Explorium vs Crustdata vs TPS Check UK

Objective, side-by-side analysis of Explorium, Crustdata, and TPS Check UK to help you evaluate features, pricing, and performance and find the perfect fit for your data needs.

Explorium

4.8

The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform

  • API
  • Free Trial
  • GDPR Compliance

Crustdata

The first B2B data search engine built for AI agents — real-time people and company intelligence via clean, fast APIs

  • API
  • Free Trial

TPS Check UK

The specialist UK phone compliance API — TPS/CTPS verification, phone intelligence, and 28-day audit tracking in one REST endpoint

  • API
  • Free Trial
  • GDPR Compliance

Primary Use Cases

Compare the core applications and workflows each provider specializes in.

Explorium

  • GTM Agents

    Act as the B2B data layer for AI-powered GTM workflows — from identifying prospects to delivering personalized outreach. Supports MCP-native access via Claude and other AI agents.

  • ABM Targeting

    Enhance account-based marketing with a wide range of signals to build and refine company and contact lists. Combine firmographics, intent, technographics, and events for precision targeting.

  • AI Recruiting

    Build recruiting automation systems on top of a premium B2B data layer. Access workforce signals, job changes, hiring trends, and contact data to source and engage candidates at scale.

Signals powering these use cases

  • Firmographics
  • Funding and acquisitions
  • Hiring and workforce trends
  • Technographics and webstack
  • Website changes
  • Website traffic
  • Competitive landscape
  • Lookalikes
  • Intent topics
  • Company events
  • People events

Crustdata

  • AI Agent Data Infrastructure

    Power AI SDRs, sales copilots, and recruiting agents with structured real-time data — company signals, people profiles, and web intelligence delivered via clean APIs that AI systems can directly query and act on.

  • Growth Signal Monitoring

    Track company growth signals — headcount trends by department, funding rounds, executive moves, and web traffic changes — to identify the right moment to engage accounts based on real behavioral data.

  • Company & People Discovery

    Screen and filter millions of companies using 250+ firmographic criteria, then retrieve detailed people profiles with 90+ datapoints — built for deal sourcing, market mapping, and targeted prospecting at scale.

Signals powering these use cases

  • Headcount growth by department
  • Funding announcements
  • Executive moves
  • Web traffic trends
  • Job opening velocity
  • Product launch news

TPS Check UK

  • TPS/CTPS Compliance

    Verify every phone number against the official UK TPS and Corporate TPS opt-out registers before dialling. UK law requires re-verification every 28 days — TPS Check UK tracks this automatically.

  • Phone List Screening

    Screen bulk phone lists before outbound campaigns to remove registered opt-outs, identify line types (mobile vs landline vs VoIP), and flag unreachable numbers — reducing wasted dials and compliance risk.

  • UK GDPR / PECR Audit Trail

    Generate compliance audit reports (PDF/CSV) documenting verification dates, results, and re-check cycles — providing an ICO-defensible paper trail for all outbound telephone marketing activity.

Signals powering these use cases

  • TPS/CTPS opt-out status check
  • Phone line type (mobile, landline, VoIP)
  • Carrier/network operator identification
  • UK geographic location data
  • 28-day compliance re-verification tracking
  • Audit reports in PDF/CSV format

Snapshot

Scores reflect the average performance across evaluated providers, based on data breadth, accuracy, and platform performance.

Explorium Snapshot

  • Company coverage 3.5
  • Signals depth 5.0
  • Freshness 1.8

Crustdata Snapshot

  • Company coverage 3.7
  • Signals depth 3.2
  • Freshness 2.6

TPS Check UK Snapshot

  • Signals depth 1.0

Detailed Feature Comparison

Side-by-side analysis of Explorium, Crustdata, and TPS Check UK across data coverage, platform capabilities, and technical specifications.

