CLBT vs MSI: How Cellebrite DI and Motorola Solutions Compare (2026)

Last updated August 2026

Short answer

MSI is the larger of the two ($72.33B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (23.51x forward earnings, beta 0.88). CLBT is the smaller challenger ($3.99B), priced similarly on forward earnings (24.22x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.

CLBT vs MSI: the tie-breaker metrics

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

MetricCLBTMSIWhat it tells you
Market cap$3.99B$72.33BSize. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove.
Forward P/E24.2223.51Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up.
Trailing P/E57.1835.08Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price.
Beta1.180.88Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through.
Price vs 52-week range56% of range57% of rangeWhere today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why.
Price / book7.7328.47How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price.

Before you buy: how CLBT and MSI affect your concentration

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. CLBT and MSI share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined CLBT and MSI exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

What does Cellebrite DI (CLBT) do?

Cellebrite DI Ltd. sells the digital-intelligence toolchain used in criminal investigations. Its access products (the Inseyets line, successor to the UFED hardware kits) unlock and extract data from mobile devices, Guardian handles cloud-based evidence review and sharing across agencies, Pathfinder and the newer AI products correlate evidence across seized devices, and Endpoint Inspector covers computers and corporate endpoints. Customers are police forces, national security agencies, prosecutors and, increasingly, corporate investigations and incident-response teams. The company is headquartered in Petah Tikva, Israel, listed on Nasdaq after a 2021 SPAC merger, and files as a foreign private issuer on Form 20-F. In late 2025 it closed the ~$170 million acquisition of Corellium, whose virtualized ARM device platform is used for mobile app security research, and paired that deal with a restructuring.

Full CLBT guide

What does Motorola Solutions (MSI) do?

Motorola Solutions provides communications and software products to public safety and enterprise customers. The company's core business is land mobile radio (LMR) systems used by police, fire, and emergency medical services worldwide; Motorola Solutions has dominant share in this market. The company has expanded over the past decade through acquisitions into adjacent areas: command center software, video surveillance and analytics (Avigilon, Pelco, IPVideo, Openpath), and license plate recognition (Vigilant, Watchguard).

Full MSI guide

CLBT vs MSI: how do they differ?

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

  • CLBT drivers: ARR compounding on the subscription shift; AI products and the Corellium platform.
  • MSI drivers: Public safety video and software; LMR hardware durability.

Which fits which kind of investor

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Revenue depends on government budgets, so procurement freezes, continuing resolutions and election-cycle delays can push deals across quarters with no change in demand. For MSI, public sector budget cycles can affect short-term revenue.

CLBT or MSI: which should you pick?

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick CLBT if you believe its drivers more; MSI if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the CLBT and MSI guides.

CLBT vs MSI: the full fundamentals

CLBT. Q1 2026, reported May 14, met or beat the high end of guidance on both ARR and revenue, and full-year guidance was reaffirmed rather than raised. GAAP net income was ~$30.6 million (~$0.12 diluted), though GAAP figures move with warrant and stock-compensation accounting, so the company steers on ARR and adjusted EBITDA. Second-quarter 2026 results are scheduled for August 13, 2026, and the number under the most scrutiny is net new ARR, which the guidance implies grows about ~50% sequentially at the midpoint.

MSI. Motorola Solutions trades at a premium to the S&P 500 average, reflecting the high recurring revenue, dominant LMR position, and consistent execution. Public safety end markets are durable across economic cycles.

Headline figures (approximate, August 2026): CLBT shows revenue (ttm) ~$496 million, arr (q1 2026) ~$493 million, up ~21% year over year, q1 2026 revenue and adjusted ebitda ~$128 million revenue, ~$31 million adjusted EBITDA, ~86% gross margin, fy2026 revenue guidance ~$565 million to ~$571 million; MSI shows revenue (ttm) ~$11 billion, operating margin ~25%, net income (ttm) ~$2 billion, eps (ttm) ~$11.50.

The bottom line: CLBT vs MSI

CLBT and MSI are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined CLBT and MSI exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Wondering how CLBT or MSI fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in Cellebrite DI with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how CLBT fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

FAQ

What is the difference between CLBT and MSI?

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Cellebrite DI Ltd. Motorola Solutions provides communications and software products to public safety and enterprise customers. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.

Is CLBT or MSI the better stock?

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Neither is universally better. MSI is the larger incumbent; CLBT is the smaller challenger and looks pricier on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.

Which is cheaper, CLBT or MSI?

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On forward P/E (as of August 2026), CLBT trades at 24.22x and MSI at 23.51x, so MSI is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.

Should you own both CLBT and MSI?

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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.

What are the risks of CLBT vs MSI?

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CLBT: Revenue depends on government budgets, so procurement freezes, continuing resolutions and election-cycle delays can push deals across quarters with no change in demand. Access capability is a moving target: every iOS and Android hardening release can strip a supported extraction method, and Cellebrite must keep re-earning it, which is why its spring 2026 update advertising iPhone 17 and iOS 26 support was itself news. The reputational exposure is real and recurring, from Amnesty International's 2024 report on Cellebrite tools used against Serbian activists (after which the company stopped selling there) to political scrutiny of its expanded U.S. immigration-enforcement contracts. Competition is well capitalized, with Magnet Forensics and GrayKey combined under private ownership. As an Israel-domiciled foreign private issuer, Cellebrite reports on a 20-F with semiannual rather than quarterly filing obligations, carries regional geopolitical risk, and its GAAP results swing on warrant revaluation and share-based compensation. MSI: Public sector budget cycles can affect short-term revenue. Regulatory debates around law enforcement technology (facial recognition, predictive policing) can constrain product roadmaps.

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Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell CLBT or MSI; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.

    CLBT vs MSI: How Cellebrite DI and Motorola Solutions Compare (2026) - Walnut AI Investing App