Instant Expert vs expert networks (GLG, AlphaSights, Guidepoint)
Expert networks such as GLG, AlphaSights and Guidepoint source experts from their own networks for investment, consulting and corporate clients, and don't publish prices. Instant Expert is self-serve: you choose or describe the person, set your own offer with no contract, and pay only if they book a call or send an answer.
Facts about expert networks last checked October 3, 2026, on their own public pages.
The main difference
An expert network does the sourcing for you. You send a brief, their team finds and screens people from their network, and you pick from the profiles they send. For institutional clients, that managed service is the point.
Instant Expert does less and costs less. You pick the people yourself, from a search or a list you already have, and the invitation goes straight to them. There's no account manager, no screening calls and no contract. It suits founders and small teams who need a handful of conversations, not a research program.
Inex One sits in between: a self-serve layer over 30+ expert networks with a published per-project fee and published call rates.
Side by side
| Question | Instant Expert | Expert networks |
|---|---|---|
| Who you can reach | The specific people you choose or describe, invited directly at their work email. | People recruited into each network's own pool. Guidepoint says it has 2M+ vetted experts. Inex One routes requests to 30+ networks. |
| How pricing works | You set the offer per person (minimum $5) and a cap on total spend. The price includes our 20% fee; the person gets 80%. No subscription. | GLG, AlphaSights and Guidepoint: not published. Inex One: $500 per project plus calls at typically $1,050 an hour ($1,000 to $1,250), or $2,500 a year on its Corporate plan. |
| When you pay | Only when someone books a call or sends a written answer. Declines and invitations nobody accepts within 7 days cost $0. | GLG, AlphaSights and Guidepoint: not published. Inex One: the project fee, then each completed call, with a 24-hour cancellation window. |
| Speed | The invitation goes out when you approve the send. People have 7 days to book or answer, with up to two reminders. There's no guarantee a given person says yes. | The network sends you profiles that match your brief, and you schedule from those. Turnaround times are not published. |
| Best for | Founders and small teams who want a few calls with specific operators, without a contract. | Investment, consulting and corporate research teams that need sourcing, screening and compliance handled for them. |
Last checked October 3, 2026. Sources: GLG, AlphaSights, Guidepoint, Inex One pricing. Prices change; check their sites before you decide.
When to pick expert networks instead
An expert network is the better choice in these cases:
- You work at an investment fund or consultancy whose compliance team requires calls to go through an approved network with screening and records. We don't provide that.
- You want someone else to find and vet the experts against a brief, and you'd rather pay for that than do the search yourself.
- You need volume or extras: dozens of calls a month, surveys, or a library of past call transcripts. Guidepoint, for example, says it has 130,000+ searchable transcripts.
- You want one bill and a single vendor for all your expert research. Inex One is the self-serve option for this if you don't want an annual contract.
Questions
How much does a GLG or AlphaSights call cost?
Neither publishes prices on its website. Inex One, which routes requests to 30+ expert networks, publishes a $500 project fee plus calls at typically $1,050 an hour. On Instant Expert you set the offer per person and pay it only if they accept.
Is there an expert network for startups and individuals?
Inex One is self-serve with a credit card and no contract. Instant Expert is another option if you know who you want to talk to: you set the offer (minimum $5), we invite them directly, and you pay only if they book or answer. Neither one screens for investment compliance the way the large networks do.
Can Instant Expert reach someone who isn't in any expert network?
Yes. Expert networks can only offer people who joined their pool. We send a paid invitation to the person you choose at their work email, so they don't need to have joined anything first.
Related
- Expert calls for founders and small teamsAn hour with someone who has already done the thing you're about to try, without a contract.
- Reaching one specific person you have no connection toA reply from one particular person, when you don't know anyone who knows them.
- What is an expert network? How it works, costs and alternativesAn expert network finds industry experts and books paid calls with them. See how the process works, what published prices show, and when a simpler option fits.
- Expert network companies: what GLG, AlphaSights, Tegus and others offerA plain comparison of the main expert network companies, using only what each firm publishes: services, how calls work, and which ones list prices.
- GLG expert network: how it works and when to go directGLG is an expert network that matches clients with specialists for one-on-one calls. See how it works and when a direct paid call or reply fits better.
- AlphaSights expert network: how it works and when to go directAlphaSights is an expert network whose account teams custom-source and qualify experts for your brief. See how it works and when to send paid invitations yourself.
- Guidepoint expert network: how it works and when to ask directlyGuidepoint is an expert network with client teams, expert calls, a transcript library and surveys. See how it works and when a direct paid request fits better.
- Instant Expert vs Inex One: direct invitations or several expert networks?Inex One coordinates expert networks and publishes separate platform and call charges. Compare its costs and workflow with Instant Expert’s direct paid requests.
- How Instant Expert works and what it costsThe full pricing rules, refunds and who you can reach.
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