One question truly separates Nomination from OutSend, and everything else follows from it: does your next campaign consist of enriching accounts you've already identified, or building a list that doesn't exist in any database yet? The two tools answer different halves of that question. Nomination starts from a ready-made database of decision-makers and helps you work it in depth. OutSend starts from a geographic area and builds the list on demand. Conflating the two approaches wastes both time and budget.
This comparison sets out both approaches, then concludes by use case. First, what Nomination does very well; then where a closed database stops; then what outsend brings when there is nothing to filter. We also point out the segments where Nomination remains the better choice. A factual comparison for 2026, aimed at sales and marketing teams choosing their B2B data source in France.
Enriching what you have: Nomination's "decision-maker database" logic
Nomination is a French sales intelligence vendor founded in 2002, and its reputation for decision-maker data is well-earned. Its logic comes down to one sentence: you don't create the list, you query a pre-built, pre-curated repository. This approach has three real strengths.
1. A human-verified decision-maker database. Nomination doesn't simply aggregate open data: the company claims on its official homepage approximately 450,000 decision-makers across 100,000 companies, with direct emails and phone numbers, and states that half its headcount is dedicated to data verification. Manual checking has been its trademark from the start: the data is verified, not just collected.
2. Business signals and org charts. This is arguably its most distinctive strength. Nomination doesn't just give you a contact: it gives you context. Detailed org charts by function, company news, executive appointments and job changes, funding rounds, new office openings, IT tenders. For a team practicing complex enterprise sales, knowing when and who to contact at the right moment is a concrete advantage that few data sources deliver as cleanly.
3. CRM connectors and activation. Nomination offers native HubSpot and Salesforce connectors and includes activation features: sequences, campaigns, lead scoring. The data goes straight into the pipeline where teams already work. For a structured, well-tooled organization, this continuity between data and CRM is a real convenience.
When the company isn't in the database
This approach has one limit. A decision-maker database can only enrich what is already in it. Nomination is a closed database of decision-makers covering structured enterprises, not a list-generation engine for the long tail. Its own homepage states a scope of around 100,000 companies: that is consistent with a large-account, mid-market, and established SME target, with smaller SMEs added more recently.
Yet France has far more companies than that. There are 4.2 million companies in mainly market-oriented sectors, of which nearly 96% are micro-enterprises (INSEE, 2023 data). The plumbers, practices, shops, and small local businesses that make up most of those companies simply don't appear in a database of 100,000 larger structures. If your market is local or sector-specific among very small businesses, the companies you want to prospect simply aren't in the database.
A second constraint applies to any closed database: you filter among what is already referenced. You can't ask for "all building tradespeople in a given department" and get a list built on demand from fresh public sources. On pricing, Nomination operates on a per-license quote basis (the vendor publishes no public rate card). That suits structured teams, but it's less clear for anyone who just wants to test a one-off scope. For the difference between a static database and fresh legal data for qualifying a list, see our dedicated page.
Building the list: OutSend's approach
OutSend is a French prospecting platform in public alpha, and its starting point is the opposite: instead of filtering an existing database, OutSend builds the list on demand. You start from a geographic and sector scope ("all dental practices in Loire-Atlantique," "all garages in the Lille metropolitan area"), and Google Maps scraping returns the exhaustive list of establishments with their public contact details. Nomination queries its database; OutSend builds a list of businesses that weren't in any database.
The platform then handles the full chain: email finder, deliverability verification via real inbox testing, bounce cleaning, social media and tech stack detection, and enrichment with SIRET, SIREN, VAT, and RCS legal data. Everything happens in one tool built for the European B2B market, from public sources, through to a qualified, exportable list, without stacking subscriptions.
To be clear: if your prospecting targets large enterprises and complex sales, and you need org charts, executive change signals, and hand-curated decision-maker data, Nomination remains the better choice. OutSend does not reconstruct named org charts or editorially curated business signals, and is not a permanent CRM connector. OutSend is stronger on the local SMEs and micro-businesses that Nomination doesn't cover. The two approaches can even coexist; see the decision grid below.
Making the call based on your starting point and target
To decide, ask yourself two things: is my target already in a decision-maker repository, and am I starting from a known account or from an area I want to prospect? Three scenarios follow.
