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Waterfall.io Review: Is It worth it? Our Analysis on 100+ User Reviews

If you work in GTM, RevOps, or growth, you’ve probably come across Waterfall.io

It claims to give you one API that can find prospects, verify emails, get phone numbers, and enrich company data, all by aggregating 30+ global data vendors into a single source.

But does it actually perform as well as it sounds?

To find out, we explored Waterfall.io’s API documentation, analyzed its accuracy and scalability, and reviewed how it performs for B2B data enrichment.

Here’s everything we discovered about Waterfall.io, its features, pros, cons, and whether it truly stands out as an ideal enrichment tool.

Waterfall.io Review: Key Takeaways

  • Waterfall.io unifies 30+ B2B data vendors into one enrichment API, giving global access to verified emails, phone numbers, and company details.

  • It’s built for GTM, RevOps, and data engineering teams who need large-scale, real-time contact and company enrichment through API calls.

  • The platform offers multiple endpoints: Prospector, Contact Enrichment, Phone Enrichment, Company Enrichment, and Email Verification, all with async workflows and webhook support.

  • Provides 99.99% uptime with high rate limits (up to 1,000 requests/min) and a unified data schema that removes field-mapping issues.

  • Uses real-time verification across vendors, ensuring only “safe-to-send” emails and accurate mobile numbers.

  • Fully GDPR & CCPA compliant, SOC 2 Type II certified, and continuously monitored by Drata for enterprise-grade security.

  • Usage-based pricing, no monthly commitments, credit expirations, or long-term contracts; pay only for successful enrichments.

What Is Waterfall.io?

Waterfall.io homepage
This image shows the Waterfall.io homepage

Waterfall.io is a B2B data enrichment API that connects to 30+ verified data vendors to help teams find accurate emails, phone numbers, and company details in real time. 

It’s built for GTM, RevOps, and data teams that want to automate enrichment at scale.

It ensures enterprise-grade security with SOC 2 Type II certification, full GDPR and CCPA compliance, and continuous monitoring by Drata

Every record is verified, private, and safe to use, making Waterfall.io a trusted choice for companies that rely on clean, compliant B2B data.

How Does Waterfall.io Work?

Waterfall.io works through a simple API process that connects to over 30 data vendors to return verified B2B contact and company information. 

It’s designed for developers and data teams who want accurate enrichment with minimal setup.

Here’s how it works step by step:

Step 1: Connect Your API Key

Every user gets an API key after signing up.

You add this key to your API header (x-api-key), it authenticates your requests and lets you access all Waterfall endpoints securely.

Step 2: Choose What You Want to Do

Waterfall has different endpoints for specific needs:

  • Prospector – find new contacts using domain, company name, or LinkedIn.

  • Contact Enrichment – fill missing details using LinkedIn, email, or name + domain.

  • Phone Enrichment – find verified phone numbers from LinkedIn or email.

  • Company Enrichment – get company details (size, funding, industry, HQ).

  • Email Verifier – check if an email is valid, risky, or invalid in real time.

  • Account Reporter – track your API usage and remaining credits.

  • API Keys Management (Enterprise) – create or edit team-level API keys.

Step 3: Send a Request

You send a request to the relevant endpoint.

Each endpoint accepts specific input, like a domain, LinkedIn URL, or email, and optional filters such as:

  • Title filter → e.g., (manager OR director) AND (sales)

  • Location filter → e.g., location_country = United States, location_name = San Francisco, California

Waterfall automatically routes your query to the best data sources among its 30+ vendors.

Step 4: Get a Job ID or Instant Result

When you send a request:

  • Most endpoints return a job_id (for async processing).

  • You can check results later with the GET endpoint or use a webhook to receive data automatically once it’s ready.

  • The Email Verifier endpoint returns instant results (no job ID).

Step 5: Retrieve Results

Using the job_id, you fetch enriched or verified data, such as:

  • Valid emails and phone numbers

  • Job titles and company details

  • Company industry, funding, and size

All results follow a consistent format, making it easy to plug into your CRM, database, or automation tool.

