Best Buyer Intent Tools in 2026
Short answer: Bombora is the buyer intent default in 2026 when you want the Company Surge feed, and it publishes no list price. Common Room Essential at $2,500/mo, billed annually, includes six Bombora topics without a separate Bombora contract. G2 Buyer Intent is a quote-only add-on, and the $299/mo Starter plan does not include it. 6sense, paid ZoomInfo intent, and Demandbase print no seat price.
10 tools compared on price, features and fit, with prices checked on vendor pages in September 2026.
Bombora is the buyer intent pick when the purchase is the Company Surge feed itself, scored against each account's own baseline, and the CRM you already run will consume the accounts. Skip it when you need a printed seat price or someone to email, because the offer includes neither.
A review-site comparison, a topic add-on on a contact file, and a visit to your own domain are three different invoices. One suits a public software shortlist, one suits sequencing from the same login, and one suits traffic you already have.
Job changes and in-product usage belong with the sales prospecting tools guide, not on this list. The sequence that should fire after a topic spikes belongs in the sales engagement platforms guide.
Toolradar data: 61 of the 108 sales intelligence tools we track are paid only (56%), while 42% have a free or freemium plan (9 free and 36 freemium). A free row in the sales intelligence category is often a contact search, which will not tell you that a company is reading your category this week.
How we chose: these 10 were ranked for a US team that wants an in-market account before the next touch, from the 108 tools in that category. Prices are USD, checked on vendor pages in September 2026. No paid placement in the ranking. The method is on how we rate.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bombora | No public list price | 4.4161 reviews | Teams that will pipe the co-op into tools they already run. |
| 6sense | No public list price | 4.21,104 reviews | Revenue teams that want a buying stage and will take a demo. |
| G2 | Quote-only intent add-on | 4.310,396 reviews | Software vendors whose buyers compare products on review sites. |
| ZoomInfo | Lite free; intent quoted | 4.116 reviews | Teams buying the contact file, who will add intent only if the quote clears. |
| Demandbase | No public list price | 4.42,005 reviews | ABM teams that want intent, ads, and sales on one quote. |
| Apollo | From $49/user/mo, annual | 4.111,273 reviews | Teams that want six topics in the same tool that sends the sequence. |
| Common Room | From $2,500/mo, annual | 4.5114 reviews | Teams that want a priced Bombora bundle instead of a direct co-op contract. |
| Cognism | No public list price | 4.51,634 reviews | Teams that want Company Surge on a phone-verified contact file. |
| HubSpot | $10 per 1,000 credits | 3.919,150 reviews | HubSpot customers who want intent on a credit meter. |
| TrustRadius | No public list price | n/a | Teams that want a second review-site feed beside G2. |
Teams that will pipe the co-op into tools they already run.
This lack of transparency often suggests a premium, enterprise-focused offering that is likely expensive and negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
Revenue teams that want a buying stage and will take a demo.
6sense's pricing model, with custom quotes for paid plans, suggests it's on the expensive side, typical for enterprise-grade AI platforms.
Watch out
Custom pricing implies high minimums
Software vendors whose buyers compare products on review sites.
Teams buying the contact file, who will add intent only if the quote clears.
It's best for established businesses with significant budgets and a critical need for extensive B2B intelligence.
Watch out
Minimum seat requirements often apply
ABM teams that want intent, ads, and sales on one quote.
Demandbase's 'Contact Us' pricing for its ABX Cloud suggests a high-end, enterprise-focused solution.
Watch out
Onboarding and training costs
Teams that want six topics in the same tool that sends the sequence.
This makes it highly competitive compared to many sales intelligence platforms.
Teams that want a priced Bombora bundle instead of a direct co-op contract.
While it offers robust features for customer intelligence, these entry points are high compared to some market alternatives.
Teams that want Company Surge on a phone-verified contact file.
While the Diamond tier offers advanced features like intent data, the per-user annual cost can quickly add up for larger teams.
Watch out
Potential minimum seat requirements
HubSpot
- 4.4 on G2 (13,374 reviews)
- 4.5 on Capterra (4,455 reviews)
- 4.3 on TrustRadius (669 reviews)
- 1.8 on Trustpilot (613 reviews)
- 4.1 on PeerSpot (39 reviews)
HubSpot customers who want intent on a credit meter.
HubSpot's pricing is the most complex in SaaS, 7 Hubs, 4 tiers each, per-seat AND per-contact charges, plus mandatory onboarding fees.
Watch out
Marketing contacts vs non-marketing contacts: HubSpot only charges for 'marketing contacts' (those you email, use in ads, or include in workflows). But the distinction is confusing, and accidentally including contacts in a marketing email converts them to paid marketing contacts with no undo
Teams that want a second review-site feed beside G2.
