Intent data is supposed to be the cheat code for B2B sales.
Instead of cold-calling a list of 500 accounts, you focus on the 30 that are actively researching solutions like yours. You reach them when they're in buying mode, not when they're busy putting out fires.
That's the promise. The reality is more complicated.
Not all intent data is created equal. Some providers track anonymous web activity across thousands of media sites. Others identify companies visiting YOUR website. A few combine both — plus job changes, hiring patterns, and competitive research signals — into something actionable.
The difference between good and bad intent data is the difference between "40% more pipeline" and "we spent $50K and nothing changed."
I compared 12 intent data providers on what actually matters for sales teams: signal accuracy, activation speed, coverage, and total cost. Here's the honest breakdown.
First-Party vs Third-Party Intent Data: What's the Difference?
Before comparing tools, you need to understand the two types of intent data — because they work very differently.
First-Party Intent Data
What it is: Signals from YOUR own properties — website visits, content downloads, email engagement, chatbot interactions, product usage.
Why it matters: These are the highest-quality signals because the buyer is engaging directly with your brand. A prospect who spends 12 minutes on your pricing page and reads three case studies is showing clear buying intent.
Limitations: You only capture intent from people who already know you exist. If a buyer is researching your category but hasn't found your website yet, first-party data misses them entirely.
Providers strong here: MarketBetter, Warmly, Dealfront, HubSpot
Third-Party Intent Data
What it is: Signals captured across the broader web — content consumption on publisher networks, review site visits, search behavior, social engagement.
Why it matters: Third-party data finds buyers BEFORE they visit your site. If a VP of Sales is reading "best AI SDR tools" articles on industry blogs, that's an intent signal — even if they've never heard of you.
Limitations: Signal accuracy varies widely. Someone reading about "sales automation" might be a buyer, a journalist, a student, or a competitor. False positives are the biggest challenge. Most third-party intent is account-level (company), not person-level.
Providers strong here: Bombora, 6sense, Demandbase, G2, TrustRadius
The Best Approach: Combine Both
The most effective intent strategies layer first-party signals (who's on our site?) with third-party signals (who's researching our category?) to build a complete picture of buying intent.
Quick Comparison Table
| Provider | Intent Type | Signal Sources | Coverage | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|
| MarketBetter | First + third party | Website visitors, engagement, job changes | Mid-market focus | $500/mo | Signal-to-action SDR teams |
| Bombora | Third party | 5,000+ B2B media sites | Enterprise | ~$25K/yr | Content consumption tracking |
| 6sense | First + third party | Web, search, publisher network | Enterprise | ~$50K/yr | Enterprise ABM |
| Demandbase | First + third party | Ads, web, content, search | Enterprise | ~$40K/yr | Account-based everything |
| G2 Buyer Intent | Third party | G2 review site activity | Mid-market+ | ~$15K/yr | Category comparison activity |
| ZoomInfo Intent | Third party | Bombora-powered + web | Enterprise | ~$25K/yr (add-on) | Data + intent bundle |
| Warmly | First party | Website visitors, LinkedIn | SMB to mid-market | ~$700/mo | Visitor deanonymization |
| TrustRadius | Third party | TrustRadius review activity | Mid-market+ | Custom | Active evaluation signals |
| Apollo.io | First + basic third | Email engagement, website | SMB | $49/user/mo | Budget intent + outreach |
| Clearbit (HubSpot) | First party | Website, form, enrichment | SMB to mid-market | HubSpot tier-dependent | HubSpot-native enrichment |
| Common Room | First + community | Product, community, social | Developer-led | Custom (~$1K/mo) | Product-led growth |
| Leadfeeder (Dealfront) | First party | Website visitors | SMB to mid-market | $139/mo | European visitor ID |
The 12 Best Intent Data Providers, Reviewed
1. MarketBetter — Best for Turning Intent Into SDR Action
Intent approach: MarketBetter combines first-party website visitor identification with behavioral intent scoring and job change tracking. But what makes it different from every other provider on this list is what happens AFTER the intent is detected.
How it works:
Most intent tools show you a dashboard of accounts with "high intent" and leave your reps to figure out what to do. MarketBetter takes intent signals and converts them into a daily SDR playbook — a prioritized list of tasks with context, recommended messaging, and the right channel for each contact.
Signal types:
- Website visitor ID — Company-level identification of anonymous visitors with page-level activity
- Engagement scoring — Email opens, link clicks, chatbot interactions weighted by recency and depth
- Job change alerts — Champions who move to new companies (warm re-engagement opportunities)
- Multi-channel activity — Aggregated signals from email, web, chat, and phone touchpoints
What sets it apart:
Intent data without action is just a fancier dashboard. MarketBetter's daily playbook tells each SDR exactly who to contact, in what order, through which channel, and with what message — based on the intent signals detected. The AI chatbot also captures real-time intent by engaging visitors while they're actively browsing.
Pricing: Starter at $500/mo (basic signals + chatbot). Growth at $1,500/mo (full SDR dashboard + playbook + advanced signals).
Best for: B2B teams (50-500 employees) that want intent data connected to daily SDR workflows, not just a signal feed.
Book a demo →
2. Bombora — Best for Third-Party Content Consumption Data
Intent approach: Bombora operates the largest B2B intent data co-operative, tracking content consumption across 5,000+ premium B2B media sites. When accounts surge on specific topics, Bombora flags them as in-market.
How it works:
Bombora's Data Co-op includes publishers like Forbes, Business Insider, TechTarget, and thousands of niche B2B publications. When a company's employees consume significantly more content about a topic than their historical baseline, that's a "surge" signal — indicating active research.
Signal types:
- Company Surge — Accounts consuming above-baseline content on specific topics
- Topic clustering — Groups of related topics that indicate buying intent
- Historical baselines — Compares current behavior to 52-week average
Strengths: The largest content consumption network in B2B. Strong topic taxonomy (12,000+ intent topics). Integrates with most major sales and marketing platforms. Reliable for account-level prioritization.
Weaknesses: Account-level only — tells you the company is researching, not who specifically. Signals can be noisy (employee reading an article vs genuine purchase intent). Data is typically 48-72 hours delayed. No first-party intent data. Requires another tool for activation.
Pricing: Typically $25,000-$40,000/year. Often bundled with ZoomInfo, 6sense, or Demandbase at reduced rates.
Best for: Enterprise teams with $10M+ ARR that need broad third-party intent coverage and already have activation tools in place.
Intent approach: 6sense combines its own third-party intent network with Bombora data, anonymous web visitor tracking, and predictive AI to identify accounts at every stage of the buying journey.
How it works:
6sense tracks anonymous buying signals across search, publisher sites, and your own web properties. Their Revenue AI model assigns accounts to buying stages (Awareness, Consideration, Decision, Purchase) and predicts when accounts will be ready to buy.
Signal types:
- Anonymous web research — 6sense's B2B web pixel captures research activity across thousands of sites
- Keyword intent — Tracks what topics/keywords accounts are researching
- Predictive scoring — AI model predicts buying stage and likelihood to purchase
- Web visitor ID — First-party identification of accounts on your site
Strengths: Most comprehensive intent model on the market. Predictive buying stage is genuinely useful for timing outreach. Orchestration features connect intent to ads, email, and sales outreach. Deep Salesforce and HubSpot integrations.
Weaknesses: Extremely expensive ($50K-$100K+/year). Long implementation (3-6 months typical). Requires alignment between marketing and sales to be effective. Signals are account-level, not contact-level. Overkill for teams under $10M ARR.
Pricing: Starts around $50K/year. Enterprise packages can exceed $120K/year.
Best for: Enterprise GTM teams with dedicated RevOps that need the most comprehensive intent intelligence available.
Read more: MarketBetter vs 6sense | 6sense Pricing Breakdown
4. Demandbase — Best for Account-Based Everything
Intent approach: Demandbase combines its proprietary intent network with Bombora data, advertising engagement, website analytics, and CRM data into what they call "Account Intelligence."
How it works:
Demandbase takes an "account-based everything" approach — intent data feeds into advertising, sales prioritization, website personalization, and pipeline analytics. Their intent is powered by keyword-level tracking across a large publisher network plus Bombora Co-op data.
Signal types:
- Keyword-level intent — Tracks specific keyword research, not just topics
- Account engagement — Aggregated score from ads, web, email, events
- Technographic data — What technology the account uses (buying signals for specific integrations)
- Predictive pipeline — AI scoring for pipeline likelihood
Strengths: Deep ABM capabilities — connect intent to advertising, personalization, and sales in one platform. Keyword-level intent is more specific than topic-level. Strong technographic data for tech companies. Good for aligning marketing spend with intent.
Weaknesses: Complex platform with steep learning curve. Pricing is enterprise-level ($40K-$80K+/year). Intent accuracy suffers at the SMB tier where fewer signals are available. Still primarily account-level, not contact-level.
Pricing: Custom pricing, typically $40,000-$80,000/year for mid-market. Enterprise packages exceed $100K.
Best for: B2B companies running sophisticated ABM programs with $5M+ ARR and dedicated marketing operations.
