G2 Acquires Gartner Division in Strategic Power Move
▼ Summary
– G2 is acquiring three software review platforms (Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp) from Gartner, consolidating four major B2B review sites.
– The combined platform will unify roughly six million verified reviews and an audience of over 200 million annual software buyers.
– G2 aims to streamline the software buying journey by creating a unified, AI-driven platform for better discovery and vendor tools.
– The acquisition reflects Gartner’s strategic shift to focus on its core research business while divesting its review properties.
– The deal, expected to close in early 2026, could reshape software evaluation and purchasing through enhanced scale and AI integration.
The business software marketplace is poised for a significant transformation following a major acquisition. G2 has agreed to acquire three key software review platforms from Gartner: Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp. This strategic move consolidates a massive portion of the B2B software review landscape under one company, aiming to create a more unified and intelligent platform for both software buyers and sellers. The combined entity will bring together an extensive database of approximately six million verified customer reviews and reach an audience exceeding 200 million annual software buyers, pending regulatory approval for a closing targeted in early 2026.
Company leadership positions this acquisition as a direct solution to the current fragmentation in the software purchasing process. By merging these major review databases and their respective user bases, G2 intends to simplify product discovery for buyers while simultaneously offering vendors a more powerful suite of demand-generation tools. The CEO publicly framed the integration as an effort to construct “the trusted data foundation for B2B software in the age of AI,” highlighting goals of capturing richer buyer intent signals and establishing a more consistent classification system across all software categories.
For those searching for business applications, the promise is a more streamlined experience. The platform aims to provide easier access to authentic user feedback, potentially shortening the often lengthy decision-making cycle. On the vendor side, the unified dataset offers the potential for significantly broader product visibility and access to more nuanced market intelligence derived from a colossal pool of user data. A key part of G2’s future roadmap involves weaving AI more deeply into search and recommendation functions to personalize and accelerate the entire software evaluation journey.
Gartner’s decision to divest these established properties, which have long been part of its digital markets portfolio, signals a strategic refocusing. The move allows the research and advisory giant to concentrate more intently on its core business functions, while the specialized review platforms transition to an operator solely dedicated to the marketplace model. This shift acknowledges the distinct evolution required for high-volume review and discovery platforms compared to traditional advisory services.
As the global software market continues its relentless expansion, this consolidation of major review infrastructure under G2’s control is likely to reshape fundamental industry dynamics. The manner in which products are evaluated, compared, and ultimately purchased could see substantial changes. The industry will be watching closely to see how the newly scaled entity utilizes its combined influence to affect search visibility, buyer behavior, and overall market trends in the coming years.
(Source: The Next Web)
