"We asked for a Kompass quote — still waiting for it to fit the budget." That line comes up often among business owners at SMEs looking to expand their B2B prospect base. Kompass is the long-established professional directory, and its name carries weight; but between the brand's reputation and the reality of a fifteen-person company, there's sometimes a real gap. Rather than settling the debate upfront, let's compare the two tools criterion by criterion — data sources, geographic scope, access model and pricing, user experience, available pipeline — so you can decide based on facts, not impressions.
outsend takes a different angle from Kompass: an all-in-one outbound prospecting tool, built for the French market, free to access during alpha by application. Here's the comparison, without mud-slinging.
Data Sources and Depth
This is arguably where Kompass is strongest. Kompass company profiles contain enriched information well beyond the administrative minimum: precise headcount, revenue, detailed activity codes, executives, and sometimes financial data. That structured depth comes from a long history — Kompass has existed since 1944 — and remains a genuine asset for traditional B2B targets (manufacturing, distribution, wholesale and semi-wholesale) where you need to thoroughly qualify a company before even reaching out.
outsend doesn't compete on that front. It draws on French public sources (Sirene, Google Maps, Pages Jaunes), which it extracts, qualifies, and verifies. Financial data is limited to what Sirene and public sources expose: SIREN number, NAF code, address, headcount, and status. If your prospecting requires shareholding structures or detailed per-company revenue, Kompass retains a clear advantage that scraping tools cannot replicate.
Geographic Scope and Coverage
Another genuine strength of Kompass: international coverage. Kompass indexes around 60 million companies across 70 countries. If your targets include companies outside France, that's a database few players can match. For a French manufacturer seeking distributors in Central Europe, the argument is decisive.
The flip side of that breadth: France isn't Kompass's central market — it's multi-country by design. For a purely France-focused use case targeting local SMEs and micro-businesses, the database is less granular than France-specific sources. outsend is built for France: it targets precisely SMEs, craftspeople, retailers, professional offices, and associations operating in France. The right question to ask yourself is whether you're paying for international coverage you'll never use — or whether, on the contrary, that cross-border scope is exactly what justifies Kompass in your case.
Access Model, Pricing, and Commitment
On the commercial side, the two tools aren't in the same category. A Kompass subscription starts at around €1,490 excl. VAT/year for a basic plan and can climb to €16,000 or €30,000 excl. VAT/year for a full deployment, based on consolidated customer feedback on Salesdorado and the Pharow blog. Pricing is never displayed publicly: you always need to request a quote, and annual tacit renewal is the norm.
That model makes sense for mid-market to enterprise accounts, but it often falls outside the budget of a 5–50-employee SME with occasional prospecting needs. outsend takes the opposite approach: free alpha access by application, no commitment. The goal isn't to claim it does "the same thing for less" — the two products don't cover the same scope — but to offer a no-barrier-to-entry trial so you can evaluate fit before committing to anything.
User Experience and Integrations
Kompass's longevity has a downside on the interface front. Recent users — notably via consolidated reviews on Logiciels.Pro — report a dated UX, search workflows that require training, and limited integration with modern tools (automation, no-code CRM). That said, for purchasing departments at large enterprises who have been using the tool for years, that institutional familiarity is a genuine comfort.
outsend is designed for direct use with no steep learning curve. The honest trade-off: it's an alpha product, younger, without the track record or institutional trust of a brand founded in 1944. If your context requires that credibility — highly formal B2B relationships, regulated markets — the provenance of Kompass's data carries weight.
Prospecting Pipeline Depth
This is where the two approaches diverge most sharply. Kompass is a database: it provides enriched data, and the email finder plus verification come as add-on modules, with no built-in email or SMS sending. You then assemble your own downstream stack.
outsend covers the full chain during alpha: extraction (Google Maps + Sirene + Pages Jaunes) → qualified and verified emails → staggered sending on demand → tracking. For a team actively prospecting SMEs, craftspeople, retailers, or professional offices in France, that replaces — during the free alpha — the combination of tools (database + email finder + sending tool) you'd otherwise piece together. Conversely, if you need an internationally enriched B2B database for formal cross-border commercial relationships, this pipeline doesn't address that need: Kompass — or direct competitors such as Pharow or Bisnode/Dun & Bradstreet depending on the country — remains more appropriate.
Decision Grid: Kompass or outsend
| Criterion | Kompass | outsend |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | International B2B database | French outbound prospecting tool |
| Data source / depth | Enriched (revenue, headcount, executives) | French public sources (Sirene, Maps, Pages Jaunes) |
| Coverage | 60M companies, 70 countries | France |
| Entry price | ~€1,490 excl. VAT/year (on quote) | Free alpha (by application) |
| Commitment | Annual, tacit renewal | None (alpha) |
| UX / integrations | Dated, requires training | Designed for direct use |
| Sending pipeline | No (database + finder module) | Extraction → verified emails → staggered sending |
| Where it stays ahead | International B2B, financial data, enterprise procurement | End-to-end French SME/micro-business prospecting |
Bottom line: stick with Kompass if your business is international B2B with a need for deep financial data, if your annual prospecting budget comfortably exceeds €1,500, or if you value the brand's institutional trust in formal relationships. Try outsend if your primary market is France, if your targets are SMEs, craftspeople, retailers, professional offices, or associations, if your budget is variable or limited, and if you want a complete pipeline without stitching together three separate subscriptions.
For mixed businesses (France + Europe), a combination often makes sense: a free Sirene extract + an outbound prospecting tool (outsend or Pharow) for France, and occasional Kompass access for targeted international needs. That's precisely the all-in-one, much cheaper promise outsend delivers on for the French market.
Need a broader overview? Browse all comparison articles on prospecting tool alternatives.
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All-in-one, built for the French market. Free alpha access by application.
Request free alpha accessFAQ — outsend vs Kompass
How much does a Kompass subscription cost in France?
Kompass does not publish a public pricing grid. Based on consolidated pricing analyses (Salesdorado, Pharow blog), subscriptions start at around €1,490 excl. VAT/year for an entry-level plan and can reach €16,000–30,000 excl. VAT/year for full on-site deployments. Pricing is always on quote, with annual tacit renewal as standard.
Is there a French alternative to Kompass?
Several French players cover part of the need: Pharow (enriched French database), Société.com / Manageo (enriched Sirene extraction), Pappers (modern Sirene interface, freemium). For downstream outbound prospecting (extraction + emails + sending), all-in-one tools like outsend in alpha cover a broader scope than a standalone database.
What's the difference between Kompass and Sirene?
Sirene (INSEE) is free, exhaustive for France, but limited to administrative data (SIREN number, NAF code, address, headcount, status). Kompass is paid, multi-country (70 countries), with enriched data (revenue, executives, detailed activity codes, commercial data). For most French SME use cases, Sirene combined with a full scraping and enrichment tool (such as outsend) covers the need.
Does outsend replace Kompass 100%?
Not for every use case. For France-focused SME/micro-business outbound prospecting (extraction + emails + sending), outsend in alpha covers more than Kompass within that scope. For international use cases requiring deep financial data (revenue, executives, shareholding structures), Kompass retains an advantage that scraping tools cannot replicate. For many SMEs, the arbitration comes down to: do I actually need Kompass's scope, or does my real usage stay within France?
How do you cancel a Kompass subscription?
Cancelling a Kompass subscription requires sending a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, within the contractually specified window before the tacit renewal date (generally 60 to 90 days in advance). Always check the terms and conditions of your contract — the procedure and deadlines are strict, and automatic renewal is the default. Outside that window, the subscription is renewed for an additional year.