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Best Instantly Alternatives

Written by Paddy Stobbs

Co-Founder & CEO

Edited by Steph Leung

Product & Operations Lead

Updated onMar 14, 2025
Instantly has emerged as a popular sales engagement platform, offering businesses tools to streamline their outreach efforts and manage contact data. However, as companies face increasingly complex sales challenges, alternatives with specialized capabilities have gained traction in the market. For intent-based account targeting, 6sense delivers superior predictive analytics that Instantly cannot match, identifying in-market buyers with precision while offering comprehensive tracking of prospect engagement. Organizations with LinkedIn-centric workflows might find Kaspr’s deep integration and Chrome extension more valuable than Instantly’s database-only approach. Enterprise teams requiring sophisticated territory management would benefit from ZoomInfo Sales’ native capabilities for geographic account assignment and advanced routing—features Instantly lacks entirely. For sales teams conducting phone outreach in EMEA regions, Cognism’s manually verified mobile numbers provide reliability that Instantly’s unverified data cannot deliver. Meanwhile, Clay outperforms Instantly in data enrichment through its AI-powered web scraping and unique multi-source approach that synthesizes information from numerous providers. Each alternative addresses specific use cases where Instantly’s more generalized functionality may fall short, giving sales teams options tailored to their particular needs.

Best alternatives to Instantly

For intent-based account targeting:

6sense product logo

6sense

Stackfix Rating:

3.8 / 10

6sense offers advantages over Instantly for intent-based account targeting through three key areas. First, 6sense’s intent data capabilities leverage predictive analytics to identify in-market buyers and their buying stage with precision. In contrast, Instantly lacks native intent signal tracking functionality. Second, 6sense provides comprehensive company profiles that include detailed intent and web activity tracking, allowing sales teams to monitor prospect engagement through website visits and form submissions. Third, 6sense’s automated lead scoring system helps prioritize accounts based on both intent signals and profile fit, whereas Instantly offers no lead scoring capabilities. While Instantly focuses on basic contact data and email engagement, 6sense’s specialized intent-tracking infrastructure makes it the stronger choice for organizations prioritizing intent-based targeting.

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For LinkedIn-centric prospecting workflows:

Kaspr product logo

Kaspr

Stackfix Rating:

4.3 / 10

Kaspr is a strong alternative to Instantly for LinkedIn-centric prospecting workflows due to its specialized Chrome extension and deep LinkedIn integration. While Instantly lacks direct LinkedIn prospecting capabilities, Kaspr excels with its LinkedIn features, enabling one-click lead creation from profiles and bulk list generation from LinkedIn searches. The tool’s ability to leverage LinkedIn’s powerful native search filters while automatically enriching contact data makes it effective for sales teams who rely heavily on LinkedIn for prospecting. Additionally, Kaspr’s Chrome extension allows teams to seamlessly capture leads while browsing LinkedIn, creating a more streamlined workflow compared to Instantly’s database-only approach.

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For enterprise-scale territory management:

ZoomInfo Sales product logo

ZoomInfo Sales

Stackfix Rating:

4.9 / 10

ZoomInfo Sales offers advantages over Instantly for enterprise-scale territory management through three key areas. First, ZoomInfo’s native territory management capabilities allow sales teams to assign and manage accounts by geographic regions, a feature Instantly lacks. Second, ZoomInfo’s workflow automation system enables sophisticated territory-based lead routing and assignment with comprehensive capabilities. Finally, ZoomInfo’s extensive integration ecosystem includes enterprise-grade tools like Salesforce, Outreach, and Salesloft, facilitating seamless territory management across the entire sales tech stack.

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For phone-based outreach in EMEA:

Cognism product logo

Cognism

Stackfix Rating:

5.1 / 10

Cognism stands out as a strong choice for phone-based outreach in EMEA due to its mobile data quality and verification processes. The platform’s database contains over 420 million contact records with particularly strong coverage in EMEA regions, and uniquely employs an in-house team to manually verify phone numbers—these contacts are clearly marked with a ‘diamond’ in the interface. With meticulous accuracy for contact data and specialized phone verification, Cognism delivers higher quality phone data compared to Instantly’s unverified mobile numbers. For sales teams focused on phone outreach in EMEA markets, Cognism’s verified mobile data and regional strength make it a more reliable and effective solution.

