No — the two operate in different markets with different delivery models. Ocean Tomo (now part of J.S. Held) serves Fortune 500, governments, and AM Law 100 firms with bespoke litigation-grade IP advisory engagements that cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per project. Opagio serves SMEs, growth-stage businesses, PE/VC funds, and the advisors who serve them, with a SaaS subscription platform. The work overlaps in subject matter (intangible asset valuation) but not in audience or model.

When the use case is litigation-grade IP valuation, expert witness testimony for a courtroom case, patent brokerage, or large-scale IP-driven M&A. Those use cases require qualified expert witnesses with deposition experience, courtroom-tested methodology, and the institutional weight that an enterprise IP advisory firm provides. They are not the use cases a SaaS platform is built for, and Opagio does not claim to address them.

When the use case is continuous intangible asset measurement, IP-backed lending readiness, fundraising preparation, exit-readiness, PE/VC portfolio diligence, or board-level intangible value tracking. The SaaS subscription model is the right architecture for ongoing measurement, and the budget profile of an SME or growth-stage business does not support enterprise advisory engagement fees for these jobs.

Ocean Tomo has 25+ years of brand recognition, the Intangible Asset Market Value study, and a deep bench of expert witnesses with courtroom experience — that credibility is built for the litigation and courtroom contexts they serve. Opagio's credibility runs differently: an academic paper aligning the Opagio 12 framework to the Corrado-Hulten-Sichel taxonomy, a registered design protecting the radar-chart visualisation, and methodology aligned to IFRS 3 / IAS 38 / ASC 805 standards. The two credibility profiles fit their respective markets — courtroom credibility for Ocean Tomo, financial-reporting and platform credibility for Opagio.

For audit-sensitive or courtroom-grade work, the right pattern is to use Opagio to automate the mechanical asset-level valuation work and engage a qualified specialist — often an enterprise IP advisory firm like Ocean Tomo or Kroll — to review and sign the final expert report. The platform does the data and methodology heavy lifting; the qualified specialist provides the courtroom credibility. This pattern is increasingly common in mid-market disputes where the budget does not support an end-to-end enterprise advisory engagement.

Yes. The Intangible Asset Market Value study showing ~92% of S&P 500 capitalisation is intangible reflects a thesis that is increasingly true across the SME and mid-market, not only at the top of the market. The studies use S&P 500 data because the data is available; the underlying economic shift toward intangible value is structural and applies to most modern businesses. Opagio's content draws on Ocean Tomo's research extensively because the macro thesis is foundational to the case for SME intangible asset measurement.

Ocean Tomo's engagement fees are professional services and not publicly published; they typically run into the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per project. Opagio's pricing is published and tiered: a free Growth Forecaster, a paid Growth Forecaster Pro in the Explore zone, and a paid Opagio Intangibles platform subscription. The two pricing models reflect the two delivery models — bespoke professional services vs subscription SaaS. The comparison is structural rather than feature-by-feature.

[Book a demo](/demo) and we will walk through The Opagio 12™ taxonomy, the Asset Valuator module, the Lending Readiness Report, and the platform's portfolio views with a worked example relevant to your use case. The demo is run by a member of the Opagio team and typically takes 30-40 minutes.

Tool Comparison

Opagio vs Ocean Tomo: SME IP Advisory Alternative

Opagio vs Ocean Tomo (J.S. Held) — when to use enterprise IP advisory and when to use an SME-affordable platform. Audience, scope, methodology, pricing.

Ocean Tomo (now part of J.S. Held) is the most recognised brand in IP advisory — litigation-grade valuation, expert testimony, patent auctions, and the Intangible Asset Market Value study cited across the industry. The reason SMEs search for an Opagio vs Ocean Tomo comparison is the structural gap underneath: SMEs need the same intangible measurement, but the enterprise advisory engagement model is structurally out of reach.

Criteria	Opagio	Ocean Tomo (J.S. Held)
Delivery model	SaaS platform under subscription	Bespoke professional services engagement
Primary market	SMEs, growth-stage businesses, PE/VC funds, advisors	Fortune 500, governments, AM Law 100 firms, institutional investors
IP scope	Statutory IP + non-statutory intangibles (customer capital, organisational capital, data, human capital)	Primarily statutory IP — patents, trademarks, copyrights
Primary use cases	Discovery, ongoing valuation, IP-backed lending readiness, fundraising, exit-readiness, PE diligence	Litigation-grade IP valuation, expert testimony, patent auctions, IP brokerage, large-scale M&A
Engagement cycle	Continuous platform — onboard in 1-3 weeks, ongoing month-on-month	Project-based — weeks to months per engagement
Pricing model	Tiered SaaS subscription — free Forecaster, paid Forecaster Pro, paid Opagio Intangibles platform	Professional services fees — typically tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per engagement
Expert testimony	Not applicable — platform supports the data; qualified specialists deliver testimony if needed	Core service — 500+ economic damages testimony engagements
Best fit when	SME or growth-stage business needs continuous intangible measurement, lending readiness, or fundraising / exit support	Large corporation, law firm, or government needs courtroom-grade IP valuation, expert testimony, or large-scale patent transaction

When to Use Each Approach

Opagio

You are an SME or growth-stage business needing continuous intangible asset measurement
You are scoping an IP-backed lending facility under £10M
You are preparing for a fundraising round or exit conversation 12-36 months out
You are a PE/VC fund tracking intangible value across the portfolio

Ocean Tomo (J.S. Held)

You are a Fortune 500 corporation, law firm, or government with litigation-grade IP valuation needs
Your use case requires courtroom-tested expert witness testimony
You are running a patent auction or large-scale patent brokerage transaction
You have the budget for enterprise professional services engagement fees

Our Verdict

Choose Ocean Tomo / J.S. Held for litigation-grade IP valuation, expert testimony, patent auctions, and large-scale IP advisory at the Fortune 500 / AM Law 100 level. Choose Opagio when the buyer is an SME, growth-stage business, or PE/VC portfolio company that needs continuous intangible measurement under a SaaS subscription model — the engagement-fee model is structurally out of reach for this market. The two operations serve different ends of the same industry.

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Opagio vs Ocean Tomo: SME IP Advisory Alternative

When to Use Each Approach

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Ocean Tomo (J.S. Held)

Our Verdict

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