What Is Cognism? Pricing, Features & Review (2026)
Cognism doesn't publish its prices. For a B2B sales intelligence platform, that single fact tells you a lot about who the product is built for - and who it isn't. If you're evaluating Cognism for your team, here's the full picture: what it does, what it actually costs, where it excels, and where the gaps show up.
The Short Version
Cognism is a B2B sales intelligence platform built for teams selling into Europe. It's strong on GDPR compliance and verified mobile numbers through its Diamond Data program. Most team plans start around $20K/year on annual contracts. Best for mid-market and enterprise teams running EMEA-heavy pipelines.
What Is Cognism, Exactly?
Cognism is a London-based B2B sales intelligence platform that gives revenue teams access to contact data, company data, intent signals, and - through Diamond Data - verified mobile numbers. Think of it as a European-first alternative to ZoomInfo. Same category, different geographic strength.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| HQ | London, UK |
| Revenue (2024) | $83M |
| Customers | 6,400+ |
| Employees | 559 |
| G2 Rating | 4.5/5 (1,318 reviews) |
As of 2026, Cognism sits squarely in the sales intelligence space alongside ZoomInfo, Apollo, and Lusha. Where it differentiates is compliance posture and European data depth - two things that matter enormously if your ICP includes EMEA accounts.
Company Background
James Isilay and Stjepan Buljat founded Cognism in 2015. The company grew through a series of strategic moves that tell you exactly where they were headed: deeper data, broader compliance, European market dominance.
In 2019, they opened a New York office and secured ISO 27001 certification, signaling enterprise readiness. The 2020 acquisition of Mailtastic, an email signature marketing company based in Mainz, added a German foothold. Then 2021 was the big year: Bombora intent data integration, the launch of Diamond Data phone-verified mobiles, and a Boston office. The 2022 acquisition of Kaspr, a Paris-based prospecting tool, filled out their European coverage, and by 2024 they'd launched AI Search and Cognism Enrich, pushing into enrichment-as-a-service.
Revenue hit $83M, up from $64M in 2023. Of their 559 employees, 150 are sales reps - that's 27% of the company in sales roles. Cognism sells through conversations, not self-serve signups. Keep that in mind when you're budgeting time for procurement.
Core Features
Cognism's feature set clusters around four pillars: contact data, intent signals, integrations, and compliance.
Contact Database and Diamond Data
The core product is a B2B contact database with particular strength in EMEA markets. Diamond Data is their differentiator - mobile numbers that are tested, verified, and validated by Cognism's team to ensure freshness and accuracy. They market these as delivering up to 3x higher connect rates than standard database numbers. You can also buy Diamonds on Demand, commonly packaged as around 50 per month with up to a 48-hour turnaround.
Intent Data and Technographics
Cognism uses Bombora Company Surge for intent signals. Admins can select up to 12 intent topics from 11,000+ options, which is useful for prioritizing accounts showing buying behavior. The technographics database covers 20,000+ technologies.
Chrome Extension and CRM Enrichment
A browser extension handles on-the-fly prospecting, plus enrichment pushes data into Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive. For data teams, there's API access and batch delivery to Snowflake, BigQuery, and Redshift.
Sales Companion
Their AI assistant helps with prospecting workflows, though it's newer and less battle-tested than the core database.
Cognism's Diamond Data caps you at ~50 verified mobiles/month with a 48-hour wait. Prospeo gives you instant access to 125M+ verified mobile numbers with a 30% pickup rate - no rationing, no delays. Plus 300M+ profiles with 98% email accuracy, refreshed every 7 days.
Get enterprise-grade data at $0.01/email with zero annual contracts.
What Cognism Actually Costs
Cognism's pricing page doesn't show a single dollar amount. You'll see two packages - Grow and Elevate - with a feature comparison and a "Request a tailored quote" button.
Based on third-party breakdowns and community discussions, here's what teams actually pay:
| Package | Platform Fee | Per User/Year | 5-Person Team Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grow | ~$15,000 | ~$1,500 | ~$22,500/yr |
| Elevate | ~$25,000 | ~$2,500 | ~$37,500/yr |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | $30K-$100K+/yr |
Hidden Costs to Watch
Onboarding runs $2,000-$5,000. API and enrichment overages can add $5,000-$15,000/year at scale. Every contract is annual - no monthly option. The "fair use" policy typically works out to around 2,000 records per user per month.
In our experience, most teams end up on the Elevate tier once they realize Grow's list caps (3 lists, 250 contacts each) are too restrictive for real outbound campaigns.
