Intent Data Providers Compared: Bombora vs 6sense vs G2 (2025)

Choosing the wrong intent data provider can cost your business millions in missed opportunities. With B2B buyers conducting 67% of their research independently before engaging with sales teams, having accurate buyer intent signals isn't just nice to have - it's mission-critical for modern GTM success.

The intent data landscape has evolved dramatically, with providers like Bombora, 6sense, and G2 becoming pivotal in B2B GTM strategies, enabling sales and marketing teams to identify high-intent buyers through sophisticated signals. But which provider delivers the best ROI for your specific use case?

In this comprehensive comparison, you'll discover the unique strengths of each platform, understand their pricing models, and learn which intent data provider aligns best with your GTM objectives. We'll cut through the marketing fluff to give you the actionable insights needed to make an informed decision.

What Is Intent Data and Why It Matters

Intent data reveals which prospects are actively researching solutions in your category, allowing sales and marketing teams to prioritise outreach efforts on accounts showing genuine buying signals. Unlike traditional lead generation that relies on form fills and explicit actions, intent data captures implicit behaviours that indicate purchase readiness.

The three main types of intent data include first-party data (your website analytics), second-party data (publisher networks), and third-party data (cooperative exchanges). Each intent data provider specialises in different signal types and collection methodologies.

📊 Key Insight: Intent data providers help businesses build predictable pipeline by identifying accounts 3-5x more likely to convert compared to cold outreach.

The timing advantage is crucial. When your sales team reaches out to prospects actively researching your category, conversion rates increase dramatically whilst sales cycles compress. This is why leading B2B organisations are investing heavily in intent data platforms.

Bombora: The Cooperative Data Pioneer

Bombora built its reputation on "Company Surge" data, which identifies when organisations show increased research activity around specific topics. Their cooperative model means member companies share anonymised data in exchange for insights about their prospects' behaviour.

Bombora's Core Strengths

Bombora excels in cooperative-sourced buyer intent signals, providing surge data across thousands of business topics. Their "Intent Topics" cover everything from cybersecurity to marketing automation, with surge scores indicating when companies show 3-10x normal research activity.

The platform's data freshness is impressive, with weekly updates showing trending research patterns. Sales teams can filter by company size, industry, and surge intensity to prioritise outreach efforts effectively.

⚡ Pro Tip: Bombora works exceptionally well when integrated with tools like Apollo for contact enrichment and Smartlead for scaled outreach campaigns.

Bombora's Limitations

Whilst Bombora provides broad topic coverage, the data can sometimes lack specificity for niche markets. The cooperative model means data quality depends on member participation, which varies by industry vertical.

Pricing remains custom and typically targets enterprise accounts, making it less accessible for mid-market companies seeking intent data solutions.

6sense: The Predictive ABM Leader

6sense positions itself as an AI-driven predictive platform that combines intent data with account-based marketing orchestration. Their approach goes beyond simple intent signals to provide predictive insights about account readiness and recommended actions.

6sense's Advanced Capabilities

6sense leads in AI-driven predictive ABM for enterprises, offering sophisticated account scoring models that combine intent signals with firmographic and technographic data. Their "Revenue AI" predicts which accounts are most likely to convert and when.

The platform's anonymous visitor identification capabilities help marketing teams understand which target accounts are visiting their website, even without form completions. This first-party intent data combines with third-party signals for comprehensive account intelligence.

6sense's orchestration features enable automated campaign triggers based on intent signals, allowing marketing teams to deliver personalised content at optimal moments in the buyer journey.

6sense Considerations

The platform's complexity requires significant onboarding and training investment. Smaller organisations may find the feature set overwhelming, whilst the enterprise pricing model excludes many mid-market prospects.

Implementation typically requires dedicated resources and integration with existing martech stacks, making it a substantial commitment for most organisations.

G2: Review-Based Intent Insights

G2 takes a unique approach to intent data by leveraging their massive review platform to identify companies actively researching software solutions. Their intent signals come from users reading reviews, comparing products, and engaging with vendor content.

G2's Unique Value Proposition

G2 provides review-based intent insights, offering a different perspective on buyer behaviour compared to content consumption models. When prospects research your competitors or category on G2, you receive notifications about these high-intent activities.

The platform's "Buyer Intent" data includes specific actions like profile views, review reads, and comparison activities. This granular insight helps sales teams understand exactly what prospects are evaluating.

G2's integration capabilities allow intent data to flow into CRM systems like Pipedrive, enabling automated workflows based on review platform activities.

G2's Scope Limitations

Whilst G2 excels in software category intent, their coverage is limited to technology products with active review profiles. Companies selling services or non-tech products won't find relevant intent signals.

G2 often serves as a complementary tool rather than a full platform, requiring integration with broader intent data providers for comprehensive coverage.

