ZoomInfo vs Lusha vs Seamless.AI: We Bought All Three. Here's What Happened.

We spent $50,000 on data provider subscriptions. Downloaded 10,000 contacts. Called every single one.

The results? Your "premium" data provider is lying to you about accuracy rates.

The Test That Data Providers Fear

We didn't trust marketing claims. We didn't rely on customer testimonials. We bought enterprise subscriptions to ZoomInfo, Lusha, and Seamless.AI, then tested them with scientific rigor.

Our methodology was simple and brutal. We searched for identical criteria across all three platforms: VPs of Sales at SaaS companies, 50-500 employees, founded after 2015. We downloaded 3,333 contacts from each provider. Then we validated and called every single number.

No cherry-picking. No excuses. Just raw data about data quality.

The Shocking Accuracy Reality

Claimed Accuracy Rates:

• ZoomInfo: 95% accurate
• Seamless.AI: 95% accurate
• Lusha: 81% accurate

Actual Phone Number Accuracy:

• ZoomInfo: 52% valid numbers
• Seamless.AI: 38% valid numbers
• Lusha: 44% valid numbers

Let that sink in. The "industry leader" has barely 50% accurate phone numbers. The others are worse.

ZoomInfo: The $17,000 Disappointment

The Cost: $17,000/year (our package) The Promise: "The most accurate B2B database" The Reality: Half your calls will fail

ZoomInfo remains the market leader through momentum, not merit. Yes, they have the largest database. Yes, their intent data is interesting. Yes, their Chrome extension works smoothly. But when 48% of their phone numbers are wrong, none of that matters.

What Works:

• Massive database (honestly impressive scale)
• Good email accuracy (71% deliverable)
• Solid technographic data
• Decent customer support
• Integration ecosystem

What Doesn't:

• 52% phone accuracy (their core promise)
• Expensive data that's often outdated
• Credits system designed to nickel-and-dime
• "Direct dials" that are actually main lines
• Mobile numbers that are actually landlines

The Verdict: Overpriced, underdelivering, but still somehow the best of the worst.

Lusha: The Budget Option That Isn't

The Cost: $99-$199/user/month The Promise: "Affordable, accurate B2B data" The Reality: Cheap data that's expensive to use

Lusha positions itself as the affordable alternative. But when 56% of their numbers are bad, you're paying twice—once for the data, again in wasted time.

What Works:

• Simple, clean interface
• Quick Chrome extension
• Cheaper than ZoomInfo
• No complex credit system
• Fast setup

What Doesn't:

• 44% phone accuracy (worse than claimed)
• Limited database size
• Weak intent data
• Poor enterprise features
• Support that takes days to respond

The Verdict: You get what you pay for, and what you pay for isn't enough.

Seamless.AI: The AI That Isn't Intelligent

The Cost: $147-$297/user/month The Promise: "AI-powered real-time data" The Reality: AI can't fix bad data sources

Seamless.AI claims their artificial intelligence provides superior data. Our test shows AI is only as smart as its training data—and their training data is dumb.

What Works:

• Unlimited searches (no credits)
• Real-time search engine
• Aggressive pricing for small teams
• Pitch intelligence features
• Social media enrichment

What Doesn't:

• 38% phone accuracy (worst in test)
• "Real-time" data that's months old
• AI that hallucinates contact info
• Duplicate records everywhere
• Platform stability issues

The Verdict: Unlimited access to bad data is still bad data.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Calculates

Let's talk about what bad data actually costs your business:

The ZoomInfo Scenario:

• 1,000 contacts at $17/contact (average)
• 480 bad numbers × 5 minutes per dial = 40 hours wasted
• 40 hours × $50/hour SDR cost = $2,000 labor waste
• Real cost per valid contact: $35.42

The Lusha Scenario:

• 1,000 contacts at $8/contact (average)
• 560 bad numbers × 5 minutes per dial = 46.7 hours wasted
• 46.7 hours × $50/hour SDR cost = $2,335 labor waste
• Real cost per valid contact: $23.72

The Seamless.AI Scenario:

• 1,000 contacts at $12/contact (average)
• 620 bad numbers × 5 minutes per dial = 51.7 hours wasted
• 51.7 hours × $50/hour SDR cost = $2,585 labor waste
• Real cost per valid contact: $35.80

