Provider comparison
QoEPrep vs Zenith Analysis
QoEPrep is a boutique founded in 2022 that does QoE work exclusively, and does it mostly for intermediaries: investment bankers, M&A brokers, and private equity groups, on deals from $1M to $100M. They report 57 reports completed in 2024 and turnaround under two weeks. Their published deliverable list is thorough and specific, which is a good sign in a market full of vague ones.
Side by side, on published facts only
Everything in the QoEPrep column is something they or a third party published. Where they do not publish a figure, the cell says so rather than guessing. Positioning, turnaround and volume as published on qoeprep.com, 2026. QoEPrep does not publish a rate card.
| QoEPrep | Zenith Analysis | |
|---|---|---|
| Published price, full QoE | Not published, quoted on a call | $9,799 flat for Comprehensive |
| Published price, entry tier | Not published | $299 Pre-LOI Screen, $2,899 QoE Lite |
| Stated turnaround | Under 2 weeks | 2 business days for the screen, 5 for Lite, 10 for Comprehensive |
| Primary customer | Investment bankers, M&A brokers, PE groups | Buyers, sellers and lenders directly, plus brokers |
| Stated deal range | $1M to $100M | $500K to $100M purchase price |
| Intermediary program | Practice is built around bankers and brokers | Volume pricing, white-labelled or co-branded reports, free or discounted pre-LOI screens on listings |
| CPA-signed report | Yes, a CPA practice | No. CFAs, ex-investment bankers and former McKinsey consultants |
| Proof of cash depth | Proof of cash, payroll, book to tax, revenue reconciliations | Every month, every account, reconciled bank to books. Comprehensive extends the tie to the filed returns |
| Excel workbook to the client | Not published | Yes, the full Excel workbook ships with every report |
Facts as published in August 2026. Providers change their pricing. Check theirs before you decide, and tell us if you find something here out of date.
Where the two approaches actually diverge
Who the report is written for, and what an intermediary actually gets. QoEPrep works largely for the professionals in the middle of the deal. We work for those professionals too, and directly for the person writing the check and signing the personal guarantee, which changes what the report has to do: readable by a first-time buyer, defensible in front of a credit committee, and delivered with the full workbook so the buyer can interrogate it rather than take it on faith. On the intermediary side we are not the lighter option. Bankers and brokers placing repeat volume get volume pricing, reports white-labelled or co-branded to carry their brand, and free or discounted pre-LOI screens on their listings so they can qualify a buyer before opening a data room. Our prices are published as well, which matters when the person paying is the person deciding.
When QoEPrep is the better call
One reason, and it is a credential we genuinely do not have: QoEPrep is a CPA practice. Our bench is CFAs, ex-investment bankers and former McKinsey consultants, which is the background we want for judging whether earnings are real, but none of them signs as a CPA. So if your lender, your investors, or your own comfort requires the report to come from a CPA firm specifically, QoEPrep much better meets that hurdle. Worth asking your lender before assuming it applies, because most credit committees care what the reconciliation shows rather than what letters follow the signature. But if the answer comes back that they want a CPA, go with them.
What you get from us, specifically
A team of CFAs, ex-investment bankers, and former McKinsey management consultants who have overseen more than 800 transactions between them. Every add-back gets a written verdict of accepted, reduced, or rejected with the evidence next to it. Every month of bank activity gets reconciled to the books rather than sampled, and on a Comprehensive engagement that tie extends to the filed tax returns. The complete Excel workbook ships with the report, so your lender and your accountant can audit the work instead of trusting it.
And the report is not where we stop. You get a walkthrough of the findings when the draft lands, and we stay reachable while you negotiate, because a finding you cannot use in the room is not worth much. That advisory relationship is part of the engagement, not a tier above it.
Three flat prices, published: $299 to screen a deal before you commit to an LOI, $2,899 for a QoE Lite, $9,799 for a Comprehensive scoped to SBA SOP 50 10 8.1 Appendix 15. No hourly billing and no scope surprises.
Still deciding who to hire?
Send us the deal. We will tell you which tier fits, what we would look at first, and when the honest answer is that somebody else is a better fit for this one.