A B2B data provider sells you contact and company information: work emails, direct dials, mobile numbers, job titles, company size, industry, and technology stack. You use it to build prospect lists and to fill in the blanks on records already sitting in your CRM.
The category is crowded and the marketing is close to identical. Every vendor claims accuracy, coverage, and compliance. The differences that actually matter only surface once you compare them on the same criteria, side by side.
This guide does that. Twelve providers, each assessed on the same six fields in the same order: what it is, who it suits, data coverage, mobile number coverage, pricing model, and limitations. Where a provider does not publish a figure, the entry says not publicly listed rather than quietly skipping the row.
How we evaluated these providers
Disclosure: this comparison is published by Scalelist, so Scalelist is listed first as the publisher. Every other provider is listed alphabetically and scored on the same criteria. Where a competitor is stronger than Scalelist on a criterion, that is stated.
Four criteria, applied identically to every entry on the list, including our own.
- Coverage, how many contacts and companies the database holds, and which regions it covers well.
- Mobile number availability, whether direct mobile numbers are offered at all, and whether they are verified. This is broken out separately because it is the field most often missing and hardest to source.
- Pricing model, credit-based, seat-based, usage-based, or quote-only. We describe the model rather than quoting dollar figures, because published prices change frequently and a stale number is worse than no number.
- Practical limitations, the constraint you hit in month three, not month one.
Disclosure: Scalelist publishes this guide. Scalelist appears in the list and is assessed against the same six fields as everyone else, in the same order, with its limitations stated. Providers are listed alphabetically after the comparison table so that ordering carries no ranking.
B2B data providers compared
| Provider | Best suited to | Mobile numbers | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scalelist | Teams that need verified mobile numbers at volume | Yes, the primary focus | Credit-based |
| Apollo.io | SMB teams wanting data and outreach in one tool | Yes, coverage varies by region | Credit-based, seat tiers |
| AWS Data Exchange | Engineering teams building custom pipelines | Depends on third-party seller | Usage-based, varies by seller |
| Bombora | Marketing teams buying intent signals | No, not a contact provider | Quote only |
| Cognism | Mid-market and enterprise EMEA outbound | Yes, a core strength | Quote only, seat-based |
| Dun & Bradstreet | Enterprise firmographic and risk data | Limited | Quote only |
| G2 | Buyers researching the category | No, a review platform | Free to browse |
| Lusha | Individual reps and small teams | Yes | Credit-based, seat tiers |
| People Data Labs | Developers needing raw data via API | Limited | Usage-based API |
| RocketReach | Ad hoc lookups and recruiting | Yes | Credit-based, seat tiers |
| UpLead | Small teams wanting verified emails | Limited | Credit-based, seat tiers |
| ZoomInfo | Enterprise sales orgs with budget | Yes | Quote only, seat-based |
Mobile number coverage varies significantly by region for every provider on this list. Test against your own target accounts before committing to an annual contract.
The twelve providers in detail
Listed alphabetically. Each entry uses the same six fields in the same order.
Scalelist
Scalelist is a B2B data platform built specifically around verified email addresses and mobile numbers. It aggregates from multiple upstream sources and runs results through its own verification layer before returning them.
Best for
Sales teams whose outbound depends on reaching people by phone, and who need mobile numbers at volume rather than one lookup at a time.
Data coverage
Aggregates from more than ten underlying providers rather than relying on a single database, then deduplicates and standardises the result. Records are returned CRM-ready, with company names and formatting normalised.
Mobile number coverage
The primary focus of the product. Mobile numbers are verified before being returned, and the waterfall approach across multiple sources is designed specifically to raise match rates on phone data, which is the field most providers cover least well.
Pricing model
Credit-based.
Limitations
The product is deliberately narrow. It is a data and enrichment layer, not a sales engagement platform, so it does not send sequences or manage pipeline and needs to sit alongside a CRM and an outreach tool. Teams whose main requirement is intent data or deep firmographic and risk data will find that scope elsewhere.
Apollo.io
Apollo.io combines a large contact database with a sales engagement layer, so you can build a list and run sequences against it without exporting to another tool.
Best for
Small and mid-size teams that want prospecting and outreach in a single subscription rather than paying for a data vendor and a sequencer separately.
Data coverage
One of the larger databases in the category, with strong US coverage and reasonable international breadth. Filtering is extensive, with dozens of firmographic and technographic attributes.
