Cognism Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 7 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Quote-based (Standard and Pro packages, 5 seats included)
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- B2B sales teams of five or more that prospect into Europe as well as North America and need compliant mobile numbers for cold calling
- Platforms
- Web app, Chrome and Edge extension (LinkedIn, Sales Navigator and websites), API and MCP server
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
Quick answer
What is Cognism, and is it worth paying for?
Cognism is a B2B sales intelligence platform from Cognism Ltd, a UK company with a London address, that sells contact and company data, phone-verified mobile numbers it calls Diamond Data, intent signals from Bombora, and tools to push that data into your CRM. It's worth paying for if your team cold-calls or emails decision-makers in Europe as well as the US and needs do-not-call screening and GDPR processes built in. It's a harder sell for a small North American team, since Cognism publishes no prices, packages start with five seats, and there's no self-serve free plan or trial. Its pricing page, checked October 13, 2026, lists Standard and Pro packages and says pricing is tailored to the product, team and usage.
- Best for
- SDR and sales teams prospecting into the UK and Europe, especially those that dial mobiles and need DNC and TPS screening.
- Skip it if
- You're a solo seller or small US team that wants published prices and a free tier; Apollo and Lusha both start free.
- Strongest capability
- Compliance-minded European data: phone-verified mobiles on Pro, DNC screening across up to 16 national lists by Cognism's count, and GDPR notification processes.
- Biggest limitation
- Opaque buying: no published prices, a 5-seat starting package, credits per revealed contact, and contract terms set by the order form rather than published.
The Verdict
Cognism's pitch is data you can call in Europe. Its Pro package adds phone-verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data), on-demand verification and Bombora intent data, and every package screens numbers against national do-not-call lists that Cognism counts at 15 or 16, with Italy, Norway and Slovakia added since October 2025. It holds ISO 27001 and 27701 and SOC 2 Type II, according to its compliance page, and it notifies contacts of their inclusion under GDPR. The product has moved quickly: a new Sales Companion platform in 2025, an MCP server and API live for Standard and Pro in September 2026, and CRM Enrichment for Salesforce in July 2026. The trade-offs are commercial. Cognism publishes no prices, packages include five seats, there's no free trial (only a data sample, demo or proof of concept), and each revealed contact uses a credit. Coverage figures, including 90% of Director-level contacts in Europe and the US, are Cognism's own claims. We score Cognism 8.3/10.
Best for
Sales teams of five or more that prospect into Europe and the US and need verified mobiles with DNC screening and GDPR processes.
Skip if
You're a small or US-only team that wants transparent self-serve pricing and a free tier.
The Background
What Is Cognism?
Cognism, founded in 2015, sells B2B contact and company data to sales and marketing teams. Its legal entity is Cognism Ltd, with a London postal address, and its CEO is Dominic Allon; it acquired the contact-finder Kaspr in 2022. Its main product is Sales Prospecting (the Sales Companion platform launched in March 2025, replacing the legacy Prospector), sold in Standard and Pro packages. CRM Enrichment keeps CRM records up to date and finds new contacts at existing accounts, Data-as-a-Service delivers data in bulk, and an API and MCP server let other systems and AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor query Cognism data. A Chrome and Edge extension shows emails and mobiles on LinkedIn, Sales Navigator and company websites. Cognism says it serves 4,000+ companies; that is its own figure.
The Product
Cognism Features: What You Actually Get
Diamond Data (phone-verified mobiles)
Cognism says it has over 10 million phone-verified contacts globally, verified by a routine that calls the numbers plus human researchers, and that you can request verification on demand with results in under 48 hours. It cites an unnamed study of 1,000 mobiles where the right person answered 45% of the time on verified numbers versus 18% on standard ones. Verified mobiles and on-demand verification are part of the Pro package.
An SDR team calling finance directors in Germany and the UK filters for verified mobiles only, then requests verification for a handful of target accounts.
Compliance and DNC screening
Cognism screens numbers against national do-not-call and TPS lists, including the UK, US, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden and Belgium, with Italy (October 2025), Norway (January 2026) and Slovakia (July 2026) added by admin switch. It registers as a data broker in California, notifies business contacts under GDPR, offers an opt-out form, and lists ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type II. A CRM opt-out sync for Salesforce and HubSpot became generally available in July 2026.
A compliance lead turns on the Italian and Norwegian DNC lists before the team starts a Nordic and Southern Europe campaign.
Search, signals and intent
Both packages include firmographic, technographic and signal filters (hiring, funding, M&A, job changes), AI account research and CSV export. Pro adds Bombora intent data, letting admins pick up to 12 topics from a library of 11,000+. Smart Personas, added in August 2025, generates buyer personas from a description of what you sell. Cognism says it tracks 20,000+ technologies.
