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Updated #5 in B2B Data & Enrichmentcognism.com
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#5Cognism

cognism.com
22/100

Cognism is a B2B sales intelligence platform selling verified contact data, with an emphasis on European mobile numbers and compliance, plus CRM enrichment and API access.

Verdict: Independent users who have used Cognism consistently point to European and UK data, and mobile numbers in particular, as its strength, with some finding it easier to deal with than ZoomInfo. The trade-offs are opaque pricing that some say rises after the first deal, thinner coverage outside Europe, and a minority who found its data poor or no better than cheaper tools. Nearly half of the Reddit mentions were promotional, including a large coordinated cluster praising Cognism for EU data as part of pitches for Crustdata and FullEnrich, a copy-pasted Cognism endorsement posted by two accounts, and plugs for ContactOut, Wiza and others, so this rests on about 20 independent opinions.

7 positive2 mixed11 negativeacross 20 rated independent comments

Astroturf check43 of 93 comments read as promotion or coordinated seeding and were excluded: unusually high promotional activity.

What users like

  • Users who run several providers single it out for UK and European data, where one team found it beat ZoomInfo's international data[1][2][3][4][5]
  • Mobile numbers are a highlight: users rate them above ZoomInfo and other tools, and one says it will source and phone-verify a missing number on request[1][2][3]
  • Easier to do business with than ZoomInfo: users cite better support, cheaper pricing and less painful sales and retention practices[1][2]

What users complain about

  • Pricing is opaque and can rise after signing: no prices on the site, a drastic change at renewal, and a low base price paired with a low export threshold that pushes buyers into extra credits[1][2]
  • Weaker outside Europe: one user found Apollo plus Lusha beat it on email coverage in North America and Europe, another says it is weak in the public sector, and one recruiter claimed in 2025 that it had pulled back from the US[1][2][3]
  • A minority found the data poor, rating it trash or worse than a cheaper tool, and a Dutch team found Lusha's database larger and more accurate[1][2][3][4]
  • More manual and less feature-rich than ZoomInfo, with some integration issues reported[1][2]

Best for

  • Teams prospecting into the UK and Europe
  • Cold callers who need European mobile numbers
  • Mid-market teams leaving ZoomInfo's contract terms

Skip it if

  • US-only prospecting
  • Small teams that need transparent self-serve pricing
PricingVendor-stated

Sales-led pricing; no public prices. Standard and Pro plans each include 5 seats, with a credit allocation per seat (1 credit per revealed contact; re-viewing is free); extra credits are bought separately. CRM Enrichment is sold standalone or as an add-on. No free plan; the page offers a demo and a free data sample rather than a trial.

Source , checked 2026-10-14

In their own words

We use Zoominfo for the US which delivers very good result. For Europe we went with Cognism and are getting very good results, too. We tried Zoominfo's international data and compared it to Cognism for EMEA and it was subpar. Lusha and [Apollo.io](https://Apollo.io) where tested both in EMEA and the US and clearly lost to Zoominfo and Cognism.
If price doesn’t matter Zoominfo… If you need to get numbers in Europe too (still not a ton due to GDRP but has more data then Zoominfo) get cognism… If you are price sensitive and still want a good bang for your buck get apollo… Personally, I have Zoominfo, Cognism, and Apollo because getting one persons number that turns into a deal pays for itself. This has happened multiple times already. Lusha is good too b…
I used to work at ZoomInfo so maybe I’m biased but it’s the best for US phone numbers. Cognism better for UK/Europe Apollo works if you’re on a budget, but I know guys who worked there and they agreed data was trash Friends don’t let friends use Alisha
Zoominfo PRIMARY Cognism for any gaps with zoominfo specially for Europe Clay for AI enrichment or build in-house through Claude code
For phone coverage Cognism fills most of the gaps Apollo leaves, especially in Europe. For fresh data on job changes and company signals we use Coresignal on top
I would say that there’s relative parity in the US. Cognism isn’t as strong in public sector if that’s your focus. When it comes to mobile number data, I’ve found them to be much better than ZI. Add to it that they also offer data research, so if they don’t have a mobile number you can request that they source it and phone verify it which is nice. Better support with Cognism and as others mentioned, much easier to do…

Alternatives

Lusha logoLusha43ZoomInfo logoZoomInfo42Apollo.io logoApollo.io26Clay logoClay25RocketReach logoRocketReach17

All Cognism alternatives

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Lusha vs CognismZoomInfo vs CognismApollo.io vs CognismClay vs CognismCognism vs RocketReach

Frequently asked questions

Independent users who have used Cognism consistently point to European and UK data, and mobile numbers in particular, as its strength, with some finding it easier to deal with than ZoomInfo. The trade-offs are opaque pricing that some say rises after the first deal, thinner coverage outside Europe, and a minority who found its data poor or no better than cheaper tools. Nearly half of the Reddit mentions were promotional, including a large coordinated cluster praising Cognism for EU data as part of pitches for Crustdata and FullEnrich, a copy-pasted Cognism endorsement posted by two accounts, and plugs for ContactOut, Wiza and others, so this rests on about 20 independent opinions. Cognism scores 22/100 from 20 independent comments (7 positive, 2 mixed, 11 negative).

Evidence base: 93 independent comments kept from 114 that mention Cognism, after removing vendor accounts, self-disclosed employees and founders, affiliate links, service pitches and repeat promoters. Methodology.