Dun & Bradstreet
Price:
Ease of Use:
Overall Rating: 4.4 (Top-Tier)
D&B is a mature, premium provider of B2B data. Agencies managing significant budgets or precision-driven campaigns will find consistent value. The company has successfully transitioned from legacy data provider to programmatic enabler, maintaining standards while adapting to new demands.
Pricing ($$$$$)
Enterprise licenses typically begin in the mid-six figures and scale with access and usage. Programmatic CPMs run 2-3x higher than industry norms.
The pricing reflects the cost of sustaining authoritative datasets at a global scale. Agencies optimize costs through multi-client licensing, while smaller advertisers often engage via DSP integrations with higher CPMs but lower minimums.
The model favors enterprises with sustained B2B investment.
Data Quality (4.8/5)
D&B sets the benchmark for B2B data. Decades of investment have created a trusted system of record for global commerce, anchored by the DUNS number. This identifier is relied on by banks, governments, and Fortune 500 companies to validate business entities.
The Hoovers database combines breadth with rigor. It pulls from public filings, partner networks, and direct company updates, ensuring coverage and accuracy beyond the reach of most competitors. For frontline users, from sales reps checking recent funding rounds to marketing teams monitoring market shifts, D&B provides verified intelligence that underpins critical decisions.
The 2021 Eyeota acquisition advanced this strength. Instead of adding raw audience data, D&B integrated expertise in programmatic behavior. Their segments now include purchase intent, technology adoption, and growth indicators that directly inform campaign strategy.
Match rates regularly exceed 85%, a reflection of data grounded in verification, not estimation.
Integration (4.5/5)
D&B data is designed to move easily across platforms. Eyeota infrastructure supports activation across 100+ platforms, but the real differentiator is how seamlessly it fits existing stacks without requiring large-scale reconfiguration.
Clear API documentation accelerates deployment. Audience Manager enables segment translation into DSP-ready parameters, eliminating the risk of unexplained drops in audience size.
Identity resolution extends the value. A customer list upload maps not only emails but also organizational structures, funding stages, and technology footprints. This provides context on decision-makers and budget holders that traditional matching overlooks.
In some cases, LiveRamp is required as middleware, introducing minor latency but ensuring data freshness. It’s a trade-off most enterprises accept.
Scalability (4.7/5)
Scale is a given. Precision is where D&B distinguishes itself. The platform supports both broad campaigns, such as Fortune 500 targeting, and highly specific cohorts, such as SaaS companies with 10-50 employees using Salesforce in the Northeast.
Its infrastructure processes enterprise-scale enrichment, batches of 50+ million records, without performance degradation.
Market limits, not system constraints, define the ceiling. A query for family-owned restaurants in Montana with $2-5M in revenue will return a few hundred results because that’s the true market size.
Query times remain consistent, whether the request involves 10,000 records or 10 million.
Compliance (4.4/5)
D&B operates under strict compliance requirements shaped by decades of work with financial institutions and government agencies. Accuracy and accountability are embedded into their framework.
GDPR practices go beyond formality. Legal basis documentation, opt-out mechanisms, and audit processes are standard. The Eyeota acquisition added further consumer privacy expertise, strengthening controls across markets.
D&B’s track record withstands scrutiny. Their data informs credit assessments, procurement, and due diligence. These are contexts where compliance failures carry legal consequences. Across this history, D&B has avoided major breaches or regulatory sanctions.
Occasional inaccuracies are inevitable at scale, but correction protocols are prompt and transparent.
ROI (3.8/5)
D&B’s pricing reflects the value of proprietary data assets. Enterprise clients often see lead quality improve by 40-60% when replacing generic targeting with D&B firmographics. Conversion gains typically follow.
Pricing is transparent: enterprise licenses are annual; programmatic activation is CPM-based. No hidden fees complicate cost modeling.
The impact compounds across functions, including prospecting, targeting, and analytics, giving agencies multi-use leverage on the same investment. High renewal rates confirm the business case.
Customer Support (4.2/5)
Large accounts receive more than technical support. They gain strategic partners. D&B provides dedicated teams who understand the data and its application in real-world campaigns.
Implementation support includes architecture design and performance optimization. Training programs teach methodology and measurement frameworks, building programmatic fluency across client teams.
Response times meet enterprise expectations. Urgent issues receive same-day attention, and strategic consultations are scheduled as needed. Coverage across global time zones ensures consistent support.
Innovation (4.3/5)
Innovation at D&B is purposeful. Rev.Up applies machine learning to prioritize accounts and build lookalikes, driving practical improvements in sales and marketing outcomes.
Predictive lead scoring, enhanced through Lattice Engines, integrates firmographic and behavioral signals. Models are trained on actual sales results, ensuring relevance.
Data imputation fills information gaps, with revenue estimates tracking within 15% of verified figures.
Identity resolution capabilities are being adapted for a cookieless environment, leveraging D&B’s offline identifier database. Early testing suggests targeting effectiveness will remain strong.
Reviews
“D&B Hoovers is able to help immensely when doing a prospecting research regarding an industry or a company.”
“One of the most valuable features is its corporate hierarchy and family tree view, which I find far more comprehensive than what’s available in ZoomInfo or Lusha.”
“Comprehensive company data – Access to millions of detailed company profiles worldwide.”
“…One area for improvement is the occasional outdated or incomplete data on smaller or international companies.”
“I like its extreme ease of use and the ability to customize prospect lists to suit each organization’s needs.”
“I don’t like that it doesn’t integrate with our current CRM system, Quickbase.”
“Its configuration is somewhat complex and has some limitations.”