Clearbit vs. 6sense – which should you choose?

About Clearbit

Clearbit transforms minimal inputs like emails or domains into rich business intelligence. It delivers firmographic data, contact details, tech stack info, and IP intelligence in real-time. Integrate it instantly through APIs or native connections with HubSpot (now "Breeze"), Salesforce, Marketo, and web forms — no complex setup required.

Recently acquired by HubSpot, Clearbit operates with tiered pricing handled primarily through sales conversations, with costs tied to your enrichment volume. It's perfect for growth teams looking to shorten forms while boosting conversion rates, and for developers building custom workflows that demand high-quality data. While Clearbit delivers frequently-updated global data, it's purely an enrichment tool without outreach capabilities — and costs can jump significantly as your lead volume scales.

About 6sense

6sense captures the invisible buying signals happening across the web — anonymous site visits, ad clicks, third-party intent data — and transforms them into actionable intelligence. This account-based platform doesn't just track behavior; it predicts EXACTLY where accounts are in their buying journey using AI-powered analytics to identify which accounts will convert and WHEN.

The platform combines intent data, account scoring, and campaign execution in one system, connecting seamlessly with your CRM, marketing platforms, ad networks, and sales tools to enable coordinated multi-channel outreach.

6sense works best for enterprise and mid-market companies with defined target account lists and longer sales cycles. Implementation requires significant investment — both time and money — with custom pricing starting at tens of thousands annually after a limited free tier. While it excels at predictive analytics and identifying high-intent accounts, users note the platform can be complex to master, data updates lag behind real-time, and its contact coverage isn't as comprehensive as dedicated database providers.

Comparison

Clearbit

• Clearbit specializes in data enrichment, delivering firmographic and contact information from public sources — instantly.
• Integration happens in minutes through APIs and native connections to platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce.

6sense

• 6sense captures anonymous buying signals and predicts purchase timing — revealing which accounts are actively researching solutions like yours.
• While offering comprehensive ABM capabilities, 6sense demands significant investment and implementation effort to unlock its full potential.

Clearbit shines for companies needing to enhance existing leads with accurate firmographic data. Its lightning-fast implementation and real-time enrichment make it perfect for growth teams wanting to boost conversion rates through shorter forms and better data quality — especially for SMBs or HubSpot users.

6sense delivers for enterprise organizations running account-based marketing strategies with longer sales cycles. While 6sense lacks comprehensive contact data for individual-based outreach, Clearbit similarly isn't built for contact discovery — both tools should be paired with a dedicated contact database when you need to identify and reach specific individuals within target accounts.

Do you need account based marketing, or something else?

Here's the revelation that's flipping ABM on its head: your funnel isn't about anonymous accounts. It's about the decision-makers and influencers within those accounts.

That's what makes contact-based marketing (CBM) a breakthrough. Instead of focusing on broad account intent signals, contact-based marketing pinpoints the EXACT people engaging with your content in real-time, even when they don't convert.

How does this solve the traditional tension of intent-based marketing? It clears up the ambiguity. With contact-level data, you can:

Reveal high-priority leads by identifying the individuals behind key touch points. Deliver hyper-targeted ads based on specific contact behaviors. Bridge the gap between marketing and sales alignment with actionable, lead-level insights.