Skip to content
Use Cases
Sales
Marketing
RevOps
Recruitment
Products
Sales Companion
Data enrichment
Buyer signals
Data-as-a-Service
Integrations
Why Cognism
Diamond Data®
About our data
Compliance
See How We Compare
Cognism vs Zoominfo Cognism vs Apollo Cognism vs Lusha Cognism vs alternatives
Customers
Case Studies
Customer reviews
Cognism champions
Education
Blog
Content Hub
Webinars & Podcasts
Newsletter
GTM Plays hub
Product
Product tour
Help centre
FAQ
Pricing
Content spotlight
The Demand Gen Playbook Diary of a first-time CMO Cold Calling Report 2025 Marketing Live Events International Expansion Zone SDR Zone
CTA
About us
Careers
Partnerships
Newsroom

Cognism vs ZoomInfo

With ZoomInfo, essential features like global data sit behind costly paywalls. Cognism includes global data, AI insights, and seamless integrations as standard, so your team gets everything they need without hidden upgrades.

Get a data sample
How does Cognism match up?
ZoomInfo
No credit ceilings
European database at no extra cost
DNC lists in 13 countries
Verified data

Why thousands of brands have switched to Cognism

01

85% better data accuracy

Cognism provides Diamond Data™ with industry-leading mobile connect rates.

Customers report higher first‑connect rates and fewer wasted dials.

“We previously used ZoomInfo and saw contact information accuracy rates of around 50%.” “When we tested Cognism’s data as part of the procurement process, we recorded data accuracy of around 85%.” Justin, Bright Network

02

60% more deals closed

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

“We did an evaluation, and Cognism’s EMEA data was 10x better than ZoomInfo’s. Secondly, Cognism’s highly compliant B2B data saved us a lot of hassle when explaining to prospects where we obtained their contact details from.” Paul, Keboola

03

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

monday logo
aircall-logo_2x
xero-logo-alt-130-1
Logos 130x26px_Lead Forensics
Logos 130x26px_Comply Advantage-1
Hootsuite-Logo.wine
mazars-logo-1
Logos 130x26px_Seismic
amex logo
gartner logo
kpmg logo transparent
notion_logo_transparent

What’s the difference between ZoomInfo and Cognism?

ZoomInfo is a well-known vendor in go-to-market intelligence. Through acquiring competitors, it consolidates tech solutions needed to integrate different steps of the sales process into a single platform. But prospective buyers notice ZoomInfo’s “core product has stood still”.

Cognism invests in innovating its sales intelligence platform and improving prospecting data to stay relevant for our customers. Most notably, Sales Companion streamlines sales processes, improves team productivity and drives predictable revenue growth.

“At Cognism, we want to assure our clients that they can target their prospects in confidence, leaving compliance and data accuracy to us.”

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

Cognism
ZoomInfo
Best for
Cognism
Larger sales, marketing, RevOps and GTMOps teams looking to drive customer revenue growth in Europe.
ZoomInfo
Enterprises requiring B2B contact databases with good US coverage and a suite of advanced data intelligence tools.
Pricing
Cognism
Two tiers to choose from to suit your needs best. Unrestricted views/ individual and page-level exporting on all packages.*
ZoomInfo
Individual pricing tiers for sales, marketing, and recruitment. Credit-based with expensive add-ons like advanced integrations and global data.
Integrations
Cognism
Included in all packages: Salesforce, HubSpot, MS Dynamics, Pipedrive, Salesloft, Outreach & Zapier.
ZoomInfo
Supports a range of integrations through its App Marketplace.
Compliance status
Cognism
GDPR & CCPA compliant, SOC 2 accreditations, TPS & DNC screening across 13 countries & notified database.
ZoomInfo
GDPR & CCPA compliant with DNC list checking in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, UK and US. ISO 27701 certified.
Browser extension
Cognism
Compatible with LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, and company domains.
ZoomInfo
Works across LinkedIn and company websites.
Intent data
Cognism
Bombora intent data with 12 topics, plus 100 additional topics.
ZoomInfo
Gathers intent data from various sources and uses proprietary machine-learning technology to determine buying signals. Believed to rely on bidstream data.
Enrichment
Cognism
API enrichment and on-demand CSV enrichment.
ZoomInfo
Enrichment on-demand, on-schedule or in real-time.
Phone-verification/ research on-demand service
Cognism
Exclusive phone-verified Diamond Data® mobiles & on-demand-verification service.
ZoomInfo
Data labelled with a confidence score.
AI Offering
Cognism
Tailored Sales Companion and AI search are included in all packages for every user.
ZoomInfo
AI email writer and Copilot at an additional per-seat charge.

Alternatively, see other Cognism comparisons👇

Key features of Cognism vs ZoomInfo

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.

ZoomInfo offers a suite of business tools to help teams prospect, find talent or increase ROI. These tools are called:

  • SalesOS.

  • MarketingOS.

  • TalentOS.
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 13 countries & notified database.

AI Search

Find prospects using ChatGPT-style textual or voice prompts.

