Comparison
Data Laboratory vs. buying lists from a broker.
The list broker built an industry on a simple trade: you wait, and you can’t look inside. Here’s the same trade, side by side.
Side by side
Same goal. Very different trade.
| Factor | A list broker | Data Laboratory |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround | Days to a week — quote, count, file, delivery. | Seconds. Describe the audience; see the count before you buy. |
| Price | Typically 10–35¢ per record retail, quoted per order. | Platform plans from $3,000/mo with 50K records included, or the API as low as $0.10/record with no subscription. Published. |
| Freshness | A static file. People move, change jobs, and switch numbers every month — and the decay is your problem. | Live databases refreshed daily, weekly, and monthly. Re-pull whenever you launch. |
| Re-querying | No. A new segment is a new order. | Unlimited. Refine, narrow, and re-run in plain English — none of it costs a token. |
| Counts before buying | Sometimes, after the back-and-forth. | Always. Every query returns a live count first. |
| Analysis | Not their business. | Unlimited profiling, file comparison, and customer intelligence on every plan. |
Scroll the table sideways to see both columns.
When a broker is still the right call.
A one-time, highly specialized compiled list you’ll never need again, from a niche source no platform carries. That’s real — and rarer than the industry pretends.
Real numbers, upfront.
Every price above is on our pricing page — no quote required. Or book a 15-minute demo and watch your audience get built while you’re still on the call.
15 minutes · bring a real campaign · we build your audience live