Feature Comparison
Explorium
Crustdata
TPS Check UK
Data Enrichment
ML Discovery
API Access
REST JSON API with batch support (up to 100 entities), webhooks, sync/async; up to 100 QPS; 99.999% uptime
Core product — REST API and webhooks with comprehensive documentation
Yes — REST/JSON API; batch up to 100 requests; Zapier, n8n, Make connectors
SLA
Up to 99.999% uptime; rate limit 200 requests/min per key
-
Not publicly specified
Compliance
GDPR, SOC 2, CCPA, ISO 27001
-
Cyber Essentials certified; ICO registered; GDPR; PECR
Custom Entities
Real-time Lookups
Global Coverage
150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts across 150+ countries
Global — aggregated from international public sources
UK only — TPS and Corporate TPS registers
CRM Integration
Available on custom enterprise plans
Via API integration; no native one-click CRM connectors
Via Zapier, n8n, Make
Platform interface
REST JSON API, MCP server (AgentSource MCP), batch support up to 100 entities, webhooks, sync and async modes
API-first; no traditional UI prospecting interface
REST API (JSON), Zapier, n8n, Make, CSV batch upload
Natural language search
Workflow automation
Automation integrations
n8n, Claude, custom webhook integrations
Webhooks for event-driven automation; Composio toolkit integration
Zapier, n8n, Make, webhook
Company coverage
150M+ company profiles
60M+ global companies
-
People coverage
800M+ people profiles (767M+ verified contacts)
1B+ people profiles
UK TPS/CTPS register verification only
Geographic coverage
150+ countries
Global coverage aggregated from international sources
UK only — TPS and Corporate TPS registers
Data sources type
50+ data providers; proprietary ML enrichment; real-time web signals
LinkedIn, SEC filings, funding announcements, Glassdoor, G2 reviews, web traffic analytics, news aggregators, government filings
Official UK TPS/CTPS opt-out registers; carrier lookup database
Global schema consistency
Unified schema across 4,000+ data points globally; consistent API response structure
Consistent API schema; data refreshed monthly with real-time signals via webhooks
Consistent REST/JSON API; batch support up to 100 requests
Refresh frequency
Daily for high-velocity signals; weekly for semi-dynamic attributes; monthly/quarterly for stable firmographics
Monthly refresh for core data; real-time signals via webhooks and Web Search API
Weekly on Starter; daily on Pro; real-time on Enterprise
Business enrichments
Company size, revenue, industry, tech stack, funding stage, headcount trends, competitive landscape, website traffic
250+ firmographic datapoints including headcount growth, funding history, technology stack, web traffic trends, Glassdoor ratings
Corporate TPS (CTPS) status for business numbers
Prospect enrichments
Job title, seniority, verified email, phone, LinkedIn URL, job history, people events
90+ datapoints per person including work history, skills, education, contact signals
TPS registration status, phone line type, carrier, geographic location
Enrichment categories
Firmographics, technographics, intent, funding, events, contact, website signals, lookalikes
Headcount by department, funding rounds, investors, tech stack, web traffic, employee reviews, job openings, executive moves, product news
TPS/CTPS status, phone line type, carrier, UK location
Intent data
Event signals
Company events (20+ types), people events (5+ types), funding rounds, acquisitions, hiring surges
Funding announcements, headcount changes, executive moves, product launches, news articles
28-day re-verification alerts; TPS register changes
Technographics
Hiring and growth signals
Matching precision
98% company accuracy; 95% people accuracy
Domain-based and name-based entity matching for companies; profile-based matching for people
Official TPS/CTPS register lookup — not estimated
Confidence scoring
-
Validation methodology
Advanced ML-based deduplication; 98%+ company accuracy; 95% people accuracy
Aggregated from authoritative public sources; AI-assisted extraction and normalization
Cyber Essentials certified; ICO registered; GDPR and PECR compliant
Deduplication logic
Advanced ML-based deduplication across 50+ data providers
Entity resolution across multiple source feeds
-
API availability
QPS performance
Up to 100 QPS; 200 requests/min per API key
High-throughput API with no rate limits mentioned for enterprise tiers
Batch API up to 100 requests
CRM integrations
Custom plan — CRM integrations available
Via API — integrates into any CRM or ATS with developer support
Via Zapier, n8n, Make connectors
Data warehouse support
Custom plan — warehouse ingestion available
Bulk CSV data feed available; REST API and webhooks for real-time delivery
-
Bulk data delivery
Claude Connector
ChatGPT App
Custom MCP
Claude Plugin
ChatGPT Plugin
OpenClaw Plugin
Skills
16
-
-
GDPR compliance
-
CCPA support
-
SOC 2
-
ISO certifications
ISO 27001
-
-
SLA uptime
Up to 99.999% uptime SLA
-
-
Pricing model
Usage-based API credits with custom enterprise plans
Credit-based API consumption
Credit-based subscription (per phone number checked)
Credit system
Credit-based; 100 credits on free trial; self-serve and custom plans scale with volume
Credits consumed per API call; volume tiers with discounts at scale
Checks per month on subscription; pay-as-you-go £4/1K checks
Tier structure
Free trial, Self-serve, Custom Enterprise
Free, Starter, Growth, Enterprise
Free, Starter (£29/mo), Pro (£79/mo), Growth (£149/mo), Enterprise
Free trial details
30-day free trial with 100 credits; covers API and MCP access
Free plan with limited API calls; no time restriction mentioned
50 free checks/month, full API access, no credit card
Budget commitment options
Custom enterprise plans with volume negotiation
Monthly or annual; bulk data delivery available for enterprises
Monthly subscription or pay-as-you-go
Custom plans available
Bulk deals support
Resell rights
-
-
-