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For data enrichment and research:

Clay product logo

Clay

Stackfix Rating:

7.7 / 10

Clay stands out as a superior data enrichment and research tool compared to Instantly for three compelling reasons. First, Clay’s AI-powered data enrichment capabilities excel at web scraping that accurately gathers non-standard data points from across the web. Second, Clay’s unique integration approach connects with dozens of data providers like Apollo and RocketReach, allowing users to cross-reference and synthesize the best data from multiple sources – a capability Instantly lacks with its single database approach. Third, Clay’s spreadsheet-style interface enables deeper customization, letting users add unlimited custom fields and enrich leads with any desired datapoint through integrations or AI scraping.

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PS

Meet your expert: Paddy Stobbs

Stackfix Co-Founder & CEO

I've spent over a decade deep in the world of business software - personally managing more than $2M in purchases across companies I've built and led. From intimate 10-person teams to organizations of 150+, I've developed a particular obsession with Sales and HR tools – testing, implementing, and scaling them at every stage of growth. My journey started at Cambridge University, led me through Google, and most recently culminated in selling my previous venture to TikTok. Now, I'm channeling all of that hands-on experience into helping others navigate the complex landscape of business software.

Instantly logo

Instantly

6sense logo

6sense

Kaspr logo

Kaspr

ZoomInfo Sales logo

ZoomInfo Sales

Cognism logo

Cognism

Clay logo

Clay

Our rating
Functionality
8

Functionality

8/10

<p>As a lead generation platform, Instantly is rounded and covers a lot of adjacent sectors beyond just lead generation. It covers the basics relatively well - including a large contact database and granular prospecting filters.</p><p>Additionally, its adjacent functionalities are also well executed such as its native email engagement/warm up features and its CRM toolkit. On occasion we noticed some missing features that are present in more focused competitors, for example, company profile pages are omitted entirely and features for larger enterprises are light (such as the ability to manage/assign territories to specific sales agents).</p>
4

Functionality

4/10

<p>At its core, 6sense Revenue for Sales is just a contact database. While the predictive AI feature may help identify in-market buyers, the filtering options are rather standard. An exception is that you can track website engagement on 6sense to see how your prospects are engaging with you. Beyond that, there’s no additional functionality—you can’t even send emails directly from the platform.</p>
2

Functionality

2/10

<p>Kaspr is best viewed as a LinkedIn centric lead generation tool. Unlike most of its competitors, it lacks a traditional database search interface for both individual contact or companies. Instead, the only way to prospect is via their Chrome extension which acts over LinkedIn, or by enriching a CSV of LinkedIn URLs. As such, many common features and filters are omitted entirely. Additionally, Kaspr does not provide any native outbound sequencing functionality, meaning that you'll need to pay separately for a dedicated outbound platform too.</p>
7

Functionality

7/10

<p>ZoomInfo is not a rounded lead generation tool. Instead its best viewed as a very powerful lead generation platform - its contact database is one of the largest and most accurate on the market and its intent data, filtering granularity and data richness is second to none. However, it lacks any kind of email sequencing functionality meaning you'll still need to pay separately for a dedicated CRM/engagement platform. It's worth noting, though, that you can still make phone calls directly from the platform.</p>
3

Functionality

3/10

<p>Cognism's functionality is very limited. Whilst it does offer one of the largest contact databases on the market with a relative strength in mobile data - the product does very little beyond that.</p><p>We were disappointed by the omission of any kind of outbound functionality (email or phone) and were not impressed by the quality of other facets of the product including the granularity of filter provided or the lack of any material automation/AI features.</p>
7

Functionality

7/10

<p>Clay is not your typical lead generation tool. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Instead of using one proprietary database, Clay integrates with dozens of underlying providers (such as Apollo, Hunter, RocketReach etc.) to allow you to pick and choose the best data from almost anywhere. Its spreadsheets and tables focused interface shines when it comes to list building and enrichment tasks in particular. Additionally, when tested, we find its AI features to be well executed and sprinkled in all the right places.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">However, Clay does not provide any kind of outbound or CRM style functionality meaning you'll still need to pay for dedicated tooling in these spaces separately. </span></p>
Ease of Use
7

