Intent data providers vs public records: which should a small team use?
Intent data estimates which companies are researching a topic. Public records show that something has already happened at a named company. A small team selling into a niche should start with public records, because they are free and every row can be checked. Intent data can earn its cost once your market is broad and you have the capacity to act on it.
What each one is
Intent data estimates which companies are researching a topic. Providers gather online behaviour, such as content read across publisher networks or activity on review sites, then model it into a list of companies showing interest. Bombora, 6sense, ZoomInfo and G2 are well-known names.
Public records are events a government or regulator publishes: a new company, a contract win, a licence, a filing. Each record names a company and a date, and you can open the source.
How they compare
| Intent data providers | Public records | |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows | Modelled interest in a topic | A dated event at a named company |
| Can you check it? | Usually no | Yes, by opening the record |
| Cost | Annual contract, see below | Free data, plus your time |
| Coverage | Broad across industries | Only companies with a public event |
| What you can say in an email | Little, since mentioning it can feel invasive | The event itself |
| Main weakness | Noise, and every customer of the vendor sees the same accounts | Needs cleaning, and many markets have no useful register |
What intent data costs
None of these vendors publishes a list price, so treat the figures below as rough estimates. They come from vendor blogs read in November 2026, and several of those blogs sell competing products. Get a quote before you budget.
| Provider | Reported annual cost |
|---|---|
| Bombora | About $8,000 to $30,000 at entry level, and $60,000 to $120,000 mid-market |
| 6sense | About $50,000 to $150,000 or more, as a full platform |
| ZoomInfo intent | Estimates range from $15,000 to $95,000, depending on seats and topics |
Sources: ZoomInfo on Bombora pricing, Abmatic's pricing comparison and Enginy on Bombora pricing.
Which should you choose?
Start with public records if:
- You are a small team with no budget for an annual data contract.
- You sell into a niche or regulated market where events are published.
- You want a specific, honest reason to write to each company.
Pay for intent data if:
- Almost any company could be your customer, so no single event defines your buyer.
- You have enough sales capacity to work a large account list every week.
- You already have a process for testing which accounts convert.
Many teams end up using both. Public records work well as the first test because they cost nothing except time.
Run a two-week test before paying anyone
- Pick one public event that creates the problem you solve. Our list of 15 buying signals is a good place to start.
- Pull the last 14 days from the free source.
- Remove the companies that can't buy, and keep around 50.
- Contact those 50, and mention the event in your first line.
- Compare replies and meetings against your usual list, using the same offer and the same sender.
If the signal list clearly wins, keep going and add a second signal. If it doesn't, try one more signal before you conclude that public data doesn't suit your market.
A note on our position
Releasi builds lead lists from public records, so we have a stake in this comparison. We are not affiliated with any provider named here.