Local.ch, search.ch, Google Maps or Zefix for Swiss B2B leads?

There is no single best source for finding companies in Switzerland. The right choice depends on what you need to establish.

Local.ch and search.ch are useful for published addresses and telephone numbers. Google Maps helps identify businesses operating in a particular area. Zefix, Switzerland's central business name index, is the source for checking the registered name, legal form, seat, status and UID where available.

A dependable B2B list usually combines all three stages: business discovery, collection of public contact details and legal verification.

How the four sources compare

| Source | Best used for | Strengths | Main limitations | |---|---|---|---| | local.ch | Local businesses and phone details | Swiss coverage, categories, addresses | Emails may be missing; starred numbers need attention | | search.ch | Address and directory searches | Simple local research and cross-checking | Limited filtering by legal form or company status | | Google Maps | Geographic business discovery | Websites, hours, reviews and location | Duplicates and no official legal validation | | Zefix | Registered-company verification | Name, seat, legal form, registry and UID | Usually no sales email or operational contact details |

An international agency entering the Zurich market might use Maps to find restaurants with a visible local presence. A software vendor targeting limited companies in Zug should use Zefix to distinguish registered entities from trading names.

Local.ch: useful for local business contact details

Local.ch business searches work well for trades, medical practices, garages, restaurants, consultants and other location-based services. Searches can combine a category and town, such as electricians in Basel or fiduciaries in Lugano.

A listing may provide a name, postal address, telephone number, website and categories. An email address is not guaranteed. In many cases, you will need to open the company's website and check its contact page or legal notice.

Pay attention to starred telephone numbers

In Swiss directories, an asterisk next to a number indicates that the subscriber does not wish to receive advertising calls. This preference matters when preparing a telephone campaign. Public visibility is not a blanket permission to use a number for any purpose.

Check starred listings and consider Switzerland's Unfair Competition Act, UWG/LCD. Even in a B2B context, a call should be relevant and carefully targeted. Uploading every visible number into an indiscriminate dialling campaign is a poor substitute for qualification.

Search.ch: a valuable cross-check

Search.ch covers many of the same business-directory needs as local.ch, but categories and results can differ. This makes it useful as a second view. If the address and telephone number match on search.ch, local.ch and the official website, you have a stronger indication that the details are current.

It is still not definitive. A listing can remain online after a company moves or changes its number. Where registration applies, the next step is a check in the Swiss commercial register.

Search.ch is less suitable for precise filters such as corporation, limited liability company or sole proprietorship. It helps you discover a business but does not replace a Zefix company search.

Google Maps: strong for geographic discovery

Google Maps lead generation is particularly helpful when territory matters. A construction supplier can look for contractors around Zug. A specialist agency can review dental practices in Lausanne, including businesses that primarily describe themselves in French.

Opening hours, photographs, reviews and recent updates indicate whether a location appears active. They do not certify the underlying legal entity. The displayed name may be a brand rather than the registered company name, and the category may have been selected by the profile manager.

Check whether the linked website genuinely belongs to the business, whether its address and phone match other sources, and whether duplicate profiles exist. The website's legal notice may reveal the registered name to search in Zefix.

Maps alone rarely produces a clean database. Results change with the map area and wording of the search. Google Maps also lacks a native CSV export designed for structured B2B prospecting.

Zefix: the legal identity check

Zefix provides access to the central index of companies recorded by Switzerland's cantonal commercial registries. It can confirm the official name, registered seat, legal form, current status and responsible registry. A UID is particularly useful when several organisations have similar names.

Zefix is not a marketing database. It may confirm that a GmbH exists in Bern, but it will not normally tell you which sales email to use or whether the company is interested in your offer. See how Swiss Lead Pro works for the wider matching process.

Do not interpret every missing or mismatched record too quickly. A business shown on Maps may trade under a brand that differs from the legal entity in the register. Some economic activities are also represented differently depending on their structure and registration obligations.

A practical Swiss lead research workflow

For shops, practices and service companies in a city, start with directories or Maps. For selection by registered seat and legal form, start with Zefix. For email addresses, the official company website is often the relevant source.

A repeatable workflow looks like this:

1. Define the industry and territory, such as accounting firms in the canton of Vaud.
2. Collect businesses from more than one public source.
3. Standardise names, addresses, websites and telephone numbers.
4. Identify the legal entity through the website's legal notice.
5. Check the company and UID through Zefix.
6. Remove duplicates and clearly inactive listings.
7. Validate the email, relevance and telephone preferences.
8. Export the CSV while recording source and verification date.

Swiss Lead Pro automates much of this work by combining local.ch, search.ch, Google Maps and Zefix, extracting publicly available emails and providing CSV exports. The pricing options include Free with 3 searches per month, Pro with 30 searches for CHF 9.90 per month or CHF 100 per year, and Unlimited for CHF 19.90 per month or CHF 220 per year. A CHF 10 top-up adds 10 searches.

Public data still comes with responsibilities

Companies operating in Switzerland need to consider the revised Federal Act on Data Protection, revDSG or nFADP, as well as the Unfair Competition Act. Collect only the data you need, keep it reasonably current, secure it and identify yourself transparently when making contact. A public email address does not represent general consent to receive any advertising message.

Swiss Lead Pro finds and organises public business information, but it does not decide the legal basis for your campaign or make every outreach message compliant. It is not the right tool if you want private mobile numbers, consumer profiles or unverified mass-mailing lists.

Use each source for the job it does best

Directories and Maps are effective for discovery, Zefix anchors the legal verification, and the official website helps identify a relevant contact route. Combining them produces a more useful result than relying on one platform alone.

Start with Swiss Lead Pro, run up to three free searches per month and review the records before exporting your list.