Ease of Use

7/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Instantly's web app is intuitive and easy to navigate. Additionally, its onboarding was simple and not overwhelming. It's core prospecting interfaces are relatively familiar amongst competitors making it easy to pick up. It would take an average SMB employee less than 30 minutes to master its use.</span></p>
3

Ease of Use

3/10

<p>For a tool with limited functionality, 6sense still manages to introduce unnecessary friction. The use of overly technical jargon like "Technographics" instead of "tech stack" or "Psychographics" instead of "keywords" feels needlessly complicated. Basic workflows, like creating a new list after bulk-selecting contacts, are clunky. Even small tasks, such as unlocking email details, require you to click on them one by one—a frustrating and time-consuming process.</p>
4

Ease of Use

4/10

<p>Despite, Kaspr's limited feature set, its unusual interface means that it takes slightly longer to get acquainted with on first use. On average, it would take an SMB employee a few hours to become comfortable with its core features. Whilst the Chrome extension itself is intuitive once installed, being forced to install it as step one of the onboarding process felt overwhelming and confusing.</p>
4

Ease of Use

4/10

<p>ZoomInfo does not provide any kind of self-serve onboarding. Instead, it makes you jump through a series of video calls with sales agents just to trial the platform. Despite this, its search interfaces are familiar and intuitive to use. Additionally, profiles and company pages are well laid out, managing a vast amount of information well.</p><p>However, given the depth of functionality, some features were still not as intuitive as we'd like e.g. using its workflows automation feature. It would take an average SMB employee a full day to master the platforms use.</p>
8

Ease of Use

8/10

<p>Cognism's lack of functionality makes it simple and intuitive to use. Its core prospecting interfaces are familiar and easy to grasp. It would take an average SMB employee less than 10 minutes to master the platforms use.</p>
7

Ease of Use

7/10

<p>Clay's web app is superbly designed and intuitive to use. If you're use to working with Excel and Google Sheets for your prospecting work, you'll feel right at home. That being said, the sheer depth of features may initially feel daunting and take some time to make the most of. It would take an average SMB employee an hour to master the platforms use.</p>
Look and feel
7

Look and feel

7/10

<p>Instantly's design aesthetic is modern and clean. Unlike many competitors, we found most pages to be well laid out and not overflowing with information. When tested, we find its page load times to be fast (often &lt;1s) and search times to be fast as well.</p>
4

Look and feel

4/10

<p>6sense is a functional, no-frills database. While the information is laid out clearly and organized well, performance is a letdown. Pages can take up to 5 seconds to load, which disrupts the overall experience.</p>
4

Look and feel

4/10

<p>Kaspr's interface and design aesthetic is par amongst competitors. Whilst some pages are intuitive and well laid out (such as the leads list interface), others are overwhelming, cramped and confusing (such as the onboarding page). The design aesthetic feels a bit dated with excessive use of bright colours which feels distracting with extended use. However, when tested, we find page load times are fast and snappy.</p>
4

Look and feel

4/10

<p>ZoomInfo has recently given many of its interfaces a facelift (most notably its core prospecting views). It's design aesthetic is modern, well laid out and intuitive. When tested, we also find its searches were very fast to load (often &lt;2s).</p><p>However, as a result of its depth of features, some screens remain clunky with features hidden in confusing places. Additionally, the 'home screen' is extremely cluttered and overwhelming.</p>
7

Look and feel

7/10

<p>Cognism's design is modern and relatively simple, especially when compared with a lot of its competitors. When tested, we find both searches and general interfaces to be fast to load. Additionally, contact profile pages and lists were well laid out and easy to consume.</p>
8

Look and feel

8/10

<p>Clay's web app is modern, minimalist and well designed. When tested, we find its pages are very fast to load and whenever there are tasks that take some time to complete (e.g. AI agents doing web scraping), Clay's interface is clear and handles these scenarios well.</p>
Customisability
7

Customisability

7/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Instantly offers a number of channels for customisation, including basic ways such as creating custom campaigns (lists), custom searches or adding custom fields to prospects. There are also some deeper levels which you can customise your experience such as by connecting to OpenAI via API and creating custom prompts to do small tasks such as cleaning company names or guessing company pain points. </span></p>
2

Customisability

2/10

<p>Customization options are extremely limited. The platform only allows you to create custom lists. You can’t add custom fields, save searches, or share searches with your team—basic features you’d expect from a tool like this.</p>
4

