Best B2B lead databases
Apollo, ZoomInfo, Lusha and Cognism price this category very differently. What each actually charges, and what a credit gets you, checked on their own pricing pages.
Apollo wins on published, predictable pricing with a real free tier, which makes it the default for a team that wants to see the cost before committing. ZoomInfo or Cognism win when data depth and account-level intelligence matter more than price transparency, but both require a sales call to find out what you would actually pay.
The short answer
- Apollo publishes its full pricing ladder: Free at $0 with 900 credits a year, Basic at $49 per user per month annual with 30,000 credits a year, Professional at $79 per user per month annual with 48,000 credits and a built-in dialer, Organization at $119 per user per month annual with a three-seat minimum.
- Lusha publishes a free tier at 40 credits a month and paid plans starting at $37 a month billed annually.
- ZoomInfo and Cognism do not publish starting prices; both are quote-based, and real ZoomInfo and Cognism contracts commonly run well into five figures a year depending on team size and data volume.
- Every vendor here sells contact discovery, not outreach or pipeline tracking; the data still has to land somewhere it can be worked, which is usually a CRM or a dedicated sending tool.
How we compared these
We pulled every price and credit figure directly from each vendor's own pricing page, September 2026. Where a vendor does not publish a price, we say so rather than estimate one, because a quote-based number depends on variables this page cannot see.
Credits are the real unit of comparison here, not seats, because a lead database is consumed one unlocked contact at a time. We report the credit allowance stated on each plan where the vendor publishes it.
Lead database pricing
| Vendor | Starting price | Credits included | Notable feature | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo | Free ($0); Basic $49/user/mo annual | 900/yr free; 30,000/yr on Basic | Built-in dialer and AI research on Professional ($79/user/mo annual) | Published, self-serve |
| Lusha | Free (40 credits/mo); paid from $37/mo annual | 40/mo free tier | Chrome extension for LinkedIn lookups | Published, self-serve |
| ZoomInfo | Pricing on request | Free 'Lite' tier: 10 credits/mo | Intent data and org charts on paid tiers | Custom quote |
| Cognism | Pricing on request | Not published | Phone-verified mobile numbers, EU-focused compliance data | Custom quote; two named plan tiers, priced by sales conversation |
Figures checked on each vendor's own pricing page, September 2026. ZoomInfo and Cognism publish no starting price; do not infer one from a third-party estimate.
The field, ranked
1. Apollo
The most transparent pricing in the category, a usable free tier, and a credit allowance that scales predictably with plan. Best for: a team that wants to see the full cost before signing anything, or one that also wants a dialer bundled in. Not for: a team needing ZoomInfo-level intent data or org-chart depth; Apollo's data is broad but not as deep on account intelligence.
2. Lusha
A smaller, more focused tool built around quick contact lookups, often used through its browser extension while browsing LinkedIn. Best for: individual reps or small teams doing lightweight prospecting. Not for: a team needing bulk list-building or account-based research at scale.
3. ZoomInfo
The deepest data and intent signals in the category, at a price only a quote reveals. Best for: mid-market and enterprise teams with budget for a real data platform, not only a contact finder. Not for: a small team or anyone who wants to compare price before a sales call.
4. Cognism
Strong on phone-verified mobile numbers and European compliance data, also quote-based. Best for: teams doing outbound calling, especially in EU markets where consent rules matter more. Not for: anyone wanting a self-serve signup with a visible price.
When none of these is the answer
If the target list is small, under a few hundred accounts, and already known by name, a lead database adds cost without adding much: manual research or a free LinkedIn search often covers it. These tools earn their price at volume, when a team needs hundreds or thousands of verified contacts a month and manual lookup would take longer than the work itself is worth.
Questions
- Why do some of these vendors not publish a price?
- ZoomInfo and Cognism price by custom quote based on team size, credit volume and contract length; neither lists a starting dollar figure on its own pricing page. Real ZoomInfo and Cognism contracts commonly run into five figures a year, but that is not the same as a published rate, so this page does not state one.
- What is a 'credit' in a lead database, and why does it matter?
- A credit is what you spend to reveal one contact's email, phone number or both, depending on the vendor. Plans differ enormously in how many credits they include and how fast a real prospecting workflow burns through them, so the credit count matters more than the headline price.
- Is a bigger database always better?
- No. A database's usefulness depends on coverage of your specific market and how current the data is, neither of which a total contact count tells you. A smaller, well-verified list beats a bigger, stale one for deliverability and reply rate.
- Does a lead database replace a CRM?
- No. A lead database finds and enriches contacts; a CRM tracks what happens to them afterward. Most teams import from a database into a CRM or an outbound tool rather than running outreach from the database itself.