Prospecting Tools That Actually Have Accurate Data

Find prospects who won't ghost you. These 7 databases have contact info that's actually accurate. Well, more accurate than the others.

Apollo.io

The Deal: Contact database + email sequencing in one. Best value if you need both data and outreach. Accuracy is good (not great). Free tier lets you test it. Generous credits compared to competitors.

Good For:

  • Startups needing database + email tool
  • Teams on budgets (cheaper than ZoomInfo)
  • Companies building outbound from scratch
  • SMB-focused sales teams

Not Good For:

  • Enterprise teams needing highest data accuracy
  • Companies already using dedicated email tools
  • Teams targeting very specific niche verticals

Pricing: Free tier available, $49/user/month Basic, $79/user/month Professional

Bottom Line: Best value for data + outreach. Start here unless you need enterprise accuracy.
Visit Apollo.io →

ZoomInfo

The Deal: The enterprise standard. Most comprehensive database, best accuracy (especially for mid-market and enterprise). Expensive but worth it if you're going upmarket. Has everyone's direct dial.

Good For:

  • Enterprise sales teams (50+ reps)
  • Companies targeting mid-market and enterprise
  • Teams needing technographics and intent data
  • Organizations where accuracy matters more than cost

Not Good For:

  • Startups and small teams (way too expensive)
  • Companies targeting SMB (Apollo is cheaper)
  • Teams with under $30k annual budget for data

Pricing: Custom pricing, expect $15k-50k+/year depending on seats and credits

Bottom Line: Best data quality. Only worth it if budget allows and you're targeting enterprise.
Visit ZoomInfo →

Cognism

The Deal: ZoomInfo's main competitor, especially strong in Europe. GDPR-compliant cell phone data. Good alternative if ZoomInfo won't budge on price. Diamond Data product has high accuracy.

Good For:

  • Teams selling in Europe (better coverage)
  • Companies needing GDPR-compliant data
  • Organizations comparing ZoomInfo alternatives
  • Teams of 20-100 reps

Not Good For:

  • Small teams under 10 reps
  • US-only sales teams (ZoomInfo has better US data)
  • Companies on startup budgets

Pricing: Custom pricing, generally competitive with ZoomInfo

Bottom Line: Best ZoomInfo alternative, especially for European markets.
Visit Cognism →

Lusha

The Deal: Simple browser extension for finding emails and phone numbers. Good for small teams doing LinkedIn prospecting. Not as comprehensive as ZoomInfo but way cheaper. Works great for one-off lookups.

Good For:

  • Small teams (5-20 reps) doing manual prospecting
  • Companies using LinkedIn Sales Navigator
  • Teams needing occasional lookups, not bulk data
  • Budget-conscious startups

Not Good For:

  • Teams needing bulk data exports
  • Companies doing high-volume prospecting
  • Organizations wanting advanced filtering

Pricing: Free for 5 credits/month, $29/month Pro (480 credits/year), $51/month Premium

Bottom Line: Best simple tool for small teams. Not for high-volume prospecting.
Visit Lusha →

Clearbit

The Deal: Data enrichment and prospecting combined. Best for enriching existing data, not finding new contacts. Great API for developers. Now part of HubSpot but still standalone.

Good For:

  • Companies wanting to enrich CRM data
  • Teams with engineering resources (API-first)
  • Organizations using HubSpot ecosystem
  • Companies prioritizing firmographic data quality

Not Good For:

  • Teams wanting simple prospecting tool
  • Companies without technical resources
  • Organizations needing bulk contact discovery

Pricing: Custom pricing based on API calls and features

Bottom Line: Best for data enrichment. Not great for prospecting.
Visit Clearbit →

LeadIQ

The Deal: Chrome extension that captures prospect info and pushes to CRM. Good for reps doing LinkedIn prospecting. Tracks job changes so you can follow buyers. Better workflow than competitors.

Good For:

  • Reps prospecting on LinkedIn daily
  • Teams wanting to track job changes
  • Companies needing seamless CRM integration
  • Organizations of 10-50 reps

Not Good For:

  • Teams needing bulk data access
  • Companies wanting advanced search filters
  • Organizations not using LinkedIn for prospecting

Pricing: Free for 10 verifications/week, $39/user/month Starter, $79/user/month Pro

Bottom Line: Best workflow for LinkedIn prospecting. Not for bulk data needs.
Visit LeadIQ →

Hunter.io

The Deal: Simple email finder. Type in domain, get email patterns and verified addresses. Best for occasional use and verifying email formats. Not a full prospecting database.

Good For:

  • Solo founders and tiny teams
  • Occasional email lookups
  • Verifying email addresses before sending
  • Budget-conscious teams (generous free tier)

Not Good For:

  • Teams needing full prospecting database
  • Companies wanting phone numbers
  • High-volume prospecting operations

Pricing: Free for 25 searches/month, $49/month Starter (500 searches), $99/month Growth

Bottom Line: Best simple email finder. Too limited for serious prospecting.
Visit Hunter.io →

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