Customisability

4/10

<p>Kaspr lacks many routes of customisability that are common amongst its competitors, such as the ability to create custom fields for leads or manage/assign territories to specific sales agents. However, you are able to create custom workflow automations and create targeted lists off the back of these automations.</p>
8

Customisability

8/10

<p>ZoomInfo being an enterprise focused tool, is one of the most customisable products that we've tested in the sector. You can customise the layout of core screens such as the contacts and company tabs. You can also customise what columns are shown in search results when prospecting. Additionally, you're able to customise lead scoring algorithms, ICPs and much more to really tailor the setup to your needs.</p>
5

Customisability

5/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cognism offers a handful of basic avenues for customisations. Beyond the ability to create custom searches or build targeted lists, you are also able to define an ideal customer persona to help hone and narrow searches more easily.</span></p>
10

Customisability

10/10

<p>Clay is deeply customisable on a number of fronts. The primary channel is via its primary enrichment interface. The ability to add custom columns to tables to enrich lead lists with almost any datapoint you can imagine, is immensely powerful. Additionally, if a datapoint you're looking for is not natively integrated with Clay or cannot be scraped by its web agent, you can also take advantage of any external APIs with ease.</p>
Ease of Setup
7

Ease of Setup

7/10

<p>Instantly offers a simple, self-serve free trial for their platform. When tested, we found the initial setup to be simple (taking &lt;10 mins). Additionally, connecting email addresses to their outbound platform was relatively trivial too - with a one click connect feature for popular providers like Google. However, when choosing a paid plan, their pricing model is very complex with varied plans depending on if you need standalone lead generation or need some outbound sequencing functionality too.</p>
5

Ease of Setup

5/10

<p>Though 6sense gates most of its pricing tiers behind a sales call, they do offer a limited self-serve free trial with a limited range of features. When tested, we found the platform reasonably simple to set up and onboard into. Additionally, the lack of any kind of native outbound functionality means that there isn't much further integration or customization work that needs to be done either.</p>
7

Ease of Setup

7/10

<p>Kaspr offers a self-serve free trial for their platform. When tested, we found the initial setup to be simple (taking &lt;10 mins). However, we did find the setup process to have a moderate amount of friction as you are forced to immediately download their chrome extension in order to use the product.</p>
1

Ease of Setup

1/10

<p>ZoomInfo is particularly difficult to get set up with. Frustratingly, they do not offer a self-serve option to try out the platform. Instead, you’ll need to trudge through two sales demos before you are able to access their trial and even a end of trial feedback call! Once access was granted, we found the platform simple to set up initially, however, there are a lot of details you’ll want to customise (such as personas etc.) let alone integrations with external platforms that can take a week to fully configure.</p>
3

Ease of Setup

3/10

<p>Frustratingly, Cognism does not offer a self-serve option to try out the platform. Instead, you’ll need to trudge through a sales demo before you are able to access their trial. Once access was granted, we found the platform very simple to set up and use. Given the lack of outbound functionality, there isn't much further setup required either.</p>
6

Ease of Setup

6/10

<p>Clay offers a self-serve free trial for their platform. Initial set up can be a little confusing though, given the novelty of their spreadsheets style user interface (taking &gt;15 minutes). However, their help centre and 'university' guidance centre is particularly well crafted which eases the burden in terms of getting the most out of the platform.</p>
Customer Support
5

Customer Support

5/10

<p>You can contact Instantly's support agents via a live chat widget within their web app. When tested, we find it relatively easy to contact a real agent (&lt;30 minutes). However, we find agents to be relatively unhelpful at times, often referring to unhelpful help centre documents instead of answering questions directly. Additionally, though Instantly does provide a help centre, its articles are often light on detail.</p>
4

Customer Support

4/10

<p>There’s no in-platform help, which is disappointing. 6sense claims to offer a support portal and help center through a separate site called RevCity, but we were shown an error message when attempting to login to the platform.</p>
7

Customer Support

7/10

<p>You can contact Kaspr's support agents via a live chat widget inside their web app. When tested, we find it extremely easy and quick to contact a real agent, often taking less than 2 minutes. Once contacted, support agents were responsive and helpful. Additionally, Kaspr offers a details help centre which is able to answer most basic questions.</p>
3