ZoomInfo

Copilot

An AI assistant that surfaces recommendations and insights to guide sales reps.

ZoomInfo Chrome Extension

Provides contact and company details while browsing websites or within CRM/email tools.

Buyer intent

Identifies accounts researching relevant topics.

Website visitor tracking

Reveals which companies visit your website

Conversation intelligence

Records and analyses sales calls to highlight key insights and coaching opportunities.

Web form optimization

Enriches form fills to reduce friction and capture leads.

Digital advertising

Enables account-based ad targeting.

Lead enrichment

Automatically adds or updates missing prospect details in your CRM.

Predictive modeling

Uses AI to score and prioritise leads based on likelihood to convert.

From ZoomInfo to Cognism

“We reviewed Cognism and tools like Lusha, Seamless.AI and ZoomInfo.” “I think from the outside, these tools look very advanced and fancy. They claim to be a 5-in-1 solution, or they can do anything we want to do.” “But we had a trial for one and discovered that the database was not very up to date. Compared to Cognism, it’s very old. The European database is not as strong as Cognism.” “In terms of pricing, they were very expensive, and everything is an ‘add-on’, so the packages alone are very limited. For example, you’d have to spend double the amount to get something as simple as a new filter.”
Read the full case study
85%
improvement in data quality and enrichment
michael-wong
Michael Wong
Head of Marketing @Plandek
“Cognism blew ZI out of the water. Cognism’s match rate was 98% vs. 72% by ZoomInfo, and we found that Cognism returned a ton more phone numbers.” “When we called them to verify the numbers, the call connect rate was 22% with Cognism and 14% with ZoomInfo.”
Read the full case study
33%
increase in pipeline in 3 months
UserEvidence Case study graphics_Amanda
Amanda Newman
SDR Manager @User Evidence
Get a data sample

ZoomInfo versus Cognism: Compliance

Both ZoomInfo and Cognism are CCPA and GDPR-compliant B2B data providers. The key differentiator between Cognism and ZoomInfo compliance is that Cognism scrubs all mobile numbers against broader Do-Not-Call (DNC) lists.

“Our legal team reviewed ZoomInfo’s GDPR standards in Europe, which were not up to scratch. As a result, they removed the European team’s access to the platform, which massively impacted our sales output.”
Read the full case study
100-150 leads
per week per rep
Pierre Bourguignon SDRManager - Cloudreach
Pierre Bourguignon
SDR Manager @Cloudreach

Why is DNC list cleaning important?

If a salesperson contacts someone who has opted out of sales and marketing phone calls, they may be accused of not having “the legitimate interests” to do so.

The Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) has issued fines totalling £180,000 for two companies that made more than 480,000 unlawful marketing calls to businesses signed up with the UK’s “Do not call” register.

With Cognism, you can hide the number of contacts that opted out from receiving unsolicited phone calls and applied to the national do-not-call registry. 

We also don’t collect B2C emails and notify our database.

GDPR compliance by default

Cognism checks the following DNC lists:

  • TPS/CTPS lists in the UK.
  • DNC lists in the USA, Canada, Australia, and European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Croatia, Portugal and Sweden.

ZoomInfo vs Cognism: Usability & Integrations

The main difference between Cognism and ZoomInfo’s approach to integrations is that we don’t try to replace your existing tech stack. ZoomInfo, on the other hand, provides an all-in-one GTM platform.

Cognism focuses on developing a sales intelligence platform that fits your current workflows for sales and marketing. Cognism invests in developing integrations with best-in-class tools and CRMs, such as Salesforce (two-way), Outreach, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics, and Salesloft.

ZoomInfo supports a range of integrations through its App Marketplace. However, they have invested in developing an in-house full technology stack through competitor acquisition, so their preference might be for prospects to use it instead of external tools.

In an independent survey, some prospective buyers felt that ZoomInfo’s platform functionality, utility, and usability degraded significantly because it was enhanced with “more features and functionality”.

ZoomInfo and Cognism offer Browser Extensions with similar functionalities. For example, both providers offer two-way integration with Salesforce. Cognism’s extension additionally works over HubSpot, Outreach, and corporate websites.

At Cognism, we know where sales reps spend most of their time. We tailored the Cognism extension for them to allow efficient prospecting.

  • Works with LinkedIn and LinkedIn Sales Navigator to enrich profiles and lists.
  • Works over Salesforce, HubSpot, and Outreach, so you don’t have to switch between tools.
  • Works on corporate websites so you can view company details, tech stack, and key decision-makers without leaving the browser.
  • Supports multithread sales deals to tap into your prospect’s coworkers to find other stakeholders.
  • Enables individual and page-level data exporting.
sales-companion-integrations-webp

Sounds great, but...

ZoomInfo is an all-in-one tool. 

That’s true, but how many of those tools do you actually need? Many of ZoomInfo’s features are behind a paywall, and integrations can be complex.

Cognism focuses on quality B2B data, and the platform is built to prioritise the accounts that matter to you. With easy onboarding, local language enablement, and proactive compliance, reps are more productive and get results. 

