Is a Bloomberg Terminal Worth It? What You Pay For
Yes, if you need what only Bloomberg sells: the Instant Bloomberg network, Bloomberg News and its execution tools (Bloomberg). For filings, charts and options alone, cheaper terminals cost far less than $31,980 a year (NeuGroup).
Checked
| What the price buys | Can a cheaper terminal replace it? |
|---|---|
| Instant Bloomberg: chat with "more than 350,000" decision makers | No. The network is Bloomberg's. |
| Bloomberg News: 2,700 journalists | No. Other news, yes. |
| Bloomberg Intelligence: "more than 350" analysts | No. |
| Execution and order management | Partly, through your broker. |
| A help desk on the HELP key, 24/7 | Partly. Few offer 24/7 chat. |
| Research screens, filings and charts | Yes. |
| Options chains and volatility | Yes. |
Keep paying if your work runs through other Bloomberg users, Bloomberg News or its order tools. If you mostly research companies, you pay for a network you may not use.
Where Gloom fits
Gloom covers
- Research with Bloomberg's codes:
DES,FA,GP,OMONand more. - Free plan: US equities and options, news, sync, chat and the AI command bar.
- Pro, $70 a month: real-time US equities and options, news wire, options flow, transcripts.
- Orders through your own broker, such as IBKR, in the desktop and terminal apps.
- Team: shared layouts, watchlists, notes and chat, from $100 a seat a month.
Gloom does not cover
- Bloomberg's data, Bloomberg News or Instant Bloomberg chat.
- Government and corporate bonds in the API.
Sources5 sources
- Bloomberg Terminal page, read 16 October 2026: "a global network of more than 350,000 influential decision makers", "integrated execution & order management solutions", and Bloomberg Intelligence's "more than 350 research professionals".
- Bloomberg News on the Terminal, read 16 October 2026: 2,700 journalists, 1,000+ outside news providers. Collaboration tools: Instant Bloomberg chat.
- University of Delaware, Lerner College, 14 May 2018: pressing HELP twice opens a chat with the Bloomberg Help Desk, "available 24/7".
- NeuGroup, 9 October 2024: $31,980 a year for one Terminal on a two-year subscription from 1 January 2025.
- Gloom Cloud plans, Teams, functions and prices.
Not verified3 claims
- That the help desk still answers around the clock. The source is a 2018 university guide.
- How support at cheaper terminals compares. It was not tested for this page.
- What any one firm pays. Bloomberg sets prices in a sales process and publishes none.