Customer Support

3/10

<p>When tested, ZoomInfo's primary method of support is via an account executive or sales agent. These agents, though helpful, often take over a day to respond and responses were often geared towards commercial goals rather than explicitly providing support. We were disappointed to see a lack of any kind of live chat widget embedded inside the web app. Additionally, ZoomInfo's help centre is one of the most overwhelming and hard to consume on the market.</p>
3

Customer Support

3/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">You can contact Cognism's customer support via a live chat widget inside their web app. At first, you'll be greeted by an AI bot which, when tested, we find to be relatively unhelpful and eager to hand off to irrelevant help centre articles. Additionally, we found it difficult to get in contact with a real support agent and instead having to rely on account executives/sales reps who are more focused on driving purchases than provided information succinctly. </span></p>
9

Customer Support

9/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The primary channel for support in Clay is via a chat widget inside their web app. The initial chat will be with an AI chatbot instead of a real agent. When tested, we find this AI chatbot to be one of the most helpful on the market, being able to answer most questions we had. When it failed, it readily handed off to a real agent in less than one hour who was able to handle more complex queries via email. Additionally, we find Clay's resources and help centre to be one of the richest and easiest to consume on the market.</span></p>
Integratability
4

Integratability

4/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Instantly provides a number of integrations with popular CRMs (Salesforce, Hubspot) and automation platforms like Zapier. Additionally, it offers an API through which users can interact with Instantly's database directly. However, we would like to see native integrations with sales engagement platforms such as Outreach and Salesloft as well as the provision of a Chrome extension to capture leads from sites such as LinkedIn.</span></p>
4

Integratability

4/10

<p>6sense offers native integrations with popular CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, as well as sales engagement platforms like Salesloft. However, it lacks key integrations with tools like Zapier or Outreach, which are widely used in sales workflows. While it does provide an API, relying on this for custom integrations may not suit every team.</p>
4

Integratability

4/10

<p>Kaspr provides a number of basic integrations with popular CRMs (Salesforce, Hubspot) and automation platforms (Zapier). However, it does not provide native integrations with common engagement platforms such as Outreach or Salesloft.</p><p>That being said, Kaspr does provide an API which you can use to directly enrich leads using their database.</p>
9

Integratability

9/10

<p>ZoomInfo offers one of the largest array of native integrations of any product we've tested in the sector. The range covers almost everything you can imagine from popular CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot) to sales engagement platforms (Salesloft, Outreach) to automation platforms (Zapier). It also offers an API to enterprise customers who need to interact with their database directly.</p>
5

Integratability

5/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cognism provides a number of native integrations with popular CRMs (Salesforce, Hubspot), sales engagement platforms (Outreach, Salesloft) and automation platforms like Zapier. Additionally, it offers an API through which users can interact with Cognism's database directly (however this is not part of their standard offering and you will need to pay more to access this).</span></p>
10

Integratability

10/10

<p>Clay natively integrates with dozens of products and lead generation databases to give users a broad array of data to enrich their leads with. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Additionally, if a datapoint you're looking for is not natively integrated with Clay or cannot be scraped by its web agent, you can also take advantage of any external APIs with ease.</span></p><p>Additionally, Clay integrates natively with most popular CRMs and sales engagement platforms too.</p>
Ease of Migration
6

Ease of Migration

6/10

<p>Instantly offers self-serve export functionality within its web app.</p><p>Additionally, Instantly offers an API through which businesses are able to interact with their database directly - however, documentation for this remains relatively light.</p>
7

Ease of Migration

7/10

<p>6sense allows you to export both contact and company data via self-serve functionality. It also offers a well-documented API for businesses that want to interact with its database programmatically.</p>
5

Ease of Migration

5/10

<p>Kaspr offers self-serve export functionality within its web app.</p><p>Additionally, Kaspr offers a an API through which businesses are able to interact with their database directly. However, the documentation for the API was sparse and lacked detail.</p>
7

Ease of Migration

7/10

<p>ZoomInfo provides self-serve export functionality directly within its web app which covers all relevant lists and data. It also lets you configure which pieces of data you'd like to export if choosing the CSV option. Additionally, it <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">also offers an API to enterprise customers who need to interact with their database directly.</span></p>
4

