# Leadraft vs Data Axle: buy a business database or build it?

URL: https://leadraft.co/compare/leadraft-vs-data-axle
Summary: Data Axle sells a compiled business database with employee size, SIC/NAICS and contacts. Leadraft builds lists fresh from Google Maps with checked emails.

[All comparisons](https://leadraft.co/compare)

Google Maps lead tools compared

# Leadraft vs Data Axle: buy a business database, or build the list from the map?

These are different models. Data Axle, founded in 1972 and once known as InfoUSA, compiles a database of US and Canadian businesses with hundreds of attributes, sold through Salesgenie, list orders and licensing. Leadraft builds your list when you ask, from Google Maps and each business's own website, with emails checked before you pay.

[See pricing](https://leadraft.co/pricing)[Start free](https://app.leadraft.co/sign-up)

Sources reviewed November 3, 2026

The short version

Data Axle gives you firmographics Leadraft doesn't have: employee counts, revenue, SIC and NAICS codes, years in business and executive titles. Leadraft gives you what's on the map today, inside the exact area you draw, with each email checked against the live mailbox.

Leadraft doesn't filter by company size or industry code, and it doesn't name decision-makers. It is built for selling to local businesses by trade and place, with emails that work. Compare a Leadraft search with a Data Axle list for the same area.

### Leadraft

-   Built from Google Maps when you search
-   Checked emails included in every plan
-   Any area you draw; credits roll over

### Data Axle

-   Compiled database: 90M+ business profiles
-   Employee size, revenue, SIC/NAICS, executive titles
-   Salesgenie plans, list quotes and licensing

Side by side

## How Leadraft and Data Axle compare

Scroll sideways to see both columns →

| What matters | Leadraft | Data Axle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| How the data is built[1](#source-1)[2](#source-2) | Built when you search, from Google Maps, plus each business's own website for emails. | A compiled database of 90M+ business profiles with 400+ attributes, verified by people and AI, including about 25 million verification calls a year. |
| Firmographics[5](#source-5)[7](#source-7) | None: no employee count, revenue, SIC/NAICS code or owner name. You get the Google Maps category, rating and review count. | Number of employees, years in business, annual revenue and sales volume, SIC/NAICS code, ownership type, executive title and credit rating. |
| Contacts[2](#source-2) | Up to 5 business emails per business from its own website, each with role and source; phone and 8 social networks. | 183M+ business contacts, including key decision-makers, with phone numbers and email addresses. |
| Email verification[2](#source-2) | Included in every plan: 50 to 30,000 checked emails a month. Catch-all addresses get their own grade, and only Verified addresses export by default. | Business data is described as human-verified. A mailbox check on each email isn't described on the pages reviewed. |
| Price[1](#source-1)[4](#source-4)[6](#source-6) | $0.25 to $0.76 per 1,000 businesses ($149 for 600,000 down to $19 for 25,000). | Salesgenie: Basic from $99/mo, Pro $149/mo, Team $299 with 5 users. Exports and emails use credits; credit prices not published. Lists and licensing: not published; quote-based. |
| Commitment[4](#source-4)[5](#source-5) | Monthly or yearly; cancel any time from the billing page. | Salesgenie subscriptions run 12 months, then renew month to month. List orders carry a 50% cancellation charge. |
| Area targeting[5](#source-5) | Pick a city, county or postcode, or draw a polygon, a radius or upload a KML file. Every plan, Free included. | City, county, state or ZIP code. |
| Coverage[2](#source-2) | Worldwide searches; tested deepest in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. | Almost every business in the US and Canada. |
| New businesses[1](#source-1) | Monitors repeat a search on a schedule and deliver only the businesses that are new. | About 16,000 new businesses verified a day. |
| Free access[4](#source-4)[8](#source-8) | 500 businesses and 50 checked emails every month. No card. | A free Salesgenie trial with no card. Reference Solutions, its research product, is available through many libraries. |
| List guarantee[6](#source-6) | Invalid emails never export. Outside-area and off-trade businesses are never charged. | Replaces any part of a purchased list that's undeliverable, out of date or disconnected. |
| API / MCP[1](#source-1)[2](#source-2) | REST API and an MCP server on every plan. | APIs through its Developer Hub; Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics integrations. No MCP server listed on the pages reviewed. |

[Sources and comparison method →](#sources)

The key difference

## A record on file, or a business on the map today

Leadraft

### What to check in Leadraft

Search your trade in your area on the free plan. See every business inside it from Google Maps, with its website, rating and emails graded Verified, Accept-all or Invalid.

