Company research tools are incredibly powerful; they give your marketing and sales teams intelligence so you can figure out which organizations have the best chance of conversion. But not all vendors are the same. Some are amazing at providing accurate contact details, while others deliver massive amounts of information that help with targeting efforts. Which one is right for your marketing and sales strategy? Most likely, one of the top 10 company research tools highlighted below.
1. Lusha
Lusha is a lead generation and sales intelligence platform used by sales reps, recruiters, and marketers to find contact details of prospects.
Pros
Lusha is a powerful platform that delivers up to date, verified, and highly detailed prospecting data such as phone numbers and emails. Lusha’s information is filterable to match your ideal customer profile.
Lusha’s platform also offers insights into a company’s tech stack and measures buying signals at the company level so you can identify which of your ICP companies are currently in-market.
Data enrichment is another key offering for Lusha. You can either upload a CSV or connect your Salesforce account to get up-to-date contact and company information.
The simple and easy UI means onboarding takes almost no time at all, so your team can get to work using the platform right away.
Cons
At 100M profiles, Lusha’s database isn’t exactly small, but it is less extensive than some other competitors. There’s a reason for this though – Lusha focuses on quality over quantity, so data needs to meet certain standards before it’s added to the database. Other competitors are not so stringent with their data.
Why is this a good research tool?
Clients enjoy advanced features that provide, among other things, intent signals and technographics. Lusha also offers dynamic data that is constantly updated according to user feedback and demand. And as far as data privacy, they’re the one to beat: the platform is even certified as GDPR-compliant by a neutral accrediting body and meets ISO 27701 standards.
2. ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo enables sales and marketing teams to find leads and apply a number of tools when prospecting as a way to optimize the sales funnel.
Pros
For companies with a US-focus, ZoomInfo is a good way to go. They have a large database, especially in the US. The ZoomInfo suite of products also encompasses a lot of go-to-market functions, making it useful for multiple applications.
Cons
ZoomInfo provides a lot of data, but often that means partial profiles or a lack of direct contact details (i.e., just HQ phone numbers). International users might find the lack of global information to be a problem. ZoomInfo also comes with many features which can make the user experience and integration process unwieldy. Plus, such a complex tool takes a lot of time to fully onboard.
Why is this a good research tool?
The company is among the largest in the industry, so it can leverage a massive database. Some users like the fact that they are working with a major name and a stable organization.
3. Apollo.io
Apollo.io is aimed at customers that want a “one-stop shop” for all their research needs.
Pros
Users will find that Apollo.io has a lot of features. These range from lead generation capabilities to a platform for sales engagement. Setup is quick, and the price is pretty low.
Cons
Users complain that the quality of Apollo.io’s data is inconsistent, with information that is out-of-date or missing details. Its data is also US-centric, which works for some companies but can be a drawback if you work frequently with international prospects. With all of its capabilities, Apollo.io’s interface is rather complicated. Apollo.io also doesn’t have any formal GDPR-related certification.
Why is this a good research tool?
For sales and marketing teams that prefer one tool to handle many needs, Apollo.io is a low-cost option.
4. Cognism
Cognism is a global sales intelligence platform and serves teams that are interested in a European presence.
Pros
If you are in search of actionable data and buyer intent information, Cognism has a good solution. They supply many basic company research elements, including contact data, technographics, firmographics, and intent data.
Cons
APAC contacts are not their strong point, and job change information is not as dynamic. Obtaining verified contact information requires an expensive add-on, and a lot of their profiles lack direct contact information.
Why is this a good research tool?
If you’re willing to pay the price (which is high compared to similar competitors), Cognism provides data that covers many geographical areas and tends to be updated regularly.
5. LeadIQ
LeadIQ assists sales and marketing teams with making their prospecting efforts more rapid and effective.
Pros
In addition to standard search abilities like firmographic data, LeadIQ provides useful information about job changes.
Cons
LeadIQ does not offer buyer intent data, and the contact information it provides is sometimes out of date and unverified. They even include “best guess” data. Plus, they are only GDPR-aligned (not verified compliant), so if you want to be sure that you’re using compliant data, it’s best to steer clear.
Why is this a good research tool?
For basic company research functions, LeadIQ fits the bill, and it’s easy to use.
6. Seamless.AI
Seamless.AI lets marketing and sales staff directly contact prospects with what it claims is a real-time search engine.
Pros
For teams that concentrate on US sales, Seamless.AI can provide loads of leads; the company claims that it has more than a billion contacts. It also features a simple onboarding process and CCPA (but not GDPR) compliance.
Cons
Some users complain about data quality, limited GUI functionality, and poor implementation support. And if GDPR compliance is important to you, then this tool isn’t the right fit.
Why is this a good research tool?
Seamless.AI has a good reputation for providing decent technographics and intent and can be a great choice for teams that like an easy to use interface at a low price.
7. Clearbit
Clearbit is a data intelligence platform that provides tools for data enrichment, lead generation, and marketing personalization.
Pros
Clearbit is a simple to use tool that provides large quantities of lead enrichment and firmographic data. It also has rich integrations with marketing tools and should fit easily into a martech stack.
Cons
With a focus on the US, Clearbit’s data is pretty limited if you want more of a worldwide scope, and many of its phone numbers and emails aren’t verified. Clearbit also does not provide buyer intent or job change alerts, only website visitor-based signals. Setup can also be complicated.
Why is this a good research tool?
Clearbit is an advisable pick for salespeople who are looking for quality firmographic data and who are already working with Salesforce.
8. RocketReach
RocketReach is a tool for enabling access to contact information, including phone numbers, emails, and social media profiles.
Pros
The company is known for providing a considerable volume of contact information at an affordable price. They also supply an API for integration with native systems.
Cons
Compliance is left up to the customer – while you can filter out EU results, there’s no guarantee of data privacy compliance. RocketReach also doesn’t deliver sales signals like buyer intent or job change alerts.
Why is this a good research tool?
RocketReach might make a good match for organizations that want a large amount of contact data at an entry-level price.
9. Kaspr
Kaspr retrieves contact details from LinkedIn and provides a dashboard for managing prospects.
Pros
Kaspr’s browser extension, ease of setup, and APIs all get good grades.
Cons
The company only works through LinkedIn, and has a pretty narrow focus on European information. It does not supply intelligent signals like buyer intent or job change alerts.
Why is this a good research tool?
Kaspr makes a fine tool for individual users in search of basic functionality who engage often with LinkedIn, especially if their main ICP is based in Europe (specifically France).
10. 6sense
6sense offers a company research tool for salespeople to source account and buying team intelligence.
Pros
Users find that 6sense’s integrations, prospect segmentation, support, and ease of use are all at a solid level.
Cons
Customers complain that the setup is complicated, and their analytics do not provide sufficient information.
Why is this a good research tool?
6sense provides a respectable research solution for customers who don’t mind a lot of integration work.
FAQs
What is a company research tool?
Company research tools collect intent data that help marketing and sales teams to engage in researching prospects. Common types of information include firmographic, technographic, employee, hiring, and online research data.
How much does an average company research tool cost?
Because there are so many variables related to research tool pricing, such as number of seats, desired features, and usage rates, it’s difficult to give an average. But to give a ballpark figure, a typical monthly rate for a basic package is about $30. More sophisticated packages with additional seats or extra functionality will cost a lot more – they’re often a yearly commitment that costs 4 or 5 figures.
Are there free company research tools?
Some research tools offer a free trial version that comes with time and/or feature limitations.
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