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Short answer
Apollo.io is our top pick among the 6 B2B contact data providers we ranked, scoring 86/100. Paid plans start at $49/seat/mo.
Apollo.io (86/100): best for data plus outreach on a budget.
ZoomInfo (83/100): best for enterprise go-to-market teams.
Lusha (81/100): best for simple self-serve contact lookups.
Cognism (77/100): best for verified mobile numbers.
Kaspr (75/100): best for small teams that need phone numbers.
Contact data is what your outbound team runs on: verified emails, direct dials and mobile numbers, plus company data to build lists and enrich the CRM. The hard part of comparing providers is pricing. Most sell credits, a phone number often costs several times more than an email, and the biggest vendors don't publish prices at all.
We scored six providers on six weighted criteria and spell out how each one's credits work, so you can compare the real cost of the contacts you need.
The shortlist
1Apollo.io Best for data plus outreach on a budget86/100Review
2ZoomInfo Best for enterprise go-to-market teams83/100Review
3Lusha Best for simple self-serve contact lookups81/100Review
4Cognism Best for verified mobile numbers77/100Review
5Kaspr Best for small teams that need phone numbers75/100Review
6UpLead Best for pay-as-you-grow list building71/100Review
Starting prices are the lowest paid plan listed on each vendor's pricing page on Oct 14, 2026, billed annually where shown. ZoomInfo and Cognism list no public prices. Credit allowances differ by vendor; see each tool below.
Apollo.io pairs a contact database its pricing page sizes at 240 million contacts and 30 million companies with email sequencing and core CRM integrations.
Who it's best for
Startups and mid-market teams that want prospect data and outreach in one subscription.
Why it made the shortlist
A free plan and a $49 Basic plan put a large database and outreach in reach of small teams that can't justify a quote-based data contract.
Strengths
Large database with outreach built in
Free plan to start
Published pricing from a free plan up
Watch-outs
Phone data uses credits and varies by region
Fewer compliance controls marketed than enterprise data vendors
Skip it if: You need the deepest firmographic and intent data for enterprise account-based selling.
ZoomInfo sells sales, marketing and talent data products. Its sales editions are ZoomInfo Professional, Copilot Advanced and Copilot Enterprise, priced by features, number of licenses and credit usage.
Who it's best for
Mid-market and enterprise sales and marketing teams running account-based programs across large territories.
Why it made the shortlist
It's the broadest data platform on this list, covering contacts, company data and marketing products from one vendor, with a free trial of the sales plans.
Strengths
The broadest platform, from prospecting to ABM
Free trial of sales editions
Deep integrations for CRM and marketing tools
Watch-outs
No public pricing; quotes depend on licenses and credits
More platform than a small team needs
Skip it if: You're a small team that needs a few hundred contacts a month.
Lusha is a self-serve contact data tool with a Chrome extension and CRM integrations. A verified email costs 1 credit and a phone number costs 5 credits.
Who it's best for
SMB and mid-market reps who want to look up contacts quickly without a sales-led contract.
Why it made the shortlist
Transparent, self-serve plans and a permanent free plan make it easy to start, and its credit costs are spelled out on the pricing page.
Strengths
Permanent free plan with 40 credits a month
Clear credit costs: 1 per email, 5 per phone
Premium plan includes 5 free seats and team credit allocation
Watch-outs
Phone numbers use credits five times faster than emails
Unused annual credits reset at the end of the year
Skip it if: You need millions of records for bulk enrichment; look at the Scale plan or enterprise vendors.
Cognism sells prospecting data on Standard and Pro plans, both with 5 seats included, plus CRM enrichment as an add-on or standalone product. Pricing is tailored by quote.
Who it's best for
Outbound teams that live on the phone and need mobile numbers that connect.
Why it made the shortlist
It focuses on phone-verified mobile numbers, and its Pro plan adds on-demand mobile verification for priority prospects.
