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Cognism vs UpLead

No credit ceilings. Verified mobiles and emails included. Cognism gives GTM teams the trusted data foundation needed to win in new markets.

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How does Cognism match up?
UpLead
No credit ceilings
Strong international coverage
Verified mobile data
GDPR compliant

Why thousands of brands have switched to Cognism

01

80% better mobile data quality

Cognism is known for its leading EMEA dataset and US mobile coverage. 

“In the last 30 days, we’ve booked 4 meetings that have turned into qualified opportunities, all thanks to using Cognism’s data. Given that we typically close 1 or 2 deals per year in this industry, that is a brilliant result.” Stevie, Sub1

02

ROI in 8 weeks

Cognism does what it says on the tin: quality B2B data that connects you with the prospects you want to do business with.

“Our sales cycle is typically 6-8 months long. At Cognism, we saw ROI in 8 weeks from intent data and direct dials. One deal pays for a year’s Cognism subscription.” George, Ultima

03

60% more deals closed

Customers switching to Cognism report a higher number of connects, leading to more closed/won deals. 

“The tool has paid for itself. The largest deal closed in company history was helped by generating an email from the Cognism platform. The email address allowed us to reach the contract decision-maker and close the deal earlier than anticipated.” Marc, OneUp Sales

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What’s the difference between UpLead and Cognism?

When comparing Cognism to UpLead, it’s important to consider what each tool finds most important. 

Cognism is dedicated to providing high-quality B2B data in NAM, EMEA, and APAC. It has the most complete data in Europe and is a leader in US mobile coverage.

UpLead offers strong North European data with email verification.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Cognism vs UpLead:

Cognism
UpLead
Best for
Cognism
Larger sales, marketing, RevOps and GTMOps teams looking to drive customer revenue growth in Europe.
UpLead
Small to mid-sized sales and marketing teams prospecting in the US.
Pricing
Cognism
Two tiers to choose from to suit your needs best. Unrestricted views/ individual and page-level exporting on all packages.*
UpLead
Credit and seat-based pricing model.
Integrations
Cognism
Included in all packages: Salesforce, HubSpot, MS Dynamics, Pipedrive, Salesloft, Bullhorn, Outreach & Zapier.
UpLead
Integrations include Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, Pipedrive, MS Dynamics, Outreach, SalesLoft & Zapier.
Compliance status
Cognism
GDPR & CCPA compliant, SOC 2 accreditations, TPS & DNC screening across 14 countries & notified database.
UpLead
CCPA compliant.
Browser extension
Cognism
Compatible with LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, and company domains.
UpLead
Chrome extension works across company domains and LinkedIn profiles.
Intent data
Cognism
Bombora intent data (Max. topics 100).
UpLead
Bombora intent data (Max. topics 25).
Enrichment
Cognism
API enrichment and on-demand CSV enrichment.
UpLead
Only available on Plus and Professional plans.
Phone-verification/ research on-demand service
Cognism
Exclusive phone-verified Diamond Data® mobiles & on-demand-verification service.
UpLead
Verified emails and mobile numbers.

Alternatively, see other Cognism comparisons👇

Key features of Cognism vs UpLead

Cognism equips teams with everything they need to exceed quota month over month. It focuses on supplying accurate global B2B data that’s compliant with GDPR and CCPA regulations.

UpLead has several key features to help businesses reach their ideal buyers.

While both tools use intent data from Bombora, it’s clear that they have key differences and overall offerings.

Here’s a list of both tools’ features, side by side:

Cognism

Sales Companion

For personalised access to in-depth account data to ensure fresh and fast outreach.

Phone-verified cell phone numbers

To help you connect with 87% of your list.

Diamond Data®

Exclusive on-demand verified cell phone and email data set.

Unrestricted access to person and company-level data*

Subject to a generous fair usage policy.

Enrich

API enrichment and on-demand CSV enrichment.

Intent & Signal data

Intent data by Bombora. Real time signal data for hiring trends, funding rounds, and technographic insights.

International coverage

EMEA, NAM, APAC.

Integrations at no extra cost

Salesforce, HubSpot, MS Dynamics, Pipedrive, Salesloft, Outreach & Zapier.

GDPR and CCPA-compliant

SOC 2 accreditations, TPS & DNC screening across 14 countries & notified database.

AI Search

Find prospects using ChatGPT-style textual or voice prompts.

UpLead

Real-time email verification

Checks email validity instantly to reduce bounce rates.

