The Best B2B Contact Databases for India in 2026 (Honest Comparison)
For most teams selling into India, start with a database that has a real free plan and a verified-email filter (Sendburg or Apollo), add Lusha if direct dials matter most, and use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find the right people. ZoomInfo and Cognism are built for large enterprise budgets and are strongest outside India.
India is one of the hardest markets to prospect well: company websites are thin, many firms use first-name or generic addresses, and contact data goes stale fast as people change jobs. We compared six tools that sales and recruiting teams actually use for Indian B2B contacts, with a focus on what works for Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad - not just headline database sizes.
Disclosure: Sendburg is our product. We have tried to be fair - where another tool is the better fit, we say so. Prices are from each vendor's public pricing page or widely reported figures as of October 25, 2026; they change often, so check before you buy.
How we compared
- Coverage of the region's companies and decision-makers (we tested searches in the main business cities)
- Email accuracy: is there a verified-email filter, and what happens when an email bounces
- Price for a small team, and whether there is a usable free plan
- Filters that matter for local prospecting (city, industry, title, company size)
- Phone numbers and how much they cost
- Data-protection posture for the region's laws
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Paid from | Phone numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sendburg | Teams that want a usable free plan and verified Indian emails | Yes - 10,000 credits/month | $35/month (Growth) | Yes (extra credits) |
| Apollo.io | An all-in-one database plus sequencing | Yes - limited credits | $49/user/month (annual) | Yes (extra credits) |
| Lusha | Quick direct dials from a browser extension | Yes - 40 credits/month | About $49.90/month (Starter, monthly) | Yes (10 credits each) |
| ZoomInfo | Large enterprise teams selling into North America | No (demo / trial on request) | Custom annual contract | Yes |
| Hunter | Finding emails by company domain | Yes - limited monthly searches | Monthly plans | No |
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator | Finding the right people and job-change alerts | Free trial | Monthly subscription | No |
1. Sendburg - best for teams that want a usable free plan and verified indian emails
Sendburg is a self-serve B2B contact database with city-level filters for Indian metros and Tier-2 cities - Mumbai has 590K+ searchable contacts, Bengaluru 510K+, Pune 280K+. You can filter to verified emails only, and an unlocked email that bounces refunds the credit. The free plan includes 10,000 credits every month.
Strengths
- Free plan large enough for real prospecting, not just a trial
- City, industry, title and seniority filters with a verified-email filter
- Credit refunded automatically if an unlocked email bounces
- Month-to-month plans, no annual contract
- City pages and filters for Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Gurugram, Noida and more
Watch out for
- Newer brand with fewer third-party reviews than Apollo or ZoomInfo
- Phone numbers cost more credits than emails
- No built-in email sequencer - lists go to Instantly, Smartlead or your CRM in one click
2. Apollo.io - best for an all-in-one database plus sequencing
Apollo is the most common choice for SaaS and tech teams prospecting in India, mainly because it combines a large database with sequences and a dialer. Coverage is good for tech companies in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune; test traditional industries and smaller cities before you commit.
Strengths
- Very large global database
- Sequences, dialer and CRM sync in one tool
- Well-known, lots of tutorials and integrations
Watch out for
- Credits are per seat and run out quickly on larger teams
- Mobile numbers use many more credits than emails
- Data quality outside North America and Western Europe varies by market - test a sample first
3. Lusha - best for quick direct dials from a browser extension
Lusha is popular with Indian SDR teams for its Chrome extension and direct dials. It is quick to use on a LinkedIn profile, but its small credit allowances make it a lookup tool rather than a list-building tool.
Strengths
- Simple Chrome extension for LinkedIn and company websites
- Known for direct-dial phone numbers
- Easy to start, no sales call needed
Watch out for
- Small credit allowances - phone reveals use 10 credits
- Fewer list-building filters than full databases
- Costs climb fast at volume
4. ZoomInfo - best for large enterprise teams selling into north america
ZoomInfo has the deepest data in North America and is the standard for US enterprise sales. For India-focused prospecting it is usually more than you need, and its annual contracts are hard to justify unless India is one of several markets.
Strengths
- Deep North American coverage and company data
- Intent data, org charts and many integrations
- Mature enterprise admin and compliance
Watch out for
- Annual contracts, commonly reported in the five-figure range per year
- Overkill for small teams
- Coverage is strongest in North America
5. Hunter - best for finding emails by company domain
Hunter is the fastest way to see a company's email pattern from its domain, which helps with Indian companies whose staff are not listed elsewhere. It is email-only and not built for building filtered lists.
Strengths
- Domain search shows a company's email pattern and known addresses
- Clean email finder and verifier
- Good free tier for occasional lookups
Watch out for
- Email only - no phone numbers
- Not built for filtering by title, industry and location at scale
- Coverage of small local companies varies
6. LinkedIn Sales Navigator - best for finding the right people and job-change alerts
Sales Navigator is the best tool for finding who to contact at Indian companies and for spotting job changes. It does not give emails or phone numbers, so most teams pair it with one of the databases above.
Strengths
- The most complete view of who works where
- Lead and account alerts, including job changes
- Strong in every market where LinkedIn is used
Watch out for
- No email addresses or phone numbers - pair it with a contact database
- Exports are restricted
- Per-seat pricing adds up
India-specific tips
- Email formats are less standard than in Europe. In our study of verified Indian work emails, India: 54.7% first.last@, 4.0% flast@, 15.5% first-name-only. Don't assume first.last@ - see our email formats by country research.
- Verify before you send: many Indian SMEs use shared or role addresses (info@, hr@), which hurt deliverability.
- Filter by city, not just country - Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune have very different industry mixes.
- Re-check lists every few months; Indian tech talent changes jobs often.
Data protection
India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) governs processing of personal data, including work contact details. Use B2B data for legitimate business outreach, honour opt-outs quickly, and choose providers that let people opt out of their database.
Which one should you choose?
Small team or startup: Sendburg's free plan (10,000 credits/month) or Apollo's free plan, then upgrade only when you know the data works for your segment.
Outbound team that needs sequences in the same tool: Apollo.
Phone-first SDR team: Lusha alongside a database for list building.
Enterprise selling into India plus the US: ZoomInfo, with a regional database to fill Indian gaps.
Recruiters and HR teams: Sales Navigator to find people, plus a database with HR titles and verified emails.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best B2B contact database for India?
It depends on budget and workflow. For a usable free plan with verified emails and Indian city filters, Sendburg; for a database with built-in sequences, Apollo; for direct dials, Lusha. Test a sample of 50-100 contacts in your own segment before paying.
Is there a free B2B database for India?
Yes. Sendburg's free plan includes 10,000 credits per month with no card. Apollo, Lusha and Hunter also have free tiers with smaller allowances.
Are Indian B2B emails accurate?
Accuracy varies widely by provider and by city. Use a verified-email filter, verify before sending, and prefer providers that refund bounced emails.
Is it legal to use B2B contact data in India?
B2B outreach is common in India, but the DPDP Act 2023 applies to personal data. Use data for legitimate business purposes, keep records, and honour opt-out requests.