Lusha vs. ZoomInfo: Which Tool is Better for Your Business?

What is ZoomInfo?

What is ZoomInfo? Basically, it is a sales intelligence platform, meaning that it helps companies identify new prospects (potential customers) and also supplies corresponding email addresses and phone numbers. In other words, they streamline your sales team’s workflow by helping to introduce more future buyers into your sales funnel.

The ZoomInfo brand came into existence when DiscoverOrg, founded back in 2007, merged with a major competitor. This represented a major strategic move and not just a redesign of their logo. Since then, a number of acquisitions have expanded its features and services, especially in the field of AI capabilities. Today, it claims to be a kind of one-stop solution for all your outreach marketing needs.

What is Lusha?

One of ZoomInfo’s many competitors, Lusha was founded more recently, in 2016. You may think that this indicates that its feature set lags behind that of ZoomInfo; however, according to user reviews, each compares to the other in several respects.

Though figures like these are naturally open to interpretation (and not all lead generation companies offer the same products to the same industries), Lusha’s market share is estimated at 13.37%, whereas ZoomInfo leads at 26.16%. Still, Lusha’s rapid growth in a highly competitive, rapidly evolving market does indicate a certain level of customer satisfaction.

ZoomInfo vs. Lusha: A Detailed Comparison

The main difference between ZoomInfo and Lusha is that the former aims to provide a complete, end-to-end marketing solution, while Lusha focuses on lead generation and closely associated functions like data enrichment. If you were to generalize, you might say that Lusha is used primarily by smaller marketing and sales teams with simpler workflows. Bigger organizations with multiple users are more likely to find ZoomInfo’s pricier (and more comprehensive) subscription plans worthwhile.

However, this distinction is certainly not true in all cases. Paying extra for features you don’t need (or won’t have the time or budget to learn how to use effectively) is foolish, as settling for a cheaper tool that doesn’t quite do what you need just means spending more money down the line. Especially considering that both of these companies only offer annual pricing structures, investigating which factors differentiate them is time well spent.

Key Features

As you can see, there is considerable overlap between these two products’ functionality. While Lusha continues to focus its development efforts on core sales intelligence activities, ZoomInfo distinguishes itself from its competitors by constantly adding new capabilities.

It would be a mistake to think the following table tells the whole story, though: if a particular feature – CRM integration or granular company information, for example – is especially important to you, you may want to read a few online reviews and even contact each platform’s customer support in order to gain greater clarity.

Data

Lusha, ZoomInfo and, in fact, any sales intelligence platform worth its salt can be expected to provide clients with verified leads – real companies who are active in your chosen industry, along with contact data for specific people. One of the key differences between different lead-generation tools is how effective they are at this basic task.

Ideally, you’ll also want to cast a wide net: gain access to as many potential clients as possible, even internationally. However, while making this comparison, you need to ensure that the information you retrieve remains relevant to your marketing needs. You ought to be able to filter prospects so that they resemble your existing clients in terms of size, software used by them, and various other criteria.

Both of our featured prospecting platforms are serviceable when it comes to giving you phone numbers and emails for decision-makers in a given industry or organization. Which you’ll end up doing business with may depend on another factor: the breadth of information available. Specifically, while Lusha works fine when generating accurate contacts, ZoomInfo provides additional value in the form of detailed company profiles.

Data Quantity 

In terms of sheer volume, ZoomInfo offers more: over 300 million records, of which 100 million are for B2B buyers. Lusha trails with a figure of 100 million contacts of which only 15 million are for different companies. (Different executives at the same firm, eg. the IT and logistic directors, are counted as separate contacts.)

Lusha does claim that its database is more up-to-date and that its individual records are more likely to be complete than ZoomInfo’s. Unfortunately, this is hard to evaluate, with different marketing professionals saying different things. Based on experience, though, you will most likely struggle to generate adequate numbers of new leads in niche industries or emerging markets – both Lusha and ZoomInfo’s coverage is greatest in Europe and North America.

Data Quality

The efficiency of your marketing efforts is largely determined by the accuracy of the information you use to guide your strategy. Both platforms expend significant efforts on ensuring data quality. First, contact information is gleaned from multiple sources, including public company profiles, social media, and proprietary databases. In Lusha’s case, a significant number of contacts are also submitted by users of their product. Though ZoomInfo has gone to the trouble of naming this process Fuzion, its results are similar to those of Lusha. 

