FactSet Workstation Reviews & Product Details

I like that the platform is very straightforward to use and Excel formulas are very versatile. The accuracy of the data and the ability to reach out to an agent to quickly fix the data. It’s very important to me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The data sometimes is not as comprehensive as S&P IQ. For example, the ultimate parent or advisor will just list one entry when sometimes the multi manage fund will have multiple entries which Cap IQ sometimes the Excel entries are no longer usable so has stale excel formulas or you have to use the correct fact that database formula for the correct security depending on what type of price you’re tracking. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It was very easy to engage with and simple to navigate the platform. I created the insurance comps file for my team which powered a lot of our workbooks, and I built them all using factset. It was straightforward to audit and anytime formulas weren't pulling correctly, someone from the support team was always on hand to help make the updates. I liked the fact that irt was integrated into excel and it was easy to use all of the functions - the workbooks performed and refreshed very quickly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I didn't like the fact that sometimes the formulas would take a while to load, even with large workbooks. Some of the excel-driven functions were as competitive as what CIQ Pro offered as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love how incredibly helpful the FactSet support chat box is. The representatives are so knowledgeable and committed to getting your answer, and that commitment is a big differentiator. I also appreciate being able to click on a financial figure and trace it to a specific report, although I’d love to see more capabilities like that. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I wish there was more functionality in tracing financial figures back to specific reports. Specifically with net debt figures, it's not easy to see how short-term and long-term debts are aggregated across the financial statements because it's only in aggregate. Improving that feature would make FactSet Workstation even better for me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's familiar, has all the data/feeds I need, and there's our own company-specific rep (who seems to rotate/change frequently) that can help put together custom templates and provide support. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It is very slow, resource intensive, the excel links are very buggy, and the general support line which seems to be outsourced overseas is basically useless, but will string you along. Example, I've asked basic support about how Factset calculates short interest and which beta, and it took several back and forths with a non-answer. It's also clear they care nothing about the UI. For example when you download a file, it opens up a pop-up for each file that you have to manually close later. Also when saving, it doesn't remember your file location and just dumps it into a downloads folder each time, which I then copy and paste into the correct folder. The charting is also very counter intuitive and clunky. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I enjoy how easy it is to understand where things are placed within the workstation and I have yet to get lost while trying to find certain data. Additionally, the integration of the platform into Microsoft office makes it very easy to use in my day-to-day and I don't think that a day passes where I am not pulling reliable data from FactSet. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One aspect of the FactSet workstation that has been somewhat of a letdown for me is performance. While this could be an issue with my computer, I often feel like I spend more time waiting for pages to load and moving from page to page within the workstation than I do actually pulling the data I need.

In addition, although I’m not on the team that handles this directly, I’m aware that my bank is considering dropping FactSet due to its pricing relative to alternative services such as CapIQ.

I also wish there were stronger AI integration in the filings area of the workstation. I frequently try to use the AI to locate a simple statistic or number, and it’s frustrating when it can’t find something that I believe a third-party AI would be able to identify quickly. I wish that the AI interaction capability was stronger within the filing area specifically. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It’s impressive how much of my investment research workflow I can handle in one place. I use it every day to check stock prices, review consensus estimates and price targets, pull historical financial data, read sell-side research, and build charts of valuation multiples and operating metrics. The SEC filing functionality is particularly strong: I can quickly find the exact 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, or exhibit I need, and then search within the filings.

The biggest workflow benefit is speed. Rather than pulling market data from one source, estimates from another, filings from EDGAR, and research from individual broker portals, FactSet brings everything together in a consistent interface. The charting tools are also very helpful for quickly comparing historical P/E, EV/EBITDA, margins, growth rates, and other metrics across companies and time periods, which saves me a lot of manual Excel work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The main drawback of FactSet Workstation is that the breadth of functionality can make the platform feel more complicated and less intuitive than it needs to be.

There is also a relatively steep learning curve. Because there are so many tools within the Workstation, it is not always obvious which application or workflow is the best one for a particular task.

There is room for FactSet to make AI functionality much more integrated into the core research experience. For example, being able to ask natural-language questions across filings, consensus data, earnings transcripts, and sell-side research. The AI features are completely lacking. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

For me the Today's Top News tab is indispensable. I have it it open all day on a separate monitor so that I can track the big headlines moving the market today. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Not many downsides. I wish it had more robust modelling features as we run our own stock model portfolios. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like FactSet Workstation's robust data and how it solves the issue of finding historic financial data all in one place. I also appreciate the access it provides to research providers that we trade with. Additionally, the initial setup of FactSet Workstation went smoothly and was easy to implement. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Customer support can be improved. I feel the knowledge base of customer support could be better because frequently they seem to be just reading from an operating manual. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I build financial presentations, so I find the data output and download formats from Factset very user friendly

If I am setting up an exam for students, the information is clear Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Menus could be clearer. I sometimes take longer than I like to find specific items. Even when I search or use help, it is harder than I would like Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like being able to access public information from a single source. It means I don’t have to cross-reference multiple websites, which makes me more productive. Specific features are 13 F, Time & Sales, market watch and the ability to download this into excel. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I do email the team about inconsistencies with filing dates, source of filing and how accurate the disclosed positions are. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.