Data Axle

### Data Axle in this comparison

Data Axle's database is built for segmenting: by size, revenue, industry code and title. Records are compiled and verified over time, then you buy access, a list or a license.

Pull the same trade and ZIP code from both. Check which businesses each has that the other doesn't, how many emails pass a mailbox check, and whether you need the firmographics.

Trying both

## Three questions to answer in a trial

1.  01
    
    ### Do you segment by size or industry code?
    
    If your offer depends on employee count, revenue or SIC/NAICS, Leadraft can't filter on them.
    
2.  02
    
    ### Which list is more current?
    
    Look for newly opened and recently closed businesses in a ZIP code you know.
    
3.  03
    
    ### How many emails pass a mailbox check?
    
    Run both lists through the same verifier, or compare against Leadraft's grades.
    

Workflow fit

## What Leadraft is built for, and what it isn't

Leadraft builds a list of the local businesses on the map today, by trade, inside the exact area you choose, with emails from each business's own website checked against the mail server. You pay once per business, and newly opened businesses show up the next time you search. It doesn't sell firmographics like employee count, revenue or SIC/NAICS codes, named executives, consumer data or data licenses. If you sell to local businesses by trade and place, that is the list Leadraft is made for.

Switching from Data Axle

## Move over in an afternoon

1.  1
    
    ### Start with trade and place
    
    Type the trades you sell to and the places you cover, or draw the territory. Keyword packs fill out each trade's related terms.
    
2.  2
    
    ### Look before you pay
    
    The free preview shows real businesses already found there, with emails masked. Nothing is charged.
    
3.  3
    
    ### Send it where it was going
    
    Export to CSV or XLSX, or push to HubSpot, Instantly, Smartlead or lemlist with your suppression list applied.
    

Questions

## Leadraft vs Data Axle: FAQ

Is Leadraft a business database like Data Axle?

No. Leadraft doesn't sell a pre-built database. Each search finds the businesses on Google Maps in your area and trade, finds emails on their websites and checks them. Data Axle sells access to a compiled database.

Does Leadraft have employee size, revenue or SIC/NAICS codes?

No. Leadraft gives the Google Maps category, rating, review count, hours, website, phone, socials and checked emails. Leadraft is built around trade and place, not firmographics, so it doesn't filter by employee size, revenue or industry code.

How much does Data Axle cost?

Salesgenie, Data Axle's lead tool (listed on some review sites as Data Axle Genie), starts at $99 a month on Basic, with exports and emails using credits whose prices aren't published. List orders and data licensing are not published; quote-based. Prices as of November 2026.

Can I get Data Axle data free through a library?

Many libraries offer Data Axle's Reference Solutions to their members. Download limits and allowed uses are set by the library and Data Axle, so check the terms before using it for outreach.

Does Leadraft give owner names?

No. Leadraft returns business emails with their role and source, not named owners. It is built to reach the business through the addresses it publishes on its own website, each checked against the mail server.

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## Run your own market and see for yourself

500 businesses and 50 checked emails a month on the free plan. Search the same place you'd search in Data Axle and compare the lists.

[See pricing](https://leadraft.co/pricing)[Start free](https://app.leadraft.co/sign-up)

Behind the comparison

## Sources and method

Written by Leadraft from Data Axle's own public pages, linked below, as of November 3, 2026. This is a documentation review, not an independent hands-on benchmark. Prices, features and terms change; if something here is out of date, tell us at [hello@leadraft.co](mailto:hello@leadraft.co) and we'll correct it.

1.  1.[Data Axle: home](https://www.data-axle.com/)
2.  2.[Data Axle: Business data](https://www.data-axle.com/data-solutions/business-data/)
3.  3.[Data Axle: About us](https://www.data-axle.com/about-us/)
4.  4.[Salesgenie: Packages overview](https://www.salesgenie.com/product/packages-overview/)
5.  5.[Salesgenie: Business lists](https://www.salesgenie.com/lists/business-lists/)
6.  6.[Salesgenie: Industry lists](https://www.salesgenie.com/lists/industry-lists/)
7.  7.[Salesgenie: Finding leads](https://www.salesgenie.com/leads/finding-leads/)
8.  8.[Data Axle: Reference Solutions](https://www.data-axle.com/platforms-products/reference-solutions/)

Last built: 2026-11-09