Ease of Migration

4/10

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cognism offers self-serve export functionality within its web app. Additionally, Cognism offers an API through which businesses are able to interact with their database directly (however this is not part of their standard offering and you will need to pay more to access this).</span></p>
8

Ease of Migration

8/10

<p>Clay provides self-serve export functionality within its web app. It's particularly well suited to exporting data into the CSV format given the native tablular format of data in Clay itself. Clay allows you to export all kinds of tables, including custom columns and web scraped enrichment data too.</p>

6sense : Instantly alternative for intent-based account targeting

6sense product logo
6sense

Stackfix Rating:

3.8 / 10

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Updated onMar 14, 2025
6sense offers advantages over Instantly for intent-based account targeting through three key areas. First, 6sense’s intent data capabilities leverage predictive analytics to identify in-market buyers and their buying stage with precision. In contrast, Instantly lacks native intent signal tracking functionality. Second, 6sense provides comprehensive company profiles that include detailed intent and web activity tracking, allowing sales teams to monitor prospect engagement through website visits and form submissions. Third, 6sense’s automated lead scoring system helps prioritize accounts based on both intent signals and profile fit, whereas Instantly offers no lead scoring capabilities. While Instantly focuses on basic contact data and email engagement, 6sense’s specialized intent-tracking infrastructure makes it the stronger choice for organizations prioritizing intent-based targeting.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Instantly vs. 6sense .

Pros

  • Advanced Intent Signal Filtering

Cons

  • Severely Limited Customization

  • Poor User Experience

  • Limited Core Functionality

  • Inadequate Customer Support

Compare all Lead Generation platformsRead the full review

Kaspr: Instantly alternative for LinkedIn-centric prospecting workflows

Kaspr product logo
Kaspr

Stackfix Rating:

4.3 / 10

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Updated onMar 14, 2025
Kaspr is a strong alternative to Instantly for LinkedIn-centric prospecting workflows due to its specialized Chrome extension and deep LinkedIn integration. While Instantly lacks direct LinkedIn prospecting capabilities, Kaspr excels with its LinkedIn features, enabling one-click lead creation from profiles and bulk list generation from LinkedIn searches. The tool’s ability to leverage LinkedIn’s powerful native search filters while automatically enriching contact data makes it effective for sales teams who rely heavily on LinkedIn for prospecting. Additionally, Kaspr’s Chrome extension allows teams to seamlessly capture leads while browsing LinkedIn, creating a more streamlined workflow compared to Instantly’s database-only approach.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Instantly vs. Kaspr.

Pros

  • Powerful LinkedIn Integration

Cons

  • Dated and Distracting Interface

  • Poor Customization Options

  • Weak Integration Ecosystem

  • Unintuitive User Experience

  • Severely Limited Core Functionality

Compare all Lead Generation platformsRead the full review

ZoomInfo Sales: Instantly alternative for enterprise-scale territory management

ZoomInfo Sales product logo
ZoomInfo Sales

Stackfix Rating:

4.9 / 10

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Updated onMar 14, 2025
ZoomInfo Sales offers advantages over Instantly for enterprise-scale territory management through three key areas. First, ZoomInfo’s native territory management capabilities allow sales teams to assign and manage accounts by geographic regions, a feature Instantly lacks. Second, ZoomInfo’s workflow automation system enables sophisticated territory-based lead routing and assignment with comprehensive capabilities. Finally, ZoomInfo’s extensive integration ecosystem includes enterprise-grade tools like Salesforce, Outreach, and Salesloft, facilitating seamless territory management across the entire sales tech stack.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Instantly vs. ZoomInfo Sales.

Pros

  • Exceptional Contact Database Size and Search Capabilities

  • Rich Company Intelligence and Profiling

  • Advanced Workflow Automation

  • Comprehensive Integration Ecosystem

  • Enterprise-Grade Customization

Cons

  • Poor Customer Support Experience

  • Outdated Interface Design

  • Difficult User Experience

Compare all Lead Generation platformsRead the full review

Cognism: Instantly alternative for phone-based outreach in EMEA

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Cognism

Stackfix Rating:

5.1 / 10

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Updated onMar 14, 2025
Cognism stands out as a strong choice for phone-based outreach in EMEA due to its mobile data quality and verification processes. The platform’s database contains over 420 million contact records with particularly strong coverage in EMEA regions, and uniquely employs an in-house team to manually verify phone numbers—these contacts are clearly marked with a ‘diamond’ in the interface. With meticulous accuracy for contact data and specialized phone verification, Cognism delivers higher quality phone data compared to Instantly’s unverified mobile numbers. For sales teams focused on phone outreach in EMEA markets, Cognism’s verified mobile data and regional strength make it a more reliable and effective solution.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Instantly vs. Cognism.

