Comparison
Do not judge providers only by the largest number. Distinguish individual research, market statistics, ongoing platform use and a one-off file.
As of: 25 October 2026 · legal bases checked on Fedlex on 25 October 2026 · by Martin Adamec
First check whether you need to look up individual companies, size a market or get a list for sales and CRM; different sources serve each purpose.
For every list, ask about the source, the reference date and how the asterisk marking is handled.
In brief
| You want to … | Suitable source |
|---|---|
| Check individual business partners | Zefix and the UID register, free of charge and official. You do not need a list for that. |
| Size a market | Official statistics. The figure per industry is on our industry pages, the distribution by canton and size under Data. |
| A postal mailing to a particular industry and region | One-off export or purchased list. Have the number of records with a postal address confirmed beforehand. |
| Telephone prospecting | Only numbers checked against the asterisk marking. Ask for the date and method of the check (Art. 3 para. 1 let. u UWG). |
| Ongoing prospecting with contact persons and CRM integration | Subscription sales platform. Check term, quotas and export rights. |
| Newsletters or email advertising | No list solves this: mass advertising by email requires every recipient’s prior consent, also for businesses (Art. 3 para. 1 let. o UWG). |
The table can be scrolled sideways.
| Source | What you get | Cost model | Strength | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial register and Zefix | company name, legal form, UID, registered office, address, purpose, authorised signatories | entries free of charge online; basic data also as open government data | official and current; the right source for checking individual business partners | no phone numbers, email addresses, websites or industry codes; small sole proprietorships, many liberal professions and farmers are not registered |
| UID register | core attributes of UID units, such as name, address, VAT status | free of charge, queries for individual units | checks the UID and VAT status of a particular business | individual queries only (Art. 11 UIDG); no lists |
| Official statistics (FSO) | number of businesses by industry, canton and size | free of charge | the best basis for sizing a market | aggregated figures only, no individual businesses |
| Official professional and industry registers | licences, for example in the register of medical professions, with the audit oversight authority or FINMA | mostly free of charge | shows bindingly whether a person or firm is licensed | meant for look-ups, not as an address directory for advertising |
| Telephone and online directories | entries with name, address, phone, often with the asterisk marking | search free of charge | good for finding individual providers in a region; the asterisk shows who does not want sales calls | terms of use often prohibit bulk queries and building address databases |
| Subscription sales platforms | search interface with filters, often with contact persons, key figures and CRM integration | user licence monthly or annually, exports often via quotas | for ongoing sales work with several users | term and quotas bind you; the contract governs what may be exported |
| List brokers | ready-made lists by industry and region, to buy or rent | price per list or address; rental for agreed uses | quickly available for postal mailings | with rented addresses you often do not receive the data yourself; source, reference date and handling of the asterisk marking are not always disclosed |
| Your own research on websites | legal notice details under Art. 3 para. 1 let. s UWG: identity and contact address including email | costs working time instead of money | you know exactly where each item comes from | laborious beyond a few dozen companies; personal data for sole proprietorships (FADP) |
| One-off export by industry and region (how kontaktdatenbank.ch works) | one file with fixed columns (16 at kontaktdatenbank.ch), selection by industry, canton and mandatory fields | one-off price per selection, no subscription | you pay once for a clearly defined target group and work in your own Excel or CRM | no ongoing access; no contact persons; contacts so far mainly from open map data, scope and delivery date stated per request |
More on the official registers: Commercial register, Zefix and UID: what is public and Data sources and methodology. The industry registers per industry are on the industry pages.
kontaktdatenbank.ch delivers company data as a one-off export by industry and canton, with 16 fixed columns from UID and legal form to phone, email and website. That fits if you need a clearly defined target group once and work with it yourself: in your CRM or for postal mailings.
It does not fit if you are looking for named contact persons with their function, research new target customers daily or want data updated directly in your CRM. Subscription platforms are built for that. And it does not fit email campaigns without consent.
Good to know: our Swiss database holds 1,005,992 records, 264,448 of them with a phone number, email or website (as of 4 November 2026). The page Database status shows how we count and what the records consist of, the page Prices the price for exporting a whole industry.
For individual queries, yes: commercial register entries are accessible online free of charge, and the Federal Commercial Registry Office publishes the basic data of all active entries as open government data. The register does not contain phone numbers, email addresses or industry codes, though.
Because prices and services change frequently and we are a provider ourselves. A comparison of competitors by us would not be neutral. The page therefore describes types of sources; with the checks in the guide Buying Swiss company addresses you can compare specific offers yourself.
According to the FSO, 649,353 businesses in 2024 (STATENT); the commercial register has 796,383 active entries (Zefix, file of 1 November 2026). No company database contains a phone number and email for every one of these businesses; so ask for the number of records with the field you need.
It depends on how often you need new target customers. For a single campaign or a clearly defined market, a one-off export is usually simpler: one price, one file. Anyone researching daily, working with several users and looking for contact persons is better served by a subscription platform.
This page gives general guidance and does not replace legal advice.
Name the industry, cantons and the fields you need. We tell you what can be delivered and state scope and price before you order.