Read more: Best Demandbase Alternatives | Demandbase Pricing Breakdown
5. G2 Buyer Intent — Best for Category Comparison Signals
Intent approach: G2 captures intent from the 90M+ annual visitors to G2.com — people actively comparing software products, reading reviews, and evaluating alternatives.
How it works:
When someone from a target account visits your G2 profile, reads reviews about your competitors, or views your product category, G2 captures that as a buying signal. These signals indicate active evaluation — not just content consumption, but actual product comparison behavior.
Signal types:
- Category page views — Accounts researching your software category
- Competitor comparisons — Accounts viewing your competitors' G2 profiles
- Your profile views — Accounts reading your reviews and pricing
- Alternative searches — Accounts searching "Alternative to [Your Competitor]"
Strengths: Highest-quality signals on this list for active evaluation. When someone is reading G2 reviews, they are genuinely evaluating tools. Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and most ABM platforms. Relatively affordable compared to 6sense or Bombora.
Weaknesses: Limited to G2 traffic only — misses intent from other review sites, general web research, and your own properties. Coverage skews toward software/SaaS (less useful for services, hardware, or non-tech). Signal volume is lower than broader intent providers.
Pricing: Varies by G2 tier. Intent data typically starts around $15,000/year as part of a G2 marketing solutions package.
Best for: SaaS companies that want to identify prospects actively comparing solutions in their category.
6. ZoomInfo Intent — Best for Data + Intent Bundle
Intent approach: ZoomInfo bundles Bombora-powered intent data with their 600M+ contact database, giving sales teams both the signal (who's in-market) and the contact info (who to call) in one platform.
How it works:
ZoomInfo layers Bombora's third-party content consumption data on top of their existing company and contact records. When a target account shows intent surge on relevant topics, reps can immediately find the right contacts and add them to sequences.
Signal types:
- Bombora topic surge — Third-party content consumption signals
- Website visitor tracking — First-party company identification
- Scoops — Curated buying signals from news, job postings, and public filings
- Technographic changes — Technology install/removal events
Strengths: One-stop shop for data + intent + activation. No need to match intent signals to a separate contact database. Strongest contact database in the industry. Good for teams that want fewer vendors.
Weaknesses: Intent is essentially repackaged Bombora — you're paying a premium for the bundled experience. Total cost for data + intent can exceed $40K/year. Intent signals inherit Bombora's limitations (account-level, content consumption only, 48-72hr delay).
Pricing: Intent data is typically an add-on to ZoomInfo's core data subscription. Bundle pricing usually starts around $25K/year.
Best for: Teams already using (or considering) ZoomInfo for contact data who want integrated intent without managing multiple vendors.
Read more: MarketBetter vs ZoomInfo | ZoomInfo Pricing Breakdown
7. Warmly — Best for Real-Time Website Visitor Intent
Intent approach: Warmly focuses entirely on first-party intent — identifying companies and individuals visiting your website in real-time and triggering immediate engagement.
How it works:
Warmly's pixel identifies visiting companies using reverse IP lookup and cookie matching. Their AI chatbot can engage high-intent visitors in real-time, and their orchestration engine triggers personalized outreach based on page visits and engagement patterns.
Signal types:
- Company-level visitor ID — Identify the company from IP/cookies
- Person-level identification — Match individuals when possible (10-20% of traffic)
- Page-level behavior — Track which pages visitors view, time on site, scroll depth
- Real-time alerts — Instant notifications when high-value accounts visit
Strengths: Real-time is genuinely valuable — reaching a buyer while they're on your pricing page is more effective than emailing them two days later. AI chat engagement can book meetings instantly. Person-level ID when available is high-quality.
Weaknesses: Only captures visitors who come to YOUR site — misses 90%+ of the buying journey that happens elsewhere. Person-level identification is inconsistent. No third-party intent data. Pricing scales with traffic volume, which can get expensive.
Pricing: Starts around $700/month for basic visitor identification. Full orchestration at higher tiers.
Best for: Marketing teams with 5K+ monthly visitors who want to convert anonymous traffic into pipeline in real-time.
Read more: MarketBetter vs Warmly | Warmly Pricing Breakdown
8. TrustRadius Buyer Intent — Best for Active Evaluation Signals
Intent approach: TrustRadius captures intent from buyers actively researching and comparing products on their platform — reading in-depth reviews, viewing product comparisons, and downloading TrustMaps.
How it works:
Similar to G2, TrustRadius signals indicate active product evaluation. Their differentiation is longer-form, more detailed reviews (typically 400+ words) that attract serious buyers further along in the evaluation process.
