Koala vs. 6sense: Which should you choose?

About Koala

Koala tracks your website visitors, capturing intent data and identifying companies that land on your site. It prioritizes these visitors based on their engagement patterns — adding firmographic details for each identified company. Need contacts? Koala connects with Apollo.io to help you find the right people. The platform focuses exclusively on first-party intent signals from your website and currently only integrates directly with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Apollo.io — leaving limited connections to other marketing tools in your stack.

Built for small to mid-size B2B companies looking to turn website traffic into sales opportunities, Koala deploys quickly through a simple script installation. Its AI helps prioritize accounts showing real buying intent. Pricing starts free for up to 250 tracked accounts, with paid plans jumping to $350/month. The limitations? Koala relies solely on website data — no third-party intent — typically identifies only 30-50% of visiting companies, and offers minimal native integrations compared to enterprise ABM platforms.

About 6sense

6sense tracks both website behavior and third-party sources to identify accounts in active buying cycles. It combines anonymous buyer signals with predictive analytics to pinpoint where companies sit in their purchasing journey — enabling your teams to prioritize accounts based on fit and timing. The platform integrates with CRMs, marketing automation tools, and advertising networks to create a unified account-based approach across marketing and sales.

The system functions as a comprehensive ABM suite featuring dynamic segmentation, multi-channel orchestration, and an AI engine that predicts buyer stages. While it delivers robust functionality for enterprise and mid-market companies, 6sense requires significant investment — both in cost (typically tens of thousands annually) and implementation time. The platform works globally but depends on cookies and IP tracking that must comply with regional privacy regulations. Integration runs deepest with Salesforce, with additional connections to marketing platforms like HubSpot and Marketo.

Comparison

Koala

• Koala offers website visitor tracking and first-party intent data without maintaining its own contact database. It integrates with few systems (HubSpot, Salesforce, Apollo) and lacks connections to marketing automation platforms.
• Pricing ranges from free (250 accounts) to $350/month, making it accessible for smaller teams but potentially expensive at scale. Setup is simple with a website script, but identification is limited to companies rather than individuals unless they complete forms.

6sense

• 6sense provides comprehensive account-based marketing with first and third-party intent data, predictive analytics, and some contact information. It features extensive integrations with CRMs, marketing platforms, and advertising networks.
• Enterprise-level pricing starts at tens of thousands annually with complex implementation requirements. The platform excels at predicting buying stages and coordinating multi-channel campaigns but has data refresh delays and incomplete contact coverage.

Koala fits small to mid-sized B2B companies needing quick insights from website traffic without complex implementation. 6sense serves enterprise organizations with mature ABM strategies requiring predictive analytics and multi-channel orchestration.

Neither tool fully addresses contact-based marketing needs, as both primarily identify companies rather than individuals. Koala relies on integrations like Apollo for contact discovery, while 6sense has limited contact data compared to dedicated providers. This gap matters because effective B2B marketing requires reaching specific decision-makers, not just companies — making supplemental contact tools necessary for complete go-to-market strategies.

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. And bridge the gap between marketing and sales alignment with actionable, lead-level insights.