Is Cognism better than ZoomInfo in Europe?

Cognism is widely regarded as stronger in EMEA and on mobile numbers, which it phone-verifies under the name Diamond Data. ZoomInfo is generally stronger in North America. Test both on a sample of your own European accounts.

How much do Cognism and ZoomInfo cost?

Neither publishes prices. Third-party reports put Cognism contracts at roughly $15,000 to $60,000+ a year and ZoomInfo's entry around $15,000 a year for three seats, with a median near $33,500.

How do Cognism credits work?

One credit reveals one contact, and re-viewing a contact you have already revealed is free. Cognism's pricing page says a credit can be reused if the contact changes jobs.

Do both have intent data?

Yes. Cognism includes Bombora intent data on its Pro plan. ZoomInfo's intent data is one of its main strengths.

Cognism vs ZoomInfo: where your buyers are decides it

Why this comparison is mostly about geography

Cognism and ZoomInfo are the two names that come up when a mid-size or enterprise sales team wants a serious B2B database. They are bought the same way: a demo, a quote, an annual contract. They both offer contact and company data, intent signals, CRM enrichment and integrations. On a feature checklist they look close.

What separates them in practice is where their data is good. ZoomInfo is generally regarded as the largest database, deepest in North America. Cognism built its reputation in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and on mobile numbers that have been checked by phone. Third-party reviews report weaker accuracy for Cognism in the US and Asia-Pacific.

So the first question is not "which is better?" It is "where are the people we sell to?"

Side by side

	Cognism	ZoomInfo
Published prices	No; quote via sales	No; quote via sales
Reported contract size	About $15,000 to $60,000+ a year	Entry about $15,000 a year for 3 seats and 5,000 credits; median about $33,500
Contract	Annual (reported)	Annual only, auto-renewal with 60 to 90 days' notice (reported)
Seats	Standard and Pro include 5	Per contract; entry reported at 3
Credits	1 credit = 1 revealed contact; re-viewing free	Credit blocks; unused credits lost at term end (reported)
Regional strength	EMEA	North America; very large overall database
Mobile numbers	Phone-verified (Diamond Data); premium mobile filter on Pro	Available
Intent data	Bombora Company Surge on Pro	A core strength
Other signals	Hiring, funding and M&A, job changes, technology usage	Enterprise features and intent
Renewal increases	Not stated in the sources we checked	10 to 20% reported

Cognism figures are from its pricing page where stated, otherwise third-party reports. ZoomInfo figures are third-party reports because it does not publish prices.

Mobile numbers: the reason many teams pick Cognism

If your team calls, a direct mobile is worth more than any email. Cognism's Diamond Data is its set of mobile numbers that have been verified by phone, and the Pro plan adds a premium mobile filter with on-demand verification. For a team cold calling into the UK, Germany or the Nordics, that is often the deciding feature.

ZoomInfo also sells phone data and has wide coverage. The question is accuracy in your markets, which only a test will answer.

How credits behave

The way credits are counted changes the real price.

Cognism counts one credit per revealed contact, and you can view that contact again without paying. Its pricing page also says a credit can be reused if the contact changes jobs. That is friendly to teams who revisit the same accounts.

ZoomInfo sells blocks of credits within the contract, and third-party reports say unused credits are lost when the term ends. If your usage is uneven across the year, plan your credit block carefully rather than buying the largest one on offer.

A test plan before you sign either

Both vendors will give a demo. Ask for a trial or a sample pull on your own list, then:

Choose 60 target accounts: 20 in your strongest region, 20 in your second region, 20 in a market you want to grow into.
Ask each vendor for the same three roles at each account.
Verify every email independently and count valid addresses. See how to verify email addresses.
Call 20 of the mobile numbers from each. Count how many reach the named person.
Check 20 job titles against LinkedIn to see how current the data is.
Compare results by region, not in total. A tool that wins overall can still lose badly where you sell most.

Then compare price per valid, reachable contact in your main region. That number matters more than database size.

Contract questions that matter for both

What is the cancellation notice period, and is it in the order form?
Is the renewal increase capped?
What happens to unused credits?
Which features shown in the demo are add-ons (CRM enrichment is an add-on on both Cognism plans)?
Can you add seats mid-term at the same price?

ZoomInfo's terms are covered in more detail in ZoomInfo pricing, and the wider picture in Apollo vs ZoomInfo.

The decision

Most buyers in the UK and Europe, and your team calls: Cognism.
Most buyers in North America, or you need the broadest database and enterprise features: ZoomInfo.
Spread across both: run the test plan above and decide by your largest region.

A third option, briefly

Both are built for teams with five-figure data budgets. If you are a founder or a small team that cannot justify an annual contract, Sluice works on a different basis: it finds people from public signals (post engagers, competitors' reviewers, companies hiring), scores them against your customer profile, and charges monthly from $9 with no contract. It has no built-in dialler, mobile numbers are expensive, and it is far smaller than either. See Sluice vs Cognism and Sluice vs ZoomInfo.