Pros

  • Exceptional Mobile Phone Data Quality

  • Robust Data Verification System

  • Intuitive User Interface

Cons

  • Poor Company Profile Information

  • Basic List Building Features

  • Poor Customer Support Experience

  • Limited Core Functionality

  • Basic Export Capabilities

Compare all Lead Generation platformsRead the full review

Clay: Instantly alternative for data enrichment and research

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Clay

Stackfix Rating:

7.7 / 10

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Updated onMar 14, 2025
Clay stands out as a superior data enrichment and research tool compared to Instantly for three compelling reasons. First, Clay’s AI-powered data enrichment capabilities excel at web scraping that accurately gathers non-standard data points from across the web. Second, Clay’s unique integration approach connects with dozens of data providers like Apollo and RocketReach, allowing users to cross-reference and synthesize the best data from multiple sources – a capability Instantly lacks with its single database approach. Third, Clay’s spreadsheet-style interface enables deeper customization, letting users add unlimited custom fields and enrich leads with any desired datapoint through integrations or AI scraping.

Want to know more? See a detailed comparison of Instantly vs. Clay.

Pros

  • Superior List Building and Enrichment

  • Robust Integration Array

  • Excellent Customer Support

  • Highly Customizable Platform

  • Exceptional AI-Powered Data Enrichment

Cons

  • No Native Email Engagement Features

  • Missing API Access

  • Learning Curve for New Users

Compare all Lead Generation platformsRead the full review

How we test products

With so many Lead Generation platforms on the market, we focus on identifying the best options for small and midsize businesses. Our evaluation process reflects real-world usage, prioritizing functionality, ease of use, and overall value. Here’s how we do it:

Functionality

Lead Generation software should help sales teams find, analyze, and act on high-quality data. We start by identifying key use cases—lead enrichment, intent data, contact discovery, and predictive insights—then test how well each platform supports these needs. Tools that provide valuable insights without unnecessary complexity score highest.

User Experience & Onboarding

Sales teams need fast, intuitive tools. We test each platform’s interface by navigating core features without prior training and track onboarding time—from account setup to first data pull. Platforms that require complex setup or manual data wrangling lose points.

Data Accuracy & Coverage

The value of Lead Generation software depends on the quality of its data. We assess the accuracy, freshness, and depth of company and contact information, looking at factors like data sources, verification methods, and global coverage. Platforms with outdated or incomplete data lose points.

Integrations & Compatibility

Lead Generation software must integrate seamlessly with CRMs, Sales Engagement tools, and marketing platforms. We test how well each product syncs with key business systems, prioritizing native integrations over third-party connectors.

Pricing & Value

We compare pricing across competitors, analyzing what each plan includes and whether critical features are locked behind paywalls. Hidden costs—such as per-credit fees, add-ons for premium data access, or required implementation services—are factored into our assessment. Platforms that offer strong core functionality at a fair price score highest.

Stackfix’s Fit Score

All of these factors contribute to Stackfix’s Fit Score, a proprietary ranking system that measures how well each Lead Generation tool aligns with a buyer’s needs. It combines two key elements:

  • Requirements Met – How many buyer requirements the software fulfills
  • Stackfix Rating – Our expert assessment of the software’s overall quality, usability, and value

The result? A clear, data-driven recommendation that helps businesses choose the right Lead Generation software—without hours of trial and error.

FAQs

What is a Lead Generation Platform?

A lead generation platform helps businesses find, enrich, and engage with potential buyers more effectively. It provides sales teams with accurate contact data, real-time insights, and automation tools that streamline prospecting and outreach—allowing them to close deals more efficiently. The key features of a lead generation platform usually include:

  • Contact & Company Data Enrichment: Providing access to verified email addresses, direct dials, firmographics, and intent signals to help sales teams prioritize high-quality leads.
  • Advanced Prospecting & Filtering: Allowing users to search for leads based on job titles, industries, revenue, location, and behavioral intent—ensuring outreach efforts are highly targeted.
  • Sales Engagement Tools: Some platforms include built-in outreach automation for email, LinkedIn, and phone calls, enabling multi-channel engagement without switching between tools.