What buyer intent software is
Buyer intent software is a tool that flags a company researching a problem, a category, or a named vendor, so sales can move that account ahead of a static list. A contact database without that timing still makes you guess who is in a cycle.
Topic surge means content consumption jumped versus that account's own history, which suits a team that can wait a week and then find a person. Review-site intent means someone compared products, opened pricing, or read reviews, which suits a software vendor whose buyers shortlist in public. First-party activity means a company hit your site, which suits a team that already has traffic.
Buying the co-op and expecting a named champion spends the budget on an account you still cannot email. Buying a pixel and expecting open-web research spends it on visitors. Bombora, Cognism, and Common Room sell the topic feed, and G2 and TrustRadius sell the review-site feed. 6sense and Demandbase score accounts they can also advertise to. Apollo and ZoomInfo attach topics to a contact file. HubSpot meters site and off-site research in credits, so the bill follows the watchlist.
Why the homepage price usually omits the feed
The number on a contact plan is often the seat that searches people. The feed that says an account is researching you is the next contract, a topic cap, or a credit that repeats every month. A team that models the free login will miss the research it hired the tool to catch.
G2 prints a Starter price and then withholds Buyer Intent until Professional or Enterprise, where the add-on itself has no dollar. Year two of that Starter card rises to $599/mo, or $6,000/year, a review-program renewal rather than the intent line. Apollo's free plan includes one topic, and the six-topic allowance starts on the cheapest paid seat, so a free workspace can still send and still miss the category.
6sense closed new Sales Intelligence free registrations on August 12, 2026, so a pilot is a sales conversation rather than a signup. As of July 7, 2026, ZoomInfo says paid plans are not a fixed price and treats intent as a paid capability, so Lite never shows category research off your site. Demandbase describes a platform fee plus a per-user fee and prints neither, so the ads-plus-intent bundle waits on a quote. Cognism puts intent on Pro and prints no dollar next to the five included seats, so the phone file and the topics share one quote.
Key Features to Look For
Which research this tier includes (Essential)
The tier name is not the feed. Bombora sells the direct co-op, a spike against that account's own history, for a team that already has tools to receive it. Apollo's free plan includes one topic and Basic includes six, a sample rather than coverage. G2's entry plan does not include Buyer Intent.
If the order form does not name category research, competitor comparisons, or Company Surge, you paid for a people search.
Review site or open web (Essential)
G2 Buyer Intent comes from product pages, category pages, comparisons, pricing views, and reviews across G2, Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp. That public shortlist suits a software vendor whose buyers compare in the open, and it is the wrong buy if the category is still researched in articles.
Bombora's co-op is publisher and brand-site consumption, earlier and wider than a shortlist. TrustRadius sells that same late motion on its own site: pricing, comparisons, and demos.
A company logo or a person (Essential)
A surging logo is not a meeting. Bombora scores domains and can add persona fields for role and seniority, without a verified email, so budget a lookup before anyone writes. ZoomInfo's free tier shows on-site companies from a small monthly pool, while buyer intent stays on the quote.
HubSpot stores company-level visits, an arrival rather than a person. A logo in the CRM still needs the B2B sales software guide before a meeting request.
Topic cap, then the lock (Important)
A topic cap is the shortlist you chose, not the market. Cognism Pro lets an admin pick up to 12 topics from a library of over 11,000, which covers a category and then stops. Common Room's published plan includes six Bombora topics, and a saved selection changes through support, not a toggle.
As of March 31, 2026, Apollo offers over 14,000 Bombora topics and over 1,600 LeadSift topics, and the plan decides how many you may turn on. A longer list is an upgrade, not a setting.
The meter beside the signal (Important)
HubSpot charges 10 credits to track a company, once in that period if you also add it, and a credit is $0.010, so the bill follows the watchlist and unused credits expire at month end.
Apollo meters exports on an annual pool, separate from the topic count. 6sense gates contact export with contract credits and does not print the rate. A feed you cannot refresh in the active week is a report, not a motion you can run.
Resold Bombora or the source (Important)
Paying Bombora and a reseller for the same topics doubles the weekly score unless the second tool is where the rep works. As of September 23, 2026, Common Room does not require your own Bombora subscription, and a surge score above 60 is what that room treats as active.
Cognism Pro uses Company Surge, and Apollo partners with Bombora and LeadSift. Buy the source when several systems share the feed. See Apollo vs ZoomInfo before you add another graph.
A dollar you can put in a sheet (Important)
Apollo, Common Room, G2's Starter card, and HubSpot's credit pack print at least one USD figure, so finance can compare them before a call. Bombora, 6sense, ZoomInfo's paid intent, Demandbase, Cognism, and TrustRadius do not.
