Forrester
Forrester is a public research and advisory firm founded in 1983 that provides subscription-based research, consulting, and events to enterprise technology and business leaders, serving 61 of the Fortune 100.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Forrester does
Forrester Research, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORR) is a publicly traded research and advisory firm founded in 1983 and headquartered at 60 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company provides subscription-based research, consulting, and event services to enterprise clients, with 61 of the Fortune 100 reported as customers. Its core offering, Forrester Decisions, integrates proprietary research reports, analyst guidance sessions, and survey data drawn from over 500,000 consumer, executive, and technology-leader respondents annually. Forrester's content and advisory practice spans technology architecture, AI adoption, customer experience, B2B marketing, security and risk, and vertical specializations including financial services, healthcare, and retail.
Forrester monetizes through four primary streams: enterprise research subscriptions (Forrester Decisions), custom consulting engagements (Forrester Consulting, including Total Economic Impact studies), live events and conferences (CX Forum, B2B Summit, Technology & Innovation Forum, Security & Risk Forum), and certification programs. Revenue is generated predominantly through annual subscription licenses sold via direct enterprise field sales, with pricing tiered by organization size. The go-to-market targets named personas (CIOs, CTOs, CMOs, CX executives, CISOs) and industry verticals, supplemented by a digital self-serve platform with restricted client areas.
The company's platform rests on proprietary methodologies including The Forrester Wave (vendor evaluation framework), Total Economic Impact (ROI measurement), and Total Experience Score (composite of BX, CX, and EX indices), now augmented by Forrester AI — a generative AI tool (formerly Izola) integrated with Microsoft Teams for in-workflow research access. Forrester operates across North America (Cambridge, New York, Austin), EMEA (London), and APAC (Singapore, Sydney, India), serving enterprise clients globally with 1,001-5,000 employees.
Forrester firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forrester
- Legal name
- Forrester Research, Inc.
- Website
- https://forrester.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Forrester is a public research and advisory firm founded in 1983 that provides subscription-based research, consulting, and events to enterprise technology and business leaders, serving 61 of the Fortune 100.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Forrester is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Forrester business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Research Subscriptions: Forrester Decisions is the core subscription product providing access to research reports, analyst guidance sessions, survey data, Wave evaluations, buyer insights, industry forecasts, and certifications. Delivered through a continuous guidance model combining research with consulting and live events.
- Forrester Consulting: Custom advisory and consulting engagements including Total Economic Impact studies, thought leadership content, and demand generation solutions. Commissioned research that helps clients create competitive strategies and demonstrate ROI.
- Events and Conferences: Revenue from hosted events including CX Forum, B2B Summit, Technology & Innovation Forum, and Security & Risk Forum. Events feature keynotes, peer discussions, analyst one-on-ones, and awards ceremonies.
- Certifications: AI and data readiness certifications offered during events and as standalone programs for professionals seeking to advance their careers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription licenses for research and advisory services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Forrester product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forrester is a research and advisory firm that sells subscription-based access to proprietary research, analyst advisory sessions, vendor evaluations, and consulting engagements to enterprise clients. Its core product, Forrester Decisions, combines ongoing research, AI-powered analysis, and live events under a continuous guidance model, supplemented by custom Forrester Consulting engagements (including Total Economic Impact studies), hosted forums, and professional certification programs.
Product overview
Forrester is a research and advisory firm offering a platform-plus-services model centered on Forrester Decisions, which integrates proprietary research, AI-powered analysis, and expert guidance. The core offering includes Forrester AI (a generative AI tool for research analysis), The Forrester Wave™ (vendor evaluation methodology), Total Experience Score (combining BX Index, CX Index, and EX Index), Forrester Market Insights (consulting and demand generation), AI Access licensing, Events & Conferences, and Certification Programs. Forrester Decisions delivers a 259% ROI and revenue growth accelerations of 4%, serving 61 of the Fortune 100 through a continuous guidance model that blends research, consulting, and live events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Forrester AI: Forrester's groundbreaking generative AI tool (formerly known as Izola) that analyzes reports, data, and insights to help clients tackle complex business challenges.
- Forrester Decisions
- Forrester Wave
- Forrester Consulting
Products and services
- Forrester Decisions Integrated research and advisory subscription delivering analyst guidance sessions, proprietary research reports, survey data from 500,000+ respondents, Forrester Wave evaluations, buyer insights, industry forecasts, and AI-powered research tools to enterprise clients seeking continuous strategic guidance.
- Forrester AI Generative AI tool (formerly Izola) that analyzes Forrester's proprietary research reports, survey data, and frameworks to answer complex business questions via natural language, integrated within Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot for licensed enterprise users.
