Cognism vs. UpLead: Full Comparison for 2025

Struggling to find quality leads that convert? You need a sales intelligence platform. Two top contenders are Cognism and UpLead, but they’re not identical. Each offers different features, datasets, and pricing models.

This guide compares these platforms across cost, data quality, and user experience to help you choose the right solution for your business.

TL;DR: Cognism vs. UpLead Quick Comparison

Feature	Cognism	UpLead
Database Size	440M+ contacts, 100M mobiles	160M+ leads, 16M+ companies
Data Accuracy	87% connect rate (Diamond Data)	95% accuracy guarantee
Pricing	Quote-based (contact for demo)	From $74/month (annual) – transparent pricing
Free Trial	25 lead sample via demo	7-day trial with 5 credits
Best For	EU/international phone-verified mobile data	North American data with real-time email verification
Email Verification	Standard verification	Real-time verification
Support	24/7 support	24/7 human support
Integrations	7 major platforms	15+ direct + 1,500 via Zapier
Ease of Use	Many features (potential learning curve)	Clean, streamlined interface

Cognism Overview

Cognism is a sales intelligence platform that offers a variety of tools and features. It’s easy to set up and integrate with your existing technology, offers international coverage, and has a reasonable database of prospects. The software features specific tools for building and cleaning target lists, allowing you to identify individuals or companies searching for your product or service.

The company employs verification processes and various sourcing methods to ensure the accuracy of its data while maintaining compliance. Cognism positions itself for sales, marketing, and RevOps teams.

Cognism Pros & Cons

Pros

• Integration with tools you may already use, such as Salesforce and HubSpot
• Verified mobile numbers for accurate phone data
• Uses AI to surface recommendations and streamline prospecting within Sales Companion

Cons

• Pricing is quote based and not listed publicly. Book a demo to get a quote.
• Potentially steep learning curve due to many features
• Limited transparency regarding overall data accuracy

UpLead Overview

UpLead is a B2B data provider and sales intelligence platform that’s committed to helping your sales and marketing teams find leads. It offers 24/7 support, boasts incredible data accuracy, and features a range of helpful tools, including intent data, a prospecting tool, real-time email verification, data enrichment, and more.

It’s trusted by several of the largest companies on the planet, integrates with various platforms and tools, and offers bulk lookup and an email finder to streamline lead discovery. There are several use cases for the software, from building target lists to sales outreach and generating leads.

UpLead Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free trial so you can try before you buy
• Industry-leading 95% data accuracy
• UpLead advertises 24/7 support from real humans
• Real-time data verification
• Use over 50 filters including job title, industry, location, management level, revenue, and more
• Extensive intent data

Cons

• Coverage is global with 160M plus leads. Strength is North America and international coverage is available.
• Some tiers may be expensive for businesses on a budget

Key Differences Between Cognism and UpLead

Cognism and UpLead are chiefly differentiated by the types of data each prioritizes, the sizes of their databases, and the number of features each has:

• Types of Data: While each provides various types of data, Cognism has a larger focus on mobile data, whereas UpLead places a focus on all types of data, including email, job titles, company, and more.

• Database Size: Cognism states access to a database of over 440 million contacts and 100 million mobiