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Morningstar Direct Reviews & Product Details

Verified User in Research
UR
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

Ease of pullling different screens and utilizing workspace Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

Some data errors and missing data; difficulty finding fields since many are similar Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

getting different data fields on a group of funds and the excel add in to quickly pull relevant fund level data Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Aanya Gandhi of Morningstar Direct

We're glad to hear that you find Morningstar Direct easy to use and that it helps you quickly pull relevant fund level data. We appreciate your feedback and will take it into account as we continue to improve our platform.

Morningstar Direct Overview

What is Morningstar Direct?

Morningstar Direct can help you research markets, position products, analyze the competition, and share their insights quickly, clearly, and concisely. Direct meets your workflow needs in one place with the following core capabilities: • Portfolio Analysis and Construction • Portfolio Marketing • Due Diligence and Competitive Analysis • Investment Analysis and Selection • Asset Allocation Learn more in the product description below.

Morningstar Direct Details
Product Website
Languages Supported
German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional)
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Product Description

Portfolio Management: Morningstar Direct Lens lets you create, edit, and analyze portfolios quickly and efficiently using a clear, intuitive interface. Portfolio Marketing: Tell your stories using Morningstar data and analytics to distill complex investment information into clear, custom-branded reports, product-comparisons, and presentations. Due Diligence: See how you’re doing, how others match up, and which investments are best in class with the Performance Reporting module. It offers streamlined, automated due diligence and easy-to-read reports, so you never lose track of your place in the world.  Data and Research: See the markets through thousands of different lenses, including exclusive Morningstar datapoints such as Analyst ratings, fund flow data, and firm diversity data to find investments that fuel your strategies.   And More: From asset allocation and investment selection, to advanced analytics and pre-built data sets, Direct is the industry standard.

How do you position yourself against your competitors?

Direct is everything that makes Morningstar special: data and research, ratings, analytics, design, and a mission of empowering investor success.


Seller Details
Company Website
Year Founded
1984
HQ Location
Chicago, IL
Twitter
@MorningstarInc
230,767 Twitter followers
LinkedIn® Page
www.linkedin.com
11,697 employees on LinkedIn®
Ownership
MORN
Total Revenue (USD mm)
$798
Description

Portfolio Management: Morningstar lets you create, edit, and analyze portfolios quickly and efficiently using a clear, intuitive interface.

Portfolio Marketing: Tell your stories using Morningstar data and analytics to distill complex investment information into clear, custom-branded reports, product-comparisons, and presentations.

Due Diligence: See how you’re doing, how others match up, and which investments are best in class. Create streamlined, automated, and easy-to-read performance reports, so you never lose track of your place in the world.

Data and Research: See the markets through thousands of different lenses, including exclusive Morningstar datapoints such as Analyst ratings, fund flow data, and firm diversity data to find investments that fuel your strategies.  

And More: From asset allocation and investment selection to advanced analytics and pre-built data sets, Direct is the industry standard.


MJ
Overview Provided by:

Recent Morningstar Direct Reviews

Verified User
U
Verified UserEnterprise (> 1000 emp.)
2.5 out of 5
"State of the Art Fund Tool"
Fonds Universen analysierbar auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen
Verified User
U
Verified UserSmall-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
4.0 out of 5
"Powerfull tool for funds' analysis"
Best tool so far for analysis of the whole fund's universe.
Anton P.
AP
Anton P.Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
3.5 out of 5
"Best data source, but old/legacy software."
The best source of data on equity funds. Many different features. Analytics lab with python coding.
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Morningstar Direct Media

