NAUT published this ranking and sells 1 of the 5 tools. Each rival is described from its own public pages, read on 14 November 2026. This ranking of crypto research tools uses 1 criterion, set before any rival page was read.
NAUT is the pick among crypto research tools for deal research, meaning who runs and who backs a project: NAUT tracks 812 live companies with both a named team and recorded backers, read on 14 November 2026. For on-chain and market research the rivals win: Nansen for labeled wallets, Token Terminal for fees and revenue, Messari (now Blockworks Intel) for research reports and Arkham for tying addresses to owners.
Data note: NAUT figures are live rows and named people in its database on 14 November 2026. Of 11 rival claims put to the rivals' own pages that day, 10 were used; 1 Nansen homepage line was not found and left out. No rival was tested on a sample or scored.
Which crypto research tools are best for deal research?
Ranked by 1 criterion: who runs and who backs each project, with a way to reach them.
| Rank | Tool | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAUT | Teams, backers, contacts | Free; paid from $49 a month |
| 2 | Messari (Blockworks Intel) | Research reports, unlocks | Free and Pro; price Not checked |
| 3 |  Nansen |
Labeled wallets | API: Free $0, Pro $49 a month |
| 4 | Token Terminal | Fees and revenue data | Free $0, Pro $350 |
| 5 |  Arkham |
Who owns an address | Not checked |
What do these crypto research tools each cover?
1. NAUT: best for who runs and backs a project
NAUT is a directory of crypto companies, funds and people: 3,123 live companies have a named team, 1,854 have recorded backers and 812 have both.
- Covers: 9,444 named people on teams (9,273 with a title), 1,279 backer firms and 5,837 dated rounds at 2,417 companies, the newest dated 13 November 2026.
- Channels on file: 3,881 people with Telegram, 7,118 with LinkedIn and 579 with email.
- Where it leads here: none of the rival pages NAUT read lists a project's team members with a Telegram, email or LinkedIn channel on file.
- Price: a free plan for search and public profiles; paid plans from $49 a month.
- Homepage: https://naut.so
2. Messari (Blockworks Intel): best for research reports and token unlocks
Messari now leads to Blockworks Intel: messari.io redirected NAUT's read to app.blockworks.com, which lists "Crypto Research, Reports, AI News, Live Prices, Token Unlocks, and Fundraising Data".
- Covers: research, news, prices, token unlocks and fundraising data.
- Where it beats NAUT: written research reports and token unlock data, which NAUT does not publish.
- Price: Free and Pro plans; Pro gets only the API's Assets endpoints, and full API and MCP access goes through sales. Price Not checked.
- API note: the Messari docs say "This documentation covers the legacy Messari API, which is in maintenance mode."
- Homepage: https://messari.io
3. Nansen: best for labeled wallets
Nansen sells on-chain data built on labeled wallets. Its API page lists "500M+ labeled addresses, real-time data across 35+ chains".
- Covers: wallet labels and on-chain activity, plus spot and perp trading.
- Where it beats NAUT: wallet-level on-chain data. NAUT holds no wallet labels.
- Price: Nansen's API page lists Free at $0 a month (100 trial credits) and Pro at $49 a month (2,000 starting credits), plus pay-per-call in USDC: "Start without an API key, from $0.01 per query."
- Homepage: https://www.nansen.ai
4. Token Terminal: best for fees and revenue data
Token Terminal turns raw blockchain data into standard metrics such as fees and revenue, by Explorer, Studio, API and MCP: "Our data is standardized, transparent, and ready for due diligence."
- Covers: standardized on-chain fundamentals per project, full history on the free plan.
- Where it beats NAUT: project financials. NAUT holds no fee or revenue series.
- Price: Token Terminal lists Free at $0 (3 custom dashboards, CSV export, MCP) and Pro at $350 with "Unlimited custom dashboards", beside a monthly or annual toggle. API and Datashare are custom pricing, with a 7 day Pro trial.
- Homepage: https://tokenterminal.com
5. Arkham: best for finding who owns an address
Wikipedia calls Arkham Intelligence, Inc. an American blockchain analytics company whose platform, Arkham Intel, ties addresses to the people and organizations that control them.
