G2 bold move to reshape software discovery with major acquisition from Gartner

G2, the Chicago-based software insights platform, agreed today to acquire three prominent software review and discovery properties from Gartner: Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp.

The deal brings four of the largest B2B review sites under a single roof and signals a shift toward unified, AI-driven software recommendation and buying experiences.  

According to the announcement, the combined business will include roughly six million verified customer reviews and tap into an audience of more than 200 million annual software buyers. G2 said it expects the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to standard regulatory and closing conditions.  

G2’s leadership frames the agreement as a response to fragmentation in the software buying journey. By consolidating multiple review databases and audiences, the company aims to streamline discovery for buyers and expand demand-generation tools for vendors. 

In a public post, G2’s CEO described the integration as building “the trusted data foundation for B2B software in the age of AI,” with deeper buyer intent signals and a more consistent taxonomy across categories.  

For buyers, the enlarged platform promises easier access to user-verified feedback and faster decision cycles. For software vendors, the unified dataset could translate into broader visibility and enhanced market insights.

G2’s roadmap includes tighter AI integration across search and recommendation workflows.  

Gartner, which currently owns Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp, has held these properties for years as part of its digital markets portfolio.

This divestiture appears to reflect a strategic choice to focus its core research and advisory business while enabling specialized review platforms to evolve under a dedicated marketplace operator.  

As the software market continues to expand, the consolidation of review infrastructure under G2 could reshape how products are evaluated and purchased.

The market will watch closely for how the combined entity leverages its scale to influence search visibility and buyer influence metrics in 2026 and beyond.