Comparison
The UK merchant data the global providers won’t build.
ZoomInfo, Cognism, Apollo, Lusha, Kaspr and the legacy data giants are strong tools for selling software to sizeable companies. In our experience, few of them go deep on the UK’s owner-run restaurants, retail, beauty, gyms and independents, because for their model it is not worth the time, the cost or the specialist people it takes. That gap is the whole reason Peach Data exists.
Why the generic providers leave this gap
A UK filter on a global database is not UK merchant data
Every large provider can hand you UK companies. The question is why none of them build the owner-level, screened, monthly-refreshed picture of the merchant base. Three structural reasons, and none of them are going away.
The merchant long tail is a rounding error to them
The global providers are built to sell software to sizeable companies. Against a worldwide market of enterprise contacts, the UK's owner-run restaurants, retail, beauty, gyms and independents move none of their numbers. Building real depth there is effort that does not show up on their roadmap.
Owner-level, screened, monthly-refreshed data is expensive to make
Scraped contact data is cheap to produce at volume. Resolving a named owner, attaching a direct dial where verified, screening every record against TPS and CTPS, and refreshing monthly so closures drop out is manual, UK-specific and costly per record. It does not fit a self-serve, credit-metered model.
This is not a scraping problem
It takes people who know Companies House, UK licensing and food hygiene registers, and how a merchant actually trades, plus the experience of having called these venues. In our view, global vendors are staffed for scale and coverage across markets, not for UK merchant fieldwork. So the segment stays a gap. We built the company around filling exactly that gap.
Side by side
Peach Data vs the generic providers
For a team selling into UK restaurants, retail, beauty, gyms, hotels and fleets. Grouped by category, since the trade-offs are shared across each. Scroll the table on mobile.
| Capability | Peach DataUK merchant specialist | Global B2B databasesZoomInfo · Cognism (incl. Kaspr) · Apollo · Lusha | Legacy data giantsDun & Bradstreet · Experian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth in the UK owner-run long tail | Core focus | Skews larger firms | Firmographic breadth, thin contacts |
| Restaurants, retail, beauty, gyms, hotels, fleets as named verticals | Dedicated datasets | Generic industry codes | SIC codes only |
| Named owner or operator on the record | Where identified | Job-title contacts | Company level only |
| Direct dial to the decision maker | Where verified | General B2B dials | Main switchboard |
| TPS and CTPS screened before delivery | Every record | Some screen TPS/CTPS; varies | Screening sold separately |
| Sector signals (hygiene rating, licence type, fleet size) | On the record | Not available | Some firmographics |
| Refreshed monthly for openings and closures | Monthly | Rolling, not merchant specific | Periodic |
| CSV plus a free platform, no seat lock-in | Both, included | Per-seat platform | Enterprise contracts |
| Priced for a UK merchant go-to-market | Per dataset | Global seat contracts | Enterprise licensing |
This page reflects each provider’s publicly stated positioning as of July 2026 and our own analysis and experience of UK merchant coverage. Capability differs by provider and plan: some named providers, including UK-founded ones, screen UK phone data against TPS and CTPS. ZoomInfo, Cognism, Apollo, Lusha, Kaspr, Dun & Bradstreet and Experian are trademarks of their respective owners and are strong tools for their core use case of global B2B prospecting and business data. Capabilities change, so verify against their current documentation.
Go deeper on pricing and compliance and TPS screening, or browse the datasets for restaurants, hotels and fleets.
An honest take
When a global provider is the right call
Reach for a global database when
- You sell software or services to mid-market and enterprise companies
- You need intent data and coverage across many countries
- Your buyers are job-title personas inside larger organisations
- Firmographics and credit data on registered companies is the job
Reach for Peach Data when
- You sell POS, payments, supply or services into UK merchants
- You need the owner of an independent venue, not a head-office contact
- UK calling compliance and a clean TPS screen are non-negotiable
- You want CSV-ready records without a per-seat platform contract
Comparison FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the best UK alternative to ZoomInfo, Cognism, Apollo, Lusha and Kaspr for merchant data?
For teams selling into UK merchants, Peach Data is the specialist alternative. ZoomInfo, Cognism, Apollo, Lusha and Kaspr are global B2B databases built around contacts at larger companies, while Peach Data is built only for the UK merchant base across restaurants, retail, beauty, gyms, hotels and fleets. A named owner or operator is attached where we can identify it, with a direct dial where verified, and every record is screened against the TPS and CTPS registers before delivery and refreshed monthly.
Why doesn't a big global data provider just cover the UK merchant long tail?
It is a structural gap, not an oversight. The owner-run UK merchant base is a rounding error against a global market of enterprise software contacts, so it does not justify the investment. The data is also expensive to produce properly: resolving a named owner, attaching a verified direct dial, screening every record against TPS and CTPS and refreshing monthly is manual and UK-specific, which does not fit a self-serve credit model. And it takes people with UK register, licensing and fieldwork expertise that global vendors are not typically staffed for. Peach Data was built specifically to close that gap.
Is Peach Data cheaper than ZoomInfo, Cognism or Apollo?
It is a different model rather than simply cheaper. The global tools sell annual per-seat platform contracts metered by credits. Peach Data is priced per dataset for your go-to-market, delivered as CSV and through a free platform with no per-seat lock-in, so the whole team can work the same records. For a UK merchant go-to-market that usually works out more cost-effective, but the real difference is depth and compliance on the merchant base rather than headline price.
Is the data GDPR and PECR compliant?
Yes. Peach Data is registered with the ICO as a data controller. Phone numbers are screened against the TPS and CTPS registers before delivery and only clean numbers are released for calling, supplied controller to controller under UK GDPR. Customers re-screen on the 28 day cycle PECR requires before any campaign. Full registration and policy detail sits on our compliance page.
How often is the data refreshed?
Monthly. New openings are added and closures are removed, so your team works a market that reflects today rather than last year.
Do records include the owner and a direct dial?
A verified owner or operator name is attached where we can identify it. A direct dial is attached where verified, rather than a generic enquiries line, so reps reach the operator instead of a front desk.
How is the data delivered?
As a filtered CSV or through the platform. Standard column headers import straight into Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive or any CRM that takes a spreadsheet, with no mapping project.
Can I get a sample before buying?
Yes. A 30-day pilot gives you a working sample built around the cities and merchant types you sell into, so you can test the depth and accuracy before committing.
Get started
See the difference
on real records.
Book a walkthrough and we'll pull live UK merchant records for the patch your team sells into, so you can judge the depth against what you get from the global tools today.