Comparison
ZoomInfo dominates North American B2B data. Cognism leads with GDPR-compliant, phone-verified contacts for EMEA. Here is how they compare across data quality, coverage, compliance, and cost.
By Semir JahicCEO & Co-Founder, SalesmotionLast reviewed | Feature | ZoomInfo | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | US (Vancouver, WA) | UK (London) |
| Data Strength | North America depth | EMEA depth with phone verification |
| Direct Dials | Large volume, algorithmically verified | Diamond Data: manually phone-verified |
| GDPR Compliance | Compliant but US-oriented practices | Built for GDPR from the ground up |
| Intent Data | Proprietary Bidstream intent | Bombora partnership |
| Pricing | Custom, consumption-based | Custom, quote-only |
| Rating (G2) | 4.5/5 | 4.6/5 |
ZoomInfo is the dominant B2B data platform in North America, offering access to over 420 million contacts and 145 million companies. ZoomInfo Sales provides sales teams with verified contact data, buyer intent signals, technographic intelligence, and workflow automation.
The platform combines web scraping, contributory data networks, and proprietary verification to maintain one of the most comprehensive B2B databases available. ZoomInfo also sells Marketing, Talent, and Operations products alongside its Copilot assistant and GTM Studio.
ZoomInfo's strengths lie in its North American data depth, direct-dial accuracy, and breadth of features. Its consumption-based pricing, however, can be a barrier for mid-market companies, and its European data coverage has historically lagged behind specialized providers.
Best for: North American-focused enterprise sales teams that need the largest contact database with best-in-class direct dials
G2 rating: 4.5/5
Pricing: ZoomInfo does not publish list pricing; contracts are quoted per organization — its own pricing page states that no specific dollar amounts are published because pricing is consumption-based. Vendr's marketplace data shows an average contract value of $33,500 across 1,012 anonymized deals. ZoomInfo Lite is a permanent free tier with 10 credits a month.
Cognism is a European-headquartered B2B data provider that has built its reputation on phone-verified mobile numbers and GDPR-compliant data practices. The platform offers access to a database of 400M+ contacts with particular strength in EMEA markets, where many US-centric providers fall short.
Cognism's flagship differentiator is its Diamond Data — phone numbers that have been manually verified by calling them, and which Cognism claims are 98% accurate. The platform also offers intent data through a Bombora partnership, a Chrome extension, and Salesforce/HubSpot integrations.
Cognism has grown rapidly in the European market and expanded into North America. It is particularly popular with companies selling into EMEA that need compliant, accurate contact data for phone-based outreach.
Best for: Teams selling into European markets that need GDPR-compliant, phone-verified B2B contact data
G2 rating: 4.6/5
Pricing: Cognism does not publish list pricing; contracts are quoted per organization; it sells Standard and Pro packages on a credit system where one credit reveals one contact. Vendr reports a median annual contract value of $36,000 across 108 purchases, with a range of $18,350–$93,886.
How ZoomInfo and Cognism stack up across key capabilities.
| Feature | ZoomInfo | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Database Size | 420M+ contacts globally | 400M+ contacts, strongest in EMEA |
| Phone Number Accuracy | High volume, algorithmic verification | Diamond Data: claimed 98% accuracy on verified numbers |
| Email Accuracy | High, with real-time verification | High, with verification on delivery |
| GDPR Compliance | Compliant with DNC list checking | Built-in GDPR compliance, screened against 15 DNC lists |
| Intent Data | Bidstream + 3rd-party intent signals | Bombora intent data integration |
| Technographics | Comprehensive installed tech tracking | Limited technographic data |
| Sales Engagement | Engage add-on for sequences | No native engagement tools |
| Chrome Extension | ReachOut for LinkedIn/web | Chrome extension for LinkedIn |
ZoomInfo and Cognism are both enterprise-priced platforms, and neither publishes transparent pricing. ZoomInfo's own pricing page states it lists no dollar amounts because pricing is consumption-based; Vendr reports an average contract value of $33,500 across 1,012 anonymized deals.
Cognism sells Standard and Pro packages on a credit system where one credit reveals one contact, and quotes every deal. Vendr reports a median annual contract of $36,000 across 108 purchases, with a range of $18,350 to $93,886 and an average saving of around 26% for buyers who negotiate.
For teams that primarily sell into North America, ZoomInfo generally provides better value due to its deeper US database. For teams selling into EMEA, Cognism often wins on ROI because its verified phone numbers in European markets lead to significantly higher connect rates. Read our detailed breakdowns of ZoomInfo pricing and Cognism pricing.
ZoomInfo and Cognism are both contact data platforms at their core. They help you find the right people to call and email. But knowing who to contact is only half the battle — the other half is knowing what to say.
Neither platform provides deep, real-time intelligence about what is happening inside your target accounts. Reps still need to manually research companies before calls, piecing together information from earnings reports, news articles, and LinkedIn updates.
Neither ZoomInfo nor Cognism synthesizes account intelligence from 1,000+ sources into ready-to-use briefs. Reps spend hours doing manual research that could be automated.
Both platforms tell you who to contact but not what to discuss. Reps lack AI-generated talking points tied to real business events happening at target accounts.
While both offer basic intent data, neither provides continuous monitoring of earnings calls, leadership changes, strategic pivots, or competitive displacement signals.
“All of the vendors that I've worked with, all of the onboarding that I have had to deal with, I will say, hands down, Salesmotion was the easiest that I have had.”
Lyndsay Thomson
Head of Sales Operations, Cytel
Salesmotion gives your reps the account intelligence they need to book more meetings and close bigger deals.
Generally yes. Cognism was built for the European market and offers significantly stronger EMEA data coverage, especially for phone-verified mobile numbers. ZoomInfo has been expanding its European database but Cognism remains the leader in EMEA contact quality.
It depends on the region. Cognism's Diamond Data is manually phone-verified, and Cognism claims 98% accuracy on those numbers. ZoomInfo has more phone numbers overall but uses algorithmic verification. For EMEA mobile numbers specifically, Cognism typically outperforms ZoomInfo on connect rates.
ZoomInfo does offer GDPR compliance features and DNC list checking. However, Cognism was purpose-built for GDPR from its founding, with compliance baked into its data collection and processing. Companies with strict European data privacy requirements often prefer Cognism's approach. See ZoomInfo alternatives if compliance is your top priority.
ZoomInfo does: ZoomInfo Lite is a permanent free tier with 10 credits a month, and it also runs a 7-day free trial that needs no credit card and ends automatically. Cognism has no free tier, though it will provide a free data sample so you can test coverage against your ICP. Both still require a sales conversation for real pricing.
Salesmotion focuses on account intelligence rather than contact databases. It synthesizes 1,000+ sources into account briefs, monitors real-time buying signals, and generates personalized talking points. Many teams use Salesmotion alongside ZoomInfo or Cognism for a complete prospecting stack. See a demo.
A Signal Agent, Research Agent, and Outreach Agent — working 24/7 so your team spends less time researching and more time closing.
