Top 5 SaaS Tools for Intent Data — Best Picks 2026

6 min read

Intent data matters more than ever if you sell B2B. Whether you want to find accounts showing purchase intent, power your account-based marketing, or optimize ad spend, the right SaaS tool changes the game. In my experience, the best vendors combine first-party data with third-party signals to deliver actionable intent. Below I break down the top 5 SaaS tools for intent data, who should use them, and practical examples that help you pick fast.

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Why intent data matters (quick primer)

Put simply: intent data helps you spot buying behavior early. That could be a company researching a competitor, downloading a buyer’s guide, or repeatedly visiting product pages. These are intent signals you can act on—targeted outreach, personalized ads, or prioritizing sales follow-up.

For a broader view of how analytics supports prediction, see predictive analytics on Wikipedia.

How to evaluate intent-data SaaS

  • Signal sources: first-party, second/third-party, panel data—more sources usually = richer signals.
  • Coverage: industry and geographic reach—does it cover your TAM?
  • Integration: CRM, MAP, ad stack—can you operationalize signals?
  • Granularity: firmographic vs. persona-level intent.
  • Privacy & compliance: does the vendor provide opt-out and data lineage?

Top 5 SaaS tools for intent data

Below you’ll find profiles, quick pros/cons, and a short real-world use case for each vendor. These picks are based on feature depth, real-world traction, and integration ecosystems I’ve seen work well.

1) Bombora — Category leader for B2B intent

Bombora aggregates content consumption across a large B2B co-op. It’s strong at company-level intent and integrates well with CRMs and ABM platforms.

  • Good for: demand gen teams and ABM.
  • Pros: deep topic-level signals, robust integrations.
  • Cons: company-level signals may miss persona nuance.

Example: A mid-market SaaS scaled outbound by prioritizing accounts with rising Bombora topic surge scores, improving meetings by ~25% within one quarter.

2) 6sense — End-to-end revenue intelligence

6sense combines intent with predictive models and orchestration. It’s built for sales and marketing alignment and excels when you want automated playbooks tied to intent stages.

  • Good for: enterprise ABM and pipeline acceleration.
  • Pros: predictive scoring, orchestration, strong integrations.
  • Cons: higher cost and implementation effort.

Example: An enterprise tech client used 6sense to surface in-market accounts and automate SDR cadences, trimming sales cycles by several weeks.

3) ZoomInfo Intent — Data + contact ecosystem

ZoomInfo pairs intent signals with its massive contact and firmographic dataset. If you already use ZoomInfo for contacts, the intent add-on is convenient and operationally efficient.

  • Good for: teams that need contacts + intent together.
  • Pros: unified platform, easy activation.
  • Cons: intent depth can vary by segment.

Example: A small SaaS used ZoomInfo Intent to trigger targeted call lists for SDRs, lifting connect rates and reducing wasted outreach.

4) G2 Buyer Intent — Review and research signals

G2’s intent leverages review and product research behavior—so it’s especially valuable for product-led companies or SaaS vendors competing on review sites.

  • Good for: product-led growth and competitive displacement plays.
  • Pros: high-intent moments tied to product research.
  • Cons: biased toward buyers who use review sites.

Example: Sales teams used G2 signals to prioritize outreach to companies actively comparing solutions, increasing demo-to-opportunity conversion.

5) Demandbase — ABM and ad orchestration

Demandbase blends intent with ad targeting and account orchestration. If your playbook includes targeted display or connected TV for accounts, Demandbase maps intent to ad activation well.

  • Good for: ABM with heavy ad and display components.
  • Pros: ad activation, account-based analytics.
  • Cons: ad-focused features may be overkill for pure-sdr teams.

Example: A growth team used Demandbase to trigger account-targeted ads when intent spiked, leading to higher site revisits and warmer inbound leads.

Side-by-side comparison

Vendor Best for Signal type Integration strength
Bombora Topic-level B2B intent Third-party co-op CRM/MAP strong
6sense Revenue orchestration Combined (first + third) Enterprise-grade
ZoomInfo Contacts + intent In-house + third-party Excellent contact sync
G2 Product research intent Review site behavior CRM/ABM plugins
Demandbase ABM + ads Third-party + site behavior Ad and analytics stack

Practical playbooks you can copy

  • Lead scoring: add intent surge to existing lead score to push accounts to SDRs faster.
  • Ad sequencing: show tailored creative to accounts during high-intent windows.
  • Cross-sell: flag existing customers showing intent on adjacent product topics.
  • Competitive displacement: identify accounts researching competitors and time content offers accordingly.

Privacy & measurement—what to watch

Intent vendors handle a lot of behavioral signals. Ask for data lineage, opt-out mechanisms, and compliance documentation. If you need regulatory context, consult official guidance on data protection in your region and vendor compliance docs before activation.

For vendor-specific claims and product docs, check vendor sites such as Bombora’s official docs and 6sense’s product pages.

Final thoughts and next steps

Pick the vendor that matches your playbook. Want contact enrichment and plug-and-play activation? ZoomInfo or G2 might be faster. Need enterprise orchestration and prediction? 6sense or Demandbase. Want pure topic-level signal to prioritize outreach? Bombora does that well. My advice: run a short pilot (6–12 weeks), measure opportunity velocity, and choose the vendor that moves your pipeline KPIs—not just your dashboards.

Want a quick shortlist? Bombora for topics, 6sense for revenue orchestration, ZoomInfo for contacts+intent, G2 for product research, Demandbase for ad-driven ABM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Intent data is behavioral information that signals buyer interest, collected from sources like site visits, content consumption, and review activity. Vendors aggregate and score these signals so marketing and sales can prioritize outreach.

Use both: first-party data is the most reliable for known leads, while third-party intent expands net-new account discovery. Combining them improves coverage and accuracy.

Run a pilot for 6–12 weeks to gather enough signal and measure impacts on pipeline velocity, meetings, and conversion rates. Shorter tests risk noisy results.

Yes. Intent data helps ABM teams prioritize accounts showing in-market behavior, personalize messaging, and time ad spend for higher engagement and conversion.

There are. Ensure vendors provide clear data lineage, opt-out mechanisms, and compliance documentation. Follow regional regulations and your legal team’s guidance.