LPLA vs CSGP Comparison

LPL Financial is the largest US independent broker-dealer, with more than 32,000 financial advisors affiliated with its platform and roughly 11 million customer accounts at the end of 2025. The firm earns the bulk of its profit from interest income earned on client cash balances and from advisory fees and commissions tied to the $2.4 trillion in assets under management or advisory on its platform at year-end 2025. LPL specializes in the provision of turnkey wealth management services for affiliated independent advisors, but maintains a diverse array of affiliation modalities, running the gamut from more traditional employee models to a pure RIA custody approach. It earns tuck-in revenue from recordkeeping fees and the provision of software tools and services to its advisor base.

CoStar Group is a leading provider of commercial real estate data and marketplace listing platforms. Its data offering contains in-depth analytical information on over 5 million commercial real estate properties related to various subsectors spanning office, retail, hotels, multifamily, healthcare, industrial, self-storage, and data centers. It operates many well-respected brands such as CoStar Suite, LoopNet, Apartments.com, BizBuySell, and Lands of America, with more than 80% of its revenue classified as subscription-based. The company recently expanded its presence into Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, and France.