Morningstar Direct Demo - Morningstar Direct
A global investment analysis platform that unites Morningstar's data, investment research and analytics, data science capabilities and productivity tools designed to streamline your processes.
Morningstar Direct Demo - Morningstar Direct Blog
The Direct Blog gives clients access to articles that show and tell how to perform research tasks using Direct. The Direct Blog is an interactive and resource-rich feature that gives users access to content and analytics from Morningstar's manager research team that they can use to replicate thi...
Morningstar Direct Demo - Portfolio Analysis
See the information that’s most important to you at a glance. Examine a portfolio’s underlying holdings for aspects risk and exposure with Morningstar Direct's risk model to help anticipate what’s coming, so your plans can stay on track. Stress test your portfolios across market and macroeconomic...
Morningstar Direct Demo - Due Diligence
Every explorer needs a compass, and Morningstar Direct’s performance reporting lets you see how you’re doing, how others match up, and which investments are best in class. You can quickly and easily use qualitative and quantitative factors to assign benchmarks, define data, and perform ranking an...
Morningstar Direct Demo - Asset Flows +  Asset Flows Forecsasting
If you don’t know where you are, you can’t plan where you’re going. Asset flows enables you to stay current with market trends by providing a comprehensive and timely picture of the total net assets and estimated net flows across multiple geographical markets as well as organic growth rates for s...
Play Morningstar Direct Video
Performance Reporting lets you define benchmarks, define data, and perform ranking analysis for any report.
Play Morningstar Direct Video
Performance Reporting lets you define benchmarks, define data, and perform ranking analysis for any report.
Presentation Studio lets you turn complex investment information into clear, easy-to-read product comparisons, presentations, and custom-branded reports.
Play Morningstar Direct Video
Presentation Studio lets you turn complex investment information into clear, easy-to-read product comparisons, presentations, and custom-branded reports.
Analytics Lab is a flexible coding environment that lets you investigate Morningstar data more deeply than ever to discover new opportunities for investing success.
Play Morningstar Direct Video
Analytics Lab is a flexible coding environment that lets you investigate Morningstar data more deeply than ever to discover new opportunities for investing success.
Morningstar Reporting Solutions allow you to build custom reports yourself or outsource the process to us.
Play Morningstar Direct Video
Morningstar Reporting Solutions allow you to build custom reports yourself or outsource the process to us.

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232 out of 233 Total Reviews for Morningstar Direct

4.1 out of 5
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Morningstar Direct Pros and Cons

How are these determined?Information
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Pros
Cons

Overall Review Sentiment for Morningstar DirectQuestion

Time to Implement
<1 day
>12 months
Return on Investment
<6 months
48+ months
Ease of Setup
0 (Difficult)
10 (Easy)
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G2 reviews are authentic and verified.
Verified User in Investment Banking
UI
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

It has allowed me and my team to access much more in-depth information than we had been able to before. The ability to access all of the required data in one place and then be able to display it in Presentation Studio has freed up a lot of my time and has enhanced the level of service we are able to provide to colleagues and clients Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

There are missing data points that restrict specific charts/data tables. There is no indication of the specific issue that is stopping these from populating and can therefore take a while to find the root cause of the problem Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

Morningstar Direct directly addresses our need for large quantities of data to be pulled in similar/ easily manipulated formats. This has saved us a lot of time and manual work and has also allowed us to have a main data source we can utilise and trust. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Investment Management
II
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

Morningstar is one of the most comprehensive investment research platforms available, offering a robust suite of tools for both individual investors and professionals. What truly sets Morningstar apart is its depth and breadth of data—covering everything from mutual funds and ETFs to stocks, bonds, and alternative investments. The platform provides detailed performance metrics, risk analysis, and historical data, helping users make well-informed decisions.

One of Morningstar’s standout features is its advanced charting capabilities. Investors can compare different assets, analyze trends over various timeframes, and even overlay technical indicators to better understand market movements. The ability to customize these charts ensures that users can tailor their research to their specific needs, whether they are evaluating a single security or an entire portfolio.

One of Morningstar’s most unique and valuable features is its custom report generation. Unlike many other products, which offer only standard, predefined reports, Morningstar allows users to create fully customised reports based on their specific research criteria. This is an invaluable tool for presenting data in a personalised, professional format. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

While Morningstar is a powerful and data-rich platform, it does have some notable drawbacks—speed and reliability being the biggest concerns. Given the vast amount of data it processes, some lag is expected, but at times, the platform can be frustratingly slow, especially when running complex queries, loading interactive charts, or generating custom reports in the Presentation Studio (PS).