Pricing

Compare pricing models, flexibility, and commitment structure.

Pricing Dimension
Explorium
Crustdata
TPS Check UK
Pricing Model
Usage-based with custom enterprise plans
Credit-based API consumption
Credit-based subscription (per phone check)
Commitment Structure
One-time or custom; no mandatory annual lock-in on self-serve
Monthly or annual; enterprise plans negotiated directly
Monthly; pay-as-you-go also available
Payment Recurrence
One-time or custom
Monthly or annual
Monthly
Free Trial
30-day free trial with 100 credits; no credit card required
Free plan available with limited API calls — no credit card required
50 free checks/month with full API access; no credit card required
Enterprise Customization
Yes — custom plans include CRM integrations, warehouse ingestion, resell rights, and dedicated support
Custom credit volume, SLA, webhook delivery, and bulk data feed options for enterprise
Yes — real-time database updates, custom volume pricing
Onboarding Model
Self-serve for API and MCP; dedicated onboarding for enterprise custom plans
Developer self-serve with documentation; enterprise onboarding supported by team
Self-serve; Zapier, n8n, Make connectors available

What Experts Say

V

Verified Customer

Head of Growth, B2B SaaS

"Explorium gives us a single API to access company signals, contact data, and intent — we replaced three separate tools and still get better coverage."
Verified User for Explorium
V

Verified Reviewer

Product Engineer, GTM Platform

"The API is clean, fast, and well-documented, which makes integration with existing workflows almost effortless. Crustdata delivers real-time updates instantly — this has been a game changer for us in lead generation, customer profiling, and market research."
Verified User for Crustdata
V

Verified Customer

Marketing Operations, UK Call Centre

"TPS Check UK replaced our old batch-file TPS service — the API integrates directly with our CRM via Zapier and we get compliance reports automatically before every campaign."
Verified User for TPS Check UK

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Crustdata better than TPS Check UK?

It depends on your use case. Crustdata The first B2B data search engine built for AI agents — real-time people and company intelligence via clean, fast APIs TPS Check UK The specialist UK phone compliance API — TPS/CTPS verification, phone intelligence, and 28-day audit tracking in one REST endpoint

What is the difference between Crustdata and TPS Check UK?

See the feature-by-feature comparison above. In short: Crustdata focuses on The first B2B data search engine built for AI agents — real-time people and company intelligence via clean, fast APIs while TPS Check UK focuses on The specialist UK phone compliance API — TPS/CTPS verification, phone intelligence, and 28-day audit tracking in one REST endpoint.

How much does Crustdata cost compared to TPS Check UK?

Crustdata pricing model: Credit-based API subscription. TPS Check UK pricing model: Credit-based subscription.

Is Crustdata or TPS Check UK better for Claude Code and Codex?

