Apollo and Cognism are the two most-compared B2B data providers in 2026. They serve different primary use cases: Apollo for cost-effective US-focused prospecting; Cognism for GDPR-compliant European outreach with verified mobile numbers. Here’s the full comparison.
| Feature | Apollo | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Database size | 275M+ contacts, 73M+ companies | 400M+ contacts, 15M companies (higher EU density) |
| US data quality | - Strong enterprise, weaker SMB | - Less US depth |
| EU/UK data quality | - Sparse in many EU markets | - Diamond-verified, Do-Not-Call scrubbed |
| Mobile numbers | Available (accuracy varies) | Diamond-verified mobiles - human-validated subset |
| GDPR compliance | Limited compliance tooling | Core differentiator - DNC registry scrubbing + LIA support |
| Email accuracy | 70-80% deliverable (US enterprise) | 80-85% deliverable (EU enterprise) |
| Intent data | Yes - Bombora-powered intent topics | Yes - Bombora-powered intent topics |
| Buyer intent signals | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in sequencer | Yes - full multi-channel sequences | No - data-only; connects to your sequencer |
| CRM sync (native) | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, others | Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft |
| Technographics | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | 150 email credits/month | No free tier |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per-user/month + credit tiers | Annual contract (custom quote) |
Credits consumed per export. 1 credit = 1 email address unlock. Mobile numbers cost more. Annual billing gives ~20% discount.
All pricing is quote-based and annual. Packages include seat licences and data export limits. Diamond verified phones are a premium add-on.
Apollo and Cognism both have email accuracy claims, but accuracy ≠ deliverability. “Verified” on their platforms means the address existed when they last checked their database - not that it will accept email today. BounceZero customers verifying Apollo exports find 12-20% invalid or high-risk addresses. For Cognism EU data: typically 8-15% invalid on fresh exports.
Always run exports through BounceZero before loading into your sequencer - live SMTP verification catches addresses that provider verification misses.
Apollo is better for US-focused outbound at lower cost - superior US contact coverage and a free tier. Cognism is better for European outreach: deeper GDPR-compliant EU data with Diamond-verified mobile numbers. If your ICP is primarily European, Cognism outperforms Apollo on data quality and compliance.
Apollo email accuracy varies by region. US enterprise: 70-80% deliverable. Mid-market: 60-75%. EU coverage is weaker. BounceZero customers verifying Apollo exports typically find 12-20% invalid or bounce-risk addresses. Always verify before sending.
Cognism scrubs EU data against Do-Not-Call registries and suppresses contacts in stricter-consent countries, operating on Legitimate Interest. GDPR compliance is ultimately the controller’s responsibility - document a Legitimate Interest Assessment for any EU outreach.
Apollo: free tier + $49-$119/user/month. Cognism: annual contracts from ~$15K/year (no free tier). Apollo is cheaper for small teams; Cognism’s premium pays for EU data quality and compliance infrastructure.
BounceZero runs live SMTP verification to catch addresses no provider database can guarantee. Protect your sending domains with real-time checks. $3/1K. 100 free credits.
Apollo, ZoomInfo, Lusha and Cognism all have accuracy gaps - verify exports before sending
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