8 Best Cognism Alternatives for B2B Sales Teams [2026]

Cognism is excellent at what it does — Diamond Data® verified phone numbers and GDPR-compliant prospecting data. But at $22,500–$50,000+/year for a data-only platform, many teams are looking for alternatives that offer:

• Better North American coverage (Cognism's EU strength is its US weakness)
• Lower pricing without sacrificing data quality
• Built-in execution tools instead of just contact data
• Transparent pricing you can evaluate without a sales call
• Website visitor identification (Cognism doesn't offer this)

Here are 8 Cognism alternatives worth evaluating in 2026.

1. MarketBetter — Best All-in-One SDR Platform

Why it's different: Cognism gives you contact data. MarketBetter gives you everything an SDR team needs — visitor identification, prioritized playbooks, smart dialer, email automation, and AI chatbot — in a single platform.

Feature	Cognism	MarketBetter
Contact data	✅ Global database	✅ Visitor-enriched data
Phone-verified numbers	✅ Diamond Data®	Integrated dialing
Website visitor ID	❌	✅ Person-level
Daily SDR playbook	❌	✅ Prioritized actions
Smart dialer	❌	✅ Built-in
Email automation	❌	✅ Hyper-personalized
AI chatbot	❌	✅ Engages visitors
Intent data	✅ Bombora (Elevate plan)	✅ Included
G2 rating	4.6/5	4.97/5

The insight: Most teams buying Cognism also need SalesLoft ($100–$150/user/month), a dialer, and a chatbot. MarketBetter replaces 3-4 tools, saving $30K–$50K/year in total stack cost while giving SDRs a simpler workflow.

Best for: B2B teams that want signals AND execution in one place.

Book a MarketBetter demo →

2. Apollo — Best Budget Alternative

Pricing: Free plan available; paid from $49/user/month ($59/user/month for Professional)

Apollo is the default Cognism alternative for cost-conscious teams:

• 270M+ contact database
• Email sequencing built-in
• Intent data (LeadSift) included on paid plans
• AI-powered lead scoring
• Chrome extension
• Built-in dialer (Professional plan)
• Enrichment API

Pros:

• 10-50x cheaper than Cognism for equivalent coverage
• Execution tools (sequences, dialer) included — no separate SalesLoft needed
• Free tier for testing
• Strong self-service experience

Cons:

• No phone verification (numbers are scraped, not manually verified)
• Data accuracy is lower overall than Cognism Diamond Data®
• Email deliverability can be inconsistent
• Less GDPR-focused than Cognism

Total cost comparison (10-person team):

• Cognism Elevate: ~$50,000/year + SalesLoft ~$18,000/year = $68,000/year
• Apollo Professional: ~$7,080/year (includes sequencing + dialer) = $7,080/year

Best for: Startups and SMBs that need good-enough data with built-in execution tools at 90% lower cost.

3. ZoomInfo — Best US Data Coverage

Pricing: ~$15,000–$100,000+/year (custom quotes)

If Cognism is the European data champion, ZoomInfo is the North American king:

• 300M+ professional profiles (strongest US coverage)
• Intent data via Bombora
• ZoomInfo Engage (sales engagement platform)
• Website visitor identification (company-level)
• FormComplete and Chat
• Extensive integrations

Pros:

• Largest and most accurate US B2B database
• Growing execution tools (Engage, Chat)
• Comprehensive technographic data
• Strong Salesforce integration

Cons:

• Similar enterprise pricing to Cognism
• Aggressive sales tactics and renewal practices
• Data accuracy concerns for international contacts
• Annual contracts with auto-renewal

Best for: US-focused enterprise teams that need the deepest possible contact database in North America.

4. Lusha — Best Simple Prospecting Tool

Pricing: Free plan available; paid from $29/user/month

Lusha offers a simpler, lighter alternative to Cognism:

• Direct dials and email addresses
• Chrome extension for LinkedIn
• CRM enrichment
• Prospecting platform with filters
• API access

Pros:

• Much cheaper than Cognism ($29–$79/user/month vs. $15K+ platform fee)
• Simple, fast Chrome extension
• Free tier for testing
• Good enough for teams that need basic contact lookup

Cons:

• Smaller database than Cognism or ZoomInfo
• No intent data
• No phone verification (Diamond Data® equivalent)
• Limited advanced features
• Credit-based system can get expensive at scale

Best for: Small teams or individual reps who need quick contact lookups without enterprise complexity.

