B2B data providers UK 2026: Apollo vs Cognism vs ZoomInfo vs Lusha (honest review for small teams)

The four most commonly compared B2B data providers for UK teams are Apollo.io, Cognism, ZoomInfo, and Lusha. Apollo is the cheapest entry point with the biggest free tier. Cognism is the UK and EU compliance leader with the best mobile data, but starts around £12k/year. ZoomInfo is the US-led enterprise option with weaker UK SMB coverage. Lusha is the cheap credit-based enrichment tool best for small batches.

Cognism does not publish pricing. Anecdotal UK quotes from sales calls in 2024-2025 typically land between £12,000 and £25,000 per year for a 2-5 seat package, billed annually upfront. Enterprise tiers go higher. They push annual or multi-year contracts heavily. Always negotiate the seat count and the renewal cap before signing.

ZoomInfo does not publish pricing. Anecdotal UK quotes in 2024-2025 sit around £15,000 to £40,000+ per year for a 3-5 seat Sales Pro+ package. They are well known for multi-year contracts and auto-renew clauses that have been the subject of multiple public disputes. Read every renewal clause and watch for opt-out windows.

Apollo claims a legitimate-interest basis for processing B2B contact data, and offers a Data Processing Agreement on paid plans. The UK ICO has not enforced against Apollo to date. That said, Apollo's sourcing model is closer to ZoomInfo's than Cognism's, which means more GDPR exposure than Cognism for cold outreach. If GDPR posture matters in your sales cycle, Cognism is a safer pick.

Cognism is UK and EU first, GDPR-aligned, and built for B2B teams selling into Europe. ZoomInfo is US first with the largest global database but the weakest EU compliance posture. For UK SMB outbound, Cognism usually wins on data accuracy and legal defensibility. For US enterprise ABM, ZoomInfo wins on database depth and intent signals.

It depends on team size and budget. Apollo wins on price and self-serve onboarding under £3k/year. Cognism wins on UK mobile coverage, GDPR posture, and data freshness above £12k/year. For 1-10 person UK B2B teams, Apollo usually wins on cost-per-meeting. For 10-50 person teams doing heavy phone outbound, Cognism justifies the premium.

Apollo.io (~£1,200-£3,000/year for a small team), Lusha (~£500-£1,500/year), and the free stack of Companies House plus LinkedIn boolean (£0). For most 1-10 person UK B2B teams, the free stack covers 80% of the value at 0% of the cost. Cognism only pays for itself when you're hitting the phone hard and the brand-safe data sourcing matters to legal.

Probably not at the start. For a 1-10 person UK B2B team, the free stack (Companies House Advanced Search + LinkedIn free boolean + Google site: + an Account List Builder) gets you a verified 50-company target list in under 2 hours. You only really need a paid database when outbound becomes a full-time role for someone and the time-saving outweighs £1,000+/month.

Cognism, by reputation. They invest heavily in verifying mobile numbers (their 'Diamond Verified' tier) and their UK and EU coverage is consistently rated highest among practitioners we work with. Apollo is a clear second. ZoomInfo is third. Lusha is patchy. None are perfect: budget 30-50% phone data decay year-on-year regardless of vendor.

It varies. Cognism has built its core marketing pitch around GDPR alignment and publishes its sourcing methodology. Lusha is GDPR-registered with sensible DPAs. Apollo claims legitimate interest but the sourcing model is more aggressive. ZoomInfo has faced active EU enforcement scrutiny between 2023-2025. For UK outreach, GDPR risk increases as you move from Cognism to Lusha to Apollo to ZoomInfo.

The 50 credits per month evaporate quickly. Each contact reveal, each export, each enrichment burns credits. The free tier is fine for testing the UI and pulling 10-20 contacts a month. For any serious outbound you'll hit the paid tier within a week.

Usually no. Both vendors push annual contracts as standard, often billed upfront. ZoomInfo has been the subject of multiple public disputes over multi-year auto-renew clauses. Always negotiate the renewal cap and the opt-out window before signing. Get the cancellation policy in writing.

Partially. All four databases skew towards SaaS, tech, and white-collar enterprise. Coverage of UK industrial, manufacturing, and small accountancy firms is patchy across all of them. Companies House plus LinkedIn boolean often beats paid databases for these niches because the SIC code data is more accurate than any vendor's industry tag.

No. A B2B database (Apollo, Cognism, ZoomInfo, Lusha) gives you ongoing access to a refreshed dataset with documented sourcing and a DPA. A bought email list is a static CSV from an unknown source with no DPA, no consent record, and typically 30-60% bounce rates. Bought lists are a fast route to GDPR complaints and domain reputation damage. Databases are not.

CPQP is cost-per-qualified-prospect: total annual cost of the tool divided by the number of qualified meetings it sources for you. A £12,000/year Cognism contract that books 60 qualified meetings has a CPQP of £200. A £1,500/year Apollo subscription that books 40 has a CPQP of £37.50. Always model CPQP before signing, not just the sticker price.

Different jobs. Apollo is a database with email, phone and export. Sales Navigator is a LinkedIn-only search and InMail tool. For cold outbound that needs phone and email, Apollo wins. For social-first prospecting where you'll engage with content first and InMail later, Sales Navigator wins. Many UK B2B teams run both. Many also run neither and use the free stack.