Fuzion also comprises sophisticated, proprietary AI technologies used to verify the accuracy of details; Lusha uses a different though broadly similar system. However, ZoomInfo also employs human researchers whose job it is to assess the validity of its information. Their numbers are limited, though, as is their impact on providing better data. In both cases, over 90% of contacts are usually accurate (compared to 97% for BookYourData).

It’s also worth considering data update frequency. Lusha doesn’t provide concrete guarantees about the freshness of records in its database, though it does mention this as a strength. Meanwhile, the accuracy of records is rechecked daily and monthly by ZoomInfo. Seamless, by comparison, doesn’t rely on a database, instead retrieving information in real time.

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Data Types

Compared to similar platforms like Cognism, ZoomInfo provides a much broader range of data points on each prospect, aside from basic contact details. It would be accurate to say that Lusha falls short in this regard. However, it’s equally true that not every industry and marketing strategy really relies on this depth of information.

Data enrichment – additional details like organizational structure, company turnover, and recent web activity – may be irrelevant to you if all your sales team wants to do is make a few discovery calls. By contrast, if you’re used to doing intensive lead scoring, this information can be critical. In the latter case, ZoomInfo’s additional demographic, firmographic, and technographic data points are well worth the higher price.

Who has Better Data: Lusha or ZoomInfo?

Software review aggregator G2 reports that ZoomInfo’s results tend to outperform Lusha’s in all respects: quantity, accuracy, and comprehensiveness. When you dig down into users’ experiences, though, you’ll find that their experience is highly dependent on the location and industry of each. Many marketing teams prefer to use both tools in order to expand the range of customer data available to them; others find that a different solution meets their needs best.

Integrations

While the personal touch remains an essential part of marketing, all companies of any size now utilize software to help keep track of prospects’ development into customers. Naturally, choosing a sales intelligence platform that “plays well” with your existing tools enhances efficiency across the board.

ZoomInfo excels in this area. Though it costs more than Lusha, the increased price is offset by its one-click integration with Gmail, Microsoft Office and Teams, Google Docs, MailChimp, Twilio, Airtable, ChatGPT, Instantly, and all major CRM and marketing automation platforms.

Lusha’s native integrations are mostly limited to the most popular CRMs, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Outreach. There is also support for some email clients and automation tools; if you’re willing to spend extra on your subscription and customization work, they also offer API access.

GDPR and CCPA Compliance

Lusha, in contrast to its competitors, has stumbled in this regard in the past, but these troubles were resolved by 2023. ZoomInfo, by contrast, has always made priorities of compliance standards and platform security. It now boasts several ISO and other certifications.

In practice, using either will insulate you from lawsuits, though ZoomInfo has a better reputation as a legit data source. It also practices stricter adherence to DNC (Do-Not-Call) regulations in various countries. Annoying a potential customer by phoning their personal cell is rarely the start to a profitable relationship, so this latter point may be relevant to you.

Intent Data

Lusha offers intent data – for an additional fee – as part of its Scale package; other pricing tiers give you access to a more limited set of buying signals. For ZoomInfo, though, this is a core part of their offering: it prides itself on being able to tell you exactly when specific prospects are ripe for the plucking.

You will, for example, receive notifications when companies you’re interested in start researching products similar to yours online. In addition, when an individual you may have been in contact before is promoted or changes jobs, this information will be combined with several other data points, including financial reports, using a sophisticated algorithm. The result is a kind of actionability score, indicating exactly which leads demand the most urgent attention.

User Reviews

As you would expect for two industry leaders, user ratings are generally positive for both Lusha and ZoomInfo. Reading between the lines of customer reviews, it’s obvious that their pain points and priorities tend to reflect their company size and experience with digital outreach marketing.

Smaller businesses tend to praise Lusha’s simple interface and quick onboarding, while larger marketing departments enjoy ZoomInfo’s easier integrations and more expansive search capabilities. ZoomInfo also wins out when it comes to detailed company information, though a lot of people prefer Lusha as a more streamlined way of simply getting contact info for prospects.

In both cases, a large minority of customers complain about a lack of prospects in particular markets. While no sales intelligence database can claim to be 100% complete, those of us in niche markets often find it worthwhile to turn elsewhere. BookYourData, for example, boasts a database of over 500 million records, larger than even ZoomInfo’s. Even better, you don’t have to commit to a subscription plan: pay-as-you-go credits can be used whenever you want.

Cost of Lusha vs. ZoomInfo

One thing that puts many potential users off ZoomInfo is its opaque pricing. You have to contact them for a quotation; given the complexity of the product suite they offer, you can easily wind up feeling less like a future partner and more like you’re being pressured into something you don’t really want.

Lusha, on the other hand, makes it clear what kind of bang you can expect for your buck:

Though ZoomInfo may offer some equivalent plans, they tend to focus on more feature-rich services aimed at established companies willing to pay their fees. Sources indicate that their plans typically run to about $15,000 per year.

You also shouldn’t neglect the learning curve costs associated with switching to a new system. Though it is certainly powerful, ZoomInfo (compared to, say, UpLead) demands some training and practice before a user can use it to its full potential. You can therefore expect new users to spend some time on ZoomInfo University before getting started, while Lusha is far more intuitive.

Best Alternative to Lusha and ZoomInfo: BookYourData

In a nutshell, Lusha is usually better if you need a streamlined tool to get leads in to your sales pipeline. ZoomInfo, though more complicated and expensive, becomes worth it if you require high-level overviews of both the market as a whole and promising leads. Each has pros and cons, but both share a particular shortcoming: once you sign up with them, you’re locked into a 12-month contract.

There is an alternative you should be aware of before you pull the trigger: BookYourData. Much cheaper than ZoomInfo, it also doesn’t entail a recurring subscription: you simply buy as many or as few credits as you may require (significant bulk discounts apply). The BookYourData contact list is also larger than that of either ZoomInfo or Lusha; more importantly, it is guaranteed to be 97%+ accurate.

This means fewer wasted dials and a lower cold email bounce rate. You can also request 10 free leads today, filtered by whatever criteria you specify. This free trial allows you to get an idea what they can do for you without incurring any obligation.

Key Takeaways

• Both Lusha and ZoomInfo are highly regarded lead-generation tools.
• Lusha tends to be popular among smaller businesses that need a robust prospecting solution, while ZoomInfo is prized by larger marketing departments with more sophisticated needs.
• While both provide mostly accurate contact information, ZoomInfo sketches a more nuanced, comprehensive view of each business.
• Lusha’s CRM and other software integration capabilities are sufficient for most startups, though ZoomInfo has better digital transformation credentials.
• One of Lusha’s main selling points is its relative affordability. ZoomInfo doesn’t provide pricing information publicly, but is definitely on the expensive side.
• Both Lusha and ZoomInfo require clients to sign annual contracts. Consider using BookYourData and its far more flexible pricing model instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ZoomInfo Better Than Lusha?

If all you need is a way to harvest more contact details for cold calling and emailing purposes, Lusha is better value for money. If you require a full-service outreach marketing solution that integrates well with other digital tools, ZoomInfo comes into its own. Which is “better” depends entirely on your specific use case.

Is Lusha Accurate?

While Lusha makes an effort to provide only accurate, relevant, and timely contact information, they offer no guarantee of how many of their email addresses are deliverable or what proportion of the phone numbers they provide go to the right person. According to their clients, an 80% hit rate is considered acceptable.

Is Lusha Only for LinkedIn?

Though Lusha’s browser extension works well on LinkedIn, the company actually gathers contact details from a wide variety of sources, collating and organizing these in a central database.

Which Platform Offers Better Integration with CRM Systems, Lusha or ZoomInfo?

Though Lusha offers seamless, no-code integration with a variety of CRM systems and business tools, ZoomInfo enjoys partnerships with a far larger array of software providers. Custom integrations, based on either company’s API, are also available at a price.

Which Platform is Better for International Data Coverage, Lusha or ZoomInfo?

Both Lusha and ZoomInfo can provide a wealth of information on companies located in Europe and North America. Both companies also comply with data protection laws, namely GDPR and CCPA, in these regions. In the rest of the world, however, their coverage tends to be inconsistent and neither can be said to be better than the other.

Which Platform is More Suited for Small Businesses Versus Large Corporations?

ZoomInfo’s pricing policy is optimized to serve larger organizations. In particular, as the functionality they require from an end-to-end digital marketing solution evolves, they can generally just upgrade their existing plan instead of switching to another platform. Lusha, on the other hand, is much more affordable and offers most of the features small businesses may need.

Do Lusha and ZoomInfo Offer Any Industry-specific Solutions?

Both companies aim to cast a broad net, maintaining large databases of companies in all sectors. However, certain features offered by both, like technographic information on prospects, are particularly useful when conducting SaaS or B2B sales. ZoomInfo’s advanced data enrichment features make it stand out in this regard.

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