ZoomInfo vs. 6sense: Which should you choose?

About Zoominfo

ZoomInfo is a B2B data platform that provides contact information, company details, and buyer intent signals. It maintains a database of hundreds of millions of professional contacts with emails and direct dials, plus firmographic data (company size, industry) and technographic data (tech stack usage). The platform integrates with major CRMs, marketing automation systems, and sales engagement tools through native connections and APIs, allowing users to enrich and sync data across their tech stack.

The platform breaks down into specialized modules (SalesOS, MarketingOS, TalentOS) serving different functions from prospecting to recruiting. Its primary use cases? Outbound sales prospecting, building targeted lead lists, and identifying decision-makers at accounts. While ZoomInfo delivers extensive data coverage (particularly strong in North America) and features like org charts and intent signals, it uses a custom pricing model that typically starts around $15k annually, scaling based on users and data consumption.

About 6sense

6sense is an account-based sales and marketing platform that focuses on intent data and predictive analytics. It tracks anonymous buying signals from website visits and third-party sources to determine where accounts are in their buying journey, then applies AI to score account fit and predict purchasing timing. While it provides some contact data through partnerships, its core value is identifying which target accounts are actively researching solutions like yours—even before they identify themselves.

The platform integrates with CRMs, marketing automation tools, ad networks, and sales enablement systems to make its insights actionable. It combines intent tracking, account scoring, and campaign execution in one system, allowing coordinated multi-channel outreach to high-priority accounts. 6sense works best for enterprise and mid-market companies with defined target account lists and longer sales cycles, though implementation requires significant time investment and the system needs proper configuration to comply with data privacy regulations in different regions.

Comparison

Zoominfo

• ZoomInfo offers an extensive B2B contact database with emails and direct dials, while providing firmographic and technographic data. Its main strength is its contact repository, but the platform suffers from high costs and sometimes aggressive renewal tactics.

• The platform integrates with major CRMs and marketing automation tools, allowing users to sync and enrich data across systems. ZoomInfo works best for mid-to-large B2B sales teams focused on outbound prospecting, but its interface can feel cluttered and data quality in niche markets remains spotty.

6sense

• 6sense specializes in account-based marketing with strong intent data and predictive analytics to identify where accounts are in the buying journey. It excels at predicting which accounts are likely to convert, but offers limited contact data compared to dedicated contact databases.

• The platform integrates deeply with CRM and marketing systems, allowing teams to orchestrate multi-channel outreach based on buying signals. 6sense is best for enterprise companies with account-based strategies, though its implementation can be complex and the platform suffers from occasional data refresh delays.

ZoomInfo is better suited for organizations that need comprehensive contact data for outbound prospecting at scale. Its extensive database makes it ideal for sales teams who need to quickly find decision-makers across many accounts, though the cost is prohibitive for smaller companies. The platform's ability to provide direct contact information enables immediate outreach once target accounts are identified.

6sense works best for strategic account-based marketing teams focused on timing their outreach based on buying signals. While 6sense lacks ZoomInfo's contact breadth, it compensates with superior intent data and predictive capabilities. Contact-based marketing remains essential for most B2B strategies—without reliable contact data, even the best intent signals leave teams unable to reach the EXACT decision-makers who are showing interest in their solutions.

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.