Intent data is the 2026 priority for B2B sales teams that want to escape the volume-cold-email economics. The category covers any data source that tells you which buyers are actively researching, evaluating, or moving toward a purchase decision in your category - so you reach out to them while the intent is hot, not when the buyer has already chosen someone else.

This guide compares 7 major intent data sources in 2026, ranked by signal type, coverage, and fit for different team stages. The choice is not just about which provider has the most data - it is about which signal type matches the buyers you want to reach. Bombora-class topic-research data works for enterprise. Reddit/LinkedIn declared intent works for solo founders. The two are not interchangeable.

Key takeaways

• B2B intent data splits into three structural types: third-party research (Bombora-class), platform-specific (G2, software review sites), and declared (Reddit/LinkedIn/X public posts).

• Third-party research data shows accounts researching topics; declared intent shows individuals asking for solutions by name. Different precision, different price.

• Enterprise stack (6sense, Demandbase, ZoomInfo Intent) runs $20K-$100K+/year and works for SDR pods of 5+.

• Mid-market options (G2 Buyer Intent, Cognism Intent) run $5K-$30K/year - account-level signals, not individual.

• Solo-founder options (Common Room free tier, repco.ai $25-$49/month) provide individual-level signals at a different cost profile.

What is B2B intent data?

B2B intent data is any signal showing a company or individual is actively researching, evaluating, or moving toward purchase in your category. The structural types in 2026:

• Third-party research data: Bombora, 6sense, Demandbase. Tracks anonymous research activity across thousands of B2B publishers and infers "surge" interest at the company level.

• First-party declared data: Reddit, LinkedIn, X public posts where someone explicitly says they are evaluating or looking for a solution by name. Repco.ai monitors this layer.

• Platform-specific data: G2 Buyer Intent (review-site browsing), Capterra Visitor Intent, vendor-website behavioral data.

• Trigger-event data: Job changes, funding rounds, exec movements, earnings call mentions. Crunchbase, LinkedIn Sales Nav alerts, Champify.

• Community signals: Slack, Discord, GitHub engagement. Common Room, Vector.

No single source covers all five. Most enterprise sales orgs run 2-3 sources stacked. Solo founders typically run 1-2 sources at lower price points.

The 7 main intent data sources in 2026

The pattern: enterprise-scale sources are account-level and cost $15K-$100K+/year. Solo-friendly sources are individual-level and cost $0-$50/month. The middle is sparse.

Bombora (the original third-party intent data)

Signal type: Third-party research surge across ~5,000 B2B publishers.
Granularity: Account-level. Tells you "Acme Corp researched 'AI sales tools' last week" - not which specific person.
Pricing: Direct contracts from ~$15K/year. Typically resold via 6sense, ZoomInfo, Cognism, and others.
Best for: Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs that target named accounts and run ABM motions.

Bombora is the data layer powering most third-party intent products. Its core methodology: tracks anonymous content consumption across publisher partners, identifies "surge" - statistically elevated research activity on specific topics by specific company-IPs - and exposes that signal via API or via reseller integrations.

Limitation: account-level only. You know Acme is researching, you do not know who at Acme is the buyer. Pairs with contact data (ZoomInfo, Cognism) to identify outreach targets at the surging account.

6sense (enterprise ABM platform with intent layer)

Signal type: Bombora third-party + first-party web behavior + AI-predicted account scoring.
Granularity: Account + persona-level (who at the account is the buyer).
Pricing: Enterprise contracts from ~$60K/year, typically $100K-$300K for full deployments.
Best for: Enterprise ABM motions with $200K+/year tooling budgets.

6sense is the most-cited enterprise intent platform. Combines third-party intent with first-party signals (your website, your CRM data) and runs AI scoring on top to predict which accounts are in a buying stage. Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft.

For enterprise sales orgs, 6sense is a defensible choice. For solo founders and small teams, the price point is structurally outside reasonable range.

Demandbase (the other enterprise ABM platform)

Signal type: Third-party intent + ABM advertising + account-based analytics.
Granularity: Account + persona-level.
Pricing: Enterprise contracts from ~$50K/year.
Best for: Enterprise ABM, especially when paired with display advertising.

Demandbase is the closest competitor to 6sense in the enterprise ABM space. The differentiation: stronger advertising / display layer for account-based campaigns. The intent layer is similar - third-party Bombora-class data plus first-party.

For solo founders and small teams, same structural mismatch as 6sense.

ZoomInfo Intent (the bundled option)

Signal type: Bombora-powered intent layered on ZoomInfo contact data.
Granularity: Account-level (with contact lookup via main ZoomInfo subscription).
Pricing: Add-on to ZoomInfo subscription, typically $15K-$40K/year extra.
Best for: Existing ZoomInfo customers who want intent without a separate contract.

ZoomInfo Intent is the path of least resistance for ZoomInfo customers - same bill, same login, account intent layered onto the contact database. The trade-off: you are committed to ZoomInfo contact pricing.

The repco vs ZoomInfo comparison covers when ZoomInfo is the right contact-database choice. If you are not already on ZoomInfo, ZI Intent is rarely worth the bundle.

G2 Buyer Intent (SaaS-specific)

Signal type: Browsing behavior on G2 software review pages.
Granularity: Account-level (companies browsing competitor pages, comparison pages, your category pages).
Pricing: From ~$10K/year for entry tier; enterprise contracts go higher.
Best for: B2B SaaS companies whose buyers research on G2 before purchase.

