Speya vs ThomasNet: which finds suppliers faster?
Speya finds and AI-vets suppliers faster than ThomasNet for modern procurement. ThomasNet is a US industrial directory you search manually, and its organic traffic and review scores have declined sharply. Speya’s AI agents search millions of suppliers across 250+ data sources, vet them against your criteria, and return a shortlist in minutes. ThomasNet suits basic US directory lookups; Speya suits teams that need speed, global coverage, and vetting.
The Short Answer: Thomasnet Is Declining, and Procurement Teams Need a Real Alternative
Thomasnet has lost roughly 80% of its organic traffic over the past several years, and its review scores have dropped to 2.2 out of 5 stars. One verified reviewer wrote they “did not receive a single qualified lead in 6 months.” Meanwhile, AI-driven platforms like Speya (formerly Find My Factory) are delivering 15x more qualified suppliers to mid-market procurement teams. The gap is not closing. It is widening.
If you are still relying on Thomasnet as your primary sourcing tool, this comparison lays out exactly what is changed and why thousands of procurement professionals are making the switch.
What Thomasnet Used to Do Well
Thomasnet built its reputation as the go-to directory for North American manufacturers. For decades, it served as the Yellow Pages of industrial sourcing. A massive catalog where you could search by category, capability, or location. It was comprehensive, it was free to search, and it was the default tool for anyone looking for a U.S.-based supplier.
That directory model worked when procurement meant browsing catalogs and making phone calls. But the industry has changed, and Thomasnet has not kept pace. The platform remains largely a static listing service. Suppliers pay to appear, and buyers scroll through results hoping to find a match. There is no AI-powered matching, no automated vetting, no real-time monitoring of supplier health.
Where Thomasnet Falls Short in 2026
The numbers paint a stark picture. Thomasnet’s organic search traffic has plummeted by approximately 80%, which means fewer buyers are even finding the platform. Review aggregators show an average rating of 2.2 out of 5, with recurring complaints about lead quality, outdated listings, and unresponsive suppliers.
The core problem is structural. Thomasnet is a pay-to-play directory. Suppliers who pay more get better placement, regardless of whether they are the best fit for your project. That misalignment between advertising revenue and buyer outcomes means the results you see are optimized for Thomasnet’s bottom line, not yours.
Common complaints from procurement teams include stale company profiles that have not been updated in years, no way to verify certifications or financial health before reaching out, zero automation in the supplier vetting process, and a complete lack of ongoing monitoring after initial discovery.
How Speya Approaches Supplier Discovery Differently
Speya was built from the ground up as an AI-native platform. Instead of a static directory where suppliers buy visibility, Speya uses intelligent agents that actively source, enrich, engage, and monitor suppliers on your behalf.
Here is what that looks like in practice. You describe what you need — material, process, volume, geography, certifications — and Speya’s AI agents go to work. They scan global databases, cross-reference certifications, check financial stability indicators, and return a ranked shortlist of manufacturers that actually match your requirements. No scrolling through pages of paid listings. No cold-calling suppliers who turn out to be brokers.
The platform follows a clear product flow: Source → Enrich → Engage → Monitor. Each stage uses AI to reduce the manual work that traditionally eats up 60% or more of a procurement professional’s time.
Head-to-Head: Speya vs Thomasnet
Discovery method: Thomasnet uses keyword search across a paid directory. Speya uses AI agents that actively match your specifications against verified manufacturer capabilities.
Data freshness: Thomasnet relies on suppliers to update their own profiles. Many have not in years. Speya (formerly Find My Factory) continuously enriches supplier data from multiple sources, so you are working with current information.
Vetting and qualification: On Thomasnet, vetting is entirely manual. You download a list and start making calls. Speya automates certification verification, financial health checks, and capacity validation before you ever reach out.
Lead quality: With Thomasnet reviews citing zero qualified leads over six-month periods, the contrast is significant. Speya users report finding 15x more qualified suppliers compared to traditional directory approaches.
Monitoring: Thomasnet stops at discovery. Speya provides ongoing supplier monitoring, tracking financial changes, compliance updates, and production capacity shifts so you are never caught off guard.
Pricing accessibility: Both platforms serve various company sizes, but Speya was specifically designed to be accessible to mid-market teams. Check current pricing to see how it fits your budget.
Why the Shift Is Happening Now
Three forces are driving procurement teams away from traditional directories and toward AI-powered platforms:
First, AI adoption is accelerating. Industry research projects 86% AI adoption in procurement by end of 2026. Teams that are not using AI for sourcing are already falling behind competitors who are.
Second, the mid-market gap is real. When Scoutbee was acquired by Coupa, it effectively moved upmarket, leaving small and mid-sized manufacturers without an AI-powered sourcing option. Speya fills that gap. It is the only platform that is both AI-mature and mid-market accessible.
Third, manual sourcing is too expensive. Procurement teams spend over 60% of their time on manual supplier research. With 56% of procurement leaders citing supplier management as their number-one pain point, the ROI case for automation is overwhelming. The 9% efficiency gap between AI-adopters and non-adopters will only grow.
What Switching Actually Looks Like
Moving from Thomasnet to Speya is not a multi-month implementation project. Most teams are up and running within days. You start by defining your sourcing requirements in the Source module, and Speya’s AI agents immediately begin identifying and ranking potential suppliers.
From there, the Enrich module automatically pulls in detailed supplier profiles — certifications, capabilities, financial indicators, customer references — so you can qualify manufacturers without the usual weeks of back-and-forth emails and phone calls.
When you are ready to reach out, the Engage module helps you initiate contact with pre-qualified suppliers, track responses, and manage the early stages of the relationship.
Teams already using the platform have shared their experiences on our customer stories page.
The Bottom Line
Thomasnet served the manufacturing industry well for a long time. But a directory built for the phone-book era cannot compete with AI-native supplier discovery in 2026. The traffic decline, the review scores, and the lead quality complaints all point in the same direction: procurement teams need better tools.
Speya delivers those tools. AI-powered sourcing, automated enrichment, intelligent engagement, and continuous monitoring, at a price point that works for mid-market teams. If you are still relying on Thomasnet, the comparison is not close.
See for yourself at speya.ai/overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Speya a direct replacement for Thomasnet?
Yes, for supplier discovery and qualification. Speya covers the same core use case — finding manufacturers — but adds AI-powered matching, automated vetting, and ongoing monitoring that Thomasnet does not offer.
How does Speya’s AI sourcing actually work?
You describe your requirements (material, process, volume, geography, certifications), and AI agents search global databases to return a ranked shortlist of matching manufacturers. It is active matching, not passive directory browsing.
What happened to Thomasnet’s traffic?
Thomasnet has seen approximately 80% decline in organic search traffic over recent years, according to third-party analytics tools. This reflects a broader shift away from static directory models in B2B sourcing.
Is Speya only for large enterprises?
No. Speya is specifically designed to be mid-market accessible. It is the only AI-mature supplier discovery platform built for small and mid-sized procurement teams, not just Fortune 500 companies.
How long does it take to get started with Speya?
Most teams are running searches within days of signing up. There is no lengthy implementation or integration project required. You can start sourcing immediately through the platform.
Does Speya cover global suppliers or just North American ones?
Speya covers global suppliers. Unlike Thomasnet’s North American focus, Speya’s AI agents search international databases, making it suitable for teams exploring nearshoring, offshoring, or multi-region sourcing strategies.
What does Speya cost compared to Thomasnet?
Pricing varies by plan and usage. Visit the pricing page for current details. Speya is designed to deliver clear ROI even for mid-market budgets, unlike directory models where you pay for visibility rather than results.