- Covers: address attribution and a bounty market for naming address owners, with the ARKM token launched in July 2023.
- Where it beats NAUT: linking a wallet to its owner. NAUT links people to companies, never to addresses.
- Price: Not checked. intel.arkm.com and arkhamintelligence.com returned HTTP 403 to NAUT's fetch, so Arkham is described from Wikipedia.
- Homepage: https://arkm.com
Which projects on NAUT show the most named people?
Of the 812 companies with a team and backers, these 5 have the most named people on NAUT's record.
OKX
Aptos
Takenos
TON
PhantomBackers on NAUT's record: Aptos 10, Phantom 9, Takenos 5, TON 3 and OKX 2.
- Pick the projectStart from a company page, such as Aptos with 25 named people and 10 backers on NAUT's record.
- Read who backs itEach page lists its rounds and backer firms, from 5,837 dated rounds.
- Find the right personRead each title: 9,273 of the 9,444 named people carry one.
- Check the channel3,881 have Telegram on file and 7,118 have LinkedIn.
Where is NAUT weak?
- No on-chain data. NAUT holds no wallet labels, fees or revenue. For crypto analysis tools in that sense, use Nansen, Token Terminal or Arkham.
- No research or prices. NAUT writes no reports and shows no prices or token unlocks, which Messari (Blockworks Intel) lists.
- Gaps in its own record. 812 of the 3,123 companies with a team also have backers on NAUT's record, and 579 of the 9,444 named people have an email on file.
How we ranked them
The criterion was fixed before any page was read: who runs and who backs each project, with a way to reach them. Each rival page was read on 14 November 2026. Nansen's /pricing returned 404 and /plans 403, so its prices are its API plans. No rival was tested on a sample. Next retest: 14 December 2026.
Related reading on NAUT: How to research a VC fund: 6 checks, 23 rounds, 27 partners and Messari API alternative: 3 of 9 document funding rounds.
Can you pull this data through the NAUT API?
Yes: GET https://api.naut.so/v1/projects/aptos with Authorization: Bearer $NAUT_KEY returns 1 company with its team, and GET https://api.naut.so/v1/investors/<fund-slug> returns a fund's portfolio with each round's type, amount and date. Each data call costs 5 credits, and the Essential plan is $49 a month for 3,000 credits (docs, pricing). Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.
Crypto research tools FAQ
What are the best crypto research tools for deal research?
For who runs and backs a project, NAUT ranks 1st with 812 live companies holding both a named team and recorded backers on 14 November 2026. For on-chain and market work, Nansen, Token Terminal, Messari (Blockworks Intel) and Arkham are stronger blockchain research tools.
Where can I find who runs a crypto project and how to reach them?
NAUT's company pages list each team: 9,444 named people as of 14 November 2026, 3,881 with Telegram, 7,118 with LinkedIn and 579 with email on file. Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.
Is NAUT a better Nansen alternative for deal research?
NAUT covers teams and backers at 812 companies; Nansen covers wallets, with "500M+ labeled addresses" on its API page. Pick NAUT to find people; pick Nansen to follow wallets.
What is the best Messari alternative for deal research?
NAUT is the Messari alternative for finding the team and backers behind a project, with 812 companies holding both. Messari (Blockworks Intel) stays ahead on research reports, prices and token unlocks.
Token Terminal vs Arkham: which is better for due diligence?
Token Terminal fits diligence on a project's numbers, with fees and revenue data and a free $0 plan. Arkham fits diligence on who owns an address. For the team and backers behind a project, the Token Terminal alternative here is NAUT.
What is the best Arkham alternative for finding a project team?
For finding the people at a project, NAUT lists 9,444 named people on teams as of 14 November 2026, with 3,881 on Telegram. Arkham stays the stronger tool for tying a wallet to its owner.
Next review: 14 December 2026.
Sources
All read on 14 November 2026.
- Blockworks Intel (from messari.io): https://app.blockworks.com/
- Blockworks Intel pricing: https://app.blockworks.com/pricing
- Messari API docs: https://docs.messari.io
- Nansen API: https://www.nansen.ai/api
- Arkham Intelligence on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Intelligence
- Token Terminal: https://tokenterminal.com
- Token Terminal pricing: https://tokenterminal.com/pricing
- NAUT database