Mobile number coverage
Mobile numbers are available, with coverage that varies considerably by region and seniority. Numbers are drawn partly from contributory sources, so verification depth differs from record to record.
Pricing model
Credit-based, layered on top of seat tiers. Credits are consumed by revealing contact details, and different data types consume different amounts.
Limitations
The all-in-one design is the trade-off. The engagement features are adequate rather than best-in-class, and teams that already run a dedicated sequencer end up paying for capability they do not use. Data quality is generally considered strongest on US mid-market records.
AWS Data Exchange
AWS Data Exchange is a marketplace rather than a data provider. Third-party sellers list datasets, and you subscribe to them and pull the data directly into your AWS environment.
Best for
Engineering and data teams building custom enrichment pipelines who want datasets delivered into infrastructure they already run.
Data coverage
Entirely dependent on which sellers you subscribe to. Breadth across the marketplace is wide; quality and freshness vary by individual dataset.
Mobile number coverage
Depends on the seller. Some listed datasets include phone data, but there is no consistent standard across the marketplace and no single verification process.
Pricing model
Usage-based, set individually by each seller. Some datasets are one-off purchases, others are subscriptions.
Limitations
This is infrastructure, not a product a sales team can use. There is no interface for reps, no list building, and no CRM integration out of the box. You are buying raw data and building everything on top of it yourself.
Bombora
Bombora sells intent data. Rather than telling you who a company is, it tells you what topics that company has been researching across a publisher network.
Best for
Marketing and demand generation teams that already have contact data and want to prioritise which accounts to approach now.
Data coverage
Covers a broad set of B2B topics across a large publisher co-operative. Signals are reported at the company level, not the individual level.
Mobile number coverage
Not applicable. Bombora does not sell contact records, so mobile numbers are outside its scope. It is normally layered on top of a contact data provider rather than replacing one.
Pricing model
Quote only. Typically sold as an annual subscription, often through a partner platform.
Limitations
Intent data is directional, not deterministic. A surge signal tells you a topic is being researched somewhere in an organisation, not that a specific person is in-market. It also requires an existing contact data source to be actionable, so it is an additional cost rather than a substitute.
Cognism
Cognism is a B2B data provider with a strong emphasis on phone-verified mobile numbers and on compliance with European data regulation.
Best for
Mid-market and enterprise outbound teams selling into EMEA, particularly those where GDPR posture is a procurement requirement.
Data coverage
Strong European coverage, which is where it differentiates most clearly. US coverage is solid but faces more competition there.
Mobile number coverage
A core strength and a central part of the product positioning. Cognism invests in phone verification and markets this coverage directly.
Pricing model
Quote only, generally seat-based with annual commitments.
Limitations
Pricing is not published and tends to sit at the higher end of the market, which puts it out of reach for smaller teams. Annual contracts are standard, so it is a poor fit if you need to scale usage up and down through the year.
Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet is an established commercial data company. Its D-U-N-S numbering system is widely used as a standard business identifier, and its strength is company-level rather than contact-level data.
Best for
Enterprise teams that need authoritative firmographic, corporate hierarchy, or credit risk data, often for finance and compliance as much as for sales.
Data coverage
Very deep company data, including corporate family trees, revenue, and risk indicators. Global coverage is extensive.
Mobile number coverage
Limited. The platform is built around company records rather than individual contact details, and direct mobile numbers are not its focus.
Pricing model
Quote only, typically annual enterprise agreements.
Limitations
Priced and structured for enterprise buyers, with the procurement process to match. For a team whose main need is reaching individual decision-makers by phone or email, most of what you are paying for goes unused.
G2
G2 is a software review platform rather than a data provider. It is included here because buyers researching this category invariably encounter it.
Best for
Buyers at the evaluation stage who want to read reviews from other users before shortlisting vendors.
Data coverage
Not applicable. G2 holds reviews and vendor profiles, not contact records.
Mobile number coverage
Not applicable.
Pricing model
Free to browse. G2 sells services to vendors, including buyer intent data.
Limitations
Reviews skew toward vendors that actively solicit them, so review volume reflects marketing effort as much as product quality. Useful for shortlisting, not a substitute for running your own test against your own target accounts.
Lusha
Lusha provides contact data with a strong browser extension, letting reps pull details while viewing a prospect profile.
