Evaluating B2B data providers like Zoom Info and Cognism can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re poised to lock your business into a 12-month contract. Both promise vast databases, precision targeting, and essential compliance for sales and marketing teams. But there are substantial differences in features, pricing, and suitability depending on your company’s goals, region, and outreach workflow. This comprehensive comparison breaks down everything you need to know about Zoom Info vs Cognism—including critical details that could save your budget, ensure compliance, and accelerate your go-to-market success.
Based on the original video:
Understanding Zoom Info and Cognism: Core Offerings for B2B Data
Zoom Info and Cognism have become household names for B2B organizations that prioritize data quality and sales intelligence. Zoom Info is especially dominant in North America, boasting an immense database said to encompass over 320 million professional contacts. Its platform offers granular buyer journey insights, intent data, and advanced org charts, all backing up deep sales and marketing capabilities. Teams can deploy features tailored to sales, marketing, recruiting, and more, making Zoom Info a modular powerhouse for mid-market and enterprise firms.
On the other hand, Cognism carves out its niche as a global, compliance-first B2B data solution. With standout GDPR-compliant contact data, Cognism caters especially well to European and international businesses where privacy regulations are paramount. Its offering includes over 200 million business profiles, intent data powered by Bombora, and the renowned “Diamond Data”—human-verified and phone-accuracy checked contacts. Integrations with platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce boost its utility for cross-functional international teams.
Comparing Databases and Lead Generation Approaches
The heart of any B2B data provider lies in contact database quality. While Zoom Info counts on machine learning, third-party sources, and constant refresh cycles to prop up its database size and depth, its real superpower is in North American coverage. The org charts and intent signal overlays make it a favorite for companies hunting for the right decision-makers across various functions.
Cognism distinguishes itself on data accuracy and compliance, especially for those needing reliable phone data in strict regions such as Europe or the UK. “Diamond Data” is a unique feature: every phone number is human verified, providing a layer of confidence for teams relying on outbound phone outreach. While its contacts count is smaller (around 200 million), this focus on verified, accurate information can be transformative for international campaigns.
- Zoom Info: 320M+ contacts, North America-centric, enriched via AI and third-party data sources
- Cognism: 200M+ contacts, international focus, GDPR compliant, human-verified phone data
- Key difference: Reach versus compliance and accuracy, especially for phone-based prospecting across Europe
However, if your number one priority is finding the most cost-effective, verified leads (beyond these two giants), it’s wise to explore alternative solutions. For example, there are platforms offering more extensive coverage with real-time verification at significantly lower entry costs. For more context on how leading video-enabled prospecting platforms measure up, see our in-depth analysis, The 10 Best Vidyard Alternatives for 2024.
Outreach and Integration Capabilities
Your sales productivity hinges on effective outreach and seamless workflow integrations. Here’s how these two providers stack up:
Zoom Info’s Built-In Outreach Platform
Zoom Info offers a native engagement module (Engage) that brings email sequencing, automated call tasks, and follow-ups into a single interface—powerful for teams that want a unified sales engagement stack. Advanced analytics feed into campaign tracking, ensuring you can monitor opens, clicks, and replies. The integration with Chorus AI goes further, offering conversation intelligence for live coaching, script iteration, and data-driven optimization.
Cognism’s Integrative Flexibility
While Cognism does not deliver a full-fledged, native sequencer like Zoom Info, it excels at plug-and-play. Sales teams benefit from smooth integrations with best-in-class tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Outreach, and SalesLoft, as well as LinkedIn via their Chrome extension. This is especially compelling if you already use a robust sales engagement platform and simply need top-notch, compliant contact data to fuel your outreach.
- If you want an all-in-one sales suite with analytics, Zoom Info is your likely match.
- If you need standout contact data for your own workflows, Cognism plays nicely within most CRMs and engagement environments.
Analytics, Reporting, and Data Coaching
Success in B2B sales isn’t just about reaching the right contacts, but also learning from every touchpoint. Here’s where analytics and insights diverge between these two contenders.
Zoom Info empowers teams with robust reporting and integrated campaign analytics. Every campaign and sales conversation can be tracked—from email opens to call performance. Chorus AI integration further enables actionable feedback and conversation intelligence, excellent for sales managers and directors who prize continuous improvement in scripts and delivery.
Cognism leans more on data enrichment, automated lead scoring, and segmentation. The aim is sharper qualification—helping teams home in on leads most likely to convert. While its reporting isn’t as deep as Zoom Info’s full-funnel analytics, it surfaces actionable insights for smarter prospecting and resource allocation.