Signal types:
- Product page views — Accounts viewing your TrustRadius listing
- Category research — Accounts browsing your product category
- Competitive comparisons — Accounts comparing you to specific competitors
- Feature research — What specific features accounts are evaluating
Strengths: Very high-quality signals — TrustRadius visitors tend to be further along in the buying process than G2 visitors. Feature-level intent data (knowing WHICH features they care about) is unique and actionable. Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, and 6sense.
Weaknesses: Smaller traffic footprint than G2 (fewer total signals). More enterprise-focused audience (fewer SMB buyers). Limited to TrustRadius platform activity. Premium pricing for intent data.
Pricing: Custom pricing, typically bundled with TrustRadius marketing solutions. Intent data starts around $12,000-$20,000/year.
Best for: Enterprise software companies selling complex products where feature-level buying signals matter.
9. Apollo.io — Best Budget Intent + Outreach
Intent approach: Apollo provides basic buying intent signals alongside their contact database and email sequencing — making it the most affordable entry point for intent-aware prospecting.
How it works:
Apollo's intent data combines internal engagement signals (email opens, website visits) with basic third-party intent from their data partnerships. It's not as deep as Bombora or 6sense, but it's included in plans starting at $49/user/month.
Signal types:
- Email engagement — Opens, clicks, replies tracked across sequences
- Website visits — Basic company-level visitor identification
- Buying intent signals — Third-party topic-level intent (Organization plan)
- Job changes — Track when prospects change companies
Strengths: Intent is included in the price — no separate $25K add-on. Good enough for SMBs that need directional intent without enterprise complexity. Activation is built-in (find intent → find contact → send sequence in one workflow).
Weaknesses: Intent quality is significantly lower than dedicated providers. Limited topic coverage. No keyword-level granularity. Website visitor ID is basic. Organization plan required for meaningful intent data.
Pricing: Intent features start at $49/user/month (Professional). Full intent with advanced filters at $99/user/month (Organization).
Best for: Startups and early-stage teams that want basic intent awareness without the $25K+ annual commitment.
Read more: MarketBetter vs Apollo | Apollo Pricing Breakdown
10. Clearbit (now HubSpot) — Best for HubSpot-Native Enrichment
Intent approach: Clearbit (acquired by HubSpot in 2023) provides real-time enrichment and first-party intent within the HubSpot ecosystem. It identifies website visitors, enriches form submissions, and scores leads based on fit + engagement.
How it works:
Clearbit's pixel identifies companies visiting your site and enriches them with firmographic data (industry, size, revenue, tech stack). Inside HubSpot, this data automatically segments and scores leads based on ICP fit and behavioral signals.
Signal types:
- Website visitor identification — Company-level deanonymization
- Form enrichment — Auto-fill company data from email address
- Fit scoring — ICP match based on firmographic attributes
- Behavioral signals — Page views, form submissions, email engagement (within HubSpot)
Strengths: Seamless HubSpot integration — no separate platform to manage. Real-time enrichment improves lead quality at point of capture. Firmographic data is generally accurate. Free tier available within HubSpot.
Weaknesses: Locked into HubSpot ecosystem. No third-party intent data. Limited to first-party signals from your own properties. Enrichment depth varies by company size (stronger for mid-market/enterprise, weaker for SMBs). No standalone activation features.
Pricing: Included in HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional ($800/mo+) and Enterprise tiers. Standalone Clearbit plans available but being consolidated into HubSpot pricing.
Best for: HubSpot-native teams that want seamless enrichment and first-party intent without adding another vendor.
11. Common Room — Best for Product-Led and Community Intent
Intent approach: Common Room captures intent signals from product usage, community engagement, social media activity, and developer ecosystems — making it the go-to for product-led growth companies.
How it works:
Common Room aggregates signals from Slack communities, Discord servers, GitHub repos, Stack Overflow, Twitter/X, and product analytics into unified person and account profiles. When a developer stars your GitHub repo, asks about your product on Stack Overflow, and then visits your pricing page — Common Room connects those dots.
Signal types:
- Community engagement — Slack, Discord, GitHub, Stack Overflow activity
- Social signals — Mentions, follows, shares on Twitter/X and LinkedIn
- Product usage — Feature adoption, activation milestones
- Website and content — Visitor ID and content engagement
Strengths: Uniquely captures developer and community intent that no other tool tracks. Person-level attribution from community profiles. Excellent for product-led growth motions. Signal quality from engaged community members is very high.
Weaknesses: Primarily useful for developer tools and PLG companies — limited value for traditional B2B sales. Requires active community presence to generate signals. Doesn't capture traditional third-party content consumption. Pricing is opaque.
