Vistaley vs Visible: Portfolio Monitoring for Emerging Market VCs
Comparing VentureLens and Visible for portfolio monitoring — pricing, features, and why emerging market GPs are switching to VentureLens.
Visible has built a solid reputation for portfolio monitoring and investor updates. But if you're managing a fund in emerging markets, there are important gaps to consider — and a free alternative that covers more ground.
What Visible Does Well
Visible is focused on two things: collecting data from portfolio companies and sending updates to investors. It does both well, with clean templates and a straightforward interface.
If your primary need is sending quarterly LP newsletters and collecting basic metrics from portfolio companies, Visible is a proven option.
Where VentureLens Goes Further
VentureLens includes everything Visible does for portfolio monitoring, plus the rest of your fund management stack:
- Deal pipeline — Track deals from sourcing through closing with Kanban-style workflows
- Fund accounting — Multi-currency NAV calculations, fee management, and audit-ready exports
- Capital calls & distributions — Automated waterfall calculations and per-LP tracking
- LP portal — A branded portal where LPs can see real-time fund performance
- Compliance — Templates for 12 emerging market jurisdictions
And the price difference is significant.
Pricing: Free vs $499+/month
Visible's pricing starts at $499/month for their core plan. VentureLens starts free — genuinely free, not a 14-day trial.
| Tier | VentureLens | Visible | |---|---|---| | Entry | Free (1 fund, 10 cos, 5 LPs) | $499/month | | Mid | $49/month (3 funds, 50 cos) | $999/month | | Full | $149/month (unlimited) | Custom |
For a first-time GP, the math is simple: VentureLens gives you full fund management for free, while Visible charges $6,000/year for portfolio monitoring alone.
The Portfolio Company Advantage
When you use VentureLens, your portfolio companies get free access to Harbour — a complete FP&A platform. Founders track their own finances, plan budgets, and model scenarios. When they share data with you, it's structured, timely, and accurate.
Visible collects data through forms that portfolio companies fill out. There's no incentive for founders beyond compliance — they're doing you a favor, not getting a tool they actually want to use.
This difference in approach means VentureLens users typically get higher-quality, more consistent portfolio data.
Who Should Choose What
Choose VentureLens if you want complete fund management (not just portfolio monitoring), operate in emerging markets, need multi-currency support, or want to start free.
Choose Visible if you only need portfolio data collection and LP updates, are US-based, and have $500+/month budget for a monitoring-only tool.
Ready to modernize your fund operations?
Start with VentureLens for free. No credit card required.