The Best ZoomInfo Alternatives for B2B Prospecting

Why Teams Are Looking for ZoomInfo Alternatives

ZoomInfo has long been the go-to platform for B2B sales intelligence, offering a massive database of contacts and company information. But here's the reality: with pricing that commonly starts around $15,000-$25,000 per year and can climb to $50,000+ for larger teams, it's simply out of reach for most small and mid-sized businesses.

Beyond the price tag, many users report frustration with ZoomInfo's credit-based system, where every contact export depletes your allocation. Run through your credits too fast, and you're looking at expensive overage fees. Add in restrictive annual contracts, auto-renewal clauses with 10-20% price increases, and hidden costs for add-ons like intent data, and it's easy to see why sales teams are actively searching for alternatives.

The good news? The B2B data landscape has evolved significantly. You no longer need a five-figure budget to build targeted prospect lists and identify your ideal customers. Let's break down your options.

What to Look for in a ZoomInfo Alternative

Before diving into specific tools, it's worth understanding what actually matters when evaluating B2B prospecting platforms:

• Data accuracy over database size: A smaller database with verified, up-to-date contacts beats a massive database full of stale information. Look for platforms that emphasize real-time verification.
• Pricing transparency: Quote-based pricing often means you'll pay more than you expected. Tools with clear, published pricing help you budget accurately.
• Flexible contracts: Monthly options or pay-as-you-go models give you the freedom to scale up or down based on actual needs.
• Geographic coverage: If you're targeting specific regions (US, Europe, Asia), ensure the platform has strong data in those markets.
• Integration capabilities: Your prospecting tool should connect seamlessly with your CRM and outreach platforms.

Top ZoomInfo Alternatives by Category

Best for Budget-Conscious Teams: Apollo.io

Apollo has emerged as one of the most popular ZoomInfo alternatives, particularly for teams that need both data and outreach capabilities in one platform. With a database of over 500 million business profiles, it offers contact data, email verification, and built-in sales engagement tools including email sequences and call functionality.

Apollo follows a per-user pricing model with monthly and annual billing options. While not free, their entry-level plans are dramatically more accessible than ZoomInfo's starting price. The trade-off? Some users report data accuracy can be inconsistent, particularly for mobile numbers and contacts outside major metros.

Best for European Markets: Cognism

If your target market includes Europe, Cognism deserves serious consideration. They've built their reputation on GDPR-compliant data and phone-verified mobile numbers—a significant advantage when cold calling is part of your strategy.

Cognism covers EMEA, NAM, and APAC regions and includes Do-Not-Call list checking for multiple countries. Their pricing isn't published (similar to ZoomInfo), but they position themselves as a premium alternative with enterprise-grade compliance features.

Best for Simplicity: Lusha

Lusha takes a different approach—simple, lightweight, and focused on doing one thing well: finding contact information quickly. Their Chrome extension works directly on LinkedIn and company websites, making it easy for reps to grab emails and phone numbers without switching between tools.

With a database of 100 million business profiles, Lusha is particularly well-suited for smaller teams that prioritize speed over advanced features. They offer transparent pricing tiers and don't require annual commitments, making it easy to test before fully committing.

Best for Transparent Pricing: UpLead

UpLead has carved out a niche by emphasizing data accuracy (they claim a 95% accuracy guarantee) and transparent pricing. Their plans start at $99 per month when billed annually, making it one of the most accessible options for small businesses.

The platform includes real-time email verification, technographics data, and integrations with major CRMs. It's a solid choice if you want reliable data without the complexity of enterprise platforms.

Best for Intent Data: Dealfront

Formerly known as Leadfeeder, Dealfront combines website visitor identification with B2B contact data. This is particularly powerful if you want to identify companies already showing interest in your product by visiting your website.

Their approach helps you prioritize outreach to accounts that are actively researching solutions like yours—a form of intent data that doesn't require the premium add-on pricing that ZoomInfo charges.

The Free Alternative: Building Your Own Targeting System

Here's what most comparison articles won't tell you: you don't necessarily need an expensive database subscription to build effective prospect lists. With the right combination of free tools and a systematic approach, you can identify and reach your ideal customers without the recurring costs.

Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer Profile

Before spending anything on data, get crystal clear on who you're targeting. This means going beyond basic firmographics like industry and company size. Consider:

• What specific problems does your product solve?
• What technologies do your best customers typically use?
• What events or triggers indicate buying intent (new funding, leadership changes, expansion)?
• What job titles make purchasing decisions vs. who influences them?

Our B2B Targeting Generator uses AI to help you develop detailed ideal customer profiles based on your product or service. It's completely free and gives you the strategic foundation that makes every other prospecting activity more effective.

Step 2: Identify Target Companies

Once you know who you're looking for, you need to find companies that match your criteria. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is one option, but it requires a paid subscription. Here are some free approaches:

Technology-based targeting: If your ideal customers use specific tools (like Shopify, Salesforce, or HubSpot), you can find them through technology lookup services. Our Tech Stack Scraper lets you discover websites using specific technologies—similar to what BuiltWith offers, but without the cost. This is particularly powerful for SaaS companies selling integrations or competitive solutions.

Industry directories and lists: Many industries publish directories of companies, either through trade associations or specialized databases. These are often overlooked gold mines for building initial target lists.

Content-based discovery: Who's writing about topics related to your solution? Who's speaking at industry conferences? Companies investing in thought leadership often have budget for solutions that support their growth.

Step 3: Find Contact Information

With your target company list in hand, you need to find the right people to contact. This is where most paid databases add value—but there are alternatives:

LinkedIn research: Even without Sales Navigator, LinkedIn's basic search lets you find employees at target companies and identify likely decision-makers. Look for people with relevant job titles, then use other tools to find their contact details.

Email finding tools: Our Email Finder lets you discover someone's email address from their name and company domain. Unlike credit-based systems that charge per lookup, you can verify contacts without worrying about depleting an allocation.

Direct company research: Press releases, About pages, and team directories on company websites often reveal key contacts. It's manual work, but it's free and often surfaces contacts that don't appear in databases.

Step 4: Verify Before You Reach Out

Nothing kills deliverability faster than sending emails to invalid addresses. Before launching any campaign, verify your contact list. High bounce rates damage your sender reputation and can get your domain blacklisted.

Use our Email Verifier to check addresses before adding them to your outreach sequences. It instantly tells you whether an email is valid, risky, or invalid—saving you from the deliverability problems that plague teams using outdated database contacts.

Combining Free Tools with Paid Solutions

The most cost-effective approach often combines free tools for targeting and verification with selective use of paid databases for filling specific gaps. Here's a practical workflow:

1. Use free targeting tools to identify your ideal customer profile and build initial company lists
2. Research contacts manually on LinkedIn and company websites for your highest-priority accounts
3. Deploy email finders to discover contact information at scale
4. Verify everything before adding to your CRM or outreach platform
5. Use paid databases selectively for specific gaps—perhaps mobile numbers for phone-heavy campaigns or intent data for timing

This approach lets you reserve your budget for tools like Smartlead or Instantly for the actual outreach, rather than spending thousands just to get contact data.

When ZoomInfo Actually Makes Sense

Despite the high cost, ZoomInfo remains the right choice for some organizations. If you're running an enterprise sales team with significant budget, need deep intent data and technographics, require compliance features for regulated industries, or want everything in one integrated platform, ZoomInfo's premium pricing may be justified by the time savings and data depth.

ZoomInfo also offers a free tier called ZoomInfo Lite, which provides 10 credits per month with no annual commitment. It's extremely limited, but useful for occasional lookups or testing the platform before a larger commitment.

Making Your Decision

The right ZoomInfo alternative depends entirely on your specific situation:

• Solo founders or tiny teams: Start with free tools like the B2B Targeting Generator combined with manual research and email verification
• Small sales teams ($500-2,000/month budget): Consider Apollo, UpLead, or Lusha for database access, supplemented by free verification tools
• Mid-market companies: Evaluate Cognism (especially for European data) or Dealfront for intent-based targeting
• Enterprise teams with budget: ZoomInfo may still be the best option if you need the full feature set

The B2B data market continues to evolve, with new tools emerging and existing platforms improving their offerings. The key is matching your tool selection to your actual needs and budget—not paying for enterprise features when simpler solutions would work just as well.

Start with our free B2B Targeting Generator to define your ideal customer profile, then build your prospecting stack from there. You might be surprised how far you can get without a five-figure database subscription.