Pricing: Custom pricing, typically starting around $1,000/month for mid-market.
Best for: Developer tools, open-source companies, and PLG businesses where community engagement is a leading indicator of purchase intent.
Read more: MarketBetter vs Common Room | Common Room Review 2026
12. Leadfeeder (Dealfront) — Best Budget Website Visitor ID
Intent approach: Leadfeeder identifies companies visiting your website using Google Analytics data and reverse IP lookup. It's the most accessible entry point for first-party website intent.
How it works:
Install Leadfeeder's tracker (or connect Google Analytics), and it identifies companies visiting your site by matching IP addresses to a company database. You can filter by page views, visit frequency, and company attributes to find high-intent accounts.
Signal types:
- Company-level visitor ID — Identify visiting companies from IP
- Page-level tracking — Which pages visited, time on site
- Visit frequency — Returning visitors flagged as higher intent
- Custom feeds — Filter by industry, company size, pages visited
Strengths: Very affordable entry point for website intent. Easy setup (under 10 minutes). Good European company database (part of Dealfront). Integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive. Free plan available (last 7 days of data).
Weaknesses: Company-level only — no person identification. Database is smaller than US-focused competitors. No third-party intent data. No built-in outreach or sequencing. Free plan is extremely limited.
Pricing: Free plan (last 7 days, limited features). Paid plans start at $139/month.
Best for: Small teams new to intent data who want to start with website visitor identification before investing in enterprise intent platforms.
How to Evaluate Intent Data Quality
Not all intent signals are equal. Before committing $25K+ annually, ask these questions:
1. Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Ask: "What percentage of flagged accounts actually convert to pipeline?"
Good intent data should produce a 2-3x higher conversion rate than cold outreach. If your intent-flagged accounts convert at the same rate as your cold list, the data isn't working.
2. Activation Speed
Ask: "How quickly can a rep act on an intent signal?"
Bombora data is 48-72 hours delayed. Website visitor ID is real-time. The faster your team can act on intent, the higher the conversion rate. Studies show that contacting a lead within 5 minutes of showing intent increases conversion 9x (InsideSales.com).
3. Granularity
Ask: "Is this account-level or contact-level? Topic-level or keyword-level?"
Account-level intent tells you "Acme Corp is researching sales tools." Contact-level tells you "Sarah Chen, VP Sales at Acme Corp, is researching sales tools." The second is 5x more actionable.
4. Coverage of YOUR ICP
Ask: "What percentage of our target accounts show up in your data?"
Enterprise intent providers often have poor coverage for SMBs (fewer employees = fewer signals). Test with a sample of 100 target accounts before committing.
5. Integration Depth
Ask: "Does intent data flow into our existing workflow, or does it require a new dashboard?"
The best intent data is invisible to reps — it shows up as a higher priority score in their CRM, a suggested task in their workflow, or a triggered sequence. If reps have to log into another tool to check intent, usage will drop to zero within a month.
The Intent Data Stack That Actually Works
Based on what I've seen work for B2B teams at different stages:
Early Stage ($0-$2M ARR)
- Apollo.io for basic intent + contact data + sequencing
- Google Analytics for website behavior
- Total cost: ~$200-$400/month
Growth Stage ($2M-$10M ARR)
- MarketBetter for signal-to-action workflow (website ID + intent + outreach)
- G2 Buyer Intent for category evaluation signals (if you have a G2 profile)
- Total cost: ~$1,500-$2,500/month
Scale Stage ($10M+ ARR)
- 6sense or Demandbase for comprehensive third-party intent + ABM
- MarketBetter or Warmly for real-time website intent + activation
- G2 + TrustRadius for review platform signals
- Total cost: ~$8,000-$15,000/month
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Stop Buying Intent Data You Can't Act On
Here's the uncomfortable truth: most companies that buy intent data don't see ROI because they can't activate it fast enough.
Knowing that 200 accounts are "in-market" is useless if your SDRs still need to:
- Look up the accounts manually
- Find the right contacts
- Research each company
- Write personalized messages
- Log everything in the CRM
By the time they've done that for 10 accounts, the other 190 have moved on.
The winning strategy in 2026 isn't more intent data. It's faster activation. Turn signals into tasks, tasks into conversations, and conversations into pipeline — automatically.
That's what MarketBetter's daily SDR playbook does. Intent signals become prioritized tasks with context, messaging, and the right channel — delivered to each rep every morning.
See how it works →
Last updated: February 2026. Pricing based on public sources, vendor communications, and industry benchmarks. Enterprise pricing is estimated where vendors don't publish rates.
