# The Best Data Enrichment APIs (2026)
By [Florian Martens](https://pipe0.com/authors/florian-martens) · Published Oct 11, 2026
Source: https://pipe0.com/blog/best-data-enrichment-apis
> An enrichment API is something you build on when you need to integrate B2B data into a tool or workflow. Eight APIs compared.
**TL;DR:** Judge an enrichment API like infrastructure: stateless and idempotent calls, versioned contracts, a sandbox, coverage beyond one dataset, and paying only for results. pipe0 checks every box and adds pipes that write to other systems. Single-dataset APIs like People Data Labs and Crustdata are strong in their slice.
An enrichment API is something you build on. Your signup flow, your lead
scoring, or your warehouse sync.
Four things matter:
* A stateless, idempotent contract: send records, get enriched records
back. Ask the same question twice, get the same answer.
* Versioned, typed endpoints, so what your code calls today means the same
thing next year.
* A sandbox. Enrichmnet data is expensive and you don't want to burn credits during testing.
* Coverage beyond one dataset, billed only when there's a result.
## Quick comparison [#quick-comparison]
| API | Best for | Data | Price |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | -------------------- |
| pipe0 | Products and pipelines that need data and automation | 50+ providers, waterfalls | From $49/mo |
| People Data Labs | Bulk person and company records | One large dataset | From $98/mo |
| Crustdata | Fresh people and company data | One live dataset | Custom |
| Apollo | Data inside an outreach tool | One dataset | From $49 per seat/mo |
| Hunter | Emails from a name and a domain | One dataset | From €49/mo |
| FullEnrich | Emails and phones | 20+ vendors | From €55/mo |
| LeadMagic | Cheap emails and mobiles | One dataset | From $99/mo |
| Clay | Running work inside Clay | 200+ vendors via Clay | From $185/mo |
Every dataset has gaps. A waterfall that asks several providers in order
fills them:
## pipe0 [#pipe0]
pipe0 is a stateless, idempotent data API over 50+ providers. Every
enrichment is a *pipe* with a versioned ID and fixed inputs and outputs. Here
is a work email from a LinkedIn URL:
The waterfall bills only the provider that answered. Its order is yours to
change: pass a `providers` list in the pipe's config to pick which providers
it asks, and in what sequence. Set `config.environment` to `"sandbox"` and the
same call returns mock data for free.
Pipes also decide, branch, and write to other systems, so a whole automation
fits in one request.
## People Data Labs [#people-data-labs]
[People Data Labs](https://www.peopledatalabs.com) sells person and company
records from one large dataset, through APIs and CSV enrichment. It's a good fit
when you want raw records at volume and plan to build the logic around them
yourself. Coverage is whatever the one dataset has.
## Crustdata [#crustdata]
[Crustdata](https://crustdata.com) keeps its people and company data fresh
by re-verifying it continuously, and adds live signals like hiring and
funding. Pick it when freshness matters more than breadth. It's also one of
the providers inside pipe0's waterfalls.
## Four more, quickly [#four-more-quickly]
* [Apollo](https://www.apollo.io): its API exposes the same database as the
app. Useful if your team already lives in Apollo.
* [Hunter](https://hunter.io): finds and verifies emails from a name and a
domain. Simple, well documented, and narrow.
* [FullEnrich](https://fullenrich.com): an email and phone waterfall over
20+ vendors. Requests are asynchronous, with results by webhook.
* [LeadMagic](https://leadmagic.io): low prices for emails and mobiles, and
you only pay for valid results. Coverage is thin on its own.
## What about Clay? [#what-about-clay]
Clay's API is a remote control for the Clay workspace. It triggers tables,
functions, and workflows that live in Clay, but it isn't a data API you can
build a product on. More in
[Clay vs pipe0 for developers](/blog/clay-vs-pipe0-developers).
## How to choose [#how-to-choose]
If you need raw records at volume, start with People Data Labs or Crustdata.
If you only need emails, Hunter or LeadMagic will do. If enrichment is part of
your product or your pipeline, pick a data API with a waterfall and a
sandbox, and [start with pipe0](https://pipe0.com).
Prospecting for an SDR team is a different job; see
[the best SDR APIs for lead generation](/blog/best-sdr-apis-lead-generation).
## FAQ
### What is the best data enrichment API?
For most products and data pipelines, pipe0. It is a stateless, idempotent API over 50+ providers, with waterfalls that bill only the provider that answered, a free sandbox, and pipes that can write results back to your CRM. If you need bulk records from one large dataset, People Data Labs is a strong pick.
### Why does a waterfall API find more data than a single provider?
Every provider has gaps. A waterfall asks several providers in order and stops at the first answer, so it covers what any one dataset misses. Finding mobile numbers from LinkedIn profiles, pipe0's waterfall found 94%, Crustdata 78%, and LeadMagic 15%.
### Does Clay have a data enrichment API?
No. Clay's API is a remote control for the Clay workspace: it triggers tables, functions, and workflows that live in Clay. It isn't a data API you can build a product or a data pipeline on.
### How do I test an enrichment API without paying for data?
Use a sandbox. pipe0's sandbox returns mock data in the production shape for free, so your integration and CI tests run without spending credits.