Best for
Individual reps and small teams who work prospect by prospect rather than building large lists in bulk.
Data coverage
Reasonable coverage with a straightforward interface. Better suited to targeted lookups than to large-volume list building.
Mobile number coverage
Available and a significant part of the value proposition, with coverage varying by region.
Pricing model
Credit-based with seat tiers, including a limited entry tier.
Limitations
Bulk workflows are less developed than the single-lookup experience. Credit consumption can become expensive at volume, which makes it a better fit for low-volume, high-value prospecting than for running large outbound programmes.
People Data Labs
People Data Labs sells person and company data primarily through an API, aimed at teams building their own applications on top of it.
Best for
Developers and data teams enriching records programmatically inside their own product or internal systems.
Data coverage
Very large person and company datasets, designed for programmatic access rather than manual browsing.
Mobile number coverage
Limited. The dataset emphasises professional and firmographic attributes over direct dial phone data.
Pricing model
Usage-based API pricing, with volume tiers.
Limitations
There is no interface for a sales team. This is a developer product, so using it requires engineering time. Match rates on any individual field vary, and you carry the work of handling gaps yourself.
RocketReach
RocketReach is a contact lookup tool covering a broad set of professionals across industries, with both a web interface and an API.
Best for
Recruiters and teams doing ad hoc lookups across varied industries rather than systematic outbound into a defined market.
Data coverage
Broad coverage across many industries and regions, extending beyond the technology-sector focus common in this category.
Mobile number coverage
Available, with coverage varying by region and seniority.
Pricing model
Credit-based with seat tiers.
Limitations
Breadth comes at some cost to depth in any specific segment. Accuracy varies more than with providers focused on a narrower market, which matters most if you are running high-volume outbound where bounce rates carry a penalty.
UpLead
UpLead is a contact database that emphasises real-time email verification at the point of export.
Best for
Small teams that prioritise low bounce rates and want verification built into the export step rather than run separately.
Data coverage
A moderate database size relative to the largest providers, with the trade-off positioned as quality over raw volume.
Mobile number coverage
Limited relative to providers that specialise in phone data. Email is the stronger field.
Pricing model
Credit-based with seat tiers.
Limitations
Database size is smaller than the largest competitors, so coverage gaps appear sooner in niche segments or outside core markets. Credits do not roll over indefinitely on all plans, which penalises teams with uneven month-to-month usage.
ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo is one of the largest and longest-established players in the category, selling a broad data platform with workflow and intent features layered on top.
Best for
Enterprise sales organisations with the budget and the headcount to justify a full platform deployment.
Data coverage
Among the most extensive in the category, particularly for US companies, with deep firmographic and technographic attributes alongside contact records.
Mobile number coverage
Available and extensive, with the usual regional variation.
Pricing model
Quote only, seat-based, generally annual.
Limitations
The most common complaints concern commercial structure rather than data. Contracts are annual, pricing is not published and is widely reported as high, and seat-based licensing makes it expensive to give access to a broad team. Overkill for a small team that mainly needs contact details.
How to choose between them
Most of these providers will look acceptable in a demo. The differences emerge under your own conditions, so evaluate in this order.
1. Start with the field you actually need
If your outbound is email-led, email match rate and bounce rate are the metrics that matter. If your team calls, mobile number coverage is the deciding factor and most providers cover it far less well than they cover email. Deciding this first eliminates most of the list immediately.
2. Test against your own accounts, not a sample
Take 100 real target accounts and run them through each shortlisted provider. Aggregate coverage claims are close to meaningless because they average across regions and seniorities. What matters is the match rate on the specific segment you sell into.
3. Check regional coverage honestly
Nearly every provider is strongest in the United States. If you sell into EMEA, APAC, or Latin America, coverage claims need testing in that specific market rather than being taken at face value.
4. Understand how consumption is charged
Credit-based and seat-based models behave very differently as you scale. Credits suit variable usage; seats suit steady usage across a fixed team. Check whether credits expire, whether they roll over, and what happens when you exhaust them mid-month.
5. Read the contract terms before the feature list
Annual commitments, auto-renewal clauses, and seat minimums determine your real cost far more than the headline rate. Quote-only vendors typically expect annual commitments.
Related guides
Choosing a provider is one decision. Running the data afterwards is another. These cover the rest of the workflow.
- B2B data enrichment: how enrichment works and what it costs.