Pricing: What B2B Teams Really Pay for Zoom Info and Cognism
Let’s address the elephant in the room—B2B data pricing. Both Zoom Info and Cognism avoid posting list prices online, often requiring custom quotes and annual contracts. Transparency can be limited, so here’s what our analysis uncovered:
Zoom Info’s Pricing Structure
- Professional plan: Starts at $15,000/year, includes 5,000 bulk credits
- Advanced plan: $25,000/year, 10,000 credits, plus 1,000 monthly credits/user
- Elite plan: About $40,000/year, most advanced features, similar credit structure
- Extra users: $1,500–$2,500/user annually
- Important: Core plan costs can quickly balloon with required add-ons (e.g., Worldwide Data, Form Complete, Inbox AI Premium)
- Contracts auto-renew—cancellations require at least 60 days’ notice
Cognism’s Custom Pricing
- Annual contracts, custom-tailored to company and data needs
- Entry plans begin around $15,000/year with user fees from $1,500
- Larger teams may pay $16,000–$82,000/year depending on features and required contacts
- Platinum plan: Approx. 25M contacts; Diamond plan: 50M contacts
- CRM integration, lead scoring, segmentation, and enrichment included with all plans
Both providers structure pricing for mid-sized and large enterprises—there are no true self-serve, monthly, or contract-free options. That also means budget-conscious or fast-moving startups may find themselves overpaying for capacity they rarely use.
Breaking Down Platform Use Cases: Which B2B Data Solution Is Right for You?
With so much overlap yet clear differences, here’s how to decide which tool aligns best with your company’s outreach strategy and goals.
Choose Zoom Info If:
- You’re selling primarily to North America and need scale/depth in contact and company data
- Integrated buyer intent and detailed org charts are crucial for mapping decision-makers
- All-in-one sales engagement and analytics are must-haves for your process
- Your team can absorb annual contracts and associated upsell/add-on fees
Choose Cognism If:
- You prioritize GDPR compliance and outbound phone accuracy, especially for European campaigns
- Manual data verification (Diamond Data) and human-checked phone numbers are core to your outbound strategy
- Native integrations with leading CRMs and workflow tools are essential for your processes
- Your team values tailored plans and high data quality over one-size-fits-all databases
Consider Alternatives If:
- You need flexibility (monthly plans, contract-free trials)
- Budget, speed, and scale are more pressing than proprietary outreach features
- Your team is agile and values real-time verified data, especially from sources like LinkedIn
It’s important to step back and analyze your sales strategy, existing stack, compliance requirements, and expected ROI across each tool. Skilled sales teams leverage clean, compliant data and tight integration—not just raw quantity or platform “power.”
For companies exploring the sales technology landscape, video messaging and interactive outreach are gaining traction as conversion boosters. To learn more about leveraging cutting-edge sales tech to increase conversions, check out our guide to increasing sales conversion rates with video messaging.
Key Takeaways: Making the Final Decision
- Zoom Info and Cognism are market leaders—each excels in different regions and outreach workflows
- Zoom Info’s strength is in-depth data, full analytics, and North American coverage
- Cognism differentiates with international, GDPR-compliant accuracy and phone verification
- Both require long-term, annual contracts costing from $15,000 up (often higher with add-ons)
- Alternatives now exist that deliver verified, contract-free contact data at a fraction of the cost
Evaluate the trade-offs between platform power, compliance, price, and integration. The best solution is the one that meets your company’s actual needs, delivers ROI, and integrates with your sales and marketing ecosystem.
FAQ
What’s the main difference between Zoom Info and Cognism?
Zoom Info is stronger for North American data depth, built-in sales engagement, and buyer intent features. Cognism stands out for international reach, GDPR compliance, and human-verified phone prospects—ideal for Europe-targeted campaigns.
Why are Zoom Info and Cognism so expensive?
Both platforms cater to enterprise clients and invest heavily in data acquisition, machine learning, and compliance. Their value is in scale, granularity, and integrations, but high costs reflect annual contracts, user limits, and add-on charges.
Are there affordable alternatives to Zoom Info and Cognism?
Yes. Several emerging platforms offer vast, real-time verified contacts (sometimes including LinkedIn integration) on flexible, affordable monthly plans—often without needing a long-term contract.
How do add-ons and credit limits affect total costs?
Add-ons (like global data or AI integrations) and credit limits can sharply increase total price, especially at scale. Always request full pricing details and forecast your usage before signing a contract.
Do these platforms integrate with sales engagement or CRM tools?
Both Zoom Info and Cognism offer native integrations with major CRMs and sales engagement platforms. Zoom Info also includes its own sequencing suite, while Cognism integrates tightly with third-party tools.
