UK B2B Data Providers: Which Type Fits Your Team?
Updated 17 October 2026 · 6 min read
UK B2B data providers fall into four groups: the free official register, one-time company files, list brokers, and subscription sales-intelligence platforms. The right one depends on whether you need companies or named people, and whether you'll prospect once or every day.
The four types of UK B2B data provider
| Type | Examples | What you get | Pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official register | Companies House | Every registered company: name, number, address, SIC code, status. No emails or phones. | Free monthly CSV | Research, building your own list |
| One-time company file | Kontabase | Every company plus published business emails, as one CSV/Excel file | One payment (€199 for the UK) | Small teams, campaigns, market sizing |
| List broker | UK mailing-list brokers | Rented lists by sector or job title, often for a set number of sends | Per record or per campaign | One-off postal or email campaigns |
| Sales-intelligence platform | Apollo, Lusha, Cognism, ZoomInfo | Named decision-makers with direct emails and mobile numbers, plus search tools | Per-seat subscription and/or credits | Sales teams prospecting every day |
1. Companies House (free)
Companies House publishes a free Company Data Product: a monthly snapshot of every live company with type, registered office, SIC codes and filing dates. It has no email addresses or phone numbers, so you still need to find contacts yourself. Read more in our guide to the Companies House list of companies.
2. One-time company files (Kontabase)
Kontabase takes the official register and adds business emails published on company websites and directories. The UK file has 1,374,260 companies and 1,683,996 unique emails for a one-time €199. There are no seats or credits, and you keep the file. The trade-off: emails are mostly company addresses (info@, sales@), not named directors' direct lines.
3. List brokers
Brokers rent lists compiled by sector, size or job title. They suit a single direct-mail or email campaign. Check how the data was collected and whether you can reuse it, since many rentals allow one or a fixed number of sends.
4. Sales-intelligence platforms
- Apollo: a large contact database with built-in email sequencing. Free and paid per-seat plans with credit limits (pricing).
- Lusha: a browser extension that reveals contacts on LinkedIn and websites. Credit-based: an email costs 1 credit and a phone number 5; the free plan includes up to 40 credits a month (pricing).
- Cognism: focused on UK and European contacts, especially mobile numbers. Annual contracts, priced on request.
- ZoomInfo: the deepest US data plus intent signals. Enterprise annual contracts, priced on request.
These are the right choice when you need a named person's direct email or mobile. They cost more per year than a company file, and your access ends when the subscription does.
How to choose
- Do you need companies or people? Companies → register or company file. Named decision-makers → a platform.
- How often will you prospect? A few campaigns a year → one-time file. Daily outbound by several reps → subscription.
- Who will you email? Under PECR you can email corporate bodies without prior consent; sole traders and some partnerships need consent (ICO). Any provider's data must be filtered for that.
- Can you test it? Ask every provider for a sample of your own target segment before paying.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the cheapest UK B2B data?
- Companies House is free but has no contacts. The cheapest file with business emails is a one-time company file such as Kontabase's €199 UK dataset.
- Which UK B2B data provider is the most accurate?
- No provider is 100% accurate; businesses change addresses and staff constantly. Compare samples of your own segment and check bounce rates on a small test send.
- Is it legal to buy B2B data in the UK?
- Yes, if the data was collected lawfully and you follow UK GDPR and PECR when you use it: email corporate bodies, identify yourself, and offer an opt-out in every message.
Every UK company in one file
1,374,260 companies and 1,683,996 business emails, one-time €199, with a free 50-row sample first.