ZoomInfo vs SalesIntel (2026): Data, Pricing and API Compared

ZoomInfo is the pick if you want a price you can read and an API you can start on today. SalesIntel is the pick if you want human-verified contacts inside one quoted contract. At 1M records, neither tool has a public price.

Verdict

• Pick ZoomInfo if you want credit prices on a public page, a free-to-start API and MCP server, and free search. It suits developers, small teams and anyone who wants to test before talking to sales (ZoomInfo GTM AI pricing, September 2026).
• Pick SalesIntel if your reps want human-verified contacts, mobile numbers and intent data in one platform, and you accept a quote and an annual term (SalesIntel, October 2026).
• Pick neither if you pull people and company data by API at volume and want one flat monthly bill. LeadOcean is one option, covered below.

Side by side

ZoomInfo figures were checked in September and October 2026, SalesIntel figures in October 2026. Both vendors change plans and data counts often, so confirm on their pages before you buy.

Data and coverage

ZoomInfo claims the larger database, and SalesIntel sells verification. ZoomInfo's MCP docs claim 500M+ contacts, while its Sales page says 420M+ contacts and 120M+ direct dials (ZoomInfo, October 2026). SalesIntel claims 200M+ verified contacts, 54M+ verified mobiles and 95% accuracy on a 90-day refresh cycle (SalesIntel, October 2026). All of these are vendor claims, and we did not test them.

Both vendors contradict their own pages. ZoomInfo gives 500M+ in one place and 420M+ in another. SalesIntel's homepage says 200M+ verified contacts, and its contacts API page says 120 million, describing them as machine verified (SalesIntel API page, October 2026). The gap likely separates human-verified from machine-verified records, but the pages do not say so.

The human-verified split is the real SalesIntel feature. Its people API has a verified parameter that returns only human-verified records, and an is_ev_contact flag for contacts whose email is verified (SalesIntel people API, October 2026). We found no equivalent tier on ZoomInfo.

On filters, ZoomInfo says you can build lists on 300+ attributes such as technology stack and funding data (ZoomInfo Sales, October 2026). SalesIntel's people API takes company, location, size, revenue, NAICS, SIC, job level and job department parameters. Technology filters need an add-on permission.

Email counts are not published by either tool. Run the same 100 lookups in both before you trust a number.

API and developer experience

ZoomInfo asks for more setup, and SalesIntel asks you to wait for a key. ZoomInfo needs an app, a client ID and secret, and a bearer token. SalesIntel takes one header, but your success team issues the key. Placeholders below stand in for real people.

ZoomInfo: get a token, then enrich a contact by ID.

curl -X POST "https://api.zoominfo.com/gtm/oauth/v1/token" \
  -u "$ZI_CLIENT_ID:$ZI_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials"

curl -X POST "https://api.zoominfo.com/gtm/data/v1/contacts/enrich" \
  -H "authorization: Bearer $ZI_TOKEN" \
  -H "content-type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  -d '{"data":{"type":"ContactEnrich","attributes":{"matchPersonInput":[{"personId":123456789}],"outputFields":["id","firstName","jobTitle","email"],"requiredFields":["email"]}}}'

ZoomInfo recommends two steps. Search is free and returns IDs. Enrich takes up to 25 records, and each record found costs one credit unless it is already under management. A "No match" is not charged (ZoomInfo docs, October 2026).

SalesIntel: look up one contact by email.

curl --request GET \
  --url "https://api.salesintel.io/service/people?email=jane.doe@acme.com" \
  --header "X-CB-ApiKey: $SALESINTEL_API_KEY" \
  --header "Accept: application/json"

Credits are charged per record returned, not per request. A 402 means you are out of credits, and a 403 means your account lacks permission (SalesIntel API docs, October 2026). A /service/people/preview route returns masked contacts and takes no credits.

