A good sequence fails on bad data. Fix the list before you touch the message. Here is a quick, honest comparison of the main B2B data providers on the things that decide reply rates.
The best-written email dies against a stale list. Wrong title, an address that bounces, a mobile that rings a stranger. Most “our outreach isn’t working” problems are data problems in disguise, so it pays to be picky about where your contacts come from.
The providers below all sell B2B data, but they lead on different things. Big platforms carry deep databases and signals; some are easier to build on; a couple price so a small team can actually start.
What to look for
- Coverage in your ICP, not in general. Matched contacts for the titles and regions you sell to.
- Verified emails and mobiles. Bounce rate quietly wrecks your sender reputation; a real mobile starts a conversation.
- Signals. Hiring, funding, job changes and intent tell you when to reach out, which often beats who.
- An API and a pricing model that fit. Enrichment you can automate, and a plan that does not charge you for misses or empty seats.
Side by side
| Capability | Bytemine | Apollo | ZoomInfo | Cognism | Lusha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts & companies at scale | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Verified mobiles / direct dials | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Work & personal emails | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
| Intent, hiring & funding signals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| REST API & webhooks | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | ✓ |
| Native AI-agent access (MCP) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pay only for successful matches | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free tier, no card | ✓ | – | ✗ | ✗ | – |
✓ available – partial or higher tiers ✗ not a focus. Based on each provider’s public plans as of September 2026; check current terms.
Read it how you like. The incumbents are strong on database depth and signals. Where Bytemine stands out is access and pricing: it exposes data over REST and MCP, so an AI assistant can pull contacts and signals directly, you only pay on a successful match, and the free Starter plan gives 500 credits a month for a year with no card. Coverage is there too, 135M+ contacts, 10M+ companies, mobiles, and both work and personal emails.
None of this replaces the work after the export. Clean data is the input. You still have to qualify each prospect, personalise to their role, and sequence across LinkedIn and email at a human pace. That is the part Prospectio handles: it checks each contact fits your ICP, then runs the sequence until the meeting is booked.
Pick on coverage in your niche, verified mobiles and emails, an API you can build on, and pricing that does not punish you for misses. Get the data right and the sequence does the rest.