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11 Leading B2B Sales Prospecting Tools & Software for 2024

The Cognism sales team speaks to different companies about sales prospecting tools every day.

We help them find a solution which is the best fit for their organisation whether they need:

  • Lead prospecting software integrated with Salesforce for enterprises.
  • All-in-one B2B prospecting tools to automate all the processes.
  • A global provider to power a team of 20+ reps that require bulk list-building.
  • Complimentary prospecting data for a regional office. 

Of course, we understand how difficult it can be to choose prospecting software that fits your business goals. That’s why we crafted this list of the best B2B prospecting platforms that come up in these sales discussions.

Read on for all the insights you need to narrow down your choice 👇Or use the menu to skip ahead.

1. Cognism

Cognism is the best sales prospecting tool for companies looking to expand into global markets.

Cognism has a leading EMEA B2B data coverage within a global database. It’s a great tool for sales teams prospecting in multiple territories, including the NAM, APAC and EMEA.

It will also suit outbound sales teams that need premium phone-verified mobile numbers to contact company decision-makers directly.

You can be confident that Cognism is dedicated to following strict data privacy regulations.

Cognism has native integrations for Salesforce, HubSpot, and Outreach. We aim to integrate with your existing tech stack, not replace it.

Check out Cognism's key features and pricing info below 👇

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Speak to a sales expert about your needs 👇

Why Cognism wins as the best sales prospecting software

Whether you need compliant prospecting data to break into new markets or speak to decision-makers cell phone numbers, look no further.

Cognism’s database has:

  • Company and contact data (email and phone numbers) in NAM, APAC, and EMEA.
  • CCPA and GDPR- compliance with most comprehensive DNC lists scrubbing and notified emails.
  • Premium phone-verified mobile dataset (Diamond Data®) and verification service on-demand to reach and win more qualified prospects in less time (increase connect rates by 3x and reach 9 in 10 prospects).
  • Unrestricted access to person and company-level data*.
  • Instant and scheduled CRM enrichment and on-demand CSV enrichment. 
*Subject to fair usage policy
“If you are looking for a B2B provider to power the UK, Europe and North America, Cognism's got you covered”
50%
increase in team performance
Paul-Thomas-Lead-Forensics
Paul Thomas
CEO @Lead Forensics

No more switching between tools when prospecting and list-building

“The integrations between Salesforce, Outreach and Cognism are flawless. The ability to find a prospect, click the contact, redeem the contact details and export the information straight into Salesforce ready for Outreach is revolutionary for an SDR.”
Sam Butcher - SIA
Sam Butcher
Senior Partnerships Manager @Sales Impact Academy

Use Cognism Prospector to build account and lead lists and bulk export them to your tools with just two clicks.

  • Cognism integrates with Salesforce, Hubspot, Outreach, SalesLoft, MS Dynamics, Pipedrive, and more. 
  • Two-way Salesforce integration to easily check if an account or contact is in Salesforce and avoid duplicates.
  • Customisable import mappings for Salesforce to upload lists of Leads, Contacts and Accounts. 
  • Log in using your username or SSO.

Explore Cognism with our interactive product tour

This guided product tour will show you what it’s like to use the Cognism Web App for prospecting. 

Let's walk through how you can quickly generate a list of decision-makers enriched with high-quality contact data.

Unconvinced? Check out the other ten top sales prospecting tools 👇

Starting with this nifty comparison of the most useful tools for prospecting:

Best for...
Why users choose this prospecting tool
1. Cognism
Best for...
Enterprise sales, marketing, recruitment and GTMOps teams looking to enter new markets and scale in Europe with quality GDPR contact data.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
Excellent European data and a leader in US mobile data coverage. Cognism users are pleased with the great quality and strict adherence to compliance.
2. Kaspr
Best for...
Ideal for individual contributors or small businesses seeking to get ahead in Europe with the most accurate contact data.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
An all-in-one platform that provides instant, high-impact outreach with accurate contact data. Users find the data excellent, especially those looking to accelerate their European growth strategy.
3. ZoomInfo
Best for...
Marketers, sales and recruitment teams looking for an all in one GTM platform and good US data.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
A decent tool for finding direct phone numbers and email addresses. Users find it easy to set up and enjoy features like intelligent insights and recommendations based on data analytics.
4. Lusha
Best for...
Sales, marketing, RevOps and recruiting teams looking for a large database of US data.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
Many users choose Lusha because there is a free option with 50 email and 5 phone credits a month. They like that it integrates with LinkedIn and for finding email addresses. 
5. LeadIQ
Best for...
Sales and RevOps teams looking for help personalising their outreach with AI.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
LeadIQ is easy to use and setup email sequences. Users also enjoy the integration with LinkedIn. 
6. Clearbit
Best for...
Companies focused on enriching their existing data sets and tracking website visitors.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
Clearbit is nice for finding filmographic information on company sizes. Users like the free version to keep track of website visits. 
7. Apollo.io
Best for...
SMB and commercial prospects with smaller budgets looking to prospect in the US using email.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
Many users choose Apollo for the free version. They like the user-friendly interface and that you can find LinkedIn emails.
8. SalesIntel
Best for...
Sales, marketing and RevOps teams looking to prospect in the US.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
Users choose SalesIntel because it is easy to create lists with filters, and the onboarding is smooth and speedy. 
9. Seamless.AI
Best for...
Sales, marketing and recruiting teams looking to prospect in the US.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
Seamless.AI helps integrate AI well into various aspects of daily life and business operations. Users find the LinkedIn extension the most helpful aspect of the tool. 
10. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Best for...
Teams looking to reach professionals on LinkedIn. Best suited for recruiters and SDRs.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
A good tool for teams looking to prospect directly on LinkedIn. However, it does need to be supplemented with a B2B data provider.
11. Lead411
Best for...
Smaller sales, marketing and recruiting teams.
Why users choose this prospecting tool
Lead411 has a simple UX with a minimal learning curve. Users like that you can choose month-to-month prescriptions or annual plans. 

2. Kaspr

If you’re mainly prospecting on LinkedIn, Kaspr is your go-to tool. It’s an all-in-one prospecting software for individual contributors, SDRs, and recruiters looking to automate parts of your sales outreach on LinkedIn. Kaspr seamlessly integrates with LinkedIn and SalesNav, enabling you to take full advantage of native filters, features and communities, optimising your targeting needs.

 For sales professionals striving to exceed targets, Kaspr is the all-in-one platform that delivers the most accurate contact data and seamless workflow integration. It empowers you to book more meetings with the right decision-makers and close more deals.

Key features

  • Free version.
  • LinkedIn Chrome Extension that web-scrapes data.
  • Contact enrichment from a LinkedIn people search, group or event.
  • Seamless experience across the Chrome Extension and web app.
  • Integrations with HubSpot, Pipedrive, Lemlist, Salesforce, and more.
  • Data is checked and verified against 150 sources.
  • 500M+ phone numbers and email addresses.
  • Data coverage spans the US, Europe and APAC.
  • GPDR and CCPA aligned.
  • Lead organisation using lists, notes, and tasks.
  • LinkedIn outreach sequences.
  • Lead management capabilities include tags, notes, and task creation.
  • Team analytics, including stats about how much data Kaspr has given you.
  • Request data with a waitlist.

Pricing

  • Free plan available.
  • The paid subscription starts at $49 per month/user.

3. ZoomInfo

ZoomInfo is an all-in-one sales prospecting platform known for its large database of company profiles and contact data. It specialises in the AMER region but has recently increased its coverage in Europe.

Over the years, the company has acquired or merged with its competitors (Comparably, RingLead, Chorus.ai, etc.) to create a robust sales workflow management solution.

However, it appears some software buyers think “the functionality, utility, and usability of [ZoomInfo’s] platform itself has degraded significantly” as a result of expanding their core offering. Others mentioned other challenges ZoomInfo faces, from lack of product innovation to pricing, especially for additional services.

Key features


  • A large volume of US-centric data.
  • Robust features and integrations (ABM, intent).
  • Complex pricing might not suit early-stage businesses.

Pricing

  • Available after a consultation.

  • Tiers for sales, marketing, and recruitment.

  • ZoomInfo pricing depends on the number of seats, credits, and add-ons.

Check out a list of ZoomInfo competitors.

