BrokerHQ vs CoStar: Tenant Intelligence vs Property Database
Updated August 23, 2026
CoStar is the long-standing property database of record in commercial real estate. If you need ownership history, comps, building specs, or lease abstracts for a specific building, CoStar is where most brokers go first. It's the system everyone learned on, and for property-level data, it's deep.
BrokerHQ approaches the problem from the opposite direction. Instead of starting with a building and asking "who owns this?", we start with a company and ask "which companies are about to make a real-estate decision?" We track tenants: lease maturities, expansion plans, distress signals, public-filing data, and ownership changes, the stuff that drives deal flow.
The two tools answer different questions. CoStar tells you about properties. BrokerHQ tells you about prospects. And BrokerHQ publishes its pricing.
How do BrokerHQ and CoStar compare feature by feature?
BrokerHQ is organized around tenants and companies. CoStar is organized around properties and buildings. The table below lists where each product is the deeper tool, using each vendor's own public positioning.
| Capability | BrokerHQ | CoStar |
|---|---|---|
| Primary unit of analysis | Tenants and companies | Properties and buildings |
| Lease maturity surfacing across markets | Yes, ranked by deal signal | Available within property records, not signal-ranked |
| Public-filing intelligence (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K) | Yes, parsed per tenant | Not core to the product |
| Distress and expansion signals | Yes | Not core |
| AI-drafted outreach | Yes | Not core |
| Property comps and ownership history | Lighter coverage | Deep coverage (category-leading) |
| Listing aggregation across markets | Lighter coverage | Deep coverage (category-leading) |
| Pipeline / deal management | Yes | Limited |
| Pricing transparency | Yes, published tiers from $0 to $5,999/mo | By quote |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | Demo required |
| Typical user | Tenant reps, investor reps, brokers prospecting | Listing brokers, appraisers, researchers |
What does CoStar actually cost?
There is no single CoStar price. CoStar quotes custom contracts, so two brokers in the same city can pay very different amounts for what looks like the same product. What follows is every figure we can attribute to a public source, with the uncertainty attached to each one. Treat these as ranges, not as a price list.
| Reported figure | What it covers, and the caveat | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $15,130 per year average contract value, range $3,000 to $23,000 | Transaction data from buyers who negotiated CoStar contracts. The sample is 3 purchasers, so treat it as directional rather than as a market average. | Vendr buyer guide |
| $500 to $2,000 per month at the low end | Self-reported by brokers in public forums, typically for narrow single-market access. Unverified anecdotal reports, not vendor-published pricing. | Broker forum reports |
| About $40,000 per year for CoStar Suite All Markets | Reported as one license covering up to 3 users, described as a 44% discount off a $71,000 list price. A single reported quote, not a published rate card. | PropertyScout360, April 28, 2026 |
Why the spread is so wide
Pricing is custom, and it moves on four variables: the number of seats, the submarket territory licensed, the data modules included, and the property types covered. Territory is the one that surprises people. Expanding from a single city to multiple regions has been reported to carry a 40 to 50x multiplier, which is how a broker paying at the low end and a firm paying at the high end can both be describing CoStar accurately.
Contracts are annual. Contracts issued after February 6, 2025 may include CPI-tied annual increases, so the first-year number is not necessarily the steady-state number. If you are budgeting, ask for the renewal escalator in writing before you sign.
For contrast, BrokerHQ publishes its tiers on the pricing page, from $0 to $5,999 per month, with a 30 day free trial and no credit card. That is a difference in sales model, not a claim that BrokerHQ is cheaper than every CoStar configuration. A single-market CoStar seat at the low end of the reported range can cost less than a full BrokerHQ team plan.
When is BrokerHQ the right answer instead of CoStar?
- Your top problem is "which companies should I be calling next quarter?", not "what's the comp on this building?"
- You want pricing on the website, not a 6-month enterprise procurement cycle.
- You're a tenant rep, investor rep, or business-development broker.
- You want signal-ranked deal flow, not raw property records.
When is CoStar the right answer instead of BrokerHQ?
- You need exhaustive property-level data (comps, ownership, building specs, listing history).
- You're a listing broker, appraiser, researcher, or analyst whose job is property research.
- You've already budgeted for a category-leading data subscription.
- You need listing aggregation and lease abstracts across many markets in one system of record, which is coverage BrokerHQ does not attempt to match.
- Your clients or lenders expect CoStar comps specifically, and a substitute source will create friction in a valuation or an underwriting conversation.
Should you run BrokerHQ and CoStar together?
Many brokerages do. CoStar is the property-level data of record; BrokerHQ is the tenant-level signal layer on top. Use BrokerHQ to find which companies are about to move, then use CoStar to research the buildings they're likely to target.
The practical split looks like this. BrokerHQ answers who to call and when, by surfacing lease maturities, public-filing signals, and expansion or contraction activity ranked by intent. CoStar answers what to show them, by supplying comps, ownership, building specs, and availability. Firms that already hold a CoStar contract rarely drop it when they add BrokerHQ; they stop asking CoStar to do prospecting, which was never what it was built for.
If you are choosing only one and your revenue depends on originating new tenant conversations, start with the tenant-side tool and buy property data as you need it. If your revenue depends on listing, appraisal, or research work, start with CoStar.
Start prospecting in under 10 minutes.
30-day free trial. No credit card. No demo required.
Common questions about BrokerHQ and CoStar
What is the difference between BrokerHQ and CoStar?
The two tools answer different questions. CoStar is the long-standing property database of record in commercial real estate: ownership history, comps, building specs, and lease abstracts for a specific building. BrokerHQ starts with a company instead of a building and tracks tenants: lease maturities, expansion plans, distress signals, public-filing data, and ownership changes. CoStar tells you about properties. BrokerHQ tells you about prospects.
When should a broker choose BrokerHQ over CoStar?
Choose BrokerHQ when your top problem is which companies you should be calling next quarter rather than what the comp is on a building, when you want pricing published on the website instead of a long enterprise procurement cycle, and when you want tenant-level deal signals ranked by intent.
When should a broker choose CoStar?
Choose CoStar when you need exhaustive property-level data such as comps, ownership, building specs, and listing history, when you are a listing broker, appraiser, researcher, or analyst whose job is property research, and when you have already budgeted for a category-leading data subscription.
Can you use BrokerHQ and CoStar together?
Many brokerages do. CoStar is the property-level data of record and BrokerHQ is the tenant-level signal layer on top. Use BrokerHQ to find which companies are about to move, then use CoStar to research the buildings they are likely to target.
Does BrokerHQ publish its pricing?
Yes. BrokerHQ publishes its tiers and offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card and no demo required. CoStar is quoted by its sales team and typically requires a demo.
How much does CoStar cost?
There is no single CoStar price because contracts are custom. Vendr transaction data puts the average contract value at $15,130 per year with a range of $3,000 to $23,000, based on a sample of only 3 purchasers, so treat it as directional. Broker forum reports put the low end at $500 to $2,000 per month. CoStar Suite All Markets has been reported at about $40,000 per year for one license covering up to 3 users, described as a 44% discount off a $71,000 list price. Price varies with seats, submarket territory, data modules, and property types, and expanding from one city to multiple regions has been reported to carry a 40 to 50x multiplier. Contracts are annual and those issued after February 6, 2025 may include CPI-tied annual increases.
CoStar is a registered trademark of CoStar Group, Inc. This comparison reflects BrokerHQ's understanding of publicly available product positioning as of May 2026, with this page last reviewed August 23, 2026 and is not endorsed by CoStar Group, Inc. Capability comparisons describe each product's primary use case based on public marketing.