Clay vs Cognism
A side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings to help you choose.
Higher rated
4.7 (900)
Clay
Waterfall enrichment + AI research in a spreadsheet
$134/mo
Free trial; paid from ~$134/mo billed annually, credit-based
Cognism
Phone-verified data with strong EU coverage
Custom pricing
Custom annual pricing; unrestricted-data packages available
At a glance
| Spec | Clay | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Starting price | $134/mo | Custom pricing |
| Budget tier | Mid-range | Premium |
| Complexity | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Primary category | Sales Intelligence & Signals | Prospecting & Lead Data |
| Integrations | 120+ | 30+ |
| Founded | 2017 | 2015 |
Feature comparison
Clay offers 10 of 11 tracked sales intelligence & signals features; Cognism offers 7.
| Feature | Clay | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer intent data | ||
| Account & company research | ||
| Waterfall data enrichment | ||
| Job-change & hiring signals | ||
| ICP / lead scoring | ||
| Workflow automation | ||
| AI research agents | ||
| CRM enrichment | ||
| Free plan | ||
| API & webhooks | ||
| Priority / 24-7 support |
Clay
Pros
- Waterfall enrichment across 100+ providers maximizes coverage
- AI research agents automate manual account research
- Endlessly composable, the Swiss-army knife of GTM data
Cons
- Steep learning curve, not a click-and-go tool
- Credit consumption is hard to predict
- You assemble the workflow, it is not opinionated
Cognism
Pros
- Excellent EU/UK coverage and GDPR/DNC compliance
- Phone-verified 'Diamond' mobile numbers
- Unrestricted data views on most plans (no credit anxiety)
Cons
- Custom annual contracts, no self-serve or free plan
- US coverage trails ZoomInfo
- Best value only at team scale
The verdict
Clay edges ahead on our editorial score, but the right pick depends on your priorities. Choose Clay if you value revops and growth teams building bespoke, signal-based outbound at scale. Choose Cognism if you need outbound teams selling into europe that live and die by phone connect rates.
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