8 Best Company Database Tools for Account Research in 2026
We tested 14+ company database platforms to find the best for account research. These tools help you build targeted account lists using firmographic filters like industry, size, revenue, and location.
ZoomInfo has the largest B2B company database with 100M+ companies. Deep firmographic filters include industry, employee count, revenue, technology, and funding. Contact data and intent signals combined. Workflow automation acts on data.
Starting price$15K+/yr
Strengths
Largest database
Deep filters
Contacts included
Intent data
Integrations
Limitations
Expensive
Annual contracts
Complex
Credit system
Who it's for: Best for sales teams needing comprehensive company data.
Apollo provides 60M+ companies with firmographic data at a fraction of competitor costs. Contacts included with email and phone. Built-in sequencing means no separate outreach tool needed. Generous free tier to get started.
Starting priceFree/$49/mo
Strengths
Great value
Contacts included
Built-in outreach
Free tier
Easy to use
Limitations
Smaller database
Less intent data
Variable accuracy
Fewer integrations
Who it's for: Best for teams wanting company data with outreach in one tool.
Crunchbase is the go-to for startup and venture capital data. Funding rounds, investors, and acquirers tracked comprehensively. News and personnel changes surface opportunities. Essential for selling to startups or VCs.
Starting price$29/mo
Strengths
Best funding data
Startup focus
Investor data
News integration
Affordable
Limitations
Startup bias
Limited contacts
Less SMB coverage
Basic filters
Who it's for: Best for teams selling to startups or venture-backed companies.
Sales Navigator provides company data connected to LinkedIn relationships. See who at your company is connected to target accounts. Company news and insights from the LinkedIn network. Account pages aggregate company intelligence.
Strengths
LinkedIn data
Relationship intel
Company news
Decision-maker access
Familiar UI
Limitations
LinkedIn only
Limited firmographics
No financials
Separate from CRM
Who it's for: Best for relationship-based selling with LinkedIn.
D&B provides enterprise-grade company data with D-U-N-S numbers. Credit and risk data essential for financial decisions. Global coverage across 500M+ business entities. API and integrations for enterprise workflows.
Strengths
Enterprise grade
Credit/risk data
Global coverage
D-U-N-S standard
Compliance
Limitations
Expensive
Dated interface
Complex
Less modern
Who it's for: Best for enterprises needing credit and risk data.
Clearbit enriches company data in real-time via API. Drop into forms to identify companies from email domains. Enrich CRM records automatically. Best when you need company data as part of workflows, not standalone research.
Starting priceCustom
Strengths
API quality
Real-time enrichment
Form integration
CRM sync
Developer friendly
Limitations
Enrichment focus
Custom pricing
Not for research
Needs existing data
Who it's for: Best for teams enriching company data in workflows.
PrivCo specializes in private company financial data. Revenue estimates, growth rates, and M&A activity for companies without public filings. Research reports add context. Valuable for selling to or investing in private companies.
Starting priceCustom
Strengths
Private company focus
Financial estimates
M&A data
Research reports
Unique data
Limitations
Private only
Limited contacts
Expensive
Smaller database
Who it's for: Best for teams needing private company financial data.
Owler provides company news and competitive intelligence. Alerts notify you of company updates. Community-contributed data adds depth. Free tier useful for basic company research and news monitoring.
Starting priceFree/$35/mo
Strengths
News and alerts
Free tier
Competitive intel
Community data
Easy to use
Limitations
No contacts
Estimated data
Less accurate
Limited filters
Who it's for: Best for basic company research and news monitoring.
We tested each platform by researching accounts in our target market.
Data Quality (30%) — Accuracy and freshness of company information.
Coverage (25%) — Number of companies and depth of firmographics.
Filtering (20%) — Quality of search and segmentation options.
Integration (15%) — CRM and workflow integrations.
Value (10%) — Features relative to pricing.
How to Choose
Choose ZoomInfo if you need comprehensive B2B data.
Choose Apollo.io if you need budget-friendly option.
Choose Crunchbase if you need startup/VC focus.
Choose Sales Navigator if you need relationship selling.
Choose Clearbit if you need data enrichment.
Common Questions
Industry, employee count, and revenue are fundamental. Add location for territory-based selling. Technographics matter for tech sellers. Funding stage matters for startup sellers. Start with ICP-defining attributes.
Accuracy varies by data type. Employee count and industry are generally 80-90% accurate. Revenue estimates vary more widely. Verify critical data points for important accounts. Data freshness matters as much as accuracy.
Most sales teams need both. Company data identifies target accounts. Contact data identifies decision-makers. Platforms like ZoomInfo and Apollo bundle both. Choose based on whether account or contact finding is the bigger gap.
Company data changes frequently: people change jobs, companies get acquired, funding happens. Monthly data updates are good. Real-time enrichment is better for critical workflows. Verify data before important outreach.