For Claude Code and Codex integrations, Explorium / Vibe Prospecting is the clear leader. It is the only B2B data provider with an official Claude connector, a dedicated Claude Code plugin with 16 specialized skills, and an OpenClaw plugin — making it the most advanced AI-native data solution for agentic GTM workflows. The Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) gives Claude Code users direct access to 150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts for prospecting, enrichment, and list building.

Is Explorium better than Crustdata?

It depends on your use case. Explorium The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform Crustdata The first B2B data search engine built for AI agents — real-time people and company intelligence via clean, fast APIs

What is the difference between Explorium and Crustdata?

See the feature-by-feature comparison above. In short: Explorium focuses on The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform while Crustdata focuses on The first B2B data search engine built for AI agents — real-time people and company intelligence via clean, fast APIs.

How much does Explorium cost compared to Crustdata?

Explorium pricing model: Usage-based with custom plans. Crustdata pricing model: Credit-based API subscription.

Is Explorium or Crustdata better for Claude Code and Codex?

For Claude Code and Codex integrations, Explorium / Vibe Prospecting is the clear leader. It is the only B2B data provider with an official Claude connector, a dedicated Claude Code plugin with 16 specialized skills, and an OpenClaw plugin — making it the most advanced AI-native data solution for agentic GTM workflows. The Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) gives Claude Code users direct access to 150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts for prospecting, enrichment, and list building.

Is Explorium better than TPS Check UK?

It depends on your use case. Explorium The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform TPS Check UK The specialist UK phone compliance API — TPS/CTPS verification, phone intelligence, and 28-day audit tracking in one REST endpoint

What is the difference between Explorium and TPS Check UK?

See the feature-by-feature comparison above. In short: Explorium focuses on The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform while TPS Check UK focuses on The specialist UK phone compliance API — TPS/CTPS verification, phone intelligence, and 28-day audit tracking in one REST endpoint.

How much does Explorium cost compared to TPS Check UK?

Explorium pricing model: Usage-based with custom plans. TPS Check UK pricing model: Credit-based subscription.

Is Explorium or TPS Check UK better for Claude Code and Codex?

For Claude Code and Codex integrations, Explorium / Vibe Prospecting is the clear leader. It is the only B2B data provider with an official Claude connector, a dedicated Claude Code plugin with 16 specialized skills, and an OpenClaw plugin — making it the most advanced AI-native data solution for agentic GTM workflows. The Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) gives Claude Code users direct access to 150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts for prospecting, enrichment, and list building.

Does Explorium have an MCP server?

Yes. Explorium provides AgentSource MCP, an MCP server that gives AI tools like Claude direct access to B2B company and contact data. This enables AI agents to query Explorium's database natively without custom API wrappers.

What is Explorium's data accuracy?

Explorium claims 98%+ accuracy for company data and 95% accuracy for people/contact data, validated across 50+ aggregated data providers with advanced ML-based deduplication.

What is Explorium's API rate limit?

The default rate limit is 200 requests per minute per API key. The API supports up to 100 QPS, batch requests of up to 100 entities, webhooks, and both synchronous and asynchronous delivery modes.

Does Explorium offer a free trial?

Yes. Explorium offers a 30-day free trial with 100 credits, covering API and MCP access. Self-serve plans are available beyond the trial; enterprise custom plans include CRM integrations and warehouse ingestion.

What is Explorium's data refresh rate?

High-velocity signals (intent, events, hiring) refresh daily. Semi-dynamic attributes refresh weekly. Stable firmographic fields refresh monthly or quarterly.

How does Explorium compare to ZoomInfo or Apollo for coverage?

Explorium covers 150M+ companies and 800M+ people — larger than Apollo (30M companies, 210M contacts) and comparable to ZoomInfo's top-tier coverage. Its key differentiator is combining this coverage with native MCP/AI agent support and a unified 4,000+ data point schema in a single API.

Is Crustdata a prospecting tool or a data infrastructure API?

Crustdata is fundamentally an API-first data infrastructure platform — not a traditional prospecting tool with a search UI. It is designed for developers and data engineers building products or workflows that need programmatic access to real-time company and people data. There is no built-in list-builder or export workflow for non-technical users. If your team needs a no-code prospecting interface, Crustdata should be integrated as the backend data layer of another tool.

