ImportYeti turned roughly 70 million US customs sea-shipment bills of lading into a free, searchable database — and for a quick "who does my competitor buy from?" lookup, it is one of the best free tools on the internet. US bills of lading are legally public records, ImportYeti obtained them via a Freedom of Information request, and it gives that data away with no paywall. If you sell on Amazon or source from China, it is often the first place to start.
But ImportYeti is US ocean imports only — no air, no land, and crucially no India or worldwide shipment-level coverage — with no built-in decision-maker contacts. The moment your buyers, suppliers or competitors operate outside the United States, you hit a wall. This guide covers the best ImportYeti alternatives for 2026 — the strongest ImportYeti competitors and other sites like ImportYeti — with an honest, like-for-like comparison so you can match the tool to your markets and budget.
The 30-second version
- ImportYeti is free and excellent for US sea imports — 70 million+ bills of lading from 2015 to today — but it is US-only, ocean-only, and has no contact data.
- US-bound containerized imports hit 28.08 million TEUs in 2025, so the US trail alone is huge — but it is still one market out of 240+.
- Coverage across the field runs from US-only (ImportYeti, free) to 240+ countries (ShipScout), with Volza at 203 and Tendata at 228+.
- ShipScout is the best step-up: 11 billion+ records, 240+ countries, India plus worldwide markets, contact intelligence where available, and a free trial.
- Pick on three questions: which markets, do you need contacts, and free vs. self-serve vs. enterprise quote.
What ImportYeti is — and where it stops
ImportYeti is a free trade-intelligence tool built on US Customs maritime records. Every container entering a US seaport generates a bill of lading naming the shipper, the consignee, the product and the volume — and because that record is public, ImportYeti can surface it without charging. Its database spans 2015 to the present, and a basic search returns a free bill of lading, supplier tracking and shipment history. For free competitor-supplier research, it is genuinely hard to beat.
The limits are about scope, not quality. ImportYeti covers US sea imports only — its own FAQ notes that air and land freight records "are not available for public use." There is no India data, no worldwide shipment-level coverage, and no contact enrichment to turn a consignee name into an email. It also leans toward larger, self-serve usage: alongside the free tier, ImportYeti lists a paid Supply Chain plan for heavier downloads. If your world is US ocean imports, that may be all you need. If it is not, you have outgrown it.
The question is never "is ImportYeti good?" — for free US sea data it is excellent. The real question is whether the United States is the only market you care about, and whether you need to actually contact the buyers you find.
The 7 best ImportYeti alternatives in 2026
Below are the strongest alternatives and complementary trade-data tools, positioned honestly. Where a vendor does not publish pricing, we say "Custom / contact sales" rather than guess.
1. ShipScout — the best step-up from free US data
ShipScout turns 11 billion+ shipment records across 240+ countries into ranked, verified buyer and supplier lists, with contact intelligence where available and a self-serve free trial. Where ImportYeti stops at the US waterline, ShipScout spans worldwide markets and India via mirrored licensed trade data — built for exporters and importers who want a prioritised shortlist in minutes, not a US-only data dump. Browse the live company directory or jump to US importers and India trade partners. It is the natural upgrade for anyone who hit ImportYeti's geography limit but still wants self-serve pricing.
2. Panjiva — the enterprise benchmark
Panjiva, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence since 2018, carries 2 billion+ shipment records across 9 million companies, with decision-maker contacts on over 1 million of them and delivery via API and Snowflake. Pricing is quote-only — Custom / contact sales — and aimed at large enterprises and supply-chain risk teams. Far more than ImportYeti, but a different budget. See our Panjiva alternatives guide for the full picture.
3. ImportGenius — the US-first paid incumbent
ImportGenius (founded 2006) is the closest paid cousin to ImportYeti, also built on US bills of lading but with broader features and add-on international coverage. Its published pricing runs USA Essentials from $229/month and USA Pro from $449/month, with a Global Enterprise tier from $1,999/month spanning 25+ countries. Daily US updates are a real strength; our ImportGenius alternatives guide compares it in depth.
4. Volza — broad global coverage, mid-market price
UAE-based Volza advertises trade data across 203 countries and roughly 3 billion shipment records, bundling verified buyer and supplier contacts with 20+ shipment filters. Pricing starts around $1,500/year with a 7-day trial — a popular pick for globally-minded SMEs. Compare it in our Volza alternatives guide.
