Cognism Review: The Best B2B Prospecting Tool in 2025?

B2B prospecting can quickly become a minefield. Too many tools, too much effort, not enough feedback. 

We were looking for a solution that would eliminate friction and refocus our teams on what matters most .

Dial ten numbers and get nine voicemails. Send unanswered emails. Clean up a CRM full of dead data. 

If you experience this on a daily basis, your prospecting is probably getting bogged down.

We took the time to test several solutions and our opinion is simple. 

🕰️ No time to read it all? Here’s what you need to know about Cognism:

👉 Sales Companion : You identify the right accounts, retrieve useful contacts, and launch your actions without leaving LinkedIn or a company’s website. 
👉 Diamond Data : You access verified B2B mobile phones one by one. Fewer messages, no more decision-makers who drop out.
👉 Purchase Intent Data : You target companies that are actively looking for solutions like yours. 
👉 Automatic Enrichment : Cognism continuously completes and corrects your data. You work on clean files, without manual effort.
👉 Integrations : Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Pipedrive, Cognism adapts to your environment without tinkering.

Presentation of Cognism 

Cognism is a Sales Intelligence tool designed for those who are tired of aging databases and shaky CRMs. 

The platform provides qualified, enriched, and above all manually verified B2B contacts. 

It is used by more than 4,000 companies worldwide, from ambitious SMEs to well-established sales teams.

Where Cognism makes a difference is in execution. 

Thanks to its Sales Companion module, you can retrieve the right accounts , the right contacts, at the right time. 

You spot strong signals ( fundraising, recruitment, job changes ) and you initiate conversations that can really lead to results. 

Who is Cognism for?

Want to know if Cognism is right for you? Here are the people who get the most out of it:

• Are you a field salesperson ? Do you spend your day contacting decision-makers? Cognism saves you unnecessary research and helps you reach the right people, faster.
• You work in a growing B2B company : Are you looking to structure your prospecting and boost your pipeline? Cognism provides you with the reliable data your team needs to move forward.
• Are you a marketing manager ? Want to activate targeted campaigns with real intent signals? Cognism gives you access to data that triggers actions, not assumptions.
• Are you a freelancer or prospecting consultant ? Do you manage multiple clients and want to get straight to the point? This tool saves you time on analysis, segmentation, and contacting clients.
• Already using Salesforce, HubSpot, or Pipedrive ? Cognism integrates with your tools effortlessly. You connect, export, and launch your actions instantly.

The main features of Cognism 

You’re looking for a tool that helps you prospect efficiently, not a gas factory. Cognism cuts to the chase with features designed to quickly and seamlessly fill your pipeline.

Sales Companion 

Sales Companion lets you find the right accounts, retrieve useful contacts , and launch your actions without switching tabs. 

You browse LinkedIn or a company website, open the extension, and add the right leads to your sequence. 

Everything is fluid, everything is designed to help you take action.

The interface gives you clear priorities thanks to real-time data. 

You identify companies on the move, you adjust your targeting , you gain relevance. 

You don’t wait for opportunities to come your way, you trigger them at the right time.

Diamond Data 

You may already have a well-stocked database, but how many numbers are actually picking up? 

Cognism provides you with phone-verified B2B cell phones . Not automatically generated, not recycled from an old file. 

Every contact is validated by a real person. Your calls are less likely to go unanswered. 

Your teams spend less time returning calls to voicemails. 

You move faster in the sales cycle with contacts ready to exchange.

Purchase intent data

Rather than tapping into a fixed list, you can filter for accounts that are actively engaged with your topic . 

Cognism shows you companies researching specific topics, such as your product or market. 

You no longer have to guess if a prospect is ripe, you just know it.

This information transforms your prospecting. You send your messages when there is real interest , you call when a need arises. 

Automatic enrichment

Working with outdated data means risking errors at every step. 

Cognism automatically completes missing fields , corrects incorrect information, and updates your contact records without manual intervention.

You can enrich a list, a file, or a complete set from your CRM. 

Less cleaning, more time for your real work. And continuously updated databases for the entire team.