G2 Buyer Intent is the most directly actionable intent source for SaaS - it tells you which accounts are browsing your category, your product page, or competitor comparison pages on G2. The signal is closer to declared intent than Bombora-class research, because G2 browsing is a deliberate evaluation behavior.

Best fit: SaaS companies with established G2 presence. Less useful for: services, consulting, non-SaaS B2B, or SaaS categories where buyers do not research on G2.

Common Room (community + PLG signals)

Signal type: Slack, Discord, GitHub, community engagement signals tied to specific individuals.
Granularity: Individual-level - identifies specific users in your community engaging with your product.
Pricing: Free tier (limited workflows) + paid plans from ~$200/month.
Best for: PLG and community-led B2B SaaS where buyers are active in Slack/Discord communities.

Common Room sits in a different category from Bombora-class third-party intent. It tracks engagement in your own community spaces (Slack, Discord, GitHub repo activity) and identifies which individuals are showing buying signals. The free tier is a real solo-founder-friendly option.

Limitation: only works if your buyers actually engage in communities you can monitor. For community-light B2B (consulting, services, traditional sales), the value drops.

repco.ai (Reddit + LinkedIn declared intent)

Signal type: Public Reddit posts and LinkedIn engagement showing declared buying intent ("any good alternative to X?").
Granularity: Individual-level - identifies the specific user who posted the intent signal.
Pricing: Free forever / $49 monthly / $25 annual.
Best for: Solo founders, freelancers, 2-10 person agencies with B2B SaaS or service offerings whose buyers discuss tools publicly.

repco.ai monitors Reddit every 15 minutes and LinkedIn every 2-4 hours for posts and comments where someone publicly asks for what you sell. A Claude Sonnet 4.6 classifier scores each signal 1-10 for buying intent. Unlike third-party intent (account-level surge), repco surfaces the specific individual making the buying-mode statement, then drafts and sends a personalized reply tied to that post.

The model is structurally different from enterprise intent providers: declared intent at the individual level, real-time, no annual contract.

How to choose intent data for your team

Decision tree:

• Solo founder / 2-person team, B2B SaaS or services: Start with repco.ai ($25-$49/month) for declared intent + Common Room free tier for community. Total: under $50/month.

• 5-15 person team, mid-market motion: G2 Buyer Intent + repco for individual-level + Common Room for community engagement. Total: $10K-$15K/year + $25-$50/month.

• Enterprise SDR pod, ABM motion: 6sense or Demandbase as the platform layer + ZoomInfo Intent for contact match + repco for the Reddit/LinkedIn declared layer that enterprise tools miss. Total: $80K-$200K+/year.

• PLG / community-first SaaS: Common Room as primary + G2 Buyer Intent + repco for declared intent outside community. Total: $5K-$15K/year + $25-$50/month.

The error solo founders make is to assume they need 6sense or Bombora to do signal-based selling. They do not. Declared intent on Reddit and LinkedIn (the layer enterprise tools mostly ignore) is the highest-precision signal at the smallest scale.

The signal-based selling 2026 playbook covers how to operate against intent data at solo-founder scale.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best B2B intent data source in 2026?

There is no single best source - the right choice depends on team scale and buyer behavior. Enterprise: 6sense or Demandbase. Mid-market SaaS: G2 Buyer Intent + Bombora via ZoomInfo. PLG: Common Room. Solo founders: repco.ai for Reddit/LinkedIn declared intent, free tier of Common Room for community.

How much does B2B intent data cost?

Pricing spans 3+ orders of magnitude in 2026. Enterprise platforms (6sense, Demandbase) run $50K-$300K+/year. Mid-market (Bombora direct, G2 Buyer Intent, ZoomInfo Intent add-on) runs $10K-$40K/year. Solo-founder options (repco.ai, Common Room free tier) run $0-$600/year. The right budget depends on team scale and ACV.

Is Bombora intent data accurate?

Bombora's third-party research surge is accurate at the account level - it correctly identifies that someone at Acme Corp is researching a topic. The accuracy gap is at the persona level: it does not tell you who at Acme is the buyer, just that someone is. Pairing Bombora with contact data (ZoomInfo, Cognism) closes that gap with accuracy that varies by ICP.

Does intent data work for solo founders?

Yes, but enterprise intent data (Bombora, 6sense) does not. Solo founders should use individual-level declared intent sources - Reddit/LinkedIn signal monitoring (repco.ai), community engagement (Common Room free tier), and trigger events (Google Alerts, LinkedIn Sales Nav). Total cost: under $200/month for a working stack.

Should I buy intent data or rely on inbound?

For most teams, both. Inbound (content, SEO, paid) generates first-party intent on your own properties. Third-party intent fills the gap of who is researching but has not visited yet. The right mix depends on inbound maturity - early-stage teams with weak inbound benefit more from intent data than mature inbound brands.

The bottom line

B2B intent data in 2026 splits cleanly by team scale. Enterprise: 6sense, Demandbase, Bombora at $50K-$300K+/year. Mid-market: G2 Buyer Intent, ZoomInfo Intent at $10K-$40K/year. Solo: repco.ai, Common Room free tier at $0-$600/year.

The error is treating intent data as a single category. The seven sources above cover different signal types, granularities, and price points - and they are mostly complementary, not substitutes. The right stack depends on team scale, buyer behavior, and existing tooling.

If you are a solo founder or 2-person team and your buyers are publicly asking for what you sell on Reddit and LinkedIn, find my buyers (free) - declared intent at individual-level granularity, no annual contract, no SDR pod required.