Strengths
Phone-verified mobile numbers
On-demand mobile verification on Pro
Free data sample before you buy
Watch-outs
No public pricing
No free trial listed
Skip it if: Your outreach is email-only and price-sensitive.
Kaspr offers unlimited B2B emails on paid plans with a yearly allowance of phone numbers and direct emails: 1,200 phone credits on Starter and 2,400 on Business ($79/user/mo annually).
Who it's best for
Small sales teams and recruiters who need a steady supply of phone numbers at a predictable price.
Why it made the shortlist
Unlimited B2B emails on paid plans, published per-user prices and a free plan make costs easy to forecast.
Strengths
Unlimited B2B emails on paid plans
Published per-user pricing in USD, EUR and GBP
Free plan with monthly email and phone credits
Watch-outs
Phone and direct email credits are capped per year
Enrichment and integrations are lighter than enterprise vendors
Skip it if: You need large-scale CRM enrichment or intent data.
UpLead sells contact data in credit plans: Essentials at $74 a month billed annually with 2,040 credits a year, and Plus at $149 with 4,800. Extra credits cost $0.50 to $0.60.
Who it's best for
Small teams that build targeted lists a few hundred contacts at a time.
Why it made the shortlist
Straightforward credit plans with published overage prices make it easy to budget for list building.
Strengths
Published prices and overage costs
7-day free trial
Highly rated by users (4.7/5 on G2)
Watch-outs
Modest credit allowances on lower plans
Professional plan is annual-only with custom pricing
Skip it if: You need enrichment at volume or built-in outreach.
Score breakdown
Coverage & accuracy (30%)3.5/5
Phone & mobile data (15%)3/5
Enrichment & integrations (20%)3.5/5
Compliance & data sourcing (10%)3.5/5
Ease of use (10%)4.5/5
Price & value (15%)3.5/5
How we scored b2b contact data providers
Each tool gets a 0 to 5 rating on every criterion. We weight the ratings below, convert the total to a score out of 100, and only rank tools that score 70 or higher. Open any tool's Score breakdown to see its ratings. Full process on our methodology page.
Coverage & accuracy30%
Phone & mobile data15%
Enrichment & integrations20%
Compliance & data sourcing10%
Ease of use10%
Price & value15%
How to choose a B2B data provider
Count the contacts you actually need. Estimate monthly emails and phone numbers per rep, then compare plans on that basis, not on the headline price.
Check what a phone number costs. Lusha charges 5 credits for a phone versus 1 for an email; Kaspr caps phone credits per year. Phone-heavy teams should model this first.
Test with your own ICP. Ask for a free data sample or use the free plan on 50 accounts you know well, and check how many emails bounce and phones connect.
Ask the big vendors for a written quote. ZoomInfo and Cognism don't publish prices. Get quotes for the same seat count and credit volume before comparing.
Plan the CRM sync. Decide whether data enriches the CRM automatically or only when reps export, and who owns duplicates.
B2B data providers FAQ
What is the best B2B data provider?
For most startups and mid-market teams, Apollo.io: it scores highest in our ranking because it pairs a large database with outreach, a free plan and a $49 Basic plan. Enterprises running account-based programs usually shortlist ZoomInfo.
How much does ZoomInfo cost?
ZoomInfo doesn't publish prices. Its pricing page says cost depends on features, number of licenses and credit usage, and offers a free trial of its sales editions.
Which B2B data provider has a free plan?
Apollo.io, Lusha (40 credits a month) and Kaspr all have free plans. UpLead offers a 7-day trial with 5 credits.
Which provider is best for mobile numbers?
Cognism focuses on phone-verified mobile numbers and offers on-demand verification on its Pro plan. For self-serve options, compare Lusha's 5-credit phone reveals with Kaspr's yearly phone allowance.
Do unused credits roll over?
It depends on the vendor and billing cycle. Lusha's monthly plans roll unused credits over up to twice the limit, while its annual plans reset unused credits at the end of the year.