Intent data powered by Bombora

Identify accounts actively researching relevant topics to prioritise outreach.

API for finding contact information from a domain

Pulls contact details directly from company domains via API.

Chrome extension with technographics

Finds contact data and company tech stack insights while browsing online.

Why Cognism?

“I would 100% recommend Cognism. Compliance is a big factor, along with data quality. We truly believe Cognism’s data quality is incomparable. When you have this and a positive sales experience, it’s very easy to recommend it to others.”
Read the full case study
23%
increase in call connect rate
Dan Orbach_Case Study
Dan Orbach
Head of Sales & Partnerships @UpCloud
“We tested everything available on the market, including Lusha, Apollo and ZoomInfo. We ran a pilot and proved that Cognism’s data was stronger than other tools we evaluated, particularly in EMEA.”
Read the full case study
40%
improvement in outbound pipeline
adina-aveva
Adina Apachitei
Global Director Best Practices Program @AVEVA
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UpLead versus Cognism: Compliance

UpLead’s website indicates that outside the United States, customers are responsible for ensuring compliance with local data privacy laws. This suggests that while UpLead provides tools and data, the onus of legal compliance in various jurisdictions rests with the user.

What’s more, in November 2024, UpLead settled with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) due to failing to register as a data broker between February and July 2024, as mandated by California’s Delete Act.

“Cognism is our comfort blanket when it comes to compliance.” “Whenever a prospect asks where we get their data from, we can confidently say that we’ve sourced their information from a reputable ISO 27001 and SOC Type II certification data company.”
Read the full case study
1612964195108-1
Richard Caldicott
IT Director @Henderson Scott

Cognism has never been fined for not adhering to privacy laws. In fact, GDPR and CCPA compliance were built into the platform from the start. 

Cognism also scrubs all mobile numbers against:

  • TPS/CTPS lists in the UK.
  • Do-Not-Call lists in the USA, Canada, Australia and European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Croatia, Portugal, Sweden, Italy and more. 

If a number is marked as TPS or DNC, it means that the user has opted out of receiving unsolicited phone calls by applying to the national do-not-call registry. 

Cognism allows admins to choose whether to hide or show contacts that are on DNC lists from reps. Meaning that its customers have complete confidence in the legality of its outreach.

The Cognism platform follows these compliance-based actions: 

  • A stringent B2B data verification process. 
  • Ensures all data is legally sourced and of the utmost quality.
  • Is regulated by the ICO and provides users with a notified database.

UpLead vs Cognism: Usability & Integrations

Cognism and UpLead offer numerous integrations and a browser extension for sourcing contact data on company websites and LinkedIn.

The key difference is that integrations are available on all of Cognism’s plans at no extra charge. UpLead integrations with sales tools like Salesloft and Outreach are only available on higher-tier plans.

What makes the Cognism Browser Extension a game-changer for sales reps?

  • It’s connected to a high-quality, compliant database of company and contact profiles. 
  • It works over Outreach, HubSpot, and Salesforce, enabling you to enrich prospect records without leaving those tools.
  • It lets you enrich LinkedIn profiles and Sales Navigator lists and find prospect contact details on corporate websites.
  • Sales Companion connects you with ready-to-buy decision makers in the accounts that matter.
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Sounds great, but...

UpLead is more affordable. 

UpLead may look cheaper upfront, but extra costs quickly add up for credits, enrichment, integrations, and technographics. Not to mention the wasted time chasing unverified mobiles.

Cognism may cost more, but with no credit ceilings and Diamond Data®, enrichment, and integrations included in every package, you get predictable pricing and real ROI.

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Better conversion rates (Lead Forensics)

0%

closed deals with Cognism’s mobile numbers (OneUp Sales)

0%

Influenced closed/won deals (Openprise)

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Cognism vs UpLead: Databases & Data Coverage

UpLead’s website does not directly state where its data coverage lies, only that it has global company profiles.

Cognism has research teams in the EU and the US, making it an excellent option for anyone looking to enter new markets with highly targeted leads. 

Quality is of utmost importance to Cognism, with phone-verified numbers, the most complete data in Europe and the best mobile number coverage in the United States.

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Where do Cognism and UpLead get their data?

According to the Privacy Policy on its website, UpLead collects data from the following sources:

  • Directly from individuals who submit Business Profile Data to them.
  • Data shared via signing up, contacting UpLead or using the services (based on legitimate interest).
  • From publicly available information on the internet or otherwise.
  • From third-party companies that collect information on UpLead’s behalf and license it to them.