Throughput favours neither tool at 1M records. ZoomInfo needs 1,000,000 / 25 = 40,000 enrich calls, about 27 minutes at the Standard rate of 25 a second. On Builder at 5 a second it is about 2 hours 13 minutes. SalesIntel pages hold 50 records by default, so 1,000,000 / 50 = 20,000 calls, about 11 minutes at 30 a second. But a result set stops at 10,000 records, so you need at least 100 separate searches.

For agents, ZoomInfo is the only one with an MCP server. SalesIntel's developer docs list REST, webhooks and a Snowflake share, and no MCP server (SalesIntel docs, October 2026). Its terms also bar extracting its materials with crawlers, bots, scripts or intelligent agents, in section 1.5(c) (SalesIntel terms, October 2026). SalesIntel does not say publicly how that applies to API use, so ask before you wire an agent to it.

Pricing

ZoomInfo publishes credit prices for self-serve buyers, and SalesIntel publishes no dollar figure. Prices below are monthly list first. Neither vendor shows a billed-yearly price.

ZoomInfo's self-serve route is GTM AI data credits. List price falls with purchase size. It is $0.45 for 100 credits, $0.41 at 1,000 and $0.38 at 2,500 to 10,000. Then $0.32 at 15,000 to 20,000, $0.29 at 30,000 to 50,000 and $0.25 at 100,000 credits ($25,000). The slider stops there, and larger volumes go to Enterprise (ZoomInfo pricing, September 2026). Platform plans are quoted by sales, and ZoomInfo publishes no list price for them on a page we could read.

SalesIntel's pricing page lists unlimited export and enrichment credits per user per month, a dedicated success manager and add-ons for advanced intent, ads and visitor identification (SalesIntel pricing, October 2026). The terms cap each user at 3,000 companies or contacts revealed per month (SalesIntel terms, October 2026).

At 10,000 records a month

• ZoomInfo: 10,000 data credits x $0.38 = $3,800 at list. A record is charged once per 12 months, so repeat lookups of the same contact cost nothing extra (ZoomInfo docs, September 2026).
• SalesIntel: no public 10,000 price. At 3,000 reveals per user, 10,000 / 3,000 = 3.3, so at least 4 users. Whether the cap applies to API use is not stated.

At this size only ZoomInfo gives you a number you can plan around. SalesIntel may cost less or more, and a quote is the only way to find out.

At 1M records a month

• ZoomInfo: no public 1M price. The slider tops out at 100,000 credits for $25,000, and anything larger is quote only. Do not multiply $0.38 by 1,000,000, because $0.38 is the $1,000 tier only (ZoomInfo pricing, September 2026).
• SalesIntel: no public 1M price. At 3,000 reveals per user, 1,000,000 / 3,000 = 334 users. That is a floor on seats, not a quote, and volume deals are negotiated.

Ask both for a written price at your volume, your term length and your renewal increase.

Where ZoomInfo wins

• Credit prices anyone can read, $0.45 down to $0.25, plus a free tier with 1,000 data credits and no card.
• Free search and lookup on the API, so you pay only for records you choose to enrich.
• An official MCP server that works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Copilot.
• Up to 35 requests a second on the Scaling package, against 30 on SalesIntel.
• A larger claimed database and 300+ filter attributes, with no contract on GTM AI credits.

Where SalesIntel wins

• Human-verified contacts, with a verified parameter in the API that filters to them.
• Technographics and intent in one contract: 60,000+ intent topics, with advanced intent as an add-on (SalesIntel, October 2026).
• Unlimited export and enrichment credits per user in the app, with no credit counting for reps.
• A dedicated success manager, onboarding and a Chrome extension on the core plan (SalesIntel pricing, October 2026).
• A free preview endpoint that checks a match before you spend credits.

If you need volume through an API

LeadOcean is a data API and MCP server with no credits and no seats. It is not a sales suite. Pro costs $499 a month flat, with unlimited searches, enrichments and lookups at 100 requests per second per key. The Free plan gives 1,000 records one-off with no card, and both plans get the same REST API and 12-tool MCP server. POST /v1/exports returns up to 50,000 rows per request (LeadOcean exports docs, September 2026). Compare it on a list you already know, then read ZoomInfo alternatives and pricing.

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