comparisons · frontrun vs crunchbase
frontrun vs Crunchbase
Crunchbase shows you announced rounds. Frontrun shows you companies before the announcement.
Crunchbase is a broad, self-reported startup database - cheap, broad lookups of companies that have already announced. Frontrun is a different bet: it watches what 1,000+ venture investors do on X (who they follow) and flags companies months before a round, at $99/mo.
| Crunchbase | Frontrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Signal type | Self-reported + press (retrospective) | Investor follow-graph (pre-round) |
| Earliest you hear about a company | At/after announcement | Before any announcement |
| Price | ~$49/user/mo | $99/mo, 7-day trial |
| Best for | Quick lookups, basic diligence | Sourcing before the round |
| Agent access | API | API + MCP server (npx) |
the honest verdict
Keep Crunchbase as a cheap record layer. It can't be a sourcing edge - you can't source from data that only exists after the round.
the receipts
Frontrun's flags carry dated provenance, so "we saw it early" is checkable per company:
- @techdollarhq - flagged at 13 followers, $3M pre-seed 123 days later
- @orthogonal_sh - flagged 184 days before a $4.3M round led by Pantera
- @rialto_xyz - flagged at 18 followers, 26 days before its Robinhood partner announcement
see the signal before you switch
7-day free trial · $99/mo · API + MCP for agents
read the full Crunchbase alternatives guide · all comparisons · trending startups