A side-by-side look at how the two compare, and which one fits your use case.
| Dimension | PersistData | LeadIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Server-side data API; per-request fetch, not a large owned brand-name database | Hybrid model, not a pure server-side database. LeadIQ pairs an owned, partly community-/contribution-built contact dataset with a Chrome-extension capture workflow over LinkedIn/Sales Navigator plus waterfall email enrichment. LeadIQ markets 600M+ contacts (and 749M+ on its enterprise tier, with a vendor-stated 60%+ refreshed in the last 6 months) — these are LeadIQ's own published figures, not independently audited, so treat them as the vendor's claim; several third-party reviews characterize it more as a capture/prospecting tool than a standalone bulk database. (Source: leadiq.com/our-data, leadiq.com/enterprise; third-party reviews. As of June 2026) |
| Login / seat required | No login, no seat, no extension | Yes on all three, per LeadIQ's product docs and pricing pages: a login is required, the product is sold per paid user seat, and the Chrome extension is the primary workflow. A standalone People/DB Search exists, but per third-party pricing write-ups fuller DB search access is positioned toward annual Pro/Enterprise tiers. (Source: leadiq.com; Salesintel, Prospeo, MarketBetter. As of June 2026) |
| LinkedIn account ban risk | None; fully server-side, never touches your LinkedIn session | Material risk specifically for the capture extension, which operates through your logged-in LinkedIn session — a use LinkedIn's User Agreement restricts. LeadIQ's Lead Capture appears on widely circulated third-party "prohibited LinkedIn plugin" lists, and 2026 commentary links such session-based extensions to warnings, restrictions, or suspensions; these consequences are reported by third-party sources and LinkedIn policy, not a published LeadIQ admission. Risk is described as lower for LeadIQ's stored-data Search/API paths that do not act through the live session — and this session-risk dynamic is NOT unique to PersistData, since LeadIQ's own API, ZoomInfo, and Apollo similarly avoid the logged-in session. (Source: linkedin.com/help prohibited-software page; third-party commentary. As of June 2026) |
| Pricing model | One-time packs or month-to-month; transparent per-credit (PersistData's published terms) | Published tiers plus custom enterprise, per LeadIQ and third-party trackers: Free at $0 / 1 user / 50 credits per month; Pro from roughly $200/month (commonly described as up to ~5 users sharing a credit pool, scaling via a credit slider), with about 25% off on annual billing; Enterprise is custom/quote-based and annual-only. Reviewer-cited credit costs: email = 1 credit, phone = 10 credits, enrichment = 3 credits, with no rollover. Vendr/Dimmo-tracked real deals show a median near $26K/year and a range of roughly $6K–$58K/year — present as a third-party-tracked range, not a fixed price. (Source: vendr.com/marketplace/leadiq; Salesintel, Prospeo, MarketBetter. As of June 2026) |
| Approx. $ per record | ~$0.02-$0.10 per credit; 1 credit per profile/company, 5 credits per verified email (PersistData's stated rates) | No official per-record price is published by LeadIQ; these figures are third-party estimates, not vendor or audited numbers. At volume, reviewers estimate roughly $0.08–$0.12 per credit — so a verified email (1 credit) works out to ~$0.08–$0.12 and a direct dial (10 credits) to ~$0.80–$1.20 (estimated). For comparison, PersistData markets approximately $0.02–$0.10 per credit (PersistData's own marketing figure). Treat both as estimates/vendor-marketed, not confirmed unit pricing. (Source: third-party 2026 estimates; PersistData marketing. As of June 2026) |
| Pay only for found | Yes; a not-found costs 0 credits (per PersistData's terms) | Mostly yes, with a documented exception. Per LeadIQ's own help documentation, when no data is found, no credit is charged. However, LeadIQ Refresh uses a separate credit pool and, per LeadIQ's Refresh Credits help article, deducts a credit when it matches a record in your CRM even if no new or changed data is returned. This is sourced to LeadIQ's own docs, so it can be stated as documented behavior — and pay-for-found is NOT exclusive to PersistData. (Source: LeadIQ Help Center, leadiqhelp.zendesk.com. As of June 2026) |
| Free tier | Evaluation via low-cost packs (no perpetual free plan) | Yes. LeadIQ offers a free plan at $0 with 1 user and 50 credits/month (enough for roughly 50 emails or 5 phone numbers, or a mix) plus the free Chrome extension, per LeadIQ and third-party pricing pages. DB/standalone Search access is limited on the free tier, and a 30-day trial is available on paid plans per reviewer reports. (Source: leadiq.com pricing; Salesintel, Prospeo. As of June 2026) |
| Annual lock-in | None; one-time packs or month-to-month | Strong annual orientation, per LeadIQ's posted terms. LeadIQ's Master Subscription Agreement provides for auto-renewal unless written notice is given, fees that are generally non-refundable (with pro-rata refunds only for termination for cause), and rates that can increase at renewal; Enterprise is annual-only, and the best Pro rate and fuller Search access are annual-oriented, with month-to-month Pro carrying roughly a 25% premium. These auto-renew/non-refundable points are stated per LeadIQ's MSA, not as a criticism in our voice; by contrast, PersistData has no annual lock-in. (Source: LeadIQ MSA/terms. As of June 2026) |
| API access | API-first by design; server-side, no seat | Yes, key-based, but volume/production access is gated to higher tiers. LeadIQ publishes a public API at developer.leadiq.com using HTTP Basic auth (API key as username, no password). Reviewer and doc reports indicate ~50 free test calls across plans, with production/volume access positioned as Enterprise or sales-gated. By contrast, PersistData is API-first by design. (Source: developer.leadiq.com; AeroLeads API guide. As of June 2026) |
LeadIQ is genuinely strong at LinkedIn/Sales-Navigator-native SDR prospecting: reviewers frequently praise its fast one-click capture and ease of use, and it ships deep CRM and sales-engagement integrations (Salesforce, Outreach, Salesloft, HubSpot, Gong). It adds real AI features (Scribe messaging, job-change and intent tracking), reviewer-reported relatively strong verified work emails, and strong brand and adoption, with G2 standing around 4.2/5 across roughly 1,147–1,160 reviews and Capterra near 4.4/5 as of June 2026 (counts vary slightly by source; some integration and AI strengths are partly vendor-stated). On these dimensions — database brand, integrations, intent signals, and in-tool workflow — LeadIQ generally outpaces a lean, API-first provider like PersistData.
PersistData fits when you want a single server-side endpoint that returns profile, company, and verified-email data in one programmatic call, billed on one transparent per-credit meter, with no login, no per-seat pricing, no extension, and no annual contract to manage — a sharp contrast with LeadIQ's seat-based, annual-oriented MSA and its capture-extension workflow. Two honest caveats: pay-for-found is largely matched by LeadIQ (no charge when nothing is found, aside from the documented LeadIQ Refresh exception), so it is not a PersistData-only feature; and no LinkedIn-account ban risk is also shared by LeadIQ's own API path and other own-DB providers — the elevated risk attaches specifically to session-based capture extensions, not to LeadIQ's API. PersistData does not match LeadIQ on database brand and marketed scale, native CRM and sales-engagement integrations, intent/buying signals, direct-dial phone coverage, or its in-tool prospecting workflow.