Altimeter Group review
Altimeter helps leaders thrive by providing research and advisory on how to leverage disruptive technologies.
Altimeter Group, now operating as Altimeter, a Prophet company, is a research and strategy consulting firm that helps enterprises understand and act on digital disruption across customer experience, social business, and emerging technologies.
Independently researched by the SalesHive team. Ratings are from public review platforms; this page is not sponsored by or affiliated with Altimeter Group. Research last updated December 2025.
What is Altimeter Group?
Founded in 2008 by best-selling author and former Forrester analyst Charlene Li, Altimeter Group emerged as a boutique research and advisory firm focused on helping companies understand and act on disruptive technologies in areas such as social business, customer experience, big data, and the Internet of Things. Altimeter quickly built a reputation for open, independent research, publishing widely shared reports and frameworks on topics like digital transformation maturity and the evolution of social business, while delivering strategy consulting based on that research. The firm’s client base grew to more than 150 organizations worldwide, including nine members of the Dow Jones 30 and 16 of the Fortune 100, and Fast Company named Altimeter one of the “Five Most Creative Small Businesses.” In 2015 Altimeter was acquired by global brand and marketing consultancy Prophet and now operates as Altimeter, a Prophet company from its base in San Francisco, serving as the group’s specialized research arm for digital transformation and customer experience.
Altimeter Group key features
Teams typically use it for developing enterprise digital transformation strategies and multi-year roadmaps, redesigning customer and employee experiences across channels and touchpoints, defining social business strategy, governance, and operating models, and more.
- Independent open research reports on digital transformation. customer experience, social business, data and content strategy that are widely cited across the industry.
- Strategy consulting to help organizations act on disruptive technology trends, including ethical data use, AI, and communications.
- Digital transformation maturity models and frameworks (such as the Six Stages of Digital Transformation) used to benchmark and guide enterprise change efforts.
- Customer journey mapping and experience design insights that connect digital initiatives to end-to-end customer and guest experiences.
- Social business and governance strategy. including organizational models, policies and metrics for enterprise social media programs.
- Data, analytics and AI strategy focused on how organizations use multi-source data, data science, and platforms to support decision-making.
- Content strategy and digital content operations research that helps marketing teams modernize planning, production, and cross-channel orchestration.
- Education and workshops for executives and practitioners to build shared understanding and skills around digital transformation and social business.
- Ongoing advisory retainers that provide access to Altimeter analysts for research-based counsel on specific digital, CX, and data challenges.
- Custom commissioned research projects for technology and services companies (for example with Hootsuite, Sabre Hospitality and others) to explore emerging topics and market trends.
- Industry-specific studies in areas such as hospitality. retail, social media ROI, and digital selling, providing benchmarks and best practices.
- Thought leadership from prominent analysts and authors like Charlene Li and Brian Solis, who extend Altimeter's research through books, keynotes, and media.
What reviewers love, and what to watch
A balanced view of Altimeter Group, drawn from public reviews and product research.
Pros
- Deep, research-based insights on digital transformation, customer experience, and social business grounded in both quantitative and qualitative studies.
- Widely adopted frameworks and maturity models (such as the Six Stages of Digital Transformation) that help organizations benchmark and plan their roadmaps.
- Holistic perspective that connects external customer engagement with internal operating model, culture, and governance considerations.
- Open research program that publishes many flagship reports for free, making it easier for teams to socialize concepts and build executive buy-in.
- Tight linkage to Prophet’s larger consulting organization, allowing clients to move from research and strategy into execution within a single ecosystem.
- Highly visible thought leaders and analysts, including well-known authors and speakers, which can help drive internal attention and momentum for change.
Cons
- No proprietary software platform or tooling, deliverables are research and consulting, so organizations must rely on internal teams or partners for technology implementation.
- Smaller analyst team and narrower coverage breadth than very large research firms like Gartner or Forrester, which can limit depth in some specialized domains.
- Standardized pricing and engagement models are not published publicly, so prospects must engage in a sales process to understand costs and scope.
Altimeter Group pricing
Published pricing at the time of research. Always confirm current rates with the vendor.
Not applicable, all engagements are paid consulting or research services scoped to each client.
Who Altimeter Group is for
A strong fit for
Global or upper mid-market organizations that need independent, research-driven guidance on how to navigate digital disruption, modernize customer experience, and align leadership and culture around transformation.
Probably not for
Very small businesses or teams primarily seeking an out-of-the-box software product or hands-on systems implementation rather than strategic research and advisory services.
How Altimeter Group compares
Compared with large analyst firms such as Forrester and Gartner, Altimeter operates as a much smaller, more focused boutique that concentrates on a defined set of topics, digital transformation, customer experience, social business, data and content strategy, rather than broad technology coverage. Its open research model and visually clear frameworks often make it easier for practitioners to socialize ideas internally, but it lacks the massive coverage maps, Magic Quadrants, and vendor rating ecosystems that larger firms provide.
Relative to strategy houses and systems integrators like McKinsey Digital, Deloitte Digital, or BCG, Altimeter’s strength lies in its independent research and point-of-view on disruption, not in large-scale implementation capacity. Many organizations use Altimeter to shape vision, strategy, and operating models, then rely on Prophet or other consultancies and technology partners for execution. For buyers who specifically value thought leadership, maturity models, and research-backed roadmaps, Altimeter can be a high-impact complement to broader consulting or IT services relationships.
Frequently asked about Altimeter Group
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