Indri Labs vs Datarade: a data marketplace or a data sourcing service?
Datarade is a data marketplace: it lists thousands of commercial data providers, lets you compare their products and samples, and connects you with the vendor you choose. Indri Labs is a sourcing service: you describe the AI training data you need, and we find, license and, where needed, record it, then deliver one merged dataset under one contract. Use Datarade when the data is already for sale; use Indri Labs when it sits inside companies or doesn't exist yet.
Updated · Indri Labs
What is Datarade?
Datarade calls itself a global data marketplace. It was incorporated in Berlin in 2018 by Thani Shamsi, Florian Rösler and Richard Hoffmann, and its stated mission is "to accelerate innovation with proprietary data". Its homepage says it gives buyers access to 2,700+ data providers across 560+ data categories. Provider counts differ between its pages, so treat any single figure as approximate.
Datarade doesn't present itself as a seller of its own data. Datarade says the service is free for buyers and that it is paid by the provider when a buyer makes a purchase. It also offers free sourcing advice from what it calls its team of data acquisition specialists, and buyers can post a data request that providers respond to.
AI training data is one of its categories. At the time of writing that page lists 776 datasets and related categories such as audio, video, computer vision, LLM, robotics and egocentric data. Listings often offer a free sample preview, and Datarade notes that pricing varies: some datasets show a starting price, others are priced on request, and terms range from one-off purchases to annual or usage-based licenses.
What is Indri Labs?
Indri Labs sources proprietary training data for AI labs as a service. We are not a marketplace or a catalog. You describe the need: modality, volume, coverage across regions, languages and edge cases, format, rights and deadline. We scope it for free and send a one-page brief that names and prices every source, includes a sample from each, gives the total data cost and shows our fee on its own line. You can walk away owing nothing.
If you approve, you sign one contract and pay one invoice, with us. We negotiate a license with every seller, usually companies that have never sold their data, and record what doesn't exist yet, such as first-person video on smart glasses and head cameras filmed to spec. You receive one merged dataset with duplicates and personal data removed, checked against your spec, with the source and license for every record, in your format.
How do Datarade and Indri Labs compare?
The main difference is who does the finding. On Datarade you search, compare and choose a provider. With Indri Labs you hand over the requirement and we return named, priced sources. Facts about Datarade below come from its own site and the sources listed, as of October 2026.
| Aspect | Datarade | Indri Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Data marketplace that connects buyers with listed data providers | Sourcing service that finds, licenses and records data for one client |
| What you buy | A data product from the provider you pick | One merged dataset built to your spec from several sources |
| Data types | 560+ categories; AI training data is one, covering text, audio, image, video and more | First-person video, operational logs, calls and meetings, documents; sensor, robotics and clinical records coming soon |
| Custom collection | Post a data request that providers respond to | Records what doesn't exist yet, such as first-person video filmed to spec |
| Pricing visibility | Some listings show a starting price, others say pricing on request; free for buyers | Free brief naming and pricing every source, with Indri's fee on its own line |
| Contract | Agreed with each provider you buy from | One contract and one invoice, with Indri Labs |
| Provenance | Set by each provider's listing and terms | Source and license recorded for every record |
| Best for | Comparing many commercial vendors for data already on sale | Proprietary data that isn't for sale yet, or video that has to be recorded |
How does buying work on each?
On Datarade, you browse listings or post a request, preview samples, and contact the providers that fit. A review published by ZoomInfo, which competes with Datarade, says requests are broadcast to registered providers and that completing a purchase still involves negotiating with the provider outside the platform. If you buy from three vendors, expect three sets of terms.
With Indri Labs, the brief arrives before you commit to anything. It lists every source with its price and a sample, so you can check the data and the cost first. After approval there is one contract and one invoice, and we handle the license with each seller. The dataset arrives merged and checked against your spec, with provenance recorded per record.
When is Datarade the better choice?
- The data you need is already sold commercially and you want to compare many vendors at once
- You want to preview samples and see indicative prices before speaking to anyone
- You are happy to contract directly with each provider you choose
- You also need data outside AI training, from the other categories it lists
- You want free help mapping the vendor landscape, which Datarade says its specialists offer
When is Indri Labs the better choice?
- The data sits inside companies and isn't listed on any marketplace
- You need first-person video recorded to your spec. More on egocentric video data
- You need operational logs, calls and meetings with transcripts, or documents from several holders combined into one dataset
- You want one contract, one invoice and the source and license for every record
- You want the data cost and the sourcing fee shown separately before you commit
The two can work together: check Datarade for data that already exists, then send us whatever is left. For the wider field, see AI training data providers compared. If your company holds data that AI labs might license, see selling your data to AI labs.
Questions, answered.
What is Datarade?
Datarade is a Berlin data marketplace, incorporated in 2018, that describes itself as a global data marketplace. Its homepage says it gives buyers access to 2,700+ data providers across 560+ categories, including AI training data. It is free for buyers; Datarade says providers pay it when a purchase is made.
Is Indri Labs a Datarade alternative?
Yes, for a different kind of purchase. Datarade helps you find and compare data products that providers have already listed. Indri Labs takes a description of the data you need and sources it from the companies that hold it, or records it to spec, then delivers one dataset under one contract.
Which is better for AI training data that already exists?
Datarade is usually the better starting point. You can browse listed AI training datasets, preview samples and compare vendors in one place before contacting the provider. Indri Labs fits better when no listed dataset matches your coverage, rights or format.
Does Datarade sell its own data?
Datarade presents itself as a marketplace that connects buyers with data providers, and says it is paid by the provider when a buyer makes a purchase. The data products listed on it come from those providers.
Is Datarade a marketplace or a sourcing service?
Datarade is a marketplace. A marketplace lists data that sellers have already prepared, and you choose and buy from a seller. A sourcing service starts from your requirements, finds the companies that hold matching data, negotiates the licenses and delivers the result. Marketplaces are faster when the data exists; sourcing reaches data that has never been offered for sale.