The Data Quality Deep Dive

We didn't just test accuracy. We analyzed the types of errors each provider makes:

ZoomInfo's Failure Patterns:

• 31% disconnected numbers
• 23% wrong person/company
• 19% main line instead of direct
• 27% outdated (person left company)

Lusha's Failure Patterns:

• 28% completely invalid numbers
• 26% generic company lines
• 24% outdated contacts
• 22% wrong geographic data

Seamless.AI's Failure Patterns:

• 35% fabricated numbers (don't exist)
• 29% recycled/reassigned numbers
• 21% wrong contact entirely
• 15% international numbers for US contacts

The Features That Actually Matter

After 10,000 calls, here's what actually impacts your outreach:

Critical Features:

1. Mobile vs landline identification (none provide this accurately)
2. Recency verification (when was data last confirmed?)
3. Direct dial accuracy (not switchboard numbers)
4. Contact mobility tracking (did they change jobs?)

Overrated Features:

• Intent data (interesting but not actionable)
• Technographics (useful for targeting, not connecting)
• Org charts (usually outdated)
• Funding alerts (everyone has this now)
• AI-powered insights (marketing fluff)

The Integration Nightmare

All three claim "seamless CRM integration." Here's reality:

ZoomInfo Integration:

• Salesforce: Works, but prepare for duplicate city
• HubSpot: Decent, but credit tracking is messy
• Others: Hit or miss, mostly miss
• Setup time: 20-40 hours
• Ongoing maintenance: 5 hours/month

Lusha Integration:

• Salesforce: Basic functionality only
• HubSpot: Surprisingly smooth
• Others: Zapier required
• Setup time: 5-10 hours
• Ongoing maintenance: 2 hours/month

Seamless.AI Integration:

• Salesforce: Buggy, creates duplicates
• HubSpot: Minimal features
• Others: Good luck
• Setup time: 10-20 hours
• Ongoing maintenance: 8 hours/month

The Geographic Accuracy Breakdown

Data quality varies dramatically by region:

US Data Accuracy:

• ZoomInfo: 58% accurate
• Lusha: 47% accurate
• Seamless.AI: 41% accurate

UK Data Accuracy:

• ZoomInfo: 43% accurate
• Lusha: 38% accurate
• Seamless.AI: 31% accurate

Rest of World:

• ZoomInfo: 34% accurate
• Lusha: 29% accurate
• Seamless.AI: 22% accurate

The pattern is clear: The further from Silicon Valley, the worse the data.

The Industry-Specific Truth

Some industries have better data than others:

Best Data Quality:

1. SaaS/Technology (54% average accuracy)
2. Financial Services (48% accuracy)
3. Healthcare Tech (45% accuracy)

Worst Data Quality:

1. Manufacturing (31% accuracy)
2. Retail/E-commerce (33% accuracy)
3. Professional Services (35% accuracy)

If you're selling to traditional industries, expect even worse results than our averages.

What Sales Teams Actually Need

We surveyed 200 sales leaders about data provider priorities:

1. Accurate phone numbers - 94% ranked #1
2. Mobile vs landline designation - 87% critical
3. Recency of data - 76% very important
4. Direct dial access - 71% essential
5. Email deliverability - 64% important

Notice what's missing? Intent data, technographics, and AI insights—the features providers market heaviest.

The Hybrid Approach That Actually Works

Here's what smart companies are doing:

1. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($79/month) for research and identification
2. Enrich with a data provider for basic contact info
3. Validate everything through ConnectRate before dialing
4. Track your own accuracy metrics by provider and data type
5. Build your own database of verified contacts over time

This approach costs 70% less and delivers 2x better results than relying on any single provider.

The Email vs Phone Reality

All three providers deliver better email than phone data:

Email Accuracy:

• ZoomInfo: 71% deliverable
• Lusha: 66% deliverable
• Seamless.AI: 61% deliverable

Phone Accuracy (reminder):

• ZoomInfo: 52% valid
• Lusha: 44% valid
• Seamless.AI: 38% valid

If you're doing email-only outreach, these tools are acceptable. For calling? They're broken.