A sales manager builds a list of companies that raised funding in the last 90 days, use a competitor's software and show intent on 'payroll compliance'.
Browser extension
The Chrome and Edge extension works on LinkedIn and Sales Navigator by default and, with 'Enable Everywhere', on company websites. It shows emails, mobiles, title and location for people and size, revenue and technologies for companies, and exports records to your CRM.
An account executive researching a prospect on Sales Navigator reveals the contact's mobile and sends the record straight to Salesforce.
CRM Enrichment, API and MCP
CRM Enrichment, sold as an add-on or standalone, keeps contacts you've enriched up to date; it became generally available for Salesforce in July 2026, and Cognism says HubSpot support is planned. The REST API (OAuth 2.0) and a read-only MCP server draw on the same credit pool with no separate subscription, and the MCP server runs the same DNC and opt-out checks. Cognism's changelog says MCP became fully live for Standard and Pro in September 2026.
A RevOps team lets reps ask Claude, through Cognism's MCP server, for the verified mobile and recent job change of a named contact without leaving their assistant.
Feature recap
- B2B contact and company data with firmographic, technographic and signal filters
- Phone-verified mobiles and on-demand verification on Pro
- DNC and TPS screening across national lists; GDPR notification and opt-out
- Bombora intent data (up to 12 topics) on Pro
- Chrome and Edge extension for LinkedIn, Sales Navigator and websites
- CRM Enrichment, REST API and MCP server on a shared credit pool
- ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type II per Cognism
The Numbers
Cognism Pricing: Every Plan Explained
Cognism doesn't publish prices. Its pricing page, checked October 13, 2026, lists two Sales Prospecting packages, each with 5 seats included, and says pricing is tailored to the product you need, your team setup and how you plan to use the platform. CRM Enrichment and Data-as-a-Service are priced on subscription structure, usage and delivery.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Quote | Quote | 5 seats included; B2B contact data, firmographic, technographic and signal filters, AI account research, CSV export and enrichment, MCP and API access | Email-led prospecting teams |
| ProBest value | Quote | Quote | Everything in Standard plus phone-verified mobile data, on-demand verification, Bombora intent data and enhanced dashboards. Labelled 'Most popular' | Teams that cold-call |
| CRM Enrichment | Quote | Quote | Add-on or standalone; keeps enriched records up to date and finds new contacts at existing accounts (Salesforce GA July 2026; HubSpot planned) | RevOps and data teams |
| Credits | Included per seat; more on request | — | 1 credit = 1 revealed contact. Viewing a contact you've already revealed is free for the contract term; the pool covers the platform, Enrich and the API | Usage beyond the seat allowance |
Because Cognism publishes no prices, the only way to compare it is to get a quote for your seat count and expected reveals. Three things shape that quote: the package (Pro adds the verified mobiles and intent data most callers want), the number of seats (packages start at five) and the credit allowance, since each new contact reveal uses a credit while re-viewing a revealed contact doesn't. Cognism's site doesn't publish contract length, renewal or cancellation terms; they're set in the order form, so ask for them in writing. There's no free plan or self-serve trial. Instead Cognism offers a free data sample, a demo, or a proof of concept under its April 2026 POC terms, which set the term per order and require you to delete the data at the end. By contrast, Lusha and Apollo publish prices and start free.
Who it fits
Why Cognism is usually shortlisted for European prospecting
Cognism describes itself as the only sales intelligence platform truly fluent in Europe. That's a marketing claim, but its product choices back the focus: national DNC and TPS screening across many European countries, French and German interface and AI outputs (added October 2025), GDPR notification of included contacts and phone-verified mobiles aimed at teams that dial.
Its coverage claims, 90% of Director-level and above contacts in Europe and the US, and 95% of those refreshed every 30 days, are Cognism's own and aren't broken out by country. Ask for a data sample for your target regions and titles before you buy; Cognism offers one free.
Read before you buy
Where Cognism's own pages differ
DNC lists: the Diamond Data and Our Data pages say 16 DNC lists globally, while the compliance page says 15 and its FAQ names 12 countries, leaving out Italy, Norway and Slovakia, which the changelog says were added.
Security certifications: the compliance page says Cognism is certified for ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type II, while the Our Data page says it is 'dedicated to maintaining parity with' ISO 27001 and SOC 2. Check the trust centre for current reports.
Ratings: the pricing page cites 4.5/5 on G2; the about page says 4.6/5.
