How much does done-for-you B2B prospect research cost?
The Scout team ·
Done-for-you B2B prospect research is priced in four ways: a quote after a call, a flat monthly fee, an hourly or per-lead rate, or a free sample first. Almost no service prints a number on its site, so the model matters more than any price you can look up.
This page compares the models rather than inventing averages. The vendor facts come from the vendors' own pages, read on October 27, 2026, and are collected in our comparison of six services. Scout is our product and is described the same way as the others.
How do done-for-you prospect research services charge?
Most charge by the engagement, not by the lead. Leadium and Belkins sell custom lists on a quote, and Belkins also offers packages. CIENCE and SalesHive charge a fixed monthly fee, but that fee buys a managed outbound team with the research inside it. A freelance researcher bills hourly or per lead. Scout starts with five free leads on your own ICP.
| Model | Who uses it | What the fee covers | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote after a call | Leadium, Belkins | A custom list, delivered in batches | You learn the price after you have spent time on calls |
| Flat monthly fee | CIENCE, SalesHive | Research plus managed outreach | You pay for outreach even if you only wanted the list |
| Hourly or per lead | Freelance researchers | Exactly what your brief says | Quality depends on one person and on how well you wrote the brief |
| Free sample first | Scout, and Belkins' test batch | A small batch on your ICP | The sample is small, so judge quality and not volume |
Why do most services hide their price?
Because the work changes with the brief. A list of US software companies with a named VP of Sales is cheap to build. A list of companies that have just posted three account executive roles and have no RevOps hire takes reading, and the cost follows the reading. A quote lets the vendor price your brief and not an average one.
For you it means the price is a function of how narrow your criteria are. Narrow criteria cost more per row and waste less of your sending time.
Is a flat monthly fee cheaper than paying per lead?
It depends on whether you wanted outreach. A flat fee that includes SDRs is a different purchase from a list, and comparing it to a per-lead rate is comparing two jobs. If you already send your own emails, a service that bundles outreach has you paying for work you will not use.
If you want the list and the reason to contact each company, price the list separately. Ask every vendor for the list-only number, even if it is not on the website.
How do you compare prices without a price list?
Ask each vendor for the same thing: a sample on your own ICP, and a total for one month of the volume you would actually send. Then divide the total by the leads you would have emailed, not by the rows delivered. A 500-row list where you email 40 costs more per useful lead than a 25-row batch where you email 20.
Three questions settle most of it:
- Is outreach included, and can I buy the research alone?
- What does one delivered lead contain, and how do I check it?
- What happens to rows that turn out to be wrong or stale?
How to test a prospect research service on your own ICP turns these into a one-afternoon check.
What does Scout cost?
Scout delivers reviewed leads, each with a cited buying signal, a verified contact and a first line. It does not send the outreach, so there is no outbound team in the price. You can start with five free leads on your own ICP and see the output before talking about money.
If you need a large list quickly, a list vendor is the better fit. Scout is for teams that send fewer, better-timed emails and want to check why each lead is there.
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