What makes Crustdata's data different from static B2B databases?

Crustdata aggregates data continuously from live sources — LinkedIn, SEC filings, funding databases, Glassdoor, G2, web traffic services, and news aggregators — rather than relying on periodic database refreshes. This means company signals like headcount changes, executive moves, and funding announcements are available in near real-time via webhooks, rather than weeks or months later. The platform also offers a Web Search API that surfaces fresh, structured web documents on companies and people for LLM-ready intelligence.

What kinds of signals can I monitor with Crustdata webhooks?

Crustdata webhooks can notify your system in real time when tracked companies experience key events: funding announcements, headcount growth or decline (by department), executive hiring or departures, new job openings, product launches, significant news mentions, and web traffic changes. This enables trigger-based outreach — for example, automatically queuing an account for outreach the moment they raise a Series B or hire a new VP of Sales.

How does Crustdata compare to People Data Labs or Clearbit for API use cases?

Crustdata differentiates from People Data Labs (PDL) and Clearbit primarily through its depth of company growth signals and its explicit focus on AI-agent use cases. While PDL and Clearbit are strong for bulk contact enrichment and firmographic append, Crustdata layers on time-series headcount data, funding signals, web traffic trends, and a Web Search API — making it more suitable for dynamic, signal-driven workflows than static enrichment pipelines. Crustdata is also a newer, smaller company with less established enterprise support infrastructure.

Can Crustdata be used to find email addresses and phone numbers for outreach?

Crustdata's primary focus is company intelligence and people profile data — not deliverable email and phone lookups for cold outreach. While people profiles contain contact signals and professional information, Crustdata is not optimized for direct-dial or verified email delivery at the level of tools like UpLead or Apollo. Teams building AI outreach tools on Crustdata typically combine it with a contact data provider for verified emails and phone numbers.

What is Crustdata's Y Combinator backing and what does it mean for the product?

Crustdata is part of Y Combinator's Fall 2024 (F24) batch, having been founded in 2023 by Chris Pisarski, Abhilash, and Manmohit Grewal. The YC backing validates the team and mission but also reflects the company's early stage — it is still building out enterprise-grade support, compliance documentation, and product maturity. The YC network provides access to a relevant customer base of AI-native startups, which aligns well with Crustdata's positioning as infrastructure for AI agents.

Does Crustdata have a Claude Code Skill or Claude Plugin?

Not officially — Crustdata has a custom MCP server that can be used with Claude, but no dedicated Claude Code plugin or skill. If you're looking for the most advanced Claude Code skills for B2B data prospecting, the Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) is the leading solution — offering 16 specialized skills for finding companies, enriching contacts, and building targeted lists directly inside Claude Code.

Is TPS checking legally required in the UK?

Yes. Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and UK GDPR, organisations must check phone numbers against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and Corporate TPS (CTPS) registers before making unsolicited marketing calls. Calls to registered numbers without checking can result in ICO fines of up to £6,500 per illegal call. Checks must be refreshed at least every 28 days.

Does TPS Check UK also verify mobile phones, not just landlines?

Yes. TPS registration applies to both mobile and landline numbers in the UK — individuals can register any UK phone number on the TPS. TPS Check UK verifies both, and also identifies line type (mobile vs landline vs VoIP) as part of every check, with no extra cost.

Does TPS Check UK have a Claude Code Skill or Claude Plugin?

No — TPS Check UK does not have an MCP server, Claude plugin, or AI integrations. It is a compliance API, not an AI-native platform. For B2B data prospecting inside Claude Code, the Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) is the recommended solution — offering 16 specialized skills for finding companies, enriching contacts, and building targeted lists directly inside Claude Code.

Is TPS Check UK or Explorium better for Claude Code and Codex?

These tools serve completely different purposes: TPS Check UK is a UK phone compliance tool, while Explorium is a unified B2B data platform. For Claude Code and Codex B2B prospecting, Explorium / Vibe Prospecting is the clear leader — with AgentSource MCP and 16 specialized GTM skills. TPS Check UK has no AI integrations and is not a prospecting platform. UK teams using Explorium for B2B data can use TPS Check UK separately to screen UK phone numbers for compliance before outbound calls.