Leads
Lead generation companies: who sells what, and how they charge
Lead generation companies sell clicks, calls, forms or closed deals; this directory shows what each says it sells and who pays.
Published
What this page is, and what it isn't
Most people searching for lead generation companies want someone to send them customers. This page doesn't do that and doesn't rank anyone.
It is a directory of well-known companies in the main lead verticals, with what each one says on its own website about what it sells, how buyers pay and who those buyers are. We opened every site listed on 9 November 2026. Where a company publishes no price, the table says so rather than guessing.
Lead generation companies by vertical
Compiled by DataBroker from each company's own website, checked 2026-11-09. Alphabetical within vertical; inclusion is not a recommendation.
EverQuote
- Vertical
- Insurance
- What it says it sells
- Leads or inbound calls, targeted by risk profile and location; a team that calls and nurtures leads before handing them over
- Stated pricing model
- No prices published; mentions 'goal-based pricing' and an à la carte service
- Who buys
- Insurance agents and agencies
MediaAlpha
- Vertical
- Insurance
- What it says it sells
- Clicks and leads from insurance shoppers; says it handles over 1 million leads a month
- Stated pricing model
- Real-time, programmatic bidding; each click priced dynamically
- Who buys
- Carriers and insurance businesses (700+ demand partners), and agents
QuinStreet
- Vertical
- Insurance, loans, credit cards, banking, home services
- What it says it sells
- Clicks, inquiries, calls, applications and sales
- Stated pricing model
- Performance-based: clients 'pay only for performance results'
- Who buys
- Carriers, agents, lenders and home service providers
LendingTree
- Vertical
- Loans, cards, insurance
- What it says it sells
- A comparison marketplace where lenders compete for a consumer's business
- Stated pricing model
- Paid by the companies whose listings appear; payment can affect placement
- Who buys
- Lenders, card issuers and insurers
SuperMoney
- Vertical
- Debt relief
- What it says it sells
- Debt settlement leads as lists, and live transfers; filters by debt balance, geography and demographics
- Stated pricing model
- Cost per lead for lists, pay per call for transfers; no prices published
- Who buys
- Debt relief companies
Thumbtack
- Vertical
- Local services
- What it says it sells
- Enquiries from customers who choose a pro directly
- Stated pricing model
- No subscription or membership fee; the pro's lead budget sets how many leads arrive
- Who buys
- Local service businesses
EnergySage
- Vertical
- Solar
- What it says it sells
- Commercial and nonprofit solar projects routed by service area
- Stated pricing model
- Pay-per-close commission, no upfront lead fees; rates set by a partner manager
- Who buys
- Solar installers
LegalMatch
- Vertical
- Legal
- What it says it sells
- A membership giving attorneys a daily feed of cases in their practice area
- Stated pricing model
- Membership; terms and prices not published
- Who buys
- Attorneys and law firms
NetLine
- Vertical
- B2B
- What it says it sells
- Content syndication: buyers' content placed on B2B media sites; leads who download it
- Stated pricing model
- Pay only for leads that meet the buyer's criteria; no prices on its site
- Who buys
- B2B marketers, sales teams and agencies
Two patterns in the list
Two patterns stand out. First, almost none of these companies publish a price per lead; the larger ones sell through auctions or account managers, so the price is whatever the bid or the contract says.
Second, the word 'lead' covers very different products: a click to a carrier's site, a form, a live call, a booked job, or a closed sale paid by commission. Comparing companies only makes sense once you know which of those you are buying.
Four ways these companies get paid
- Per click or per lead in a real-time auction: the buyer bids, and the price moves with demand (MediaAlpha's model).
- Per qualified action: the buyer sets criteria and pays only for leads, calls or applications that meet them (QuinStreet, NetLine).
- Per closed deal: no fee until the job is sold, then a commission (EnergySage's commercial solar leads).
- Membership or budget: a recurring fee or a spend cap that sets volume (LegalMatch, Thumbtack).
Who carries the risk
The model decides who carries the risk. Per-lead pricing puts it on the buyer, pay-per-close puts it on the generator, and auctions spread it according to how well each side prices. Whether leads are exclusive or shared is a separate question again, and most of the sites above don't state it on their public pages.
Questions to ask any lead company
- 1
What exactly is delivered?
A click, a form, a transferred call or an appointment. Ask for a sample record and the fields it carries.
- 2
How many buyers get the same person?
Get the number in writing. 'Exclusive' should mean one buyer, for a stated period.
- 3
Where does the traffic come from?
Owned sites, paid search, social, affiliates or resold supply. Resold supply is where consent records most often go missing.
- 4
What proof of consent comes with each lead?
A consent certificate, the form page, the disclosure text and a timestamp, retrievable per record.
- 5
What can be returned?
Wrong numbers, duplicates and out-of-area leads, and how quickly credits are issued.
More about lead generation companies
If you want to be one of these companies
Some readers are on the other side: they own traffic, a call centre or a list and want to sell leads yourself, or to broker supply between generators and buyers.
The economics in that seat depend on the same variables as the table: which product you deliver, whether it is exclusive or shared, and who carries the risk when a lead doesn't convert.
For company and contact records sold to sales teams rather than consumer enquiries, see B2B data providers instead.
Sources
9 sources · checked Nov 9, 2026
The DataBroker team checked the facts on this page against 9 public sources, last on .
- EverQuote for insurance professionals, EverQuoteChecked
- MediaAlpha homepage, MediaAlphaChecked
- QuinStreet homepage, QuinStreetChecked
- About LendingTree, LendingTreeChecked
- Buy debt settlement leads, SuperMoneyChecked
- Thumbtack for pros, ThumbtackChecked
- Commercial leads, EnergySage partner resourcesChecked
- LegalMatch for attorneys, LegalMatchChecked
- NetLine homepage, NetLineChecked
Lead generation companies FAQ
What does a lead generation company do?
It attracts people interested in a product, collects their details or connects their call, and sells that contact to businesses that want customers, per lead, per click, per call or as a commission on a closed sale.
How much do lead generation companies charge?
Most large ones don't publish prices. They sell through real-time auctions, account managers or memberships, and the price depends on the vertical, the targeting and whether the lead is exclusive.
Are pay-per-close lead companies better than pay-per-lead?
They shift the risk to the generator, which suits buyers with long sales cycles. Commission rates are usually set privately, so compare the total cost per closed deal across both models.
Is this list a ranking?
No. Companies are grouped by vertical and taken from their own websites. Inclusion isn't an endorsement, and DataBroker has no commercial relationship with any of them.
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