Buy a published plan when you need a number this week. Wait for the quote when you need the co-op, a buying stage, or ads.
What to weigh before you sign
Name the research before the vendor. A Bombora topic, a G2 comparison, a TrustRadius pricing view, and a visit to your own site are different hours of the deal, and the right contract for one is wasted spend on the others.
Separate a surging domain from a person you can email. Bombora and the review sites name accounts. The contact file is ZoomInfo, Apollo, Cognism, or a second lookup, and that bill belongs in the same budget.
Leave Bombora, 6sense, paid ZoomInfo intent, Demandbase, Cognism, and TrustRadius out of the spreadsheet until each quote arrives. The dollar shows up in that conversation.
Evaluation Checklist
Name one account that spiked this week and follow it to a person in the CRM. If the feed stops at a logo, budget a contact tool before you sign.
Count the topic cap against your category, three competitors, and two pain keywords. A short allowance will not cover that list, and the missing keywords stay invisible.
Ask whether a saved topic can change without a support ticket. Common Room locks the selection after save, so a moving shortlist waits.
For HubSpot, set a credit ceiling and a 90-day view before you auto-add companies. Tracking bills again after the first period.
Pricing Overview
Direct topic feed
Bombora when Company Surge should land in tools you already pay for, and you will price the co-op on a call.
No public list price
Topics inside the send
Apollo when six topics should sit in the same product as sequences, and you do not already own another Bombora license.
Basic seat, annual
Packaged Bombora
Common Room when you want a published platform price, six topics, and no separate Bombora contract.
Essential, billed annually
Review-site research
G2 or TrustRadius when buyers compare vendors in public, and you will quote the intent add-on rather than buy Starter.
Starter published; intent is extra
Quote-only account platforms
6sense, ZoomInfo paid intent, Demandbase, or Cognism Pro when scoring, the contact graph, or ads are the reason to buy.
No public list price
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Best for | Entry price | Intent that starts | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bombora | The Company Surge source | No public list price | 21,600+ topics, 3 weeks vs a 12-week baseline | Talk to Bombora |
Buying stage on a quote | No public list price | Third-party intent inside Sales Intelligence | Free plan ended Aug 12, 2026 | |
Review-site comparisons | Starter $299/mo, intent extra | Add-on on Professional and Enterprise | Year 2 Starter is $599/mo | |
Contacts, then paid intent | Lite is free | Streaming Intent is an add-on | Paid plans are quoted | |
Demandbase | Intent plus account ads | No public list price | Platform fee plus a per-user fee | Custom plan |
Apollo | Topics inside the sequencer | $49/user/mo Basic, annual | 1 topic on free, 6 on Basic | Annual for that rate |
Bombora without a direct contract | $2,500/mo Essential | 6 topics, surge score above 60 | Billed annually | |
Cognism | Topics on a phone-verified file | No public list price | Up to 12 topics on Pro, from 11,000+ | 5 seats included, quote |
Intent inside the CRM | $10 per 1,000 credits | 10 credits to track one company | Credits expire monthly | |
A second review-site feed | No public list price | Pricing, comparisons, and demos | Category you purchase |
Verified September 24, 2026 on vendor pages: Bombora intent, 6sense free-plan note, G2 plans, G2 Buyer Intent, ZoomInfo cost, Demandbase pricing, Apollo buying intent, Apollo vs 6sense, Apollo topics, Common Room pricing, Common Room Bombora docs, Cognism pricing, HubSpot credits, HubSpot buyer intent, TrustRadius downstream intent.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Buying G2's entry plan because the plans page mentions buyers, then learning Buyer Intent is an add-on on a higher package. The review credits buy reviews, not the feed.
- ×
Treating Apollo's free plan as the full topic allowance. That login includes one topic, and the wider allowance is the paid seat, so the workspace can send and still miss the category.
- ×
Assuming 6sense still offers a free Sales Intelligence login. New registrations are closed and old free logins no longer work, so a pilot is a sales conversation.
- ×
Stacking Bombora on a tool that already resells Company Surge, then paying twice for the same weekly score. Buy the source or the room, not both for the same keywords.
- ×
Modeling ZoomInfo Lite's daily company-reveal cap as category intent. That cap samples your own visitors, and research that never reached the site stays hidden.
Expert Tips
- →
Buy the source when topics must land in several systems. Buy Common Room or Cognism Pro when one room is where the rep works, and do not sign both for the same keywords.
- →
- →
Write ZoomInfo's Streaming Intent as its own line. A larger credit pack is the contact file, not the topic feed, and each line should be rejected on its own.
