Finding quality B2B leads shouldn’t feel like guesswork. Yet, most revenue teams spend hours chasing bad data, only to find numbers that don’t connect, emails that bounce, or people who no longer work for that company.
That’s where a lead directory changes the game. The right platform gives you verified, compliant contact data, ready to plug into your CRM or prospecting tools.
And when it comes to accuracy, compliance, and global reach, Cognism leads the pack.
In this guide, we’ve ranked the seven best business-to-business directories based on:
Let’s dive in. 👇
Cognism is the gold standard for verified, compliant B2B contact data. Its platform gives sales and marketing teams access to millions of phone-verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data®) and business emails, all compliant with the GDPR and CCPA.
Cognism doesn’t just provide data; it delivers confidence. Every contact is verified through a five-layer process, including by humans and technology, backed by a compliance engine that makes data privacy simple.
With global reach across the US, EMEA, and APAC, Cognism is built for teams that generate leads in international markets.
Diamond Data® connects reps to decision-makers through phone-verified B2B mobile numbers. Internal studies have shown that these numbers are 3x more likely to connect than standard data on the market. The result means more conversations with your ideal prospects.
All Cognism lead directory data is compliant-first. Our data collection and processing practices adhere to GDPR and CCPA guidelines, helping to safeguard your business from non-compliance risks. We also regularly scrub our data against 14 major Do Not Call (DNC) and TPS lists, more than any other lead providers on the market.
Cognism connects with all your favourite tools to make sure your data is up-to-date everywhere. We integrate with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, Sales Navigator and many more through Zapier integration.
Unlike some lead directory platforms on the market, the learning curve is low, and you’ll be supported throughout setup by our friendly team. There are no complex enrichment spreadsheets; your workflows will run naturally in the Cognism web app or browser extension.
Ideal for: Revenue teams, SDRs, and growth marketers who want to enrich CRM records and connect with verified prospects at scale.
💡 Pro tip: Try Cognism’s lead directory data sample to get a taste for our global contacts and accuracy.
ZoomInfo is one of the biggest names in enterprise B2B data. It offers deep North American coverage and layered intent data. But tools like Cognism can also exceed your US data needs, especially if you’re looking to expand into Europe later.
Features:
Ideal for: Enterprise sales teams that need extensive US contact data and have large budgets for data licensing.
Compare: Cognism vs ZoomInfo to see what’s different about Cognism.
Lusha is an affordable, easy-to-use lead directory designed for smaller sales teams. It’s known for its Chrome Extension and credit-based plans. It could be considered a good starting point, but when you begin to scale, the limitations around credits make it costly vs the value from the platform.
Features:
Ideal for: SMBs and start-ups that need quick, low-volume lead access.
Apollo.io combines a B2B lead directory with outreach automation, making it a popular choice for teams wanting an all-in-one platform. Similar to Lusha, Apollo is likely to be able to scale only so far with you, making it challenging to enter new markets or engage in more outbound activity.
Features:
Ideal for: Teams looking for a budget-friendly mix of contact discovery and outreach automation.
Breeze Intelligence (previously Clearbit) focuses heavily on data enrichment rather than lead lists. It’s a favourite for marketing teams who want to refine their CRM data and segmentation.
Features:
Ideal for: Marketing teams that prioritise accurate company data and live enrichment over direct prospecting.
Lead411 is another solid option for North American teams that want verified email addresses and phone number data with built-in intent triggers. Its compliance status is unclear, though, so consider the tool with caution.
Features:
Ideal for: US-based sales teams targeting verified regional leads.
Uplead offers a credit-based model and claims 95% data accuracy. It can be a flexible option for smaller teams or freelancers for this reason.
Features:
Ideal for: Freelancers and SMBs that want precise, verified data without long-term contracts.
Choosing a business-to-business lead directory isn’t necessarily about size.
Here’s what to evaluate to find a good fit:
💡 Pro tip: Always ask for a sample of the data or use the free trial before committing. A credible provider will gladly prove their accuracy.
Cognism isn’t just another business leads database; it’s a complete, compliant data infrastructure for your go-to-market strategy.
Here’s what makes it different:
Example: One B2B SaaS company found that using Cognism contributed 100% to helping them hit their KPIs and found it saved them 3-4 hours per day; that’s 20 hours per week!
The best lead directory for your business depends on your region, scale, and compliance requirements.
If you’re looking for global coverage, verified accuracy, and peace of mind on data compliance, there’s no better choice than Cognism.
🚀 Book your Cognism demo today to see live verified leads in action.