Cognism gathers data via its proprietary sources and fills in the gaps from third-party data providers, publicly available sources, manual research and strategic partnerships. 

Machine learning processes check millions of data points daily, and a team of researchers verifies the data. This ensures accuracy and compliance, and the stringent verification process applies to Cognism’s entire database.

However, Cognism takes data verification to the next level through its exclusive data asset, Diamond Data®.

Diamond Data® comprises phone-verified mobile numbers that make it 3x more likely you’ll connect with your ideal customer. The team phone verifies mobile numbers and includes contacts specifically requested by customers leveraging the Diamonds-on-Demand® service.

Diamond Data® allows sales teams to connect with 87% of prospecting lists. Companies are seeing a 54% increase in mobile coverage, and ROI is increasing due to 70% of outbound meetings booked from Cognism mobiles. 

Here’s how Cognism mobile phone numbers differ from standard mobile numbers. 👇

How standard mobile numbers compare to Cognism's phone-verified numbers.

Sounds great, but...

UpLead has real-time email verification.

UpLead’s real-time email checks are useful, but Cognism’s Diamond Data® delivers phone-verified mobiles and verified emails together. With trusted international coverage and teams seeing ROI within 8 weeks, Cognism helps you reach decision-makers faster.

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success rates in European data (Toucan)

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Better mobile accuracy than competitors (Docfield)

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email deliverability rate (cec marketing)

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Cognism vs UpLead pricing

**Cognism and UpLead pricing information is dependent on your company’s needs. For accurate pricing, please contact your preferred data provider.

Cognism Pricing

What really makes Cognism stand out from UpLead is unrestricted data views. 

Cognism’s main packages allow reps unrestricted data views and exports of 25 records at a time.

Cognism’s pricing model is split into two tiers: 

  • Grow gives you the essential quality data you need for your prospecting. With contact and company data, including Cognism’s phone verified Diamond Data®.
  • Elevate gives you all the benefits of Grow with the added benefit of combining Cognism’s high-quality data with advanced intelligence and actionable signals.

In addition to this, users can add more intent data topics (12 are included in the Elevate package) and Diamonds-on-Demand® to their package.

UpLead Pricing

UpLead pricing includes three packages and a free trial. Every package includes: 

  • A single-user seat.
  • Verified emails. 
  • Mobile phones.
  • Verified direct dials.
  • Chrome extension.

You will have to pay more for additional credits, enrichment, API, integrations and technographics.

All search filters, buyer intent data, full API access, and competitor intelligence require a professional plan. 

Loved by Revenue Teams

From Reddit to G2: Discover why sales, marketing and GTM teams trust Cognism for verified contact data, quality coverage, and measurable results.

FAQs about UpLead vs Cognism

UpLead is a good no-fluff B2B prospecting platform.

But Cognism is the better choice for businesses looking for a lead generation platform offering up-to-date, accurate data in an easy-to-use interface.

Its verified mobiles and B2B emails are unmatched by UpLead, as are its user-friendly interface and excellent customer service.

So if you’re looking for the best tool to help you reach out to potential leads and target customers, Cognism is the clear winner.

Yes, Cognism is an excellent alternative when comparing UpLead competitors.

Cognism provides highly accurate and up-to-date contact information. It helps sales and marketing teams find the information they need to make fewer calls, contact the most relevant people, and hit quota faster.

Furthermore, Cognism receives overwhelmingly positive reviews from its users. Many users praise its data quality and robust integrations:

Outwardly, UpLead has more affordable pricing options than Cognism. It offers a 7-day free trial and paid plans starting at $99 per user per month. At first glance, it may appear to be better value for money compared to Cognism.

However, UpLead uses a credit-based pricing system. Meaning that as soon as your team runs out of credits, you will need to purchase more. One credit equals one contact in UpLead’s system.

Data enrichment, technographics, intent data, and API access also come at an additional cost. So you can see how the price of using UpLead can quickly go up.

In contrast, Cognism’s data is unrestricted; all license types include unrestricted access to data and individual and page-level exports (up to 25 profiles at a time). It’s subject to a generous fair usage policy. This offers more value to sales teams, especially heavy dialers.

All Cognism packages include key features and integrations designed to make prospecting as efficient as possible. There are no hidden platform fees; you only pay for licenses and add-ons.

Try Cognism, an UpLead alternative

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