Lockley
Intelligence · Guide · October 2026

Best UK tools for finding prospects with a reason to call, compared

Apollo.io, ZoomInfo and Cognism centre on contact data; Beauhurst and Endole on UK company data; Lockley on a daily short list with the public record behind each company.

Written from Lockley's index and the sources below, updated 10 October 2026.

The right tool depends on what you are short of. If you need contact details at scale, Apollo.io, ZoomInfo and Cognism are built for that. If you need to research and filter UK companies, Beauhurst and Endole are built for that. If you need a short list each morning of UK companies with a dated public record explaining why to call, that is what Lockley does. Most teams need a mix, and no tool here replaces judgement.

This comparison draws on each vendor's own pages and on search results for them. Vendors describe themselves favourably, so treat the descriptions as what each product says it does, and check current pricing and coverage on their sites.

What each tool says it does

ToolMain focusWho it suits
Apollo.ioSales prospecting database; says it holds over 265 million contacts at over 70 million companiesTeams that want large contact volume and outreach tooling
ZoomInfoContact and company database; says it holds around 220 million contactsLarger sales organisations with broad, often international, targets
CognismVerified contact data with EMEA focus; phone-verified mobile numbers; compliance checks across several countriesTeams that need compliant European contact data
BeauhurstData on UK private companies: financials, fundraisings, employees, patents; sector-specific platformsAdvisers, investors and sellers targeting high-growth UK companies
EndoleUK business information for risk, sales and marketing; credit scores, debts and chargesTeams that need UK company and credit information
Companies House (direct)Free public register of UK companies and filingsAnyone checking a company they already know
LockleyA daily short list of UK companies to call, each with the public record that says why nowSmall B2B sales teams, founders and recruiters who want a reason to call, not a database

Contact databases: Apollo.io, ZoomInfo and Cognism

These three are strongest where the question is who to contact and how. Apollo.io combines a large database with sequencing and outreach features. ZoomInfo is a long-established enterprise database. Cognism concentrates on verified European data and says its phone-verified mobile numbers lift connect rates; it also states that it checks do-not-call lists in several countries.

What they are less built for is explaining why a particular UK company deserves a call this week. Contact data answers who. A dated event answers why now. You will often combine the two.

UK company data: Beauhurst, Endole and Companies House

Beauhurst describes itself as covering the UK's private companies, with data on financials, fundraising, employees and patents, in platforms aimed at advisers, investors and sales. It is a good fit if growth-stage companies are your market.

Endole offers business information for risk management, sales and marketing, including credit scores, debts and charges for UK companies. It suits teams that need to check a company's standing as well as find it.

Companies House itself is free and authoritative. It is excellent for looking up a company you know and poor for discovery, because it does not tell you which companies had something happen this week in your sector.

Where Lockley fits

Lockley is a UK sales-research service. Each morning it gives a small B2B sales team a short list of companies to call, each with the public record that says why now. It reads Companies House, Contracts Finder and Find a Tender, job postings from Adzuna, planning registers and each company's own website every night, and each finding links to its source so a seller can check it before calling.

It starts with a free scan of your own website, which builds a private page of companies worth calling for you. A 9am email brief carries the morning's top three companies in full. Pricing is Core at £499 a month (first month £249) or £4,490 a year, Pro at £999 a month or £8,990 a year, and Agency at £1,499 a month, all excluding VAT. Coverage at launch is the United Kingdom.

It is not a contact database. Lockley does not sell contact lists or bulk email data and does not send email on your behalf. If you need thousands of contacts for high-volume outreach, a contact database is the better choice.

How to choose

Ask what you are short of. If it is names and numbers, look at the contact databases. If it is research and filters on UK companies, look at Beauhurst or Endole. If it is time and a reason to pick up the phone, look at Lockley. Run a trial on your own market, because coverage varies by sector and by how many small UK companies each tool actually knows.

Questions

Which tool has the most UK contacts?

Vendors publish their own totals, and none are independently audited here. Check each against your own target list in a trial.

Which is best for UK company financial data?

Beauhurst and Endole both focus on UK company data; Endole highlights credit information and charges. Companies House is the free primary source.

Do I need a contact database if I use Lockley?

Possibly. Lockley tells you which companies to call and why, with evidence, but does not sell contact lists.

Can I use Companies House instead of a paid tool?

For a known company, yes. For discovery across thousands of filings each week, a paid service saves the filtering.

How much does Lockley cost?

Core is £499 a month (first month £249) or £4,490 a year; Pro £999 a month or £8,990 a year; Agency £1,499 a month. Prices exclude VAT.

See which of these companies are worth calling for your business, with the source for each.

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