This Cognism review covers what Cognism publishes as of September 2026: its packages and credit rules, its phone-verified mobile claims, its EMEA focus, its compliance pages and its integrations. Cognism was not in our own provider benchmark, so every coverage number below is Cognism’s claim, labeled as such, with a way to test it on your own accounts.
What is Cognism?
Cognism is a B2B sales intelligence platform that sells contact and company data, including phone-verified mobile numbers, through two quote-only packages with 5 seats each. It says it was “built for revenue teams selling into and across EMEA”, a focus it has kept since 2015.
The platform has three products: Sales Prospecting (the Standard and Pro packages), CRM Enrichment, and Data-as-a-Service for API or bulk delivery. Reps use it in a web app and a Chrome extension. Cognism says 4,000+ companies use it.
Where Cognism’s data comes from
Cognism names four sources on its compliance hub:
- Community-sourced data. Members of its community let Cognism match contact information to business professionals in its database.
- Public information from corporate websites, job postings, news feeds and company registries.
- Its own machine learning models, which track which technologies companies use.
- Partners: Bombora for intent data and CB Insights for sales event triggers.
On top of those, a team of researchers manually validates mobile numbers. Cognism calls the result Diamond Data, and customers can request specific contacts for this check.
What we checked for this Cognism review
We reviewed Cognism the way a careful buyer would before a demo: from its own pages, read on 27 and 28 September 2026. We did not buy a package or run a hands-on test, and we give no star rating.
| Area | What we read | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Pricing page and FAQ | Standard and Pro, quote only, 5 seats included |
| Credit rules | Pricing page and FAQ | 1 credit per revealed contact; re-views free |
| Mobile data | Data page, pricing FAQ | Phone-verified mobiles; on-demand checks on Pro |
| Coverage | Our provider benchmark | Cognism not tested; its own claims only |
| EMEA focus | About page, homepage, compliance hub | Built for EMEA; screens Do Not Call lists in 12 countries |
| Compliance | Compliance hub | ISO certifications, GDPR notification, data kept in the EEA |
| Integrations | Integrations page | 8 named tools, a Chrome extension; API as an add-on |
How accurate is Cognism’s data?
Cognism does not publish an independent accuracy or bounce rate. It publishes claims about connect rates, freshness and coverage on its data page, and they are worth reading closely.
- Connect rate: “Expect a 3x improvement in connect rates with phone-verified mobiles compared to industry average.” Cognism does not define the industry average on that page.
- Freshness: 95% of Director-level and above contacts refreshed every 30 days.
- Coverage: 90% of Director-level and above contacts in Europe and the US, and 90% of revenue and headcount data for companies with 50+ employees.
All three claims are about senior contacts in Europe and the US. The pages we read make no coverage claim for APAC or Latin America.
Phone-verified mobiles and on-demand verification
A phone-verified mobile is a Cognism record that has gone through “additional layers of verification checks”, using “manual and automated processes”. These records are the main reason teams pay Cognism’s quote.
On the Pro package, on-demand mobile verification lets a rep pick high-priority prospects and submit them for that extra check. Pro also adds a premium-mobile search option. Emails are described as verified for deliverability, but the email status labels a rep sees are not published.
How to test Cognism before you sign
Cognism offers a free data sample and a product tour. Use the sample on 20 to 50 accounts you already know in your hardest region, then count how many mobiles reach the right person.
Testing matters because coverage varies a lot by provider. In our 8-provider benchmark, phone coverage on the same EMEA list ranged from 8% to 73% across six providers. Cognism was not in that test. Our data provider test method shows how to score a sample.
Cognism in EMEA: why its home market matters
Cognism is built around European calling. Its homepage calls it “Europe’s most trusted B2B data”, its about page says it was built for teams “selling into and across EMEA”, and its compliance work follows European rules.
- Do Not Call screening in 12 countries. Cognism screens its phone data against registries in the UK (TPS and CTPS), the US, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Sweden and Belgium. Its pages give the total as 15 or 16 lists.
- Why the UK part matters. UK rules require you to screen B2B calls against both the TPS and CTPS, and mobiles can sit on the TPS. Our guide to B2B cold calling laws covers the rules by country (not legal advice).
