Study Reveals the 4 Best Waterfall Enrichment Tools for B2B

TL;DR: Despite 90% of B2B companies using multiple enrichment tools, 60% of sales teams still struggle with bad data. To understand why, we tested four leading waterfall enrichment tools – Surfe, Enrow, Lemlist, and FullEnrich, on the same list of 100 contacts. This article compares their find rates, accuracy, and cost to help you choose the best tool for your needs.

In B2B sales, your contact data can make or break a deal. But despite using multiple enrichment tools, many teams still struggle with outdated or incomplete information. Why does this keep happening?

To find out, we tested four of the leading waterfall enrichment tools – Surfe, Enrow, Lemlist, and FullEnrich, on the same list of 100 contacts. We dug into how accurate their email finds were and how much it cost to enrich that data.

In this article, we’ll reveal which tool came out on top, how much you’re really paying for accuracy, and what these findings mean for your sales team’s performance.

What is a Waterfall Enrichment Tool?

Waterfall enrichment is the most reliable, effective method for verifying contact data and ensuring your outreach hits the mark. Unlike traditional enrichment tools that rely on just one data provider, waterfall enrichment combines multiple premium data sources — verifying, validating, and cross-checking until the most accurate and complete information is found.

Here’s why it works:

• Sequential Search: It begins by prioritizing the best-fit data sources, improving accuracy from the start.

• Multiple Databases: More coverage means higher match rates and cleaner results.

• Validation: Every contact is verified, ensuring you’re not wasting time on bad leads or sending emails to bounced inboxes.

The result: Higher connect rates, less wasted time, and a CRM full of reliable, up-to-date data. With waterfall enrichment, you’re not only saving time — you’re getting better outcomes.

Why Waterfall Enrichment Tools Surpass Regular Email Finders

Every lead and every minute counts. BDRs have their hands tied. They don’t have a choice. They must continuously evolve, improve, and become more efficient to secure deals and meet targets.

When every second counts, SDRs and BDRs simply cannot afford to spend hours every week looking for contact details. In fact, Salesforce recently found that sales reps only spend 28% of their time actually selling – the rest is spent on admin work (crazy, right?). So really, they can’t afford to waste any time at all.

Here’s why switching to a waterfall approach can be a game-changer for sales teams:

• Efficiency: No more tab-switching or manual uploads. Waterfall enrichment automates the search across multiple data sources — so you can focus on selling, not searching.

• Coverage: You get results from global sources, meaning better match rates, and reduced data decay.

• Cost-Effectiveness: Instead of juggling multiple subscriptions, waterfall enrichment gives you everything you need in one tool.

Meaning fewer tools, better data, faster workflows, and a much cleaner CRM.

We Tested 4 Top Waterfall Enrichment Tools

We put Surfe, Enrow, Lemlist, and FullEnrich head-to-head to see which one really delivers when it comes to accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and integration with sales workflows.

Here’s what we found:

1. Lemlist

Lemlist isn’t a tool for finding email addresses – it’s also a platform that allows users to personalize and automate their outreach campaigns. One of Lemlist’s most distinctive features is its ability to embed personalized images and videos within emails, which can significantly increase engagement rates and help establish a more personal connection with recipients. Make sure these personalized images have their backgrounds digitally clipped, so your emails load faster.

They also have built-in A/B testing functionality, which enables users to experiment with different email templates and subject lines. Lemlist’s analytics help users track everything, allowing for meticulous monitoring and tweaking of email strategies based on comprehensive data insights.

Performance in the Study

In our study, Lemlist achieved an 88% find rate for valid, professional email addresses, making it a highly effective tool for sales teams looking to enhance their lead generation efforts.

Cost-Effectiveness

Priced at just €6 for the scope of our test, Lemlist provides an affordable solution for businesses of all sizes. Considering the advanced features and the high level of personalization it offers, Lemlist presents significant value for money, especially for sales and marketing teams focused on crafting tailored and impactful email outreach campaigns. At just €6 to find 100 email addresses, Lemlist was the cheapest tool we tested.

2. Enrow

Enrow positions itself as a robust player in the email enrichment and stands out by only charging its users for emails it successfully finds. Most waterfall enrichment tools will charge you 100 credits when you search for 100 email addresses, no matter what the find rate is. Enrow only charges for the emails it finds.

Performance in the Study

For our search, Enrow achieved a find rate of 74% for valid, professional email addresses. While this rate is lower compared to some competitors, it is important to consider that it’s still a much better result than you would usually find with a single tool.

Cost-Effectiveness

At a cost of $29 for 100 contacts, Enrow’s pricing is mid to high-range. It’s certainly not the cheapest, but there are more expensive tools out there.

3. FullEnrich

FullEnrich excels not only as a comprehensive enrichment tool but also offers the unique capability to export lists directly from LinkedIn searches, streamlining the integration of social data into business workflows.

Performance in the Study

FullEnrich recorded a high find rate of 90% for valid, professional email addresses. 90% is a high find rate by any standards and is achieved thanks to the enrichment databases they’re connected to: Apollo, Clearbit, Snov, and Hunter to name a few.

Cost-Effectiveness

At €29 for the test involving 100 contacts, FullEnrich sits between mid and high-end. While this price point is on the higher side, the additional features and the comprehensive nature of the data provided offer significant value, particularly for enterprises and mid-sized businesses that require deep insights into their contacts to tailor their engagement strategies effectively.

4. Surfe

Surfe stands out by integrating its waterfall enrichment tool directly into your sales workflow, wherever that may be. You can enrich contact info from LinkedIn profiles with one click, or bulk-enrich Sales Navigator lead lists and CSVs for seamless CRM syncing.

With Surfe’s Chrome extension, you can easily sync with CRMs like Pipedrive, HubSpot, Salesforce, Copper, or Google Sheets, streamlining contact management and deal editing without switching tabs.

Performance in the Study:

Surfe led the study with a 95% find rate, thanks to its strategic partnerships with top databases like Apollo, RocketReach, Dropcontact, and Hunter.

Cost-Effectiveness:

At €13.3 for 100 contacts, Surfe delivers high accuracy at a competitive price, making it an excellent choice for businesses looking for reliable and cost-effective email enrichment.

Which is the Best Waterfall Enrichment Tool?

The Winner: Surfe

When it comes to accuracy, speed, and cost-effectiveness, Surfe is the clear winner. It scored the highest find rate at an affordable price, plus it integrates directly with your CRM. Surfe combines workflow automation with top-tier enrichment technology, giving sales teams the power to move faster, with cleaner data and less admin work.

If you’re looking to maximize your outreach, boost your CRM hygiene, and improve pipeline performance, Surfe is the solution.

Get started with a 14-day free trial and see how waterfall enrichment can transform your sales game.

Let’s wrap it up!

Data enrichment has evolved, and waterfall enrichment is now the gold standard. Unlike traditional tools that rely on single, often outdated data sources, waterfall enrichment pulls from multiple, verified sources to give you the most reliable contact information.

With Surfe’s 95% accuracy, seamless integrations with LinkedIn and your CRM, and automated workflows, it’s the perfect tool for sales teams looking to boost performance. Stop wasting time manually hunting for data — let Surfe handle it and watch your pipeline, connect rates, and revenue grow.