Cognism Pricing Breakdown 2026: Plans, Hidden Costs, and Real Numbers
Cognism doesn't publish pricing publicly. Their pricing page asks you to "book a demo" — a common tactic among enterprise sales intelligence platforms to keep competitors guessing and maximize deal sizes.
We compiled pricing data from Vendr, Warmly.ai, Coldreach, SalesIntel, and user reports across G2 and Reddit to give you the real numbers. Here's what Cognism costs in 2026 and how to decide if it fits your budget.
Cognism Pricing Summary
| Plan | Platform Fee (Annual) | Per-User Cost (Annual) | Total for 5-Person Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grow (formerly Platinum) | ~$15,000 | ~$1,500/user | ~$22,500/year |
| Elevate (formerly Diamond) | ~$25,000 | ~$2,500/user | ~$37,500/year |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | $30,000 – $100,000+/year |
Key insight: Cognism charges a hefty platform fee ($15K–$25K) before adding per-user licenses. For a 10-person SDR team on the Elevate plan, you're looking at ~$50,000/year — just for contact data.
How Cognism's Pricing Works
Platform Access Fee
Unlike tools such as Apollo or Lusha that charge per-seat with no base fee, Cognism requires a substantial upfront platform fee. This covers core infrastructure, database access, and basic integrations.
- Grow plan: ~$15,000/year base
- Elevate plan: ~$25,000/year base
Per-User Licensing
On top of the platform fee, each user seat costs:
- Grow: ~$1,500/user/year
- Elevate: ~$2,500/user/year
"Unrestricted" Access (With a Catch)
Cognism markets "unlimited" data access, but there's a "fair use" policy. Based on user reports, this typically means:
- ~2,000 records per user per month
- Reasonable daily export limits
- No traditional credit system (unlike Apollo or ZoomInfo)
This sounds good in theory, but if your team needs to pull thousands of contacts weekly, you may hit invisible walls that require negotiation.
What Each Plan Includes
Grow Plan (~$15K + $1,500/user/year)
- Access to global B2B database
- Business emails and direct dials
- Standard CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting
- Basic enrichment features
- CSV export
Missing: Diamond Data® (phone-verified numbers), intent data, advanced enrichment API.
Elevate Plan (~$25K + $2,500/user/year)
Everything in Grow, plus:
- Diamond Data® — Phone-verified mobile numbers (Cognism's flagship feature)
- Bombora intent data — See which accounts are researching relevant topics
- Signals — Real-time insights and AI-driven segmentation
- Advanced enrichment — Instant, scheduled, and on-demand enrichment
- Diamonds on Demand — Submit contacts for manual verification (limited to ~50/month, 48-hour turnaround)
Enterprise Plan (Custom, $30K–$100K+/year)
Everything in Elevate, plus:
- Higher fair-use data limits
- Custom API access and webhooks
- Dedicated account management
- Custom integrations
- Volume discounts for large teams
- Priority support
Hidden Costs to Watch For
1. Onboarding and Training
Cognism's self-service experience has improved, but enterprise deployments often include $2,000–$5,000 in professional services for setup, CRM configuration, and team training.
2. API and Enrichment Overages
The enrichment API (Instant Enrich, Scheduled Enrich) is typically billed separately from standard seat access. Heavy API usage can add $5,000–$15,000/year depending on volume.
3. Annual Lock-In
No monthly billing option. Cognism requires annual (sometimes multi-year) contracts. If the data quality doesn't meet expectations in your specific industry or region, you're stuck paying for the full term.
4. Diamond Data® Coverage Gaps
Diamond Data® is Cognism's biggest selling point — but it doesn't cover every contact. The verification process is strongest for UK and European contacts. North American coverage exists but is notably less comprehensive, which matters if that's your primary market.
5. Intent Data Costs Extra
Bombora intent data is only included on the Elevate plan or higher. On the Grow plan, you're paying $15K+ for data without any buying signals, which significantly reduces the value for prioritizing outreach.