- Data kept in Europe. Cognism says it generally keeps collected data inside the European Economic Area and uses standard data protection clauses when it transfers any out.
For a US team, Cognism claims US coverage too, but its product story and compliance work center on Europe. If most of your calls go to Dallas and Chicago rather than London and Munich, test US accounts before you pay for the European strength.
Is Cognism legit and compliant?
Yes. Cognism Ltd is an established data vendor with published security certifications, a stated legal basis for its data and a public opt-out process.
- Certifications: ISO 27001 and ISO 27701, plus a SOC 2 Type II attestation for security and availability, per its compliance hub.
- GDPR: Cognism processes data under legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f)) and notifies business contacts that they are in its database. Our guide to GDPR for B2B contact data explains what that means for you.
- US privacy: Cognism says it is registered as a data broker with the California Attorney General under the CCPA and offers an opt-out form.
- Memberships: Cognism is a member of the Data and Marketing Association.
Cognism pricing in 2026
Cognism pricing is not published. Standard and Pro are both “talk to sales” packages with 5 seats included, and 1 credit reveals 1 contact with its email and mobile. Our full Cognism pricing breakdown has the break-even math against published-price tools.
- Credits: “Credits are used to reveal, enrich, or export a contact.” Each seat includes an allocation, and extra credits can be bought at any time. The number per seat is not published.
- Free re-views: viewing a contact you already revealed costs nothing, and the same credits work in the platform, Enrich and the API.
- Job changes cost again: a credit is used again only if the contact changes jobs.
- Misses: whether a credit is used when a revealed contact has no mobile or email is not published.
- Add-ons: CRM Enrichment and Data-as-a-Service (API and bulk delivery) are priced separately on both packages.
Cognism integrations
Cognism connects to 8 named tools, grouped on its integrations page:
- CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics and Bullhorn (useful for recruitment firms).
- Sales engagement: Salesloft and Outreach.
- Automation: Zapier.
The Chrome extension shows Cognism data inside your CRM. API access is part of the Data-as-a-Service add-on rather than the core packages.
Cognism pros and cons
Cognism’s strengths are phone-verified mobiles, European depth and compliance. Its weaknesses are price visibility and a package built for teams, not individuals. Each point comes from Cognism’s own pages.
Pros
- Phone-verified mobiles checked by people as well as software, with on-demand verification on Pro.
- European focus since 2015, with Do Not Call screening in 12 countries, including the UK TPS and CTPS.
- Compliance paperwork: ISO 27001 and 27701, GDPR notification and data kept in the EEA.
- Simple credits: 1 credit per contact, email and mobile together, and re-views are free.
- Signals on both packages: hiring, funding, M&A and job changes, with Bombora intent data on Pro.
- SSO, an account manager and live chat on Standard as well as Pro.
Cons
- No public price. You need a sales call to learn the cost.
- 5 seats in each package. No single-seat or self-serve plan is published.
- Key features are Pro-only: intent data, on-demand mobile verification and the premium-mobile option.
- API and CRM enrichment cost extra as add-ons.
- Job changes use a new credit, and whether misses are charged is not published.
- Claims, not tests. Coverage figures are Cognism’s own and cover Europe and the US only.
Is Cognism worth it, and who should choose it?
Cognism is worth a quote for calling teams of 5 or more that sell into Europe and treat compliance as a buying requirement. It fits less well for small teams, US-only callers who want monthly billing, and anyone who wants to pay only for mobiles found.
- Get a Cognism Pro quote if your SDRs call UK and EU decision-makers every day and your legal team asks about Do Not Call screening and GDPR notification.
- Compare Cognism and ZoomInfo if you have 20+ users and need intent data and admin controls across sales and marketing: see Cognism vs ZoomInfo.
- Choose a published-price tool if you are a solo seller or a small team, mostly call the US, or want to start this week without a sales process.
Cognism alternatives
The closest alternatives to Cognism are ZoomInfo, Apollo, Lusha and Scalelist, each with a different buying model. Here they are on the same fields. Our Cognism alternatives guide covers more options.
ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo is also quote only, sold on annual contracts; Vendr, a software buying platform, reports a median of 33,500 USD a year. Mobiles come inside exported records, with intent data and a large North American data set.
Where it falls short: annual lock-in, per-user credits and add-on pricing. See our ZoomInfo review.
Apollo.io
Apollo publishes its prices: 49 USD per seat a month billed annually for Basic, and a phone number costs 8 credits, about 0.16 USD. Sequences and a US dialer are included.
Where it falls short: in our benchmark it found a phone for 63% of the EMEA list and 8% in APAC. Read our Apollo.io review.
Lusha
Lusha is self-serve, from 37.45 USD a month billed yearly, with 5 credits per phone (0.44 to 0.62 USD) and monthly plans you can cancel.
Where it falls short: teams above 5 users go through sales, and some bulk and API lookups charge for partial or empty results. See our Lusha review.
Scalelist
Scalelist, an AI lead finder, is the pay-per-found option: you describe the people you want in one sentence, see how many match before you spend a credit, and pay 20 credits per mobile found (0.65 to 1.16 USD by plan), 1 per email, 0 on a miss. Plans start at 29 USD a month with no seats; see Scalelist plans and credits.
Where Cognism is stronger: manually verified mobiles, Do Not Call screening in 12 countries, intent data, and more CRM integrations and certifications than we have. In our benchmark Scalelist found a phone for 73% of the EMEA list; Cognism was not tested, so this is not a head-to-head. Full comparison: Scalelist vs Cognism.
Describe the buyers you want to call and get verified emails and mobiles; you pay only when a number is found.
Get 20 credits to test itMore honest tool reviews are on the Scalelist blog.
FAQ
Is Cognism legit?
Yes. Cognism Ltd is an established B2B data vendor with ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications, a stated GDPR legal basis (legitimate interest), a notification process for people in its database and a public opt-out. It screens phone data against Do Not Call registries in 12 countries. Legit is not the same as right for you: test its data on your own accounts.
How accurate is Cognism’s data?
Cognism does not publish an independent accuracy rate. It claims a 3x better connect rate with phone-verified mobiles than the industry average, 90% coverage of Director-level and above contacts in Europe and the US, and 95% of those senior contacts refreshed every 30 days. It was not in our benchmark, so this Cognism review gives no accuracy score.
How much does Cognism cost?
Cognism does not publish prices. Its Standard and Pro packages are quote only, each with 5 seats included, and 1 credit reveals 1 contact with email and mobile. CRM Enrichment and Data-as-a-Service are separate add-ons. No verified third-party price exists as of September 2026, so the only way to get a number is a sales call.
What are Cognism phone-verified mobiles?
They are Cognism mobile numbers that go through extra verification, using manual research as well as automated checks, before they are served. On the Pro package, reps can also send chosen prospects for on-demand mobile verification. Cognism claims phone-verified mobiles connect 3x more often than the industry average; that is its own figure.
Is Cognism good for US prospecting?
It can be, but Europe is its home market. Cognism claims 90% coverage of Director-level and above contacts in Europe and the US, and it screens against the US Do Not Call list. Its product story and most of its compliance work center on EMEA, so a US-focused team should test US accounts with the data sample before buying.
Does Cognism have a free trial?
No free plan or self-serve trial is published. Cognism offers a free data sample, a product tour and demos, and every package is sold through sales. Use the data sample on 20 to 50 contacts you already know, in the region you call most, to check mobile coverage before you ask for a quote.
What is the best alternative to Cognism?
It depends on why you are leaving. ZoomInfo is the closest enterprise alternative, also quote only. Apollo publishes per-seat prices with cheap phone credits. Lusha is self-serve for teams of up to 5. Scalelist has no seats and charges 20 credits only for each mobile found, from 29 USD a month.
Sources
- Cognism pricing, packages, feature table and FAQ, read 28 Sep 2026
- Cognism data page, data claims and data FAQ
- Cognism compliance hub, data sources, certifications, Do Not Call screening, GDPR and CCPA FAQ
- Cognism integrations, Cognism about page and Cognism homepage
- ICO: business-to-business marketing, TPS and CTPS screening
- Apollo pricing, Lusha pricing, Vendr: ZoomInfo
