Lease comps need more context than a rent figure beside a nearby building. The signed term, free rent and tenant improvements can change what the transaction means. Sales comps have their own questions about the date, property rights and conditions of the deal. A map is useful when it keeps that context attached to the location.
The tools in this comparison do different parts of the work. Some supply commercial transaction research. Others organize the comp records a team already owns. Choosing between them starts with whether the missing piece is the evidence itself or a better way to examine it around a subject property.
| Tool | Source of comp records | Main scope |
|---|---|---|
| CoStar | Supplied property and transaction research | Sales, leases and market context |
| CompStak | Analyst-reviewed transaction contributions | Sale and executed-lease economics |
| Maptive | The team’s uploaded records | Geographic comparison of known comps |
| Crexi Intelligence | Property records and available transaction data | Sales research and property-level lease information |
| Compfolio | The team’s private comp collection | Mapping, filtering and sharing owned records |
| PropertyShark | Public-record sales in covered areas | Sales-comparable searches |
1. CoStar’s researched sales and lease records
CoStar is the first choice for a team that needs the map and the underlying commercial research together. It provides data on properties and tenants, lease activity, completed sales and the local market. The Sale Comps product adds deal notes and details that help distinguish the price paid from an asking price.
A sale record can include the date, buyer and seller, sale type and other transaction context. Linked public records and property or submarket information give the analyst more to examine than a point and a price per square foot. The available fields still depend on the underlying records.
CoStar’s lease tools also distinguish its research from a user’s own data and shared records. The team can check which comps came from the platform and which came from its own sources.
The subscription and permitted use need to match the team. CoStar does not give a standard dollar price on the product pages reviewed here. Buying access does not mean the team can share every record with others. Check the license for export and sharing rights.
CoStar fits an organization that needs continuing transaction and market research. The map can help narrow the search, while the property and deal details determine which records deserve to enter the actual comp analysis.
2. CompStak and executed lease terms
CompStak is particularly useful when the team needs the terms of a signed lease. Its deal data includes starting and effective rent, free rent, tenant improvements and lease term. Sale records can include price per square foot, capitalization rate and other reported financial fields.
Map polygon searches help restrict the comp set to a relevant area. Filters, market trends and heat maps support further review, while records can be exported to Excel or PDF. Readers can move from the mapped site to the terms of the deal.
Access has two distinct routes. Qualified brokers, appraisers and researchers may use Exchange, contributing comps to earn credits that unlock other records. Owners, lenders and investors are directed to CompStak One, which follows a different subscription model and does not use Exchange credits.
Exchange covers 105 US markets. That does not mean it has every signed deal in those markets. Check the fields on each chosen record. A comp with useful rent information may still lack a detail needed for a particular comparison.
3. Maptive for comps the team already has
Maptive is useful when the records exist and the team needs to plot them around a subject property. Its comp workflow accepts the team’s sale, lease and listing rows, then separates record types through grouping and colors. Dates, prices and other uploaded fields remain associated with the locations.
The team can map properties within a radius to show the search area, while numerical marker sizes can express a field such as price per square foot. Filters narrow the records by the team’s selected year or lease category. A connected Google Sheet can keep newly added listings and closed deals flowing into the map.
That is a different role from supplying a researched comp database. The team remains responsible for obtaining and verifying its transaction records. It also needs separate fields for listing asks and completed deals, rather than mixing them into one column labeled rent or price.
Maptive helps a team compare the comp records it has. Export the chosen locations and their data for further work, and keep the source records that support the map.
4. Crexi Intelligence for property and transaction searches
Crexi Intelligence combines property records, sales comparables and market information with map-based searching. A team can search around a subject address or market, draw an area and use property filters to narrow the results.
The property view can show sales records, past owners or loans, active listings and the lease data it has. Map overlays add context such as population, income, traffic counts and points of interest. Those layers help an analyst study the local market before choosing which deals to compare.
The record types need to remain distinct. Inspect the lease data for each property. Do not assume it contains a full signed lease with every concession. An asking lease listing serves a different purpose from an executed lease comp.
Comps research needs the relevant paid research access. Free listing searches do not establish that access. Some contact views and exports also have credit limits. Choose a plan that supplies the records the team needs in its market and permits the exports it will use.
5. Compfolio for a private comp collection
Compfolio organizes the comp records its users supply. It maps existing sales and leases, supports filtering on the metrics the team tracks, and offers sharing with people who do not have Compfolio accounts.
That can suit a brokerage that builds its comp set from its own deals and research. The provider says it does not resell entered comps, and access belongs to the designated team. PDF reports and data exports let the team use those records outside the map as well.
Assign someone to manage the account. Keep addresses, dates and deal types in a shared format as new records are added. A private database can contain incomplete or stale information just as a larger research service can.
Seats are another practical limit. The displayed Basic, Team and standard Enterprise plans cover one, five and 20 users respectively, with white labeling on Team and Enterprise. Compfolio suits a team that wants to keep and use its own comps rather than buy a national feed of deals.
6. PropertyShark for public-record sales comps
PropertyShark is the sales-focused option in this group. Its comparables tool uses actual sales from disclosure counties and offers filters for location, property class, sale date, price, building or lot size and transaction type.
The analyst can save a search, download the selected comp list and produce a branded report. The team can repeat the sales search around a subject property. It is most useful where public records provide the deal details the team needs.
Check the data in the local market. Whether sale prices are available depends on local disclosure rules. The amount of property and map detail also varies by area. Unlimited use of the comps tool is also separate from the allowance for detailed property reports.
Evaluate PropertyShark for that sales-research role. A team requiring signed commercial lease terms should choose a service that supplies those terms, or bring independently obtained lease records into its own comp-mapping workflow.
Keep asking rents separate from signed deals
Choose suitable records and adjust for major differences before using them to reach a value.
A nearby site is only the start of a comp search. Property size, condition, permitted use, transaction date and the circumstances of the deal can affect its relevance.
Lease comparisons need a consistent rent basis. Monthly and annual figures, different area measures, expense obligations, free rent and tenant improvements should not be mixed without adjustment. A lower face rent does not, by itself, show that the total cost to occupy the space is lower.
The map should preserve those distinctions. Record type, source, date and the fields used in the comparison need to remain accessible after a list is filtered or exported. A clean visual display cannot recover terms that were never collected.
Retain the evidence behind the selected comps
Evaluate the full process of going from a subject property to a small set of comps the team can defend. Explain why each comp was chosen, inspect the terms it provides and keep the source details in a format the license permits.
That process also reveals which category of tool is needed. Missing transactions call for research coverage. A scattered private collection calls for better record management. Once the evidence is available, a map helps the analyst judge where the comps are and whether those locations matter, with the deal details still attached to each point.