SteamSpy - All the data about Steam games
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you research PC game markets . it is a free, widely cited source of Steam sales and player estimates.
Comparison
SteamSpy - All the data about Steam games vs VG Insights (Video Game Insights)
SteamSpy - All the data about Steam games lands on Worth it, and VG Insights (Video Game Insights) lands on Depends.
VG Insights (Video Game Insights)
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you need ballpark Steam sales figures for market research or niche scouting; the free tier covers most of that.
| Compare | SteamSpy - All the data about Steam games | VG Insights (Video Game Insights) |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Depends |
| Best for | Indie devs scoping market size | Indie devs scoping Steam niches |
| Who it's not for | Teams needing official, verified sales figures | Teams needing exact sales figures . these are estimates |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹ | Publishes a security page and SPF records; no known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No support channels documented anywhere | No support evidence in sources |
| Public sentiment | Gamers, developers, and researchers across forums and papers treat SteamSpy as a go-to reference for Steam player and sales estimates.⁸ | Devs and analysts find it useful for ballpark Steam sales figures, but widely acknowledge the estimates are rough and debated.13 |
| Biggest gotcha | Owner numbers are estimates with wide error margins; verify before publishing⁵ | Estimates derive from a reviews-to-sales multiplier; real sales can diverge sharply |
Pick SteamSpy - All the data about Steam games when
- Indie devs scoping market size
- Games journalists
- Students and researchers
- PC gaming data hobbyists
When SteamSpy - All the data about Steam games is not a fit
- Teams needing official, verified sales figures
- Buyers wanting SLAs or enterprise data contracts
- Console/mobile game makers . Steam coverage only
- Anyone needing a supported analytics product with guaranteed uptime
Pick VG Insights (Video Game Insights) when
- Indie devs scoping Steam niches
- Publishers doing competitor research
- Analysts and journalists citing sales
- Investors tracking game market trends
When VG Insights (Video Game Insights) is not a fit
- Teams needing exact sales figures . these are estimates
- Mobile-only studios wanting PC context without Sensor Tower
- Buyers needing a stable, settled vendor post-acquisition
- Anyone targeting Epic/itch/GOG, not Steam
Sources
- SteamSpy security page checksteamspy.comsecurity
security
- Explaining and Predicting Helpfulness and Funniness of Online Reviews (ScienceDirect)sciencedirect.comreview
review
- Collaborative Filtering and Innovation: Steam case studycoen.needell.orgreview
- Steam's Early Access Model study (names maintainer S. Galyonkin)researchgate.netreview
- AoE forum: units sold and player counts cited from SteamSpyforums.ageofempires.comnews
- Quarter To Three forums user commentforum.quartertothree.comreview
- Thimbleweed Park forums user commentforums.thimbleweedpark.comreview
- Game design document using SteamSpy dataconnormakes.gamesreview
- 2015 Japanese blog citing SteamSpygamesaved.hateblo.jpnews
- Wikipedia citation example (Undertale)en.wikipedia.orgnews
- Is Vginsights reliable? : r/gamedevreddit.comreview
- VG Insights Alternatives After the Sensor Tower Move (2026)steampageanalyzer.comnews
- Steam Revenue Estimators Compared: 4 Tools Testedsteampageanalyzer.comreview
- Video Game Insights . Steam stats for every gamevginsights.medium.comofficial