 

4. Lusha

Lusha is a sales prospecting software that lives on your Linkedin, B2B websites, Gmail and more. It’s a user-friendly email and direct dial finder tool, and its advanced features are available on a custom plan. Lusha is CCPA and GDPR-compliant with DNC filtering (UK and US only) available in the highest-paid package.

Lusha designed a member Community to let members share their professional network’s contact details in exchange for extra credits and access to advanced features. When a Community user agrees to Lusha’s Code of Conduct and installs one of its products, Lusha synchronises their business email with its database, helping keep Lusha’s database accurate.

Its prospecting platform and web extension are user-friendly, although some users say its integrations could be improved. For example, Lusha’s Chrome extension doesn’t work over Outreach. It offers short-term subscription plans and a self-service set-up until you want to negotiate an enterprise package.

Key features

  • Intent signals by Bombora (5 topics; add-on on the highest plan).
  • Email sequencing tool for Gmail.
  • Integrations with CRMs and the best sales tools.
  • Lusha Community Program.

Pricing

  • Lusha’s pricing is based on credits per user.
  • Limited access to certain features and contact searches depending on your package.
  • Custom plans for 5+ users. 
 

Generate leads your sales team will love 💜

Is your current prospecting tool letting you down? 

Now’s the time to make the switch. 

Consider Cognism as your alternative to ZoomInfo and Lusha. 

Here’s a little more info on why we win: 

Quality data is the top focus of Cognism, especially when it comes to our mobile numbers. With Cognism, you get: 

  • 2x more cell phone numbers than other providers.
  • 47 million cell phones in the US alone.
  • Premium phone verified cell phone dataset that helps you connect with 87% of your list.

Looking for a global provider?

We have coverage across EMEA, NAM, and APAC.

“Cognism defeated ZoomInfo by a huge amount. Its database had an 80% accuracy rate and the highest coverage of mobile numbers. Our decision to move from ZoomInfo to Cognism was an easy one.”
70%
of meetings booked
Michael-Iannuzzi-1
Michael Iannuzzi
Director of Marketing & Sales Development @Drift
 
5. LeadIQ

US-headquartered LeadIQ is a B2B prospecting software that helps outbound teams search, capture, and manage sales leads. It offers global prospect data; however, some companies like Drift struggled to find correct mobile numbers in its database. LeadIQ is CCPA and GDPR-compliant, but it limits DNC screening to 5 countries and the Enterprise package only. Check out cold-calling database providers or compare Cognism vs LeadIQ directly if accurate phone numbers are your priority.

LeadIQ doesn’t provide intent data, but it allows users to track sales triggers (i.e. job changes). It also supports them in writing personalised emails with an AI email generator. Like other prospecting tools, LeadIQ reserves advanced features, such as updating contact information with one click or data governance controls for the Enterprise plan with custom pricing.

Key features

  • Integrations with popular tools, including Salesforce and LinkedIn.
  • Email formatting verification and deliverability test.
  • Salesforce enrichment.

Check out a list of the best LeadIQ alternatives.

Pricing

  • Four plans, including a limited free plan based on a credit system that restricts data points.
  • Yearly or monthly subscriptions per user.
  • Optional add-ons (contact tracking, Salesforce lead enrichment) paid extra.

6. Clearbit

Clearbit is now 100% owned by HubSpot. Once the acquisition is complete, Clearbit will remain available as a standalone product. However, over time, HubSpot will natively integrate Clearbit’s third-party company data into its system of record as an offering within its customer platform. 

Clearbit’s core offerings are enriching records and revealing buying intent and website intelligence. Joining forces with HubSpot means “pulling in data from marketing emails, sales calls, support tickets, website interactions, and every event associated with a company or contact” and unifying them into one record.

As an email prospecting tool, it might not be the best choice for companies relying on cold-calling mobiles. In terms of compliance Cearbit asserts "alignment with GDPR and addresses GDPR concerns by opting to suppress all EU data in settings.

Key features

  • Native HubSpot data provider (but limited integrations with other tools).
  • Browser extension for Gmail and websites (but it currently lacks functionality on LinkedIn). 
  • Website visitor data reveal. 

Check out the list of the best Clearbit alternatives.

Pricing

  • The Clearbit for Business plan is volume-based.
  • It can be customised with add-on capabilities like Forms, Advertising, and Capture.
  • Accurate pricing is available after a consultation.

