Forthsource vs Panjiva: Company Records or Trade Data?

Forthsource publishes this comparison and is one of the products compared. The useful question is which evidence you need. Panjiva is described here as a trade-data product. Forthsource offers supplier search and a separately ordered manual China company dossier. Forthsource does not hold customs or shipment histories.

Forthsource vs Panjiva at a glance

Use trade data when you need to research shipment activity. Use a company-record dossier when you need to examine the proposed Chinese counterparty's reported company and risk fields. Neither type of evidence proves that a factory can make your product or deliver a future order.

Panjiva (S&P) pricing: what's actually published

• S&P Global describes Panjiva as a supply-chain intelligence platform for researching global trade, shipment activity, risks and opportunities. It is not described as a tool only for finance or trade-policy analysts.
• On 4 November 2026, the official Panjiva product page offered a demo request without displaying a subscription amount. Request a written quote for the evidence and access your team needs; this comparison does not establish a public starting price.
• Use the vendor’s current product information and a written proposal to confirm countries and records covered, available history, update frequency and the number of users.
• Confirm any export or API access, license restrictions, support and contract terms in the proposal. This guide has not obtained comparable quotes for your business and does not rank vendors by undisclosed cost.

Panjiva's pricing is quote-based and can change — confirm current pricing on Panjiva (S&P)'s own site.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Question	Forthsource	Panjiva
What is the main evidence?	Live supplier-search results and a separately ordered manual China company dossier.	Trade and shipment data described in this comparison.
Can I inspect a source?	The manual dossier includes its Qichacha source document.	Ask Panjiva which underlying records are available for the market you need.
Does it show Forthsource shipment history?	No. Forthsource holds no customs or shipment-history data.	Trade history is the reason to assess Panjiva. Confirm coverage with Panjiva.
Does it prove factory capacity or product quality?	No.	Do not infer either from shipment records alone.
Is the price shown here?	Forthsource publishes search-tier and dossier prices on its pricing page.	This page found no public Panjiva subscription price; request a current quote.

Who should pick which?

Choose the evidence that answers your immediate question. For shipment research, examine Panjiva's coverage and request a quote. For a manual review of a Chinese company's reported fields, read Forthsource's dossier method and price. If you need a factory assessment, product inspection or order-management workflow, arrange those separately.

Pricing

See pricing for the current breakdown.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Panjiva so expensive?

Panjiva’s official page describes supply-chain and trade research, not a finance-only buyer. Its product page showed a demo request rather than a subscription amount when checked on 4 November 2026. Whether a quote is expensive depends on the records, access, license terms and task being compared. Ask S&P Global for the current product scope and quote; this guide has not obtained a comparable price for your account.

Try the methodology yourself

Use the supplier due-diligence checklist to organize evidence you already have. It is a checklist, not a supplier lookup or an automatically retrieved credit report. For the separately ordered manual China dossier, read how we verify suppliers and the current pricing. A checklist score does not establish that a supplier is safe or that an order will perform as promised.