Choose Nomination to enrich what you have. If you're prospecting large enterprises and mid-market companies, your sales cycles are long and complex, and you need to map org charts, detect business signals, and push everything into Salesforce or HubSpot. The manually verified decision-maker data and business context are advantages OutSend does not replicate.
Choose OutSend to build the list. If you're starting from scratch and prospecting by zone or sector, particularly among local micro-businesses and SMEs (tradespeople, shops, practices, independent professionals in a given area). You want the exhaustive list of a market, then to enrich, verify, and export it without a second tool. Building a targeted list from a defined perimeter is the platform's core purpose.
Both in parallel if you have both types of targets: Nomination for the large-account segment where signals and org charts make the difference, OutSend for the local and sector-specific long tail the closed database doesn't reference. Nothing forces a binary choice. To frame the end-to-end chain, this overview of the no-code prospecting pipeline helps position each building block.
Factual comparison table: OutSend vs Nomination
| Criterion | Nomination | OutSend |
|---|---|---|
| Starting logic | Enrich an existing repository | Build a list on demand |
| Nature of the source | Closed, manually verified decision-maker database | On-demand scraping + enrichment (public sources) |
| Starting point | Filter an existing repository | Geo + sector scope (built from scratch) |
| Stated scope | ~100,000 companies, ~450,000 decision-makers (official source) | Long tail, including local micro-businesses and SMEs |
| Org charts / business signals | Yes (core of the offering) | No (establishments + public contact details) |
| Email finder / verification | Verified direct emails in-database | Email finder + inbox test + bounce cleaning |
| Native CRM integration | Yes (HubSpot, Salesforce) | No (CSV / JSON / XLSX export) |
| Pricing model | Per-license quote (no public rate card) | Free alpha |
| Market focus | Built for the French market, GDPR-compliant | Built for the French market, public sources |
GDPR compliance: a shared framework for both approaches
Whichever logic you choose, both players operate within the French B2B framework, and compliance is a baseline expectation rather than a differentiating argument. The CNIL guidelines on commercial email prospecting permit outreach to professionals on the basis of legitimate interest, provided the recipient is informed, can object simply and free of charge, and the subject of the solicitation is relevant to their profession.
Nomination claims data hosted in France and GDPR-compliant. OutSend works from professional public sources: Google Maps listings created by the establishments themselves, open legal data. In both cases, the responsibility for opt-out handling and purpose consistency lies with you, the sender. If compliance is your entry point, this guide to professional email finding and the GDPR in France covers best practices in detail.
FAQ: OutSend vs Nomination
Can Nomination build a prospect list from a simple geographic criterion?
Nomination is a closed database you filter using over 50 targeting criteria among companies already in the repository. For large enterprises and structured SMEs, that is powerful. But it does not generate an exhaustive list of local micro-businesses on demand from a raw geographic perimeter: its logic is to enrich what exists, not to build a list of companies missing from its database.
What is Nomination's coverage?
According to its official page, Nomination references around 100,000 companies and 450,000 decision-makers, with direct emails and phone numbers. This is a perimeter oriented toward large enterprises, mid-market, and established SMEs, with smaller SMEs added more recently.
Does OutSend cover large enterprises the way Nomination does?
OutSend builds and enriches lists from public sources, but does not reconstruct named org charts or editorially curated business signals. For large-enterprise prospecting based on decision-maker context and complex sales, Nomination remains the better fit. OutSend is more relevant on the local SME and micro-business long tail, precisely where there is no database to query.
Can OutSend and Nomination be used together?
Yes, it's a coherent approach. Nomination covers the large-enterprise segment where org charts and signals make the difference; OutSend covers the local and sector-specific long tail that the closed database doesn't reference. The two address different stages and different targets.
Is Nomination's data GDPR-compliant?
Nomination claims data hosted in France and GDPR-compliant, verified manually. As with any B2B prospecting tool, opt-out handling and purpose consistency are your responsibility as the sender, in accordance with the CNIL guidelines.
Want a broader overview? See all prospecting tool alternative comparisons.
To continue the comparison on the French business database side, see also OutSend vs Societeinfo, OutSend vs Manageo and OutSend vs Kompass. And to get started right away, account creation takes a minute.