Integrations 

Cognism plugs into your environment. 

You can continue to use your usual CRM or engagement tool, but with better data. Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Outreach, or Salesloft work without complex configuration.

Your exports arrive directly in the correct fields. You avoid copying and pasting and limit formatting errors. 

Each salesperson finds their contacts where they usually work. 

Prices for Cognism 

Cognism doesn’t operate on a freemium or credit model. You choose a plan and pay for what you need. No platform fees, no surprise extras.

Two main options are offered:

• Grow : With this plan, you’ll have a solid foundation. You’ll have access to contact data, Diamond Data® mobile numbers, lists, CRM exports, and live support. This is the package that allows you to seriously prospect, without the frills.
• Elevate : Add to that buying signals, technographics, job change alerts, and much more advanced segmentation capabilities.

The price depends on the size of your team , the volumes you manage, and the options enabled. You must go through a personalized quote.

What do Cognism users think?

This review highlights what really sets Cognism apart from other B2B tools. 

It emphasizes the platform’s ability to deliver accurate, actionable, and compliant data , which is rarely found in a single solution. 

He is right to point this out, because in outbound, everything depends on the quality of the starting point.

This review highlights an often overlooked but essential aspect. 

Cognism’s Chrome extension makes it really easy to retrieve contacts while browsing LinkedIn. 

Having access to information that cannot be found elsewhere provides real leverage to accelerate prospecting and trigger conversations that would never have taken place otherwise.

Advantages and disadvantages

Here’s what you need to keep in mind before adopting Cognism, including its strengths and limitations.

The advantages

✅ Verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data®) with real connection rate

✅ Access to concrete buying signals, useful for prioritizing accounts

✅ Intuitive Sales Companion, well thought out for SDRs

✅ Seamless export to CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive

✅ GDPR-friendly data, cross-referenced with Bloctel

The disadvantages

❌ No free version to test the tool

In summary: our opinion on Cognism 

We used Cognism for several weeks in our prospecting routine. 

Very quickly, we finally felt the difference. Lead research became faster and more fluid. 

Less time wasted digging through outdated databases, more real conversations with active prospects .

The data is reliable . Many numbers retrieved via the extension pick up on the first call. 

You save time, you move forward faster, you don’t get stuck in sequences without answers.

The tool has naturally integrated into our way of working. Simple installation, clear usage, concrete results. 

Alternatives to Cognism 

Cognism offers a comprehensive approach to B2B prospecting with verified data and powerful buying signals. Other tools exist on the market, each with their own unique features.

• ZoomInfo : The go-to tool in the United States for sales teams looking for a rich and detailed database. Unlike Cognism, its European coverage is less robust and GDPR compliance remains limited.
• Apollo.io : An all-in-one platform that combines a contact database, email sequencer, and simplified CRM, often favored by smaller organizations. It differs from Cognism due to its less qualified data in Europe and a lack of advanced signals.
• Lusha : A popular Chrome extension that allows you to quickly retrieve contacts from LinkedIn or a website. Its approach is lighter than Cognism’s, with data that is sometimes incomplete or outdated in some B2B markets.

How to use Cognism properly?

Have you just activated your Cognism account? Here’s a simple and straightforward method to get started with the tool in the first few days and quickly build your pipeline.

1. Define your ICP : Specify the company size, sector, geographic area and functions you want to target.
2. Install the Chrome Sales Companion extension : It allows you to prospect directly from LinkedIn or company websites, without switching tools.
3. Target relevant accounts : Select manually or via Cognism filters to identify the right profiles.
4. Activates Buying Signals : Identifies accounts in motion through recruitment, financing, or position changes.
5. Retrieve contact information : Add Diamond Data® verified emails, cell phones, and useful information to your list in just a few clicks.
6. Enrich your CRM automatically : Keep your contact records up to date effortlessly and avoid duplicates or obsolete data.
7. Start your prospecting sequence : Connect Cognism to Outreach, Salesloft, or your favorite engagement tool to trigger actions.
8. Analyze your connection rate : Measure results, identify friction points and optimize your strategy over the weeks.