Adapt.io vs SalesQL: Which B2B Data Tool Is Worth Your Budget?
Two tools, zero head-to-head comparisons anywhere online. Here's the short version: Adapt.io is a standalone B2B database with enrichment and CRM integrations. SalesQL is a Chrome extension built for pulling contact data off professional profiles. They solve different problems at different price points - and picking the wrong one wastes credits you can't get back.
30-Second Verdict
Adapt.io fits teams that want a searchable database, enrichment workflows, and CRM integrations without living inside a browser extension. SalesQL wins on raw cost-per-credit for individual reps or recruiters whose workflow revolves around profile-by-profile extraction. Skip both if email accuracy is your top priority - plan to verify emails from either tool before you sequence.
Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
| Feature | Adapt.io | SalesQL | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Database | 150M+ contacts, 30M companies | 89M direct emails, 127M work emails | Tie |
| G2 Rating | 4.6/5 (2,789 reviews) | 4.5/5 (166 reviews) | Adapt.io |
| Capterra | Not listed | 3.8/5 (46 reviews) | - |
| Free Tier | 25 email + 25 enrichment | 100 credits | SalesQL |
| Starting Price | $49/mo (500 email + 500 enrichment credits) | $39/mo (2,000 credits) | SalesQL |
| Email Verification | Not specified | Separate verifier credits included | SalesQL |
| Chrome Extension | Yes | Yes (1st/2nd/3rd+ connections) | SalesQL |
| API Access | Custom plan | Basic plan and above | SalesQL |
| CRM Integrations | Salesforce, HubSpot | HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, Make | Tie |
| Phone Numbers | $99/mo plan (100 phone credits) | Included in 1 credit when available | SalesQL |
SalesQL wins more rows, but the edge that matters most depends on your workflow.
Adapt.io - The Database Play
Use this if you need a self-contained prospecting database with company-level filters across 3,000+ industry and tech categories, enrichment workflows, and direct CRM pushes to Salesforce or HubSpot. Adapt.io's 150M+ contacts across 30M companies give you a real search-and-build workflow - you're not dependent on browsing profiles one at a time.
Here's the catch: G2's aggregate data shows Adapt.io takes an average of 4 months to implement and 16 months to reach ROI. If you need pipeline this quarter, that timeline is a dealbreaker.
The free tier is anemic at 25 email credits, and the $49/mo Starter plan only gets you 500 email credits plus 500 enrichment credits with no phone numbers. Phone access is gated behind the $99/mo Basic plan - and even then, you only get 100 phone credits. Advertising phone numbers on the homepage but locking them behind the second paid tier? Frustrating. Custom plans typically start around $200+/mo for small teams, depending on credit volume.
Reviewers praise ease of use (71 mentions) and contact information quality (59 mentions). The top complaint is limited credits, flagged 34 times. Incorrect email addresses come up 14 times - enough to warrant verifying before you sequence.
Adapt.io charges $0.098/credit with no published accuracy rate. SalesQL gives you cheap credits but teams re-verify half the list. Prospeo delivers 98% email accuracy at ~$0.01/email with built-in 5-step verification - no separate verifier needed.
Stop paying twice: once for credits, once to verify them.
SalesQL - Cheap Credits, One Channel
At $39/mo for 2,000 credits, SalesQL's unit economics are the headline. One credit pulls work email, direct email, and phone number for a single contact, plus 40+ data points in the dashboard. The Chrome extension can extract 25 profiles at a time from search pages, with a beta pushing that to 100-200. There's also an AI Prospecting Tool for broader searches, though in our testing the extension remains the core workflow.
The cost story gets better on annual billing. SalesQL's Basic plan drops to $29/mo billed annually ($351/year) and includes 288,000 credits per year - roughly $0.0012 per credit. That's about 26% cheaper than paying monthly. The Organization tier runs $119/mo for 12,000 credits on monthly billing.
One nuance worth knowing: email verification uses a separate credit pool. Basic gets 5,000 verification credits, Pro gets 10,000, Organization gets 20,000. Your prospecting credits and verification credits don't compete.
The honest tradeoff: SalesQL's Capterra Customer Service score is 3.3/5, with multiple reviewers describing refund refusals and billing disputes. Reddit users in r/recruiting confirm it's effective for profile-based extraction, but if you see different pricing in older reviews, SalesQL updated its plans - legacy subscribers keep their old tiers, new signups get the current structure. The verifier checks format, server status, and mailbox existence without sending a test email. One example shows a 92% deliverability score, but there's no published global accuracy rate. G2 tags include "Inaccuracy" and "Outdated Data" alongside praise for ease of use.
Cost-Per-Lead Math
This is where the comparison gets interesting. Let's break it down:
| Plan | Price | Credits | Cost/Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adapt.io Starter | $49/mo | 500 email credits | $0.098 |
| Adapt.io Basic | $99/mo | 1,000 email credits | $0.099 |
| SalesQL Basic (monthly) | $39/mo | 2,000 credits | $0.0195 |
| SalesQL Basic (annual) | $351/yr | 288,000 credits/yr | $0.0012 |
| SalesQL Pro | $79/mo | 5,000 credits | $0.0158 |
SalesQL's annual plan is one of the best raw deals in B2B data on a pure cost-per-credit basis. But credits don't matter if the data bounces. A $0.002 credit that produces a bounced email costs you more than the credit - it costs domain reputation, sequence performance, and rep time. We've seen teams burn through 5,000 SalesQL credits in a week and still end up re-verifying half the list through a separate tool.
Why Teams Outgrow Both Tools
Prospeo eliminates that re-verification step with 98% email accuracy on 300M+ professional profiles, a 7-day data refresh cycle, and 125M+ verified mobile numbers. The 5-step verification process handles catch-all domains, spam-trap removal, and honeypot filtering, so you're not bolting on a separate verifier.
The Chrome extension (40,000+ users) works across professional profiles, company websites, and CRMs, which means you get both the database workflow Adapt.io offers and the extension-based extraction SalesQL provides - without juggling two subscriptions. Add 30+ search filters including buyer intent powered by Bombora, technographics, job changes, and headcount growth, and you've got a single platform covering what both tools do separately.
Pricing starts free: 75 emails plus 100 Chrome extension credits per month, no contracts.
You shouldn't need two subscriptions to get a searchable database and a Chrome extension. Prospeo combines 300M+ profiles, 30+ search filters, and a 40K-user extension - with 125M+ verified mobiles and a 7-day data refresh cycle.
One platform. Both workflows. Zero bounced emails wrecking your domain.
FAQ
Can I use Adapt.io and SalesQL together?
You can, but it's redundant and expensive. Adapt.io handles database search; SalesQL handles profile extraction. A single platform covering both workflows - database search, extension extraction, and built-in verification - removes the need for a double subscription and a third-party verifier.
Is SalesQL safe to use long-term given the billing complaints?
Stick with monthly billing and monitor credit usage closely. Multiple Capterra reviewers describe refund refusals and unexpected charges. Don't prepay annually until you've tested for at least two full billing cycles.
What's a good free alternative to both tools?
Prospeo's free tier (75 emails + 100 extension credits/month) is the strongest no-cost option for teams testing the waters. SalesQL offers 100 free credits, and Adapt.io gives 25 - but neither includes built-in verification at the free level, so you'll need a separate tool to confirm deliverability before sending.