Cognism Review 2026: Data Quality, Pricing, and Honest User Feedback

Cognism has built its reputation on one promise: more accurate phone numbers than anyone else. Their Diamond Data® — manually phone-verified mobile numbers — is the flagship feature that justifies premium pricing starting at $15,000/year.

But does the reality match the marketing? We analyzed 500+ G2 reviews (4.6/5 rating), 240+ Capterra reviews (4.7/5), Gartner Peer Insights feedback, Reddit threads, and independent tests to give you the full picture.

Quick Verdict

Aspect	Rating
Overall	⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.6/5 on G2)
Data accuracy (Europe)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best-in-class
Data accuracy (North America)	⭐⭐⭐½ Good but gaps exist
Ease of use	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intuitive, clean UX
Value for money	⭐⭐⭐ Expensive for data-only
GDPR compliance	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Industry-leading
Customer support	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Responsive, helpful

Best for: European-focused SDR teams that rely heavily on cold calling and need GDPR-compliant, verified mobile numbers.

Not ideal for: US-focused teams, budget-conscious organizations, or companies that need execution tools beyond raw data.

What Is Cognism?

Cognism is a B2B sales intelligence platform headquartered in London that provides verified contact and company data for outbound sales teams. Founded in 2015, the company has grown rapidly — particularly in the UK and European markets — by focusing on two key differentiators:

1. Diamond Data® — Phone-verified mobile numbers with claimed 98% accuracy
2. GDPR-first compliance — DNC list screening across 15+ countries

The platform serves SDRs, BDRs, account executives, and revenue operations teams who need reliable contact data to power outbound campaigns. Cognism offers a global database of 400M+ contacts, though its strength clearly skews toward European coverage.

What Users Love About Cognism

1. Diamond Data® Delivers on Connect Rates

The flagship feature earns its reputation. Users consistently report 2–3x higher connect rates when using Diamond Data® verified numbers compared to standard databases.

"The data is accurate, up-to-date, and incredibly easy to use. A must-have for any sales team!" — G2 reviewer

"Cognism has transformed how we find and qualify leads." — G2 reviewer

For cold-calling-heavy teams, the difference is measurable. When your SDRs spend less time calling wrong numbers and more time having conversations, the ROI compounds quickly.

Important caveat: Diamond Data® coverage is strongest in the UK and Western Europe. Users targeting US prospects report good — but not exceptional — mobile number coverage.

2. GDPR Compliance You Can Trust

For European teams, Cognism's compliance is a genuine competitive advantage. The platform screens against Do-Not-Call lists in 15+ countries and maintains CCPA compliance for US data.

This isn't just a checkbox feature. Companies selling into regulated industries or across European borders face real legal risk using non-compliant data providers. Cognism removes that concern.

3. Chrome Extension Is a Productivity Winner

The LinkedIn Chrome extension is one of Cognism's best-reviewed features. It lets SDRs:

• Pull verified contact data from LinkedIn profiles with one click
• Export directly to CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• See company firmographics and technographics inline
• Build targeted lists without leaving LinkedIn

"The LinkedIn extension is fantastic for prospecting. I can find verified contacts while browsing Sales Navigator." — Capterra reviewer

4. Clean, Intuitive Interface

Unlike enterprise data platforms that require weeks of training, Cognism's web app is genuinely easy to use. List building with filters for job title, seniority, company size, industry, and technographics is straightforward.

The CSV export functionality is also praised — users can quickly pull bulk data for offline analysis or import into other tools.

5. Intent Data via Bombora Partnership

On higher-tier plans, Cognism integrates Bombora's intent data to show which accounts are actively researching topics related to your solution. This is useful for prioritizing outreach timing, though several users note the signals require interpretation to avoid false positives.

Where Cognism Disappoints

1. North American Data Gaps

This is the most consistent complaint across review platforms. While European data earns rave reviews, US coverage has notable gaps:

"Coverage in North America, especially mid-market companies, can feel less comprehensive." — G2 reviewer

An independent test cited by ZoomInfo found that 62.5% of Cognism's mobile numbers, direct dials, and landlines were incomplete. While this test may not be perfectly representative, it aligns with what multiple users report about non-European data quality.

If your ICP is primarily US-based, Cognism may not be your best option. Apollo, ZoomInfo, and SalesIntel offer stronger North American coverage.

2. Pricing Lacks Transparency

No published pricing. Annual contracts required. Platform fees starting at $15,000 before adding per-user licenses.