- CRM data enrichment: keeping Salesforce and HubSpot records current.
- Customer data enrichment: spotting expansion and churn signals.
- Waterfall enrichment: chaining providers to raise match rates.
- Contact enrichment API: doing it programmatically.
- B2B prospecting tools: the discovery layer above the data.
Frequently asked questions
What is a B2B data provider?
A B2B data provider sells business contact and company information, typically including work email addresses, phone numbers, job titles, and company attributes such as size, industry, and location. Sales and marketing teams use it to build prospect lists and to complete partial records already held in a CRM.
Which B2B data provider has the best mobile number coverage?
Mobile numbers are the least consistently covered field in this category. Scalelist and Cognism both position phone data as a primary focus, and ZoomInfo and Apollo offer it as part of a wider dataset. Coverage varies enough between regions that the only reliable answer comes from testing each provider against your own target accounts.
How much do B2B data providers cost?
Pricing follows three models. Credit-based providers charge per record revealed. Seat-based providers charge per user, usually annually. Usage-based API providers charge per call. Enterprise vendors including ZoomInfo, Cognism, Dun & Bradstreet, and Bombora do not publish pricing and quote per account, generally on annual terms.
Is B2B contact data legal to use?
In most jurisdictions, business contact data can be processed for legitimate business purposes, but the rules differ significantly by region. GDPR applies in the EU and UK, and several US states have their own frameworks. Reputable providers document their lawful basis for processing and support suppression and deletion requests. Compliance obligations sit with you as the sender, not only with the provider, so verify your own position rather than relying on a vendor claim.
Can I use more than one provider at once?
Yes, and larger teams commonly do. The usual pattern is a primary provider for bulk coverage plus a second, more specialised source for the fields the first covers poorly, most often mobile numbers. This is sometimes described as a waterfall: try the first source, and fall back to the next when a field comes back empty.
The short version
There is no single best B2B data provider, and any list that names one is not describing how these tools behave in practice. The category splits fairly cleanly by what you need.
- Reaching people by phone at volume, providers that treat mobile numbers as a primary product rather than a secondary field.
- Enterprise deployment with budget, the large platforms, accepting annual terms and quote-only pricing.
- Small team, email-led outbound, credit-based providers with published pricing and no annual commitment.
- Building your own pipeline. API-first providers and marketplaces, with engineering time budgeted.
- Prioritising accounts you already know, intent data, layered on top of a contact source rather than replacing one.
Whichever way you lean, run the 100-account test before signing anything annual. It takes an afternoon and it is the only evidence that reflects your market rather than a vendor average.
Prospecting and enrichment guides
- B2B prospecting tools: the discovery layer above the data.
- Sales prospecting tools: 10 options compared.
- What is sales prospecting: stages, channels and metrics.
- B2B contact database: how to choose one.
- Lead enrichment tools: 8 options compared.
- Technographic data and firmographic data: the two filters that decide a list.
- Company enrichment: from a domain to a full account record.
- AI sales assistant: what it automates and what it cannot.
Scalelist compared against every alternative
Every comparison below is a like-for-like breakdown of Scalelist against one alternative, covering coverage, verification method, pricing model and who each tool actually suits. If you are searching for a head-to-head in either direction, for example Cognism vs Scalelist or Scalelist vs Cognism, these are the pages that answer it.
- Scalelist vs Amplemarket
- Scalelist vs AnyMail Finder
- Scalelist vs Apollo.io
- Scalelist vs Clay
- Scalelist vs Cognism
- Scalelist vs ContactOut
- Scalelist vs Datagma
- Scalelist vs Dropcontact
- Scalelist vs Enrow
- Scalelist vs Evaboot
- Scalelist vs Findymail
- Scalelist vs FullEnrich
- Scalelist vs GetProspect
- Scalelist vs Hunter.io
- Scalelist vs Icypeas
- Scalelist vs Kaspr
- Scalelist vs LeadMagic
- Scalelist vs LeadFuze
- Scalelist vs Lusha
- Scalelist vs PhantomBuster
- Scalelist vs Prospeo
- Scalelist vs Saleshandy
- Scalelist vs Seamless.AI
- Scalelist vs Skrapp
- Scalelist vs Snov.io
- Scalelist vs Surfe
- Scalelist vs UpLead
- Scalelist vs ZoomInfo