Another major issue is frequent crashes and glitches. Whether it’s PS freezing mid-analysis or reports failing to load, these disruptions can be annoying—especially for users who rely on the platform for real-time research or reporting. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

Primarily by streamlining data aggregation, portfolio analysis, and reporting. As an analyst, having access to a single platform that consolidates vast amounts of financial data is crucial for conducting in-depth research, monitoring portfolio performance, and making data-driven investment decisions. Managing model portfolios requires deep insights into risk-adjusted returns, asset allocation, factor exposures, and performance attribution. Morningstar Direct provides sophisticated tools to analyse these metrics, allowing our team to conduct in-depth research. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MP
MF Research Analyst
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

There are 2 modules of Morningstar Direct which I find it interesting - Presentation Studio and Performance reporting. I am sure that are too many things in the software which are still not explored because of the vast variety of data points available in it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

Finding the data points and search module are the two things which I find it tricky but not impossible because of the customer support team that they have. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

For me, it gives the data points that helps to evaluate the mutual funds and also the macroeconomic parameters. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Andrew P.
AP
Manager Selection Specialist
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

A complete tool for all my needs around fund selection and monitoring.

Offering a lot of flexibility in regards to exanding the database and in regards to reporting. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

Data quality could still be improved (although on a high level).

On the benchmark level, would be great having the one or other additional index and having the look-through.

The performance reporting app could be simplified. And the calculation time shortened. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

Allows me the deliver professional analysis and recommendation on what product to invest in. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Investment Management
II
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

I love the depth of data, and the amount of options in terms of reports you can run. Investment universe is great, huge range of funds with research on that we make use of regularly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

The screener could be much better, probably the most awkward screener I've ever used, where you would have to run multiple screens because of how narrow the screening criteria is.

Integration into other platforms leaves a lot to be desired, and really the opposite of an intutitive platform. One wrong step and you need to start again, lots of crashes and bugs, takes a long time to process / calculate compared to other systems.

I think if the system were more intuitive, people would make use of more that on offer within, but thwn you have to have a training webinar (or normally multiple) to get to grips with a tool, typically means we stick to what we know in the software and rarely venture into other parts. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

It solves our attribution analysis and contributes lightly to our screening efforts. Wish we could make more use of the software, but as mentioned previously, getting something new to work without outside help is time constraining. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

BR
Business Analyst
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

The amount of investment information that is available and the ability to make it visual and easy to understand. There is so much information avaliable. I can get the answer to any investment information I require within a few mins, even including competitor funds and potential clients. Presentation studio is the best for helping to understand the data I need. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

As a new user it can be a bit confusing trying to understand where to go for the information I need. Using the learning center can be overwhelming and it isn't easy to navigate. I am still very positive about the overall experience so far Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

It is helping us to easily and quickly compare our funds to our competitors'. We have the ability to quickly look at what is going on and how to pivot. Using ownership analysis we can see some client opportunities we would not ordinarily have the ability to see Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

PP
Fund of Fund Manager, Head of multi-management
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

la base de données des fonds et indices, les rapports morningstar sur les fonds, la possibilité de créer un scoring, la possibilité de filtrer les univers Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

les fonctions offertes par le logiciel ne sont pas toujours intuitives et demandent un certain temps pour les maitriser Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

Aide à identifier les fonds performants

Aide à déterminer les biais factoriels , géographiques et sectoriels des fonds de fonds que l'on gère Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

SB
Associate Investment Performance Analyst
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

The speed in extracting/pulling the report is very quick compare to other applications, user friendly and the best thing is we use M* excel addins and it's very useful.

Daily I use I use performance reporting, portfolio management, workspace and presentation studio on M* which are very useful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

When it comes to few Indices/benchmarks it will take few days in updating it's data correctly,

Next one is M* support, most of the requests/queries will resolve as quick as possible but for few they will take more time in resolving the issue,

overall it's very nice to use the application. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

M* is helping me in getting the accurate data äs per the client's or stakeholder's requests, I'm using this from past 18 months so I'm used to application like which data points to select and other data as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Andrea F.
AF
Corporate Advisor
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

Reliability of data and lots of data regarding funds structure, management... Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

It is not straightforward to use. It is not user-friendly. It took me a while to understand how to use properly.

API on excel are slow Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

Have all ifnormation about funds in a place, withouth looking at prospectuses Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Anton P.
AP
Board Member and investor
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
What do you like best about Morningstar Direct?

The best source of data on equity funds. Many different features. Analytics lab with python coding. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Morningstar Direct?

Legacy software (slow and buggy). Excel add-in doesnt work to well. Analytics lab API token only works for 24 hours. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Morningstar Direct solving and how is that benefiting you?

Overview of our equity portfolio. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.