Updated to reflect the latest offerings in intent signals.

AI and automation now drive every GTM motion. Chatbots, AI agents, automated workflows, scoring models, and enrichment systems trigger actions the moment a visitor arrives. 

But these systems can only perform as well as the signals they receive.

The problem: most intent data and intent signals are still inaccurate, delayed, and fragmented.

According to MIT and Forrester Reports, less than 20% reflect accurate intent on average. 

As automation expands in 2026, those inaccuracies multiply. 

Teams waste time, effort, resources, and spend. Sales chases the wrong accounts while high-intent buyers slip away unseen.

This is why intent data providers matter more in 2026 than ever.

And it’s also why a new standard has emerged across modern revenue teams: Intent accuracy is the new GTM battleground.

To win, GTM teams need one thing above all others - an accurate signal that reveals true buyer intent and feeds every AI and GTM system with reliable insight.

Below is the definitive 2026 guide to understanding intent data, evaluating B2B intent data providers, and a paradigm-shift in technology that’s transforming GTM engines.

Understanding B2B Intent Data in 2026

Intent data represents signals that indicate buyer interest and readiness. 

It identifies what companies or individuals are researching and how likely they are to move toward a purchase.

Legacy approaches rely heavily on identity-based signals, third-party datasets, or incomplete first-party data such as:

• content consumption
• keyword research
• fundraising rounds or job changes
• IP-based account matching / revealing
• web visits or pricing page views

These signals help, but only at the margin. They are signs of life but incomplete. They only capture a fraction of the buying journey and often miss the visitors who matter most.

For example, knowing the identity of an account or contact on your website doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy.

So most GTM teams rely on the current “gold standard” for buying intent, which is a pricing page view. It makes sense - someone on your site and evaluating your pricing is much better than someone searching for keywords that might relate to your product.

But it’s still wildly inaccurate.

• Up to 94% of pricing page visitors are not high-intent
• While 88% of high-intent visitors are on other pages

So in 2026, GTM teams need to change their perspective. Rather than singular, isolated signals added together - they need to leverage AI to find transformational gains.

The Two Main Types of B2B Intent Data

1. First-Party Intent Data

Collected directly from your website and owned systems.
Examples include:

• website activity
• website behavior (Lift AI)
• form fills
• CRM/MAP data
• analytics 
• email clicks and opens

First-party data is the most reliable, but in most organizations it only covers a small slice of what’s needed to be accurate.

2. Third-Party Intent Data

Sourced from networks outside your site:

• publisher co-ops
• data partnerships
• ad networks
• review sites
• content syndication networks

This expands your visibility beyond your domain but is often delayed and even more inaccurate than the incomplete first-party signals most teams rely on.

Top B2B Intent Data Providers in 2026

Lift AI (The New Paradigm Shift)

Lift AI is the only intent intelligence solution that identifies real-time behavioral intent with 85%+ proven accuracy across 100% of website visitors - including the 70%+ who remain anonymous.

Its model is pre-trained on billions of journeys and millions of purchase outcomes, generating High, Mid, and Low Intent scores for every visitor.

Lift AI’s Intent Signal powers activation across the entire GTM stack:

• Chat, Conversational AI, and Forms
• Intelligent Sales Prioritization (CRM, MAP, etc)
• Hidden Account and Contact Activation (ABM)
• Ad Spend (Retargeting, Matched Audiences)  
• CRO and Content Personalization 

Lift AI reveals opportunities no other platform detects, especially among anonymous visitors that can’t be ID matched or revealed, where a disproportionate share of high intent buyers exist.

With 100% Visitor Coverage, Lift AI’s ONE accurate intent signal is powering transformational GTM results for companies like Boomi, Okta, PayScale, and many more.

Best for:
Any GTM team with a high-traffic website that requires accurate, real-time intent signals to extract maximum pipeline, revenue, and sales efficiency from their site and GTM tools.

6sense

Known for account-based orchestration and predictive modeling. 

6sense aggregates intent signals from multiple sources and aligns them to account journeys to support ABM, pipeline prediction, and sales prioritization.

Best for:
Organizations with mature ABM programs seeking account-level predictions and orchestration workflows.

Bombora

Known for topic-based cooperative intent sourced through publisher networks.

Bombora provides category-level interest insights aggregated at the account level.

Best for:
Marketing teams relying on early-stage research and  broad-scale topic research.

Dealfront

A platform focused on European markets with tools for account discovery, visitor recognition, and region-aligned compliance.

Best for:
Teams operating heavily in the EU that require regional compliance and localized datasets.

Demandbase

A well-known ABM solution offering multi-source intent, identity resolution, and account-level insights paired with ad orchestration and marketing activation features.

Best for:
Global B2B organizations using ABM across multiple regions and languages.

ZoomInfo

A widely used platform offering identity-based and topic-research intent drawn from its proprietary dataset and external sources.
ZoomInfo provides firmographic, contact, and account-level insights that help teams prioritize outbound and ABM motions.