5. SalesIntel — Best Human-Verified US Data

Pricing: Custom quotes (reportedly $3,000–$10,000+/year)

SalesIntel directly competes with Cognism on the "human-verified" angle, but with stronger US coverage:

• 17M+ human-verified contacts (US-focused)
• 95% data accuracy claim (re-verified every 90 days)
• Research on Demand (submit contacts for verification — no volume cap)
• Intent data via Bombora
• Technographic data (300M+ data points)
• VisitorIntel (website visitor identification)

Pros:

• Human-verified data with no volume cap on verification requests
• Stronger US coverage than Cognism
• Intent data + visitor identification included
• More affordable than Cognism for equivalent features
• Every contact re-verified every 90 days

Cons:

• Weaker European coverage
• Smaller total database than ZoomInfo or Apollo
• Less known brand
• Interface is less polished than Cognism

Best for: US-focused teams that want Cognism-style human verification without the EU premium pricing.

6. Clearbit (HubSpot) — Best for HubSpot Users

Pricing: Included with HubSpot

After HubSpot's acquisition of Clearbit, enrichment is now built into the HubSpot ecosystem:

• Real-time data enrichment
• Company identification for website visitors
• Form shortening with autofill
• ICP scoring
• Reveal (website visitor identification)

Pros:

• Free for HubSpot customers (vs. $15K+ for Cognism)
• Seamless CRM integration
• Good enrichment for standard firmographic data
• No additional vendor to manage

Cons:

• Locked into HubSpot ecosystem
• No phone-verified data
• Company-level visitor ID only
• Less comprehensive than standalone data platforms
• Enrichment quality varies by geography

Best for: Teams already on HubSpot who need basic enrichment without a separate data vendor.

7. Seamless.AI — Best for Real-Time Search

Pricing: Free plan available; paid from $147/month

Seamless.AI takes a different approach — real-time data lookup instead of a static database:

• AI-powered real-time contact search
• Verified emails and phone numbers
• Chrome extension
• CRM integrations
• Buyer intent data

Pros:

• Real-time verification means fresher data
• Good for niche industries where static databases have gaps
• Chrome extension works well
• Pricing more accessible than Cognism

Cons:

• Real-time lookup can be slow
• Data quality is inconsistent (AI-generated, not human-verified)
• Credit-based system
• Aggressive upselling and sales tactics
• Mixed reviews on accuracy (3.9/5 on G2)

Best for: Teams that need fresh contact data for niche markets where traditional databases fall short.

8. LeadIQ — Best for SDR Prospecting Workflow

Pricing: Free plan; paid from $39/user/month

LeadIQ is purpose-built for SDR prospecting workflows:

• One-click capture from LinkedIn Sales Navigator
• Verified contact data
• AI-generated personalized messages
• CRM and sequence tool integration
• Job change tracking

Pros:

• Built specifically for SDR workflows (not marketing/ABM)
• Strong LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration
• AI message generation saves time
• More affordable than Cognism ($39–$79/user/month)
• Free tier for individuals

Cons:

• Smaller database than Cognism, ZoomInfo, or Apollo
• No intent data on lower plans
• No website visitor identification
• Phone number accuracy is inconsistent

Best for: SDRs who live in LinkedIn Sales Navigator and want a lightweight capture-and-enrich tool.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Tool	Annual Cost (5 users)	Phone Verified	US Coverage	EU Coverage	Execution Tools	Visitor ID
Cognism Elevate	~$37,500	✅ Diamond Data®	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌	❌
MarketBetter	Contact for pricing	N/A	✅	✅	✅ Full platform	✅ Person-level
Apollo Pro	~$3,540	❌	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	✅ Sequences + dialer	❌
ZoomInfo	~$15K–$30K	❌	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	✅ Limited	✅ Company
Lusha	~$1,740	❌	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	❌	❌
SalesIntel	~$3K–$10K	✅ Human-verified	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	❌	✅ Company
Seamless.AI	~$8,820	Partial	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	❌	❌
LeadIQ	~$2,340	❌	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	✅ Limited	❌

How to Decide

Sticking with Cognism makes sense if:

• Your team sells primarily into UK/Europe
• Cold calling with verified numbers is your #1 channel
• GDPR compliance is a non-negotiable legal requirement
• You already have execution tools (SalesLoft, Outreach) you're happy with

Switch to a Cognism alternative if:

• You need better US data coverage
• You want data + execution in one platform (saves $30K+/year in stack costs)
• You need website visitor identification
• Your budget doesn't stretch to $22K–$50K/year for data alone
• You want transparent, self-service pricing

The Bottom Line

Cognism is a premium data platform for European prospecting. Diamond Data® and GDPR compliance are genuinely best-in-class for that use case.

But for most B2B sales teams — especially those in North America — the combination of high pricing, data-only functionality, and regional coverage gaps makes alternatives worth serious consideration.

The strongest alternative depends on your priority: Apollo for budget, ZoomInfo for US data depth, SalesIntel for verified US contacts, or MarketBetter for an all-in-one platform that combines signals with execution.

Want to see signals + execution in one platform? Book a MarketBetter demo and replace your data provider, dialer, email tool, and chatbot with a single daily playbook.