7. Apollo.io

Apollo.io is currently building an end-to-end B2B prospecting tool, following ZoomInfo’s footsteps. Both tools help identify and engage prospects and automate multi-step touchpoints with leads. The main difference between Apollo.io and ZoomInfo lies in their customer base.

Apollo’s self-serve plan makes it a good option for SMBs or even consultants. With lead intelligence tools like lead scoring, routing and pipeline forecasting, its solution can be scalable to meet a growing organisation’s needs.

Apollo grows its database through a “living data network”. This prospecting tool collects data mainly through the network of data contributors, email engagement tools, and public data crawling. 

Despite a large contact database, prospects in an independent survey mentioned it needed better cell phone numbers and email verification. Check out Apollo.io alternatives with better mobile data coverage.

Key features

Pricing

  • Apollo pricing includes a free plan with limited features and three credit-based paid plans.
  • The hidden cost of using Apollo instead of ZoomInfo is that you grant them a license to access and use your customer-submitted data to improve Apollo.io’s data assets.

How about phone-verified cell phone numbers?

Our team confirms the accuracy of your prospects’ cell phone numbers—so that when you call, they pick up.

More results from fewer calls

Diamond Data® is Cognism’s premium phone-verified database of cell phone numbers. Our data research team checks the numbers’ accuracy by calling the prospects. 

  • Phone-verified contact data.
  • 3X more likely to connect.
  • GDPR and CCPA compliance.

  • Multiple filters to unearth and prioritise high-value prospects.

Cognism’s data team can also source and verify cell phone numbers on demand. Neither ZoomInfo nor Lusha offer similar services.

“We used ZoomInfo and LeadIQ across all of our sales teams. However, finding correct mobile numbers in these databases was like finding a needle in a haystack. Cognism defeated all the other lead generation providers by a huge amount. Its database had an 80% accuracy rate and the highest coverage of mobile numbers.”
Michael-Iannuzzi
Michael Iannuzzi
Director of Marketing & Sales Development @Drift
 

8. SalesIntel

SalesIntel is a US sales prospecting tool. The company claims to have every direct dial number and email tested and re-verified every 90 days. Users praise the platform’s intent data, provided by industry leader, Bombora.

SalesIntel gets its data from crowdsourcing, in which users of its apps and services contribute contact data to its Business Contact Database

Key features

  • Bombora intent data. 

  • Website visitor tracking. 
  • List and CRM enrichment (including form-complete).

  • Technographic, firmographic data.

Pricing

  • Credit-based pricing for individuals and small teams.
  • Custom pricing for 5+ teams.

9. Seamless.AI

Seamless.AI is a B2B prospecting software that uses artificial intelligence to crawl the web and discover sales prospects’ data. It also collects personal information from any accounts its customers choose to link. These include websites, professional networks, CRMs, social media platforms, email and mobile contacts. The data is CCPA-compliant, however, it’s GDPR compliance status isn’t clear.

The vendor is considered an affordable tool. However, Seamles.AI charges extra for additional credits, job change alerts, data enrichment, autopilot and intent data, while priority support is only offered on Pro and Enterprise plants.

Key features

Pricing

  • Three packages are based on a set number of credits and seats.

10. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a sales prospecting tool and part of every salesperson’s workflow. It allows users to create lead and account lists based on one of the largest professional databases, but it isn’t a data vendor. Recruiters and SDRs use its advanced filters to research prospects and companies and contact them via InMails. The tool offers saved searches, profile view tracking, a relationship builder, buyer persona segmentation, etc.

Sales Navigator complies with CCPA and has been working on GDPR compliance.  However, some companies switch to GDPR-compliant prospecting tools because of personal emails included with Sales Navigator. Many contact data providers, like Cognism, integrate with Sales Nav to enrich lists with emails and cell phone data.

Key features

  • Personalised lead recommendations based on a user’s search history and LinkedIn activity.
  • InMail messaging.
  • Buyer interest alerts. 
  • CRM integrations.