- →
If the deal is a public software shortlist, start with G2 or TrustRadius. If the deal is still articles, start with Bombora's account baseline, not a review site.
- →
Keep the send in the sales engagement platforms guide. An intent row that never creates a task is a dashboard reps stop opening.
Red Flags to Watch For
- !
A vendor that calls website visits, job changes, and open-web topics the same product, then prices only the pixel. You pay for arrivals and still miss category research.
- !
A Starter or Lite screenshot that shows intent, while the order form puts category research on a quote.
- !
A second Bombora license on top of Common Room, Apollo, or Cognism, for topics nobody routes. That is the same weekly score billed twice.
- !
An annual range from a review site or a broker, presented as the vendor's list price. It will not match the order form.
The Bottom Line
Buy Bombora when you want Company Surge in tools you already run, and accept a quote that returns an account, not an email. Buy Apollo when a published annual seat should hold the topics and also send. Buy Common Room when that allowance should have a published platform price and you will not sign Bombora. Buy G2 when the shortlist is on review sites, and quote the add-on.
6sense, paid ZoomInfo intent, Demandbase, Cognism Pro, and TrustRadius belong on the short list and not in the spreadsheet until the quote arrives. Prices above were checked on vendor pages in September 2026, against the 108 tools in the sales intelligence category, with no paid placement. Cite this: Toolradar, "Best buyer intent tools 2026", September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best buyer intent tool in 2026?
Bombora is the default when you want the Company Surge feed, scored over three weeks against a 12-week baseline across 21,600+ topics, and the price is a quote. Apollo is the better buy when a short topic list should live in the sequencer on a published annual seat. Common Room is the better buy when those topics need a published platform price without a separate Bombora contract. G2 is the better buy when research happens on a review site, and the entry plan does not include that add-on. 6sense is the buying-stage platform, also without a published seat price.
How much do buyer intent tools cost?
Published USD entry points in September 2026 are Apollo Basic at $49/user/mo billed annually, HubSpot credits at $10 per 1,000, Common Room Essential at $2,500/mo billed annually, and G2 Starter at $299/mo in year one, which does not include Buyer Intent. Apollo Professional is $79/user/mo, the dialer seat. Bombora, 6sense, ZoomInfo's paid intent, Demandbase, Cognism, and TrustRadius publish no list price for the feed.
Is there a free buyer intent tool?
Several doors are free, and the full feed usually is not. Apollo's free plan includes one intent topic and 900 credits a year, not the wider allowance on the paid seat, so a sample send can still miss the category. G2 offers a free look at companies that researched you over the past 30 days, while Buyer Intent remains an add-on. ZoomInfo Lite includes 10 monthly credits and up to 10 company reveals a day, a visitor sample rather than category research. HubSpot can show a short company list, and more than 20 companies requires a paid hub plus credits. 6sense ended its free Sales Intelligence plan on August 12, 2026.
How does Bombora compare with 6sense?
Bombora sells the co-op, scored against each account's own history, with no published price and no contact export, so the feed can be shared and a rep still needs another lookup to email anyone. 6sense sells a buying stage on a quote, and new free Sales Intelligence registrations are closed. Choose Bombora when the feed should land in tools you already run. Choose 6sense when one team will score accounts and advertise together. The other quote in that shape is 6sense vs Demandbase.
Is G2 Buyer Intent the same as Bombora?
They record different hours of the same deal. G2 records category pages, comparisons, pricing, and reviews on G2, Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp, which is a public shortlist. Bombora records content consumption across a publisher co-op, earlier and wider than that shortlist. G2 puts Buyer Intent on Professional and Enterprise as an add-on, and the entry plan does not include it. Use G2 when buyers shortlist software in public. Use Bombora when the research is still articles off the review site.
Does Apollo include buyer intent on the free plan?
The free plan includes one topic, and intent is not a separate charge, so one keyword still misses the rest of the category. As of July 31, 2026, annual Basic is where six topics and 30,000 credits a year begin. As of March 31, 2026, the library is over 14,000 Bombora topics and over 1,600 LeadSift topics, and the plan decides how many you can turn on. Organization, at $119/user/mo, requires three users, so a solo rep cannot buy the top seat.
ZoomInfo or Apollo when intent has to become a meeting?
Choose Apollo when the topic and the sequence are the same product, on a published annual seat that already sends. Choose ZoomInfo when the contact file is the purchase: Lite is free, with 10 monthly credits and a capped company-visitor view, and Streaming Intent is a quoted add-on. A larger credit pack is more contacts, not the topic feed. See Apollo vs ZoomInfo, then the send in the sales engagement platforms guide.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Buyer Intent Tools in 2026", updated September 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-buyer-intent-tools