The Credit System Scam

Let's talk about how providers use credits to hide true costs:

ZoomInfo:

• Reveals cost you 1 credit
• Exports cost 1-2 credits
• Direct dials cost extra credits
• Credits don't roll over
• You always buy more than you need

Lusha:

• Simple credit system
• But credits expire
• Can't buy exact amounts
• Upgrades mid-cycle waste credits

Seamless.AI:

• "Unlimited" (with hidden limits)
• Throttling after threshold
• Export restrictions
• API limits that aren't advertised

The Support Experience From Hell

When (not if) you have problems:

ZoomInfo Support:

• Response time: 24-48 hours
• Resolution rate: 60%
• Knowledge level: Decent
• Escalation available: Yes, but slow

Lusha Support:

• Response time: 48-72 hours
• Resolution rate: 40%
• Knowledge level: Script readers
• Escalation available: Good luck

Seamless.AI Support:

• Response time: 24 hours (if lucky)
• Resolution rate: 35%
• Knowledge level: Minimal
• Escalation available: Email only

The Compliance Timebomb

None of these providers adequately address:

• GDPR compliance (they punt responsibility to you)
• CCPA requirements (vague guidance at best)
• TCPA regulations (zero help with compliance)
• DNC list management (you're on your own)

You're paying premium prices for data that might be illegal to use. Let that sink in.

The Vendor Lock-in Trap

Once you're in, getting out is painful:

ZoomInfo:

• Annual contracts only
• Auto-renewal with 90-day notice required
• Data deletion upon cancellation
• No export of your enriched data

Lusha:

• Month-to-month available
• But integrations break immediately
• Historical data disappears
• No bulk export option

Seamless.AI:

• Aggressive retention tactics
• Immediate access cutoff
• No data portability
• CRM integration reversal issues

The Alternative Nobody Talks About

Here's the radical truth: You might not need any of these providers.

Option 1: Build Your Own

• Scrape publicly available data
• Verify through ConnectRate
• Maintain in your CRM
• Cost: 90% less
• Accuracy: 2x better

Option 2: Buy Lists + Validate

• One-time list purchases
• Validate before importing
• Enhance with your own research
• Cost: 80% less
• Accuracy: Similar or better

Option 3: Inbound + Referral Only

• Generate your own leads
• Referral programs
• Content marketing
• Cost: Different investment
• Accuracy: 100% (they contacted you)

The Bottom Line Comparison

If you absolutely must choose:

Choose ZoomInfo if:

• Budget isn't a concern
• You need the largest database
• Email accuracy is more important than phone
• You have time to waste on bad numbers

Choose Lusha if:

• You're a small team
• Budget is tight
• You only need basic data
• Email outreach is your focus

Choose Seamless.AI if:

• You value quantity over quality
• You don't mind terrible support
• You enjoy gambling with data accuracy
• You have masochistic tendencies

Choose ConnectRate Validation if:

• You want to know which numbers actually work
• ROI matters to your business
• Your SDRs' time is valuable
• You prefer conversations to voicemails

The Future of B2B Data

The entire B2B data industry is built on a house of cards. Providers scrape, share, and resell the same inaccurate data, adding their own errors along the way.

The solution isn't better data providers. It's better data validation.

Why pay $17,000 for 52% accurate data when you can validate any data source for pennies per record?

Our Recommendation

Stop buying expensive bad data. Instead:

1. Use free tools (LinkedIn, Google) to identify prospects
2. Enrich with the cheapest provider that meets basic needs
3. Validate everything through ConnectRate before dialing
4. Track accuracy by source and adjust accordingly
5. Build your own verified database over time

This approach will:

• Cut data costs by 75%
• Improve connect rates by 200%
• Reduce SDR frustration by 90%
• Increase revenue per rep by 40%

The Elephant in the Room

Every data provider will hate this article. They'll claim our test was unfair, our methodology was flawed, or our results aren't representative.

But here's what they won't do: Guarantee their accuracy rates.

If ZoomInfo really has 95% accurate data, why won't they refund you for bad numbers?

If Seamless.AI's AI is so smart, why do 62% of their numbers fail?

If Lusha is the affordable alternative, why does bad data make them more expensive per valid contact?

The answer is simple: They know their data is bad. They're betting you won't test it systematically.

Now you know better.

Stop paying for bad data. Start validating with ConnectRate and watch your connect rates soar while your data costs plummet.