Review · Independent · Updated June 2026

Cognism review

GDPR-first sales intelligence with phone-verified mobile numbers, strongest across the UK & EMEA.

In short

Cognism is a premium B2B sales-intelligence platform best known for phone-verified "Diamond Data" mobiles and a compliance-first approach to GDPR. It's a top pick for UK and EMEA outbound teams, but pricing is sales-led, annual-only and high.

Third-party ratingsVerifiable public scores. Check them yourself.

Why just these: G2 and Capterra are verified-buyer reviews, so they reflect what paying customers think. How we weigh review sources →

As displayed June 2026. Ratings change; the links above show today's figures.

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At a glance

Founded
2015
HQ
London, UK
Best for
UK & EMEA outbound sales teams; Calling senior decision-makers (verified mobiles); Compliance-sensitive (GDPR) organisations
Free trial
Yes (limited)

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Phone-verified "Diamond" mobiles deliver markedly higher connect rates than most rivals.
  • Compliance-first, with GDPR treated as an engineering concern and notified-jurisdiction screening across 15+ countries.
  • Strongest UK & EMEA coverage in the category; reps can build usable lists on day one.
  • Ease of use is the most-praised aspect across G2 (4.5/5) and Capterra (4.7/5) reviews.

Cons

  • Pricing is sales-led and opaque, with annual-only contracts, prohibitive for small teams.
  • US, Canada and APAC coverage is weaker than its UK/EMEA core.
  • Diamond verification covers only a subset of records; "accuracy" claims apply to that subset, not the whole database.
  • A US right-of-publicity class action (Kis v. Cognism) settled in 2025 over contact data shown to free-trial users; Cognism denied wrongdoing.

Cognism pricing

United Kingdom pricing

Not publicly listed

Sales-led, annual-only, custom-quoted: Cognism publishes no UK price list. Figures below are estimates converted from third-party USD reports (Vendr, LeadIQ). estimate; confirm with Cognism.

Plan Price Billing Notes
Grow £12,000 est. / year Estimated ~£12k+/yr, with a per-seat element (~£1,200–2,000/user/yr). Unconfirmed estimate.
Diamond / Elevate £18,000 est. / year Adds phone-verified Diamond Data; estimated ~£18k+/yr, higher with intent data. Unconfirmed estimate.

United States pricing

Not publicly listed

US quotes reported ~$15k (Grow) to $25k+ (Elevate/Diamond) per year, plus per-seat. Vendr-style procurement data points to a 12-month minimum and 10–15% renewal uplifts. Unconfirmed estimate.

Plan Price Billing Notes
Grow $15,000 est. / year Reported base ~$15k/yr + ~$1,500/user. Unconfirmed estimate.
Elevate / Diamond $25,000 est. / year Reported ~$25k+/yr; ~$2,500/user minimum on Diamond. Unconfirmed estimate.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Cognism cost?
In the UK, Cognism doesn't list pricing publicly; plans are estimated from £12,000/year. US plans are estimated from $15,000/year. Pricing is custom-quoted, so treat published figures as estimates.
Does Cognism offer a free trial?
Cognism offers a limited free trial or sample so you can test data quality before committing.
Is Cognism GDPR compliant?
Markets itself as the most compliant provider: processes data under the legitimate-interest basis (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)), notifies business contacts under Art. 14, and screens phone numbers against Do-Not-Call registries across 15+ notified jurisdictions (incl. UK TPS/CTPS). Holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type II. Note: a US right-of-publicity class action (Kis v. Cognism, settled 2025) alleged contact data was shown to free-trial users; Cognism denied wrongdoing.