"The pricing model is a common complaint. Sales teams want to quickly assess if a tool fits their budget." — Industry analyst

For a 5-person SDR team on the Elevate (Diamond) plan, you're looking at ~$37,500/year for contact data. That's significant — especially when you still need separate tools for email sequences, dialing, and chat.

3. Data-Only Platform (No Execution)

Cognism provides contacts. Full stop. There's no:

• Built-in dialer
• Email sequence builder
• AI chatbot
• Workflow automation
• Daily SDR playbook

Your SDRs pull data from Cognism, then switch to SalesLoft/Outreach for sequences, your phone system for calls, and another tool for chat. Every context switch costs time, and the total stack cost adds up fast.

4. Diamonds on Demand Is Limited

The premium on-demand verification service sounds great in theory — submit any contact and Cognism's team will manually verify their phone number. In practice:

• Limited to ~50 contacts/month
• Takes up to 48 hours for results
• Only available on the highest tier
• Not scalable for teams that need thousands of verified numbers

"The on-demand research platform is not scalable." — SalesIntel analysis

5. Data Accuracy Claims vs. Reality

Cognism claims 98% accuracy for Diamond Data®. However, their own Terms & Conditions include a disclaimer that they "do not warrant accuracy, likely results, or reliability" for data.

Real-world accuracy is high for verified European contacts, but the 98% claim doesn't extend to the entire database. Standard (non-Diamond) contacts have the same accuracy limitations as any B2B data provider.

Cognism vs. MarketBetter: Different Philosophies

Aspect	Cognism	MarketBetter
Core approach	Data provider	Execution platform
What you get	Contact data + intent signals	Visitor ID + playbook + dialer + email + chatbot
SDR workflow	Pull data → export → use separate tools	Open playbook → follow prioritized actions
Visitor identification	❌ Not included	✅ Person-level identification
Daily playbook	❌	✅ Tells SDRs exactly who to contact and how
Smart dialer	❌	✅ Built-in
Email automation	❌	✅ Hyper-personalized sequences
AI chatbot	❌	✅ Engages every website visitor
Setup time	2-4 weeks	Same day
Total stack cost	$50K–$80K (data + execution tools)	Single platform
G2 rating	4.6/5 (500+ reviews)	4.97/5

The fundamental difference: Cognism tells your SDRs "here's who might buy." MarketBetter tells your SDRs "here's who's interested, here's exactly what to do, and here are the tools to do it — right now."

Cognism vs. Other Data Providers

Cognism vs. ZoomInfo

• ZoomInfo has larger US database; Cognism has better European coverage
• ZoomInfo offers more execution features (engagement tools, chat)
• ZoomInfo pricing is similar ($15K–$100K+/year)
• Choose Cognism for Europe; ZoomInfo for US-heavy prospecting

Cognism vs. Apollo

• Apollo is dramatically cheaper ($49–$119/user/month, free tier available)
• Apollo includes email sequencing and a built-in dialer
• Cognism has better verified phone data (Diamond Data®)
• Choose Apollo for budget-conscious teams; Cognism for cold-calling accuracy

Cognism vs. Lusha

• Lusha is simpler and cheaper ($29–$79/user/month)
• Cognism has deeper data enrichment and intent capabilities
• Both have strong Chrome extensions
• Choose Lusha for simple look-ups; Cognism for enterprise data intelligence

Who Should Buy Cognism?

✅ Good Fit

• SDR teams in the UK/Europe where GDPR compliance is mandatory
• Cold-calling-heavy teams where connect rates directly impact revenue
• Companies with existing execution tools that just need better data
• Mid-market to enterprise organizations with $20K+ data budgets
• Teams that value phone-verified numbers over database size

❌ Poor Fit

• US-focused teams (better options exist for North American coverage)
• Small teams that need data + execution in one platform
• Companies under $15K annual budget for sales intelligence
• Teams that primarily need website visitor identification
• Organizations that want transparent, self-service pricing

The Bottom Line

Cognism earns its 4.6/5 G2 rating. Diamond Data® is a genuinely differentiated feature, GDPR compliance is best-in-class, and the platform is easy to use. For European cold-calling teams, it's a strong choice.

But at $22,500–$50,000+ per year for data alone — with no execution tools — the total cost of an effective sales stack escalates quickly. Add SalesLoft ($100–$150/user/month) and a chatbot ($50–$200/month), and a 10-person team is spending $70,000–$80,000/year across multiple tools.

The future of SDR productivity isn't better data in isolation. It's platforms that combine signals with execution — identifying who's interested, prioritizing actions, and giving SDRs the tools to act immediately.

That's exactly what MarketBetter does. Book a demo and see how one platform replaces your data provider, dialer, email tool, and chatbot.