Quick take
Affinity pioneered relationship intelligence for investors. Attio offers 90% of the value at 30% of the cost. If relationship scoring and intro path finding are your top priorities, Affinity is better. If you want flexibility and value, Attio is compelling.
This is the comparison that matters most for VC and PE firms. Affinity is the incumbent - about half of the top 300 VCs use it. The relationship intelligence features are genuinely good, and the product was purpose-built for investors.
Attio is the challenger. It does not have Affinity depth of relationship intelligence, but it is significantly cheaper and more flexible. For firms that prioritize customization over algorithmic features, Attio is increasingly competitive.
We are an Attio partner, so take our perspective accordingly. But we also have clients on Affinity and understand why they stay.
The fundamental difference
Affinity core value is relationship intelligence. The platform analyzes your communication data to surface relationship strength, find intro paths, and identify who in your network knows whom. This is genuinely sophisticated and hard to replicate.
Attio core value is flexibility. You can build custom objects and views that match exactly how your fund operates. The relationship tracking is good but less algorithmic than Affinity.
For firms where relationship intelligence is the killer feature, Affinity has a real edge. For firms that need to model complex fund structures, LP relationships, or unusual workflows, Attio flexibility matters more.
Where Attio wins
Price
Attio is roughly 1/3 the cost of Affinity for comparable seat counts. For a 10-person fund, this is the difference between 80K and 25K annually. That is real money.
Customization flexibility
Attio custom objects let you model exactly what you need - multiple funds, LP relationships, co-investor networks, portfolio company tracking. Affinity has some customization but is more opinionated.
Modern interface
Attio is faster and more intuitive. The views are more customizable, the search is better, and the overall experience feels more polished.
API and integrations
Attio API is more complete and developer-friendly. If you are building custom workflows or integrating with other tools, Attio gives you more to work with.
Where Affinity wins
Relationship intelligence
Affinity relationship strength scoring and intro path finding are genuinely good. The platform knows who in your network has the strongest connection to any given person. This is hard to replicate.
Data enrichment
Affinity enriches data from 40+ sources automatically. Company information, people information, and relationship data populate without manual entry.
Pre-built VC workflows
Affinity was built for investors and it shows. The deal flow management, fundraising tracking, and portfolio monitoring are purpose-built rather than configured.
Network effects
Because so many VCs use Affinity, the platform has network data about who knows whom across the industry. This is a competitive advantage that grows over time.
Choose Attio if...
- ✓Budget matters and you want comparable value cheaper
- ✓You need to model complex fund structures or workflows
- ✓Customization flexibility is more important than AI features
- ✓You have technical capacity to build what you need
- ✓You value modern, fast software
Choose Affinity if...
- —Relationship intelligence is your top priority
- —You want purpose-built VC features out of the box
- —Budget is less of a constraint
- —You value the Affinity network data
- —You prefer opinionated over flexible
The migration reality
Migrating from Affinity to Attio is common enough that we have a playbook. The data migration is straightforward - contacts, companies, and notes export cleanly. The main work is rebuilding views and designing your Attio workspace to take advantage of the flexibility.
The relationship intelligence does not migrate. Affinity algorithms for relationship strength and intro paths are proprietary. In Attio, you rebuild this context through email sync and manual tagging over time.
Budget 2-3 weeks for migration. Most teams find they do not miss the algorithmic features as much as they expected.
What we have seen in practice
Funds that move from Affinity to Attio usually cite two reasons: cost and flexibility. They were paying a premium for relationship intelligence features they were not using heavily, and they wanted more control over how their CRM is structured.
Funds that stay on Affinity after evaluating Attio usually have relationship intelligence deeply embedded in their workflow. They actually use the intro path features, and the relationship scoring informs how they prioritize deals.
For emerging managers especially, Attio cost advantage is often decisive. The 50K+ annual savings can fund other priorities.
Frequently asked questions
Attio tracks relationship history through email sync but does not have Affinity algorithmic relationship scoring. You can build custom fields to track relationship strength manually or through automation.
Roughly 1/3 the cost for comparable seat counts. Affinity typically runs $7-8k per seat annually; Attio is around $2k per seat. For a 10-person fund, that is a $50K+ annual difference.
Yes. Contacts, companies, notes, and activity history export cleanly. The main thing that does not migrate is the relationship intelligence - those algorithms are Affinity secret sauce.
Attio has solid security and permissions. For most institutional LP requirements, it is sufficient. If you need specific compliance certifications, check Attio current status.
Looking for industry-specific implementation?
See Attio for VC →