Cost Comparison: Cognism vs. Competitors
| Tool | Annual Cost (5 users) | Data Strength | Intent Data | Execution Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognism (Grow) | ~$22,500 | Strong EU data | ❌ Add-on | ❌ Data only |
| Cognism (Elevate) | ~$37,500 | Diamond Data® | ✅ Bombora | ❌ Data only |
| Apollo | ~$3,600 ($59/user/mo) | Good global data | ✅ Included | ✅ Email sequences |
| ZoomInfo | ~$15,000–$30,000 | Largest US database | ✅ Available | ✅ Limited |
| Lusha | ~$4,380 ($73/user/mo) | Good, smaller DB | ❌ | ❌ Data only |
| MarketBetter | Contact for pricing | Visitor ID + data | ✅ Included | ✅ Full SDR platform |
The contrast is stark: Cognism gives you data to fuel outreach. MarketBetter gives you data AND the tools to execute — visitor identification, daily playbook, smart dialer, email automation, and AI chatbot in one platform.
Cognism's Strengths Worth Paying For
Diamond Data® Quality
When it works, it's genuinely best-in-class. Phone-verified mobile numbers mean 3x higher connect rates versus unverified databases. For cold-calling-heavy teams in Europe, this alone can justify the premium.
GDPR Compliance
Cognism screens against DNC lists in 15+ countries as standard. For companies selling into Europe, this compliance-first approach provides real legal protection that cheaper data providers can't match.
Clean UX and Chrome Extension
The platform is intuitive, and the Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting is consistently praised. Building targeted lists by job title, company size, and technographics is straightforward.
Cognism's Weaknesses at This Price Point
Data-Only Platform
Cognism provides contact data. That's it. No dialer, no email sequencing, no chatbot, no workflow automation. You need to pipe Cognism data into separate execution tools (Outreach, SalesLoft, etc.), adding another $50–$150/user/month to your stack.
For a 10-person team, your actual cost becomes:
- Cognism Elevate: ~$50,000/year
- SalesLoft or Outreach: ~$18,000–$30,000/year
- Total: $68,000–$80,000/year
With MarketBetter, you get identification, data, AND execution in one platform.
North American Coverage Gaps
Multiple reviewers note that while European data is excellent, US coverage — especially for mid-market companies and niche industries — can be inconsistent. If your ICP is primarily US-based, ZoomInfo or Apollo may offer better coverage at lower prices.
Diamonds on Demand Limitations
The premium verification service (submit contacts for manual phone verification) is capped at ~50 contacts/month and takes up to 48 hours. For teams that need verified numbers at scale, this bottleneck can be frustrating.
Who Should Buy Cognism?
✅ Good Fit
- Cold-calling-heavy SDR teams selling into Europe/UK
- Companies that need GDPR-compliant data as a legal requirement
- Teams with existing execution tools (SalesLoft, Outreach) that just need better data
- Mid-market to enterprise companies with $20K+ annual data budgets
❌ Poor Fit
- US-focused teams (Apollo or ZoomInfo offer better NA coverage)
- Small teams that need data + execution in one tool
- Budget-conscious teams under $15K/year for sales intelligence
- Companies that primarily need website visitor identification rather than prospecting data
The Bottom Line on Cognism Pricing
Cognism is a premium data platform with a price tag to match. The Diamond Data® verified numbers are genuinely differentiated, and GDPR compliance is best-in-class.
But at $22,500–$50,000+/year for data alone (no execution tools included), the total cost of ownership gets steep fast. When you add execution platforms, you're easily spending $70K+/year for what MarketBetter delivers in a single platform — visitor identification, intent signals, daily SDR playbooks, smart dialer, and email automation.
The question isn't whether Cognism has good data. It does. The question is whether data alone is worth $50K/year when you could get data plus execution for less.