IndiaMART alternatives: sites like IndiaMART vs Starleads
TradeIndia, ExportersIndia, Justdial and Starleads against IndiaMART: costs, leads and when each fits.
By Saurabh Khatri · Published · 6 min read
Starleads wrote this comparison and is one of the services compared. Facts about IndiaMART come from its own website, checked on 18 October 2026; prices change, so check before you buy.
IndiaMART in short
IndiaMART is a B2B marketplace. Suppliers list their products and buyers post what they want to buy. Each buyer's requirement is a BuyLead; when a seller opens one with a credit, IndiaMART shows the buyer's name, contact number, email ID and contact address (if available). IndiaMART says it has 23.4 crore buyers and 88 lakh suppliers.
Seller registration is free. Paying sellers buy annual packages, the cheapest published one being the MDC package at Rs. 40,000 for one year, exclusive of taxes; a monthly MDC exists without a published price. Enquiries arrive in the Seller Panel, the app and the Lead Manager, and a CRM Pull/Push API sends them to your own CRM.
So an honest IndiaMART review comes down to one question: do you want buyers to come to you? That is what it is built for. It does not sell downloadable contact lists, and an older help page says enquiries can't be exported to Excel. Picking a set of businesses and contacting them yourself is a different job, and it is the one Starleads does.
IndiaMART competitors: sites like IndiaMART
- TradeIndia: a B2B marketplace with catalogue websites for sellers and buyers' requirements. Packages from INR 74,999; GST and term not stated. See TradeIndia vs IndiaMART.
- ExportersIndia: a B2B marketplace with a seller website and buyer enquiries, from ₹24,000 a year plus GST with 6 buy leads a month. See our ExportersIndia review.
- Justdial: a local search directory with free listings and paid ads, for businesses that want nearby customers to find them. See Justdial alternatives.
- Sulekha: a directory and lead marketplace for local service businesses, charging per lead from a prepaid balance. See Sulekha alternatives.
All four, like IndiaMART, bring inbound enquiries. Starleads is not a marketplace: it sells ready-made contact lists for outbound outreach, and the rest of this page compares it with IndiaMART on that basis.
IndiaMART vs Starleads at a glance
IndiaMART's price is as shown on its paid-services help page on 18 October 2026.
| IndiaMART | Starleads | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | B2B marketplace: buyers post requirements, suppliers list products | Ready-made Excel contact lists of Indian businesses and professionals |
| What you get | A seller listing and BuyLeads, each showing the buyer's name, number, email and address (if available) | Every business in the list in one file, with each field's coverage shown before you buy |
| How you pay | Annual packages; a monthly MDC without a published price | Once per list by UPI or bank transfer, confirmed by hand; no subscription or credits |
| Starting price | MDC: Rs. 40,000 for one year, exclusive of taxes | ₹499 a list; All-India bulk lists ₹1,999; no GST added |
| Free option | Free seller registration | 60 sample contacts on every list page; free Excel and PDF sample |
| How you get the data | Seller Panel, app, Lead Manager, CRM API; no downloadable lists | Excel file in your account with an invoice; link valid 30 days |
| Best for | Product sellers who want buyers to come to them | Outbound calls, emails and visits to one industry or area |
Where IndiaMART is the better choice
- Buyers come to you. A BuyLead is a requirement a buyer has posted, so the person already wants the product. A Starleads list is cold outreach to businesses that haven't asked to hear from you.
- Reach you can't build alone. With the 23.4 crore buyers IndiaMART claims, a listing can bring enquiries from towns and trades you would never have called.
- A free start. Registration costs nothing, so you can see whether enquiries come in your category before paying. Starleads has no free plan beyond the samples.
- CRM connection. Its API sends enquiries into your own software. Starleads has no API or CRM integration.
- Buying too. Post a requirement and sellers come to you. Starleads doesn't match buyers with sellers.
Where Starleads is the better choice
- You choose who to contact. If your customers are a known group, say dealers of one product in Gujarat, a list puts them in one file now instead of waiting for enquiries.
- A one-off price. ₹499 a list, or ₹1,999 for a bulk All-India list, with no annual package, credits or GST. IndiaMART's cheapest published package is Rs. 40,000 a year plus taxes, though it does a different job.
- A file you keep. Sort it by city or PIN code, split it among telecallers, load it into a dialler or plan field visits.
- You see the data first. Every list page shows 60 real contacts and the share of rows with a mobile, an email, an address and a contact name.
The lists closest to IndiaMART's sellers and buyers:
- Manufacturing Companies 3,147 contacts · 17% email · 100% mobile ₹499
- Suppliers & Distributors 1,05,906 contacts · 31% email · 96% mobile ₹1,999
- Dealers & Traders 99,463 contacts · 32% email · 79% mobile ₹1,999
To combine industries and places in one file, use the list builder.
Starleads' limits: the data is compiled from business directories and similar sources, so not every row has an email or a named person, and contact details change. You can't look up one named executive. Payment is by UPI or bank transfer only, confirmed by hand. There is no API or CRM integration, and the lists cover India only. Calls and SMS must follow TRAI's DND rules; see our DND check guide.
Other IndiaMART alternatives
Kompass is a global company directory claiming more than 59 million companies and 77 million managers. KSales starts at 59 € a month for 200 credits; EasyBusiness is priced on request, with a 14-day free test. See Kompass vs Starleads.
EasyLeadz finds the mobile number or email of a named person, such as one company's purchase head. Plans start at INR 2,419 a month, 18% GST extra, for 40 numbers; the free plan gives 5. See EasyLeadz alternatives.
Zauba Corp has free company pages from MCA filings, with the CIN, directors and registered address: a quick check on a buyer or supplier before you deal. See Zauba Corp alternatives.
For every kind of provider side by side, see the B2B data providers comparison.
Our verdict
If you sell a product and want buyers who are already looking, IndiaMART or a marketplace like it is the right tool, and free registration lets you test it first. If you know which businesses you want to sell to and would rather call, email or visit them yourself, a Starleads list costs less and puts them in one file at once. Many sellers use both: a marketplace for inbound enquiries, a list for outbound calls.
Questions people ask
Is IndiaMART free?
Seller registration is free. Opening a BuyLead uses a credit, and paid packages start with the MDC at Rs. 40,000 for one year, exclusive of taxes.
IndiaMART vs TradeIndia: which is better?
Both are B2B marketplaces with free registration. IndiaMART's cheapest published package is Rs. 40,000 a year plus taxes; TradeIndia's is INR 74,999, GST and term not stated. IndiaMART claims 23.4 crore buyers, TradeIndia 1,19,27,984 registered users, counted differently. Register free on both and see which brings more enquiries in your category before paying. Our TradeIndia comparison goes further.
Can I download IndiaMART data in Excel?
IndiaMART doesn't sell contact lists, and an older help page says enquiries can't be exported to Excel; its API sends your own enquiries to a CRM. For an Excel file of businesses by industry and city, a ready-made list is the route.
What is the best alternative to IndiaMART in India?
For inbound enquiries, TradeIndia and ExportersIndia work in a similar way, and Justdial suits local customers. For outbound outreach to a chosen set of businesses, a ready-made contact list such as Starleads.