Pricing

  • Three packages: Core, Advanced, and Advanced Plus.
  • Free trial available

Speed up prospect research on LinkedIn & Sales Nav

The Cognism browser extension provides easy access to prospects’ business emails and phone-verified mobile numbers cleaned against do-not-call lists. SDRs can use the tool as they:

  • Browse corporate websites to find employees and decision-makers for multi-threading.
  • Prospect using LinkedIn.
  • Generate contact data for LinkedIn Sales Navigator lists.
  • Enrich contact and account records in CRM or sales engagement tools.
“The Chrome Extension is my go-to as I’m on LinkedIn most days. Once I’ve retrieved the contact information from LinkedIn, the data is synced to HubSpot ready for prospecting. It’s super helpful and makes my everyday life in new business a lot easier. ”
Felix Behrendt
Senior BDR @Intermate
 

11. Lead411

Lead411 is a research platform with features for sequencing and email automation. This B2B sales prospecting software offers email verification via SMTP, manual methods, and email open validation. Users can also benefit from built-in sales enablement and automating email and SMS campaigns. Like other prospecting tools, Lead411 provides leading Bombora’s intent data.

Key features

  • Contact enrichment.
  • Lead scoring.
  • Bombora intent data.
  • Growth triggers.

Pricing

  • Three packages.
  • Free trial with an email/SMS automation add-on. 

B2B prospecting tool FAQs

What is a B2B prospecting tool? 

A B2B prospecting tool is software designed to help salespeople automate the process of identifying potential buyers, reaching out to them, and converting them into customers.

What is the best prospecting tool to get mobile numbers?

The best prospecting tool for teams relying on cold calling is Cognism's Diamond Data®. It’s a global database with:

  • 10m+ global phone-verified mobile numbers.
  • Verification service on-demand.
  • 87% of accuracy.
  • Compliant with GDPR and CCPA regulations.
  • Checked against DNC lists globally.

With Diamond Data®, your outbound teams eliminate endless hours of searching for contact data and dialling wrong numbers. You can expect:

  • 5x increase in reach.
  • 7x increase in conversation rate.
  • 80% less calls needed for better results.

“Diamond Data® is a game-changer because Cognism’s data team manually checks and validates the mobile numbers on our behalf. It’s reassuring to know that the data I’m exporting to our internal database is on point.”

What is the best prospecting tool for Salesforce?

Cognism has a native Salesforce integration and a browser extension that works over Salesforce, which makes it a perfect prospecting tool for Salesforce.

Revenue teams won’t need to break their operating rhythm to access the data they need.

The two-way Salesforce integration allows users to:

  • Check if an account is in Salesforce to avoid duplicates.
  • Customise import mappings for Salesforce.
  • Enrich Salesforce records with accurate data.

“We’ve invested heavily in Salesforce, and any new tools we buy must be native to it. B2B prospecting used to be a drain. With Cognism, I can export lists at the click of a button directly into Salesforce. It’s that simple. ”

What is the best platform to prospect in Europe?

According to the CB Insights report, which evaluated sales prospecting tools, “UK-based Cognism wins out for its European data and GDPR compliance”.

With Cognism, you'll find:

  • Unbeatable EMEA coverage and quality.
  • Instant access prospecting data through our simple web platform, browser Extension, or integrations with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and your CRM.
  • Strict commitment to GDPR compliance.

Often, companies that use ZoomInfo or Lusha in the US as their primary provider turn to Cognism when their reps find gaps in EMEA coverage.

European teams choose the Cognism platform for prospecting in Europe because privacy regulations are much stricter in Europe. And Cognism is known for its commitment to GDPR compliance.

“We tested a US competitor vs Cognism for EU data. Cognism converted 60% better.”

What are the best tools to prospect on LinkedIn?

While many B2B prospecting tools have browser extensions that let users access a prospect’s contact details and company profiles on LinkedIn, Cognism's browser extension is the best tool available because it lets users enrich contacts with verified mobile phone numbers and emails. 

To enrich LinkedIn Sales Navigator lists, enter your search criteria and open Cognism's browser extension.

By filtering prospects with a verified mobile mobile (contacts with a diamond icon), reps can increase response rates and accelerate sales.

You can then export the lists with accurate contact information into your CRM or sales enablement tool.

“ZoomInfo’s plug-in took approximately 20 seconds to load a lead, and more often than not, the contact details were incorrect. This was a productivity drain. With Cognism, it’s either instant or takes four seconds. The plug-in’s velocity enables quick-fire prospecting.”

Prospecting Power Plays

3000+ teams chose Cognism as their prospecting tool

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