thing. Paid crypto research comes in four shapes, they solve different problems, and the price tells you almost nothing about which one you need.
The Landscape
Four Kinds of Crypto Research
Every provider you are looking at sits in one of these. Working out which one you are shortlisting is more useful than comparing feature lists across categories.
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Data and research platforms
Software you operate. Screens, datasets, asset profiles and dashboards, sold on a subscription. You bring the thesis and the platform brings the inputs.
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On-chain analytics platforms
A narrower version of the same idea, focused on what is happening on the blockchains themselves. Deep, powerful and only useful in proportion to how well you can read it.
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Research memberships and advisory firms
People rather than software. Analysts publish conclusions with reasoning, and you can usually reach them. Priced per year rather than per seat, and the ceiling is how much of their attention you get.
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Free and creator-led content
YouTube channels, newsletters and Telegram groups, free or cheap. Genuinely useful for staying current, and structurally unable to tell you whether something applies to your position, because nobody is looking at it.
The one thing worth knowing about the free tier
Free content is paid for somehow, usually by an affiliate link, a sponsorship or a token position the creator already holds. That does not make it worthless. It does mean the incentive sits somewhere other than your outcome, and it is worth knowing where before you act on anything.
Where We Sit
Collective Shift Is in the Third Category
We are a research membership and advisory firm, not a platform, and every difference below follows from that one fact.
- Named human analysts with a written biography and a page each, three of them photographed so far
- Australian, priced in Australian dollars, under Australian Consumer Law
- Research published with the reasoning attached, not just the conclusion
- Fortnightly live workshops where you can question the analysis directly
- A one-on-one review of the portfolio you actually hold, at Platinum and above
- A membership relationship, not a per-seat software subscription
- General information only, and never personal financial advice
- No custody of your assets, ever, and no trades placed on your behalf
Five Questions to Ask Any Crypto Research Firm
Including us. If a provider cannot answer these quickly and in writing, that is the answer.
- Question 1
Who actually writes this, and can I see them?
- Named people with real profiles, or an anonymous house voice
- Do the analysts appear live, or only in a PDF
- Can you tell who was wrong last time, and whether they said so
- Question 2
How do they make money?
- Subscription, affiliate deals, sponsorship, or their own token positions
- Do they disclose holdings that overlap with what they publish
- Would they still make money if you did nothing
- Question 3
What happens when I disagree?
- Is there a live forum where you can push back and get an answer
- Do they publish the reasoning, or only the conclusion
- Is anything they publish ever revised in public
- Question 4
What is the refund position, in writing?
- Is there a written policy, or only a claim on a sales page
- Is it conditional, and if so on what
- Is it pro rata, and how long does processing take
- Question 5
Are they licensed, and do they say so plainly?
- General information, or personal financial advice
- Do they take custody of assets or place trades
- Do they promise or imply returns anywhere
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Our own answers
- A named team with a role, a written biography and a page each. Three are photographed so far
- We do not accept payment to feature a coin or a project, and coverage is not for sale
- Fortnightly live workshops, the monthly Pro Q&A and a private community for exactly this
- A written refund policy, conditional and pro rata, processed in 21 days
- General information only. No custody, no trades, no promised returns
The Head to Head Comparisons
Two named comparisons, written to the standard published on the comparisons directory.
Common Questions
What is a crypto research firm?
A business whose product is analysis rather than software or execution. It employs analysts, publishes research on assets and market conditions, and sells access to that research, usually as a subscription or a membership.
It is distinct from an exchange, which sells execution, and from a data platform, which sells inputs. It is also distinct from a licensed financial adviser, who can give you advice that takes your personal circumstances into account. Nothing we publish takes your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account, and it does not constitute financial advice.
How much does crypto research cost?
It spans free to five figures a year, and the range is genuinely that wide because the categories above are so different. Creator-led content is free or a few dollars a month. Data and analytics platforms are typically per-seat software subscriptions. Research memberships and advisory firms are priced annually and are the most expensive tier, because the cost is people rather than servers.
We do not publish a figure on this page because ours depends on which membership fits and Platinum is by application. It is confirmed on a call before anything is charged.
Is paid crypto research worth it?
It depends almost entirely on how much capital you have deployed, because the fee is fixed and the benefit scales with the portfolio. The same annual fee that is trivial against a $500k position is impossible to justify against a $5k one.
That is why the Accelerator is built for roughly A$30k to A$100k put to work and Platinum for roughly A$100k to A$1M put to work. If you are below that, free material is the honest recommendation, and there is a lot of ours that costs nothing.
What should I avoid?
Anything promising or implying a return, any provider that will not put its refund terms in writing, any service asking for custody of your assets or your exchange logins, and any signal group where you cannot see who is behind it.
Also be careful with providers who publish conclusions without reasoning. If you cannot tell why a view was formed, you cannot tell when it stops being true, and you will hold a position long after the argument for it has gone.
General information only. Nothing on this page takes your objectives, financial situation or needs into account, and it is not personal financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose money.
Ask Us the Five Questions
Book the call and put them to us directly. If our answers do not stack up against another provider you are considering, you have lost half an hour and learned something useful.
30 to 45 Minute Strategy Call. No obligation.