Step 6: Handle Errors and Limits

If something goes wrong, Waterfall returns standard HTTP error codes:

  • 401: Missing API key

  • 403: Wrong API key

  • 404: Invalid job ID

  • 500: Internal error

Rate limits apply, usually 50 requests per minute for enrichment and prospector calls.

Step 7: Track Usage

You can monitor API usage and balance with /v2/account.

This gives detailed metrics on requests, enriched contacts, verified emails, and remaining credits.

Waterfall.io lets you send one API request and get verified, enriched B2B contact data from 30+ sources, all in one place, with enterprise-grade accuracy, security, and compliance.

Waterfall.io Features That Are Actually Useful

Here’s a breakdown of Waterfall.io’s features that are actually useful:

Feature What It Actually Does
Prospector API Finds contacts in a company using domain, LinkedIn, title filters, and location filters. Ideal for targeted lead list building.
Title Filter Logic Supports advanced Boolean logic like:
((manager OR director) AND (sales OR marketing)) AND NOT (project manager OR sales manager)
Location Filter Targets by country, region, or city. Accepts names like “United States,” “California,” or multiple countries like ["France","Germany"].
Contact Enrichment API Enriches a person using LinkedIn URL, email, or name-domain. Returns company, title, verified email, and sometimes phone numbers.
Phone Enrichment API Finds direct mobile numbers using LinkedIn or email. Charges only when a number is found.
Company Enrichment API Returns verified company data like industry, headcount, funding, LinkedIn URL, and year founded from a domain or LinkedIn handle.
Email Verification API Provides real-time email verification statuses: valid, invalid, risky, or unknown.
Webhook Support Sends enrichment results to your endpoint automatically when ready—no manual polling needed.
Usage & Cost Tracker (v2/account) Shows live usage metrics: enrichment requests, verified emails, phone finds, and remaining balance.
API Key Management Enterprise users can create, rotate, or deactivate keys with rate limits for security and control.
GDPR, CCPA & Drata Compliance Fully compliant with major privacy laws; monitored continuously with automated audits and alerts.

Waterfall.io is developer-first but sales-friendly, giving GTM and RevOps teams instant access to global B2B contact data, verified emails, and direct dials, all from one secure, automated API stack.

Top 5 Pros of Waterfall.io

  1. Waterfall.io combines 30+ global data vendors into one API. This aggregation gives Waterfall.io a clear edge in data coverage; it can pull verified emails, phones, and company info from multiple sources in a single query.

  2. Waterfall automatically tries multiple filters (title, location, company, LinkedIn) in order until it finds valid results. This means fewer empty responses and higher yield per API call compared to static enrichment tools.

  3. Its infrastructure is tested by the same security firms that audit Snowflake and T-Mobile, with continuous monitoring via Drata, a rare level of compliance transparency among enrichment APIs.

  4. Every enrichment result comes in a structured, detailed format that includes verified emails, phone statuses, company headcount, funding details, and industries.

  5. Its webhook system lets you queue thousands of enrichment jobs and receive results automatically, making it ideal for teams that run real-time CRM or product enrichment pipelines.

Top 5 Cons of Waterfall.io

  1. Everything runs via API, so marketers, SDRs, or ops teams can’t use it without engineering support or a connector layer.

  2. When enriching without a LinkedIn URL or domain, data accuracy drops sharply, leading to potential false matches and wasted credits.

  3. Advanced phone enrichment (include_phones=true) incurs additional charges, which can quietly inflate cost at scale if not monitored.

  4. The API rejects partial or incorrect fields like “US” instead of “United States,” forcing precise formatting and slowing first-time integrations.

  5. While Waterfall enriches data well, it doesn’t detect buyer intent, score leads, or automate outreach, so it can’t serve as a full GTM automation platform on its own.

Waterfall.io Pricing

Waterfall.io uses a usage-based pricing model, you only pay for what you use.

There are no monthly contracts, credit expirations, or hidden fees, and you can scale usage up or down anytime.

If you enable phone enrichment, extra charges apply only when valid numbers are returned.

Large teams can request custom pricing and higher rate limits (up to 1,000 requests/minute).

All billing is handled in one contract and invoice, replacing multiple vendor subscriptions.

To get exact rates, users must book a call with the Waterfall team.

Is Waterfall.io the Right Fit for You?

If your workflow revolves around data enrichment and integration, and you just need verified contact or company data inside your CRM or product, Waterfall.io is a great fit.

I. Waterfall.io is right for you if:

  • You work in RevOps, GTM, or data engineering, and need a clean enrichment API for large datasets.

  • You want to combine 30+ global data vendors into one unified API instead of managing separate contracts.

  • You need real-time verified emails, phones, and company data for scoring, routing, or CRM workflows.

  • You value developer control and want to plug enrichment directly into your pipelines or internal tools.

II. Waterfall.io might not be ideal if:

  • You need a ready-to-use dashboard or non-technical setup for sales or marketing teams.

  • You want email sequences, outreach, or AI follow-ups built into the same platform.

  • You don’t have developer resources to manage API integrations or webhooks.

  • You’re looking for intent data, scoring, or lead prioritization features.

  • You prefer flat-rate pricing over usage-based billing.

Best Waterfall.io Alternative for Non-Developers → Leadsforge

If you like Waterfall.io for combining multiple data providers into one enrichment pipeline but don’t want to deal with API setup, coding, or complex integrations.

Leadsforge gives you the same multi-source “waterfall enrichment” in a chat-based interface

Leadsforge chat-based interface
This image shows the Leadsforge chat-based interface

You can simply type prompts and instantly get verified emails, phone numbers, and LinkedIn profiles from a global database of 500M+ contacts.

Find lookalike audience with Leadsforge
This image shows the Find lookalike audience with Leadsforge

It also includes lookalike search, competitor followers, and intent signals (like hiring or product launches), all inside one simple chat interface.

Leadsforge offers 2,000 credits for $49/month, with credits that never expire.

By contrast, Waterfall.io runs on usage-based API pricing that can be unpredictable and requires manual setup before you start enriching data.

This means that even though both tools perform waterfall enrichment, Waterfall.io demands technical effort, while Leadsforge gives you the same capability in a no-code, chat-style interface designed for instant lead generation.

Waterfall.io vs Leadsforge: Feature Comparison

Feature Waterfall.io Leadsforge
Platform Type Developer-first API platform Chat-based interface (no coding needed)
Main Function Aggregate and enrich data via API calls Find verified B2B leads, lookalikes, and competitor followers instantly
Data Sources 30+ enrichment APIs Multi-source enrichment across verified global databases
Enrichment Method API-based waterfall data matching Real-time waterfall enrichment with live verification
Pricing Custom API-based pricing (usage billed) $49/month for 2,000 verified credits (unused credits never expire)
Integrations API & developer tools Salesforge, HubSpot, Salesforce, CSV export
Best For Developers, RevOps, and data engineers Sales, growth, and marketing teams who want instant enrichment

If your team has engineers and wants to build custom enrichment pipelines, Waterfall.io gets the job done.

But if you want to search, enrich, and export verified leads globally in one click, without writing a single line of code, Leadsforge gives you more speed, flexibility, and value.

Is Waterfall.io Worth It?

Waterfall.io is a strong platform if your team has developers and wants full control over enrichment through APIs. 

It gives you access to 30+ global data sources, solid data accuracy, and detailed company insights. But it’s not made for everyone.

If you don’t have technical skills or time to set up APIs, using Waterfall.io can feel complex.

You’ll need to manage formatting rules, API keys, and usage costs, which can add up quickly.

It’s great for data engineers, but not the most practical tool for sales or marketing teams that just want quick, verified leads.

So yes, Waterfall.io is worth it, but only if you have a developer team and want to build a custom enrichment pipeline.

If you want the same data coverage without the setup, Leadsforge is a simpler choice. 

It provides real-time waterfall enrichment, verified emails, phone numbers, and LinkedIn profiles, all through a simple, chat-based interface.

Try Leadsforge now with 100 free credits!