Best for:
Revenue teams using identity-driven datasets for account research and sales intelligence.

G2

Provides second-party intent from buyers researching software categories and vendor pages on G2.

Useful for identifying potential in-market buyers considering specific technologies.

Best for:

Software companies that rely on review-site intent to supplement pipeline targeting.

SalesIntel

Pairs third-party intent signals with human-verified contact data.

Used widely for outbound activation and contact-level enrichment.

Best for:

Sales teams requiring intent plus contact verification to accelerate account-based prospecting.

TechTarget Priority Engine

Delivers prospect-level signals based on interactions across TechTarget’s content network.

Commonly used in technology markets where research is concentrated in TechTarget properties.

Best for:
Tech companies targeting active researchers in defined solution categories.

Terminus

Combines multi-channel ABM execution with aggregated intent from several sources.

Useful for teams building coordinated ad, email, and website programs.

Best for:
Small to mid-sized B2B teams emphasizing ABM and multi-channel marketing.

How to Evaluate an Intent Data Provider in 2026

Choosing a provider now goes beyond datasets and “topics of interest.”
You need to evaluate the signal that will feed your AI, automation, GTM, and revenue systems.

Use the criteria below to compare providers:

1. Accuracy

Ask:
Does the provider measure true behavioral intent, or only engagement, identity, or topic research?

• Identity doesn’t equal Intent.
• Pricing pageviews don’t equal Intent.
• Keyword searches don’t equal intent

This is the core difference between traditional datasets and behavioral intent systems like Lift AI.

2. Coverage

Most providers only cover known or matched accounts.
Yet modern GTM traffic is majority-anonymous.

Lift AI remains the only solution scoring 100% of visitors across three audiences:

• Engaged Visitors
  
  
• Identified Contacts & Accounts
  
  
• Anonymous Visitors
  
  

Coverage determines the size of your revenue opportunity.

3. Timing

Intent is only useful if it triggers action instantly - not hours, days, or weeks later.

Check whether the provider supports true real-time activation instead of daily or weekly enrichment.

4. Integrations

Your Intent Signal must connect cleanly to your GTM stack:

• CRM
• MAP
• Chat & Conversational AI
• ABM tools
• Ad platforms
• AI agents
• CRO tools

5. Data Compliance and Source Transparency

Confirm how data is acquired, processed, and refreshed.

With increasingly strict regulations hindering PII (Personally Identifiable Information) used heavily in ABM and identity-based products, you may want to look for providers who can still provide actionable data on completely anonymous prospects (such as Lift AI). Additionally,  look for providers with transparent sourcing and clear compliance alignment.

6. Reporting and Guarantees

Modern GTM teams need:

• clear reporting on KPIs
• actionable segmentation 
• performance attribution

However, intent data is notorious for being difficult to tie to results - especially among providers who aggregate and orchestrate multiple signals. Some providers, like Lift AI, can provide guarantees on their results as it’s much easier to track the impact of just ONE signal.

The Future of Intent Data: 2026 and Beyond

Three major trends define the next era of intent intelligence.

1. AI Agents Require Accurate, Real-Time Signals

AI agents now run chat, outbound, ads, routing, and support.

But bad input signals create bad automation.

Modern teams now tune their AI systems around Lift AI’s One Accurate Signal to protect revenue and deliver precision.

2. Behavioral Intent Outperforms All Other Signals

Knowing the identity of a website visitor is useful, but it doesn’t indicate buying intent.

Page views were the best in the business, but they’re mostly inaccurate.

Third party signals like keywords and topics are great for list-building, but poor for acting on.

2026 marks the acceleration of behavioral modeling across GTM - the field Lift AI pioneered.

3. 100% Web Visitor Coverage is the New Standard

Every GTM team recognizes the lost revenue in the anonymous traffic that identity-resolution tools can’t see. When significant investment goes into driving traffic to your website, letting it slip away without converting is a number #1 problem to solve.

Lift AI’s approach transforms this previously invisible audience into a revenue-generating source of pipeline immediately.

The Best Place to Start? Free Trials and Performance Guarantees

Most intent data providers offer valuable inputs - identity, topics, research patterns, and category interests.

But in 2026, these signals no longer define the winning GTM teams.

Winning teams operate from One Accurate Signal: a real-time, behavioral Intent Signal with 85%+ Accuracy and 100% Visitor Coverage.

This is the shift.

This is the new paradigm.

Lift AI is the modern standard for intent data - the foundation beneath every AI system and GTM workflow.

When accuracy drives your automation, your team wins on revenue, efficiency, and precision.

But the best way to know this for sure is through trying it yourself. Most of the providers listed here offer a free trial or demo. In the case of Lift AI, you get 30 days free and a performance guarantee - if you don’t get results, you don’t pay.