Head-to-Head Comparison

| Feature | Bombora | 6sense | G2 | |---------|---------|--------|----|| | Data Source | Cooperative network | Multi-source AI | Review platform | | Best For | Broad topic coverage | Enterprise ABM | Software sales | | Pricing | Enterprise custom | Enterprise custom | Tiered plans | | Implementation | Moderate | Complex | Simple | | Integration | Extensive | Native platform | API-based |

Data Quality and Coverage

Bombora offers the broadest topic coverage with surge data across thousands of business categories. Their cooperative model provides consistent data flow, though quality varies by industry participation levels.

6sense combines multiple data sources with AI processing to deliver predictive insights beyond simple intent signals. Their anonymous visitor identification adds valuable first-party data to the mix.

G2's review-based approach provides highly specific intent signals but limited to software categories with active review ecosystems.

Pricing and Accessibility

All three providers use custom enterprise pricing models, making direct cost comparisons challenging. However, general pricing tiers follow predictable patterns:

💰 Pricing Insight: Enterprise intent data pricing remains custom and high, typically starting at £2,000+ monthly for meaningful data volumes.

G2 offers the most transparent pricing with published plans, whilst Bombora and 6sense require sales conversations for custom quotes.

Implementation and Integration Strategies

Successful intent data implementation requires careful planning and integration with existing GTM tools. The most effective approaches combine intent signals with contact enrichment and automated outreach platforms.

Technical Integration Considerations

Most organisations benefit from integrating intent data with tools like Clay for data enrichment and Apollo for contact discovery. This combination provides both account-level intent signals and individual contact information for outreach.

For outreach execution, platforms like Instantly or Smartlead can automate email campaigns triggered by intent signals, whilst HeyReach handles LinkedIn outreach to identified prospects.

⚡ Pro Tip: Start with one intent data provider and master the integration before adding additional sources. Data overload often reduces effectiveness rather than improving results.

Workflow Optimisation

The most successful intent data implementations follow a structured workflow:

1. Signal Detection: Automated monitoring of intent spikes across target accounts
2. Data Enrichment: Contact discovery using Apollo or similar platforms
3. Personalisation: Crafting relevant messaging based on specific intent topics
4. Multi-channel Outreach: Coordinated email and LinkedIn campaigns
5. Performance Tracking: Measuring conversion rates by intent signal strength

Choosing the Right Provider for Your Business

Your ideal intent data provider depends on several key factors: company size, target market, existing tech stack, and budget constraints. Here's how to evaluate your specific needs:

For Enterprise ABM Programs

6sense offers the most comprehensive platform for large organisations running sophisticated account-based marketing programs. Their predictive capabilities and orchestration features justify the investment for companies with complex sales cycles.

For Broad Market Coverage

Bombora provides the widest topic coverage and works well for companies selling across multiple industries or categories. Their surge data model suits organisations needing broad market intelligence.

For Software Companies

G2's review-based intent data offers unique insights for technology companies with active review profiles. The platform works particularly well when combined with broader intent data sources.

Budget-Conscious Alternatives

Smaller organisations might consider starting with more accessible tools like Apollo's built-in intent signals or Clay's enrichment capabilities before investing in dedicated intent platforms.

Future Trends in Intent Data

Trends in 2025-2026 show a shift toward integrated, actionable intent data with real-time enrichment and automation capabilities. The market is moving beyond simple surge alerts toward predictive insights and automated action triggers.

Artificial intelligence will play an increasingly important role in signal processing and account scoring. Providers are investing heavily in machine learning models that can identify subtle patterns in buyer behaviour.

Integration capabilities will become more critical as organisations demand seamless data flow between intent platforms and execution tools. The winners will be providers offering robust APIs and native integrations.

Recommended Tools

To maximise your intent data investment, consider these complementary tools that integrate seamlessly with major intent providers.

Key Takeaways

• Bombora excels in cooperative-sourced surge data with broad topic coverage, making it ideal for companies targeting multiple industries
• 6sense leads in AI-driven predictive ABM for enterprises, offering sophisticated account scoring and orchestration capabilities
• G2 provides unique review-based intent insights but serves primarily as a complementary tool for software companies
• All three providers use custom enterprise pricing models, typically starting at £2,000+ monthly for meaningful data volumes
• Successful implementation requires integration with contact enrichment tools like Apollo and outreach platforms like Smartlead
• Future trends point toward more integrated, actionable intent data with real-time automation capabilities
• Choose based on your specific needs: 6sense for enterprise ABM, Bombora for broad coverage, G2 for software-specific insights

Conclusion

Choosing between Bombora, 6sense, and G2 ultimately depends on your organisation's specific GTM strategy, budget, and technical requirements. Bombora offers the broadest market coverage, 6sense provides enterprise-grade predictive capabilities, and G2 delivers unique review-based insights for software companies.

The key to success lies not just in selecting the right intent data provider, but in building integrated workflows that turn signals into meaningful conversations. Consider starting with one platform and expanding your intent data strategy as you prove ROI and refine your processes.

If you're looking to build predictable pipeline and scale your GTM execution with data-driven intent strategies, ProspectX can help. We deliver elite execution through proven methodologies that turn intent signals into qualified meetings, ensuring your investment in intent data providers generates measurable results.