- The Forrester Wave™ Proprietary vendor evaluation methodology that assesses technology, software, hardware, and services vendors across strategy, current offering, customer feedback, and market presence criteria, providing visual scoring for enterprise buyers.
- Forrester Market Insights Research and advisory offering that includes Forrester Consulting engagements (Total Economic Impact studies, custom research) and demand-generation content services designed to help enterprises create competitive strategies and demonstrate ROI.
- AI Access License tier granting enterprise clients access to Forrester's AI-powered research and analysis capabilities, including the Forrester AI integration within Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Forrester Consulting Custom advisory practice delivering commissioned Total Economic Impact studies, thought leadership content, and demand-generation solutions on a project basis for enterprise clients.
- Forrester Events & Conferences Curated in-person and virtual event portfolio including CX Forum (East/West/EMEA), B2B Summit (North America/EMEA), Technology & Innovation Forum (Central/EMEA/East), Security & Risk Forum, and AI Forum (Singapore/Sydney), featuring keynotes, peer discussions, analyst one-on-ones, and awards ceremonies.
- Forrester Certification Programs Professional certification programs, including AI and data readiness certifications, offered during Forrester events and as standalone programs to advance individual professional credentials.
Quantifiable outcome
- 259% ROI reported for Forrester Decisions clients
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Forrester
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forrester technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability7 records
Feature4 records
Forrester partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MicrosoftcoreForrester launched its AI agent for Microsoft 365 Copilot, enabling clients to securely access trusted research and guidance directly within their daily workflows. Available at no additional cost for existing Forrester Decisions, Market Insights, and AI Access license holders. The company plans additional integrations with public large language models and productivity platforms through its Model Context Protocol connector.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Forrester competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gartner: The largest publicly-traded research and advisory firm, offering Magic Quadrant, Hype Cycle, and subscription advisory services that directly compete with Forrester Wave, Forrester Decisions, and analyst access across the same enterprise CIO/CTO buyer base.
- International Data Corporation (IDC): Global market intelligence and advisory firm providing IT research, vendor evaluations, and consulting that competes directly with Forrester's technology research, Wave evaluations, and analyst advisory offerings to enterprise technology buyers.
- Frost & Sullivan: Global research and consulting firm delivering industry research, growth consulting, and competitive intelligence that competes directly with Forrester's industry research and Market Insights offerings.
Broad incumbents
- McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting firm that overlaps with Forrester Consulting on strategy, technology, and transformation advisory, but operates at significantly larger scale and serves overlapping C-suite buyers.
- Bain & Company: Global strategy and management consulting firm with a technology and B2B practice that competes with Forrester Consulting for senior executive engagements on growth strategy, customer experience, and operations.
- Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Global management consulting firm whose technology, marketing, and customer experience practices compete with Forrester's consulting arm while BCG's research publications overlap with Forrester's thought leadership content.
- Deloitte: Big Four professional services firm whose consulting practice competes with Forrester Consulting on enterprise technology, risk, and transformation engagements, with Deloitte Insights publishing research that overlaps with Forrester's reports.
Emerging players
- Constellation Research: Smaller advisory firm focused on disruptive and emerging technologies, offering subscription research and advisory services that overlap with Forrester's technology architecture and innovation coverage for enterprise buyers.
- Nucleus Research: Boutique technology research firm providing ROI-focused analyst research that overlaps with Forrester's Total Economic Impact (TEI) methodology and competes for enterprise technology buyer attention.
- HfS Research: Research and analytics firm focused on IT and business services automation, providing subscription research and advisory that intersects with Forrester's technology architecture, sourcing, and operations coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forrester social profiles
Digital presenceForrester financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forrester leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Forrester funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forrester M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forrester
What does Forrester do?
Forrester is a research and advisory firm that sells subscription-based access to proprietary research, analyst advisory sessions, vendor evaluations, and consulting engagements to enterprise clients. Its core product, Forrester Decisions, combines ongoing research, AI-powered analysis, and live events under a continuous guidance model, supplemented by custom Forrester Consulting engagements (including Total Economic Impact studies), hosted forums, and professional certification programs.
Is Forrester a public or private company?
Forrester is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Forrester founded?
Forrester was founded in 1983. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Forrester based?
Forrester is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forrester make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Research Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are forrester Consulting, events and Conferences and certifications.
Who are Forrester's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gartner, International Data Corporation (IDC) and Frost & Sullivan. Broad incumbents are McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Deloitte. Emerging players are Constellation Research, Nucleus Research and HfS Research.
Does Forrester have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forrester.