0%

Better conversion rates (Lead Forensics)

0%

Improved connect rates (Druva)

0%

Time saved each week (UpCloud)

Get a data sample

Cognism vs ZoomInfo: Databases & Data Coverage

Cognism focuses on data quality, accuracy and compliance (CCPA & GDPR). It has excellent coverage in the US and is a leader in providing EMEA contact data:

  • 2x more cell phone numbers than other providers.
  • Phone-verified cell phone numbers (Diamond Data®).
  • Verified B2B emails.

Cognism gathers B2B data via its proprietary sources and fills in gaps from third-party data providers, publicly available sources, manual research and strategic partnerships. Cognism processes millions of data points daily to build and maintain its Person and Company profiles and ensure its records are up to date.

Like Cognism, ZoomInfo has robust data-checking processes to ensure accuracy. ZoomInfo labels contact profiles in its database with a confidence score; this denotes the quality of information available.

ZoomInfo also has a network of voluntary contributors through ZoomInfo Community Edition. Its users agree to share their business contacts to help ZoomInfo keep its platform updated in exchange for limited access to ZoomInfo. 

When it comes to coverage, Cognism has a leading European database, while ZoomInfo offers Global Data Passports (Global, Europe, North America Plus) at an extra cost. 

sales-companion-diamond-data-webp

Intent data: Cognism or ZoomInfo?

Intent data is behavioural data that shows when an account is interested in buying. ZoomInfo and Cognism provide it from two different sources.

ZoomInfo gathers intent data from various sources and uses proprietary machine-learning technology to determine buying signals. It’s believed ZoomInfo relies on bidstream data. It is available within the ZoomInfo Powered by DiscoverOrg platform. 

Bombora, an industry leader, powers Cognism’s intent data, which you can access directly via the Web App and Browser Extension.

By combining Bombora’s buyer intent signals with Cognism’s contact data, users can find, prioritise, and connect with prospects who are searching for their solutions and are ready to buy. This allows Cognism users to speed up their sales cycle, improve targeting, and create a more relevant buyer journey. 

Here’s how Cognism’s intent data is different to ZoomInfo’s:

  • 12,000+ intent topics (vs ZoomInfo’s).
  • Consent-based data is collected from a cooperative of 5,000 B2B sites where B2B buyers search for solutions.
  • 70% of its dataset is exclusive to Bombora.
  • Considers the historical baseline or typical content consumption when calculating intent.

Cognism also offers signal data that delivers real-time data insights to your Sales Companion, ensuring you’re always one step ahead. By tracking key events like funding rounds or hiring periods, you’ll know when prospects are ready to engage. 

 

Sounds great, but...

ZoomInfo has stronger US coverage.

While Cognism is known for its excellent EMEA data coverage, it’s not lacking in the US. Customers have reported 90% accuracy in US markets, with praise for contacts in niche markets. 

0%

Data Accuracy in the US (Darwinbox)

0%

Influenced closed/won deals (Openprise)

Get a data sample

Comparing the pricing of ZoomInfo and Cognism

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

ZoomInfo Pricing

ZoomInfo pricing depends on several factors , including the number of user seats you need, your estimated monthly contact exports, and any add-ons like a global data passport. 

ZoomInfo doesn’t offer a monthly subscription and requires a long-term commitment. 

What’s more, it uses credit-based system. These systems limit viewing and exporting data and often lead to unexpected costs and scarcity mind sets. 

FAQs about ZoomInfo vs Cognism

Cognism is the better choice for businesses looking for an AI-powered lead gen platform that offers up-to-date, accurate data with an easy-to-use interface.

Not only has compliance been built into the product from conception, but its dedication to beating the scarcity mindset with easy access to quality data is hard to beat. 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 the right prospects, Cognism is the clear winner.

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

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

Furthermore, Cognism has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from its users. In particular, many praise its user-friendly interface, accurate/ unrestricted data and excellent customer service.

Cognism is different to ZoomInfo in a number of ways:

  • Access to global data without geographical restrictions (NAM, APAC, and leading EMEA coverage).
  • Quality-driven cell phone numbers in the US.
  • Phone-verified cell phone database.
  • 16-step email verification process.
  • Integrations with your existing tech stack, including native Salesforce integration.
  • Simple, predictable pricing (with unrestricted viewing and page-level exporting of global data in all packages).*
  • CCPA & GDPR compliance with broader DNC list checks.

ZoomInfo is a good tool for marketing, sales and recruiting teams looking to prospect in the US. 

However, if you’re looking for a tool that makes it easier to cold call in Europe without limited credits and expensive add-ons, then Cognism is for you. 

ZoomInfo’s pricing isn’t available on its website. You need to schedule a call with the sales team to learn the exact ZoomInfo licence cost.

ZoomInfo follows a credit-based pricing structure and does not offer a monthly subscription plan which requires a long-term commitment. 

For a more in-depth breakdown see the ZoomInfo pricing page.

Stuck in a ZoomInfo contract and want out?

Cognism can help you make the switch.