The Tradeoffs
Cognism Pros and Cons
What we love
- Strong focus on European data with national DNC and TPS screening
- Phone-verified mobiles and on-demand verification on Pro
- Re-viewing a revealed contact doesn't use another credit
- API and MCP server included, on the same credit pool
- ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type II listed on its compliance page
- Bombora intent data and signals for prioritizing accounts
What could be better
- No published prices; quote only
- Packages start at 5 seats
- No free plan or self-serve trial
- Contract, renewal and cancellation terms aren't published
- Verified mobiles and intent data need the Pro package
- Coverage figures are vendor claims, not broken out by country
The Audience
Who Should Use Cognism?
Best for: SDR teams calling into Europe
Teams that dial mobiles across the UK, DACH, France or the Nordics get verified numbers, DNC screening and GDPR processes in one platform.
Best for: RevOps teams cleaning CRM data
CRM Enrichment, the API and the MCP server share one credit pool, so data teams can enrich Salesforce records and let reps query Cognism from their AI assistant.
Skip if: you're small, US-only or budget-first
Solo sellers and small US teams usually get enough data from Apollo's or Lusha's free and low-cost plans, with published prices and no five-seat starting point.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed Cognism
This is an editorial review, not a documented hands-on test. We didn't use a Cognism account for this review. It's based on Cognism's pricing, about, Diamond Data, Our Data, compliance, integrations and MCP and API pages, its changelog and product updates, its developer documentation, help-center articles on the browser extension, its proof-of-concept terms and website terms, all checked on October 13, 2026. Cognism publishes no prices, so none are estimated here. Where Cognism's pages differ, we report both statements. No data-accuracy or connect-rate results are claimed; coverage and verification figures are Cognism's.
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : First published. Editorial review based on Cognism's pricing, about, Diamond Data, Our Data, compliance, integrations and MCP/API pages, changelog and product updates, developer docs, help-center articles, POC terms and website terms, all checked October 13, 2026. Sub-scores are provisional pending editorial approval.
The Field
Cognism vs The Competition
Cognism competes with other B2B data providers. Prices below were checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 13, 2026.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognism | Quote-based (Standard and Pro packages, 5 seats included) | No | Diamond Data (phone-verified mobiles) | 8.3/10 |
| ZoomInfo | Quote-based; free trial on sales plans | No | Deep North American data and workflows | 8.5/10 |
| Lusha | Free (40 credits/mo); Starter $37.45/mo billed annually | Yes | Published prices and a simple extension | 8.6/10 |
| Apollo | Free; Basic $49/seat/mo billed annually ($65 monthly) | Yes | Data plus sequences in one low-cost platform | 9.2/10 |
ZoomInfo: ZoomInfo is also quote-based and is the usual alternative for US-heavy enterprise teams. Cognism is the more common shortlist pick when Europe and mobile dialing matter most.Read our ZoomInfo review →
Lusha: Lusha publishes prices, starts free and suits individual reps and small teams. Cognism offers more compliance tooling for European calling, at a quote-based price.Read our Lusha review →
Apollo: Apollo combines a large database with email sequences and a dialer at published per-seat prices. Pick Apollo for value and breadth; Cognism for European mobile data and DNC screening.Read our Apollo review →
In The Wild
How People Actually Use Cognism
A 10-person SDR team selling into the UK and Germany
Ask for a Pro quote with enough credits for your monthly reveals, request a free data sample for your target titles, and turn on the German and UK DNC screening before dialing.
A RevOps lead on Salesforce
Price CRM Enrichment alongside seats to keep existing records current, and use the API or MCP server so other tools draw on the same credit pool.
A US startup with two founders selling
Cognism's five-seat starting package is likely more than you need. Start with Apollo's or Lusha's free plan and revisit Cognism when you hire SDRs or expand into Europe.
The Ecosystem
Cognism Integrations
Cognism lists integrations with the main CRMs and sales-engagement tools, plus an API and MCP server.
- →Salesforce (including CRM Enrichment and opt-out sync)
- →HubSpot (two-way sync since May 2026; opt-out sync)
- →Pipedrive and Microsoft Dynamics
- →Outreach and Salesloft
- →Bullhorn
- →Zapier
- →REST API and MCP server (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor)
We didn't find a Zoho CRM integration on Cognism's integrations page when checked on October 13, 2026. API rate limits are set per operation but not published.
Common Questions
Cognism FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use Cognism?
Cognism is a well-built choice for sales teams that prospect into Europe and call mobiles, with verified numbers, DNC screening, GDPR processes and an MCP server that brings its data into AI assistants. Its weaknesses are about buying, not product: no published prices, a five-seat starting package, no self-serve trial and contract terms that live in the order form. Request a data sample for your regions and roles, get the credit allowance and renewal terms in writing, and compare quotes with ZoomInfo. We score Cognism 8.3/10.
Yes, if
Your team of five or more prospects into Europe and the US and needs verified mobiles and DNC screening.
No, if
You're a small or US-only team that wants published prices, a free tier or month-to-month terms.
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
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