What should I consider when buying a Lead Generation Platform?

The right lead generation software can give your team a competitive edge by providing real-time insights, better prospecting, and smarter decision-making. But with so many options available, it’s crucial to find one that aligns with your sales process, integrates with your tech stack, and delivers real value. Here are the key factors to consider before making your decision.

  1. Your sales needs. Are you focused on cold outreach, account-based selling, or high-volume prospecting? Do you need verified mobile numbers for phone outreach, or is email accuracy your priority? Choosing a platform that aligns with your strategy will maximize ROI.
  2. Data quality & coverage. A database is only valuable if the information is accurate. Look at email deliverability rates, phone number verification methods, and geographic coverage to ensure the platform meets your needs. If your sales efforts are US-focused, some platforms may offer better regional coverage than others.
  3. Ease of use. A lead generation tool should make prospecting faster, not more complicated. Look for a clean, intuitive interface that enables quick lead discovery, list building, and outreach automation. That’s why Stackfix gives every platform an ‘Ease of Use’ rating—click into each product above to see how they compare.
  4. Integration with your tech stack. Does the platform sync smoothly with your CRM, sales engagement tools (like Outreach or Salesloft), and marketing automation software? Some platforms offer native integrations, while others rely on third-party connectors—make sure you check before committing.
  5. Pricing & scalability. Some platforms charge per contact export, while others limit access to premium features unless you upgrade. Consider hidden costs like API access fees, seat limits, and enrichment credits—and think about whether the platform can scale as your team grows.
  6. Customer support. Sales intelligence is mission-critical—so what happens if data syncing fails or a key integration breaks? Check for 24/7 support availability, response times, and self-serve resources like help centers and community forums. Stackfix rates every platform on customer support—click into each product above to see how they compare.

What are the common mistakes to avoid when buying a Lead Generation Platform?

Investing in the wrong lead generation software can lead to inaccurate data, poor adoption, and missed revenue opportunities. Avoid these common mistakes to ensure your team gets the insights they need to close more deals and drive growth.

  1. Your sales needs. Are you focused on cold outreach, account-based selling, or high-volume prospecting? Do you need verified mobile numbers for phone outreach, or is email accuracy your priority? Choosing a platform that aligns with your strategy will maximize ROI.
  2. Data quality & coverage. A database is only valuable if the information is accurate. Look at email deliverability rates, phone number verification methods, and geographic coverage to ensure the platform meets your needs. If your sales efforts are US-focused, some platforms may offer better regional coverage than others.
  3. Ease of use. A lead generation tool should make prospecting faster, not more complicated. Look for a clean, intuitive interface that enables quick lead discovery, list building, and outreach automation. That’s why Stackfix gives every platform an ‘Ease of Use’ rating—click into each product above to see how they compare.
  4. Integration with your tech stack. Does the platform sync smoothly with your CRM, sales engagement tools (like Outreach or Salesloft), and marketing automation software? Some platforms offer native integrations, while others rely on third-party connectors—make sure you check before committing.
  5. Pricing & scalability. Some platforms charge per contact export, while others limit access to premium features unless you upgrade. Consider hidden costs like API access fees, seat limits, and enrichment credits—and think about whether the platform can scale as your team grows.
  6. Customer support. Sales intelligence is mission-critical—so what happens if data syncing fails or a key integration breaks? Check for 24/7 support availability, response times, and self-serve resources like help centers and community forums. Stackfix rates every platform on customer support—click into each product above to see how they compare.

How much does CRM Software typically cost?

A few providers offer limited free plans with basic functionality, though these typically restrict lead counts and core features.

For enterprise plans and above, you can expect to speak to sales for a bespoke price. These custom quotes typically factor in data volume needs, integration requirements, and compliance considerations. To skip the demo calls, be sure to check out our pricing calculator.

Compare other Lead Generation Tools

View our comparisons of other Lead Generation

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Lusha vs Adapt

HU

Hunter vs Uplead

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LeadIQ vs Instantly

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LeadFuze vs Snov.io