BrightScope alternative
Looking for an alternative to BrightScope?
401kHunter is the modern, pay-as-you-go alternative for financial advisors who want Form 5500 prospecting without the annual contract, the procurement cycle, or the sales-led demo gate. Here’s what carries over, what you gain, and what the switch actually costs.
Updated · By Jacob Parent, Founder, 401kHunter · How we source our data
Who BrightScope serves well
Plan-rating service with a public-facing search index, owned by ISS Market Intelligence.
Asset managers and large wealth firms that want BrightScope Ratings for marketing materials or institutional research will benefit from BrightScope's licensed data feeds. Advisors prospecting individual takeover opportunities one plan at a time will find 401kHunter faster and cheaper.
What you keep when you switch
- ✓BrightScope sourced Form 5500 from the same DOL EBSA dataset 401kHunter uses — plan coverage is equivalent
- ✓You can keep using BrightScope Ratings in client decks; 401kHunter does not require you to abandon that comparison
- ✓Asset/participant counts from filings match across both tools
What you gain
- →Schedule C provider compensation table on every plan (BrightScope rolls it into a single rating, doesn't expose providers)
- →Decision-maker contact unlock — name, title, email, direct dial — that BrightScope's consumer site doesn't provide
- →Fee Grade A–D directly aimed at advisor prospecting (find Grade D = high fees = takeover candidate)
- →NAICS-sector peer benchmarks instead of all-plans benchmarks
Switching cost
None — BrightScope's consumer search is free anyway. If you were on the Beacon API or ISS data feed, that's a separate enterprise relationship that can run in parallel with 401kHunter for the prospecting workflow.
Quick feature comparison
| Topic | BrightScope | 401kHunter |
|---|---|---|
| Rating philosophy | BrightScope Rating — proprietary 1–100 score blending fees, generosity, participation, etc. Aimed at participant-facing comparison. | Fee Grade A–D based on actual Schedule H admin expenses, plus a basis-point fee badge from Schedule C. Aimed at advisor-facing prospecting. |
| Public access | Participants and journalists can search plans free at brightscope.com. | Search is free behind a sign-up — credits only when you unlock decision-maker info. |
| API access | Beacon API + custom data licensing — enterprise pricing, sales-led. | No public API yet (planned). CSV export of any plan you've unlocked. |
| Schedule C fee data | Aggregated into the BrightScope Rating; provider-level detail not exposed in the consumer UI. | Provider-by-provider table on every plan: name, EIN, relationship, services, direct comp $$, indirect comp $$ + formula text. |
Frequently asked
What is the best alternative to BrightScope?
It depends on what you use BrightScope for. Asset managers and large wealth firms that want BrightScope Ratings for marketing materials or institutional research will benefit from BrightScope's licensed data feeds. Advisors prospecting individual takeover opportunities one plan at a time will find 401kHunter faster and cheaper. For advisors who want Form 5500 prospecting with fee grades, decision-maker contacts and pay-as-you-go pricing, 401kHunter is the closest self-serve alternative.
How hard is it to switch from BrightScope to 401kHunter?
None — BrightScope's consumer search is free anyway. If you were on the Beacon API or ISS data feed, that's a separate enterprise relationship that can run in parallel with 401kHunter for the prospecting workflow.
What do I keep if I switch from BrightScope?
BrightScope sourced Form 5500 from the same DOL EBSA dataset 401kHunter uses — plan coverage is equivalent You can keep using BrightScope Ratings in client decks; 401kHunter does not require you to abandon that comparison Asset/participant counts from filings match across both tools
What do I gain by switching from BrightScope?
Schedule C provider compensation table on every plan (BrightScope rolls it into a single rating, doesn't expose providers) Decision-maker contact unlock — name, title, email, direct dial — that BrightScope's consumer site doesn't provide Fee Grade A–D directly aimed at advisor prospecting (find Grade D = high fees = takeover candidate) NAICS-sector peer benchmarks instead of all-plans benchmarks
How does 401kHunter pricing compare with BrightScope?
BrightScope's consumer search is free; B2B Beacon API and ISS Market Intelligence packages are sold via enterprise contracts (not published). 401kHunter starts at $25.
Test 401kHunter on $25 of credits.
No contract, no procurement cycle. Sign up, search 1M+ plans free, and only pay when you unlock decision-maker contacts.
Get started