Price Comparison
| Tool | 5-Person Annual Cost | Contract | Self-Serve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognism (Grow) | ~$22,500 | Annual | No |
| ZoomInfo | $15,000-$40,000+ | Annual | No |
| Apollo | ~$3,000-$6,000 | Monthly OK | Yes |
| Lusha | ~$3,000+ | Monthly OK | Yes |
| Prospeo | ~$600-$1,200 | No contract | Yes |
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Best-in-class EMEA data coverage | Opaque, quote-based pricing |
| Strong GDPR compliance posture | Annual contract lock-in |
| Diamond Data verified direct dials | Weaker North American coverage |
| Solid CRM integrations | Spotty mobile coverage outside EMEA |
| High review scores (4.5/5 G2, 4.7/5 Capterra) | No built-in outreach or sequencing |
| Bombora intent data built in | Pattern-generated emails that bounce |
| 96% positive Capterra sentiment | ~1 month implementation time |
That pattern-generated email issue deserves a callout. When Cognism can't verify an email, it sometimes generates one based on the company's naming convention. Those bounce. This shows up repeatedly in G2 review themes alongside complaints about inconsistent mobile availability and outdated contacts.
Compliance and Data Privacy
Cognism's compliance story is genuinely strong - it's one of the few data vendors that treats GDPR as a feature rather than a checkbox. They use legitimate interest as their lawful basis, backed by Privacy Impact Assessments and Legitimate Interest Assessments. Article 14 notifications go out to data subjects, and they support Data Subject Access Requests for opt-outs.
The certification stack is solid: ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2 Type II, plus UK ICO registration. DNC screening covers 13 Do-Not-Call lists globally, with a 72-hour breach notification commitment.
One thing to know: the Kis v. Cognism settlement involved allegations that the platform displayed contact information to free trial users in ways that ran afoul of state privacy laws, with payouts ranging from $22.50 to $150. This isn't unique to Cognism - the entire B2B data industry is navigating evolving privacy regulations - but "compliant" is a moving target, not a permanent state.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Use It
Use Cognism if you're a mid-market or enterprise team selling into EMEA, especially in compliance-sensitive industries like finance, healthcare, or legal. You need a $15K+ annual data budget, and you want verified direct dials for European prospects with tight Salesforce or HubSpot integration.
Let's be honest about the real calculus here. Cognism is the best compliance-first data platform for EMEA. But most teams evaluating it don't actually need EMEA-first data - they need accurate emails and direct dials at a price that doesn't require CFO approval. That's a different problem with different solutions.
Alternatives Worth Considering
ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo is the mirror image of Cognism: strongest in North America, weaker in EMEA. If your ICP is US-based enterprise accounts, ZoomInfo's database depth is hard to beat. Pricing lands in a similar range at $15,000-$40,000+/year with annual contracts. The platform is broader, with intent, chat, workflow automation, and advertising modules. We've seen plenty of teams paying for ZoomInfo modules they never activate - if you just need contact data, you're overpaying.
Apollo
Want data and outreach in a single tool without separate Outreach or Salesloft licenses? Apollo is your answer. Free tier available, paid plans from about $49/user/month. The built-in sequencer is the real draw. Data accuracy runs below Cognism, but for teams that prioritize speed-to-sequence over data precision, it's a strong contender. We'd pick Apollo over Cognism for any team under 10 reps running primarily US outbound.
Lusha
Simpler, cheaper contact data for small teams doing quick lookups. Free tier, paid from about $49/user/month. Good for individual reps who need a phone number fast - less depth for scaled prospecting campaigns.
Prospeo
The strongest option when email deliverability and data freshness are your top priorities. Prospeo's 300M+ professional profiles are verified through a proprietary 5-step process - no third-party email providers - delivering 98% email accuracy and a 7-day data refresh cycle while the industry average sits at 6 weeks. With 30+ search filters including buyer intent, technographics, and job change signals, it covers the same prospecting workflows as Cognism at a fraction of the cost. Self-serve, no contracts, and a free tier with 75 verified emails per month.
Spending $22K-$37K/year on Cognism for EMEA data? Prospeo covers 300M+ global profiles with 30+ filters - including buyer intent, technographics, and job changes - at 90% less cost. Teams using Prospeo book 26% more meetings than ZoomInfo users and 35% more than Apollo.
Stop paying enterprise prices for data you can get self-serve today.
FAQ
Is Cognism GDPR compliant?
Yes. Cognism holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 Type II certifications. It uses legitimate interest as its lawful basis, sends Article 14 notifications to data subjects, and screens against 13 Do-Not-Call lists globally.
Does Cognism offer a free trial?
Not a traditional self-serve trial. After a sales consultation, Cognism provides access to 25 targeted B2B leads as a sample. Expect the evaluation process to take 1-2 weeks including demo scheduling and follow-ups.
How accurate is Cognism's data?
Diamond Data phone-verified numbers carry a stated 98% accuracy rate, and G2 reviewers generally praise European data quality. North American contacts get more mixed reviews, with users flagging outdated roles and pattern-generated emails that bounce.
What's a good self-serve alternative to Cognism?
Prospeo offers 98% email accuracy and 125M+ verified mobiles starting with a free tier at roughly $0.01/email. Apollo is another self-serve option with a built-in sequencer. Both skip the annual contracts and sales-gated onboarding that Cognism requires.
What CRMs does Cognism integrate with?
Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive are core CRM destinations. For data teams, batch delivery to Snowflake, BigQuery, and Redshift via API. The Chrome extension also supports on-the-fly enrichment from within your CRM.