5. Tendata — high record volume, Asia strength
Shanghai-based Tendata markets trade data across 228+ countries and regions, layering decision-maker names, emails and phones on top of shipment records. It is strong for outbound buyer discovery from Asia. Pricing is quote-based — Custom / contact sales.
6. Trademo — modern UI plus compliance
Trademo Intel covers shipment and trade data across 190+ countries from 10 million+ companies, pairing trade discovery with sanctions screening and HS-code compliance tooling. Its Essential plan is listed at $1,500 per dataset per year; broader access is Custom / contact sales.
7. ImportYeti itself — keep it for free US lookups
Worth keeping in your toolkit even after you upgrade. For a fast, free check of who imports a product into the US — or which US importers buy from a given factory — ImportYeti remains an excellent zero-cost first pass on 70 million+ US sea bills of lading. Just pair it with a broader tool the moment you need other markets or contacts.
Honest comparison: coverage, India data, contacts, free option, price
| Tool | Coverage | India + worldwide | Contact intel | Free option | Pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShipScout | 240+ countries, 11B+ records | ✓ | ✓ where available | ✓ free trial | Self-serve + free trial | Outgrowing US-only free data |
| ImportYeti | US sea imports only | — | — | ✓ free tier | Free; paid Supply Chain plan | Free US supplier lookups |
| Panjiva (S&P) | 2B+ records, 9M companies | ✓ | ✓ 1M+ companies | — | Custom / contact sales | Large enterprises, risk teams |
| ImportGenius | 25+ countries, US-first | ✓ add-on | — limited | — | From $229/mo (public) | US-focused, price-transparent |
| Volza | 203 countries, 3B records | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ 7-day trial | From ~$1,500/yr | Global SMEs, mid-market budget |
| Tendata | 228+ countries | ✓ | ✓ | — | Custom / contact sales | Asia-heavy outbound sales |
| Trademo | 190+ countries, 10M+ traders | ✓ | ✓ | — | From $1,500/dataset/yr | Trade + compliance teams |
A note on US data specifically: US bills of lading are legally public records, which is why ImportYeti, ImportGenius and the global players all surface rich US import detail. Coverage of other markets depends on each vendor's own licensing and sourcing — which is exactly where the field separates from a US-only free tool.
Coverage at a glance
Country footprint is the clearest way to see what you gain by moving past ImportYeti. Here is verified country coverage across the tools that publish a clean number — ImportYeti counts as one market, the United States:
Raw country count is not the whole story — depth, freshness and contact data all matter — but it is a fair first filter. ImportYeti's single-market depth is excellent and free; the trade-off is everything outside the US. If you sell into many markets, the 200+-country tools (ShipScout, Volza, Tendata) shortlist themselves.
How to pick: three questions
Skip the feature-matrix paralysis and answer these:
1. Which markets? Only US sea imports, on a budget? Stay on ImportYeti. Many countries including India and Asia? ShipScout, Volza or Tendata. Compliance alongside trade? Trademo.
2. Do you need decision-maker contacts? ImportYeti gives you a consignee name but no way to reach them. If outreach is the goal, prioritise tools with contact intelligence — and treat coverage as "where available," not "every record." Our primer on using customs data to find buyers shows the workflow.
3. Free, self-serve, or enterprise quote? ImportYeti and free-first tools cost nothing to start; ShipScout and Volza are self-serve with trials; Panjiva and Tendata are quote-based. If you want to start today without a sales call, choose a self-serve option and scale only when it pays off — see our roundup of the best free import-export data tools.
ImportYeti gets you to "who imports this into the US, for free." A step-up tool gets you to "who imports this anywhere, who to email, ranked by volume." Most growing teams eventually need both.
How ShipScout helps when you outgrow ImportYeti
- Go global, not just US — 11 billion+ records across 240+ countries, so your buyers and suppliers outside the US stop being invisible. Explore China suppliers or Vietnam trade partners.
- India plus worldwide — find international buyers for Indian exports with data-backed targeting, alongside global coverage that reaches far beyond US ocean imports.
- Contact intelligence where available — go from "who imports this" to "who to email," instead of copying consignee names into a spreadsheet. Learn the records behind it in our guide to US import data.
- Buyers ranked by volume — a prioritised shortlist, not a raw manifest dump, with a free trial so you can test it on your own product first.
The best ImportYeti alternative is the one that fits your markets, your need for contacts, and your budget — without losing what made ImportYeti useful in the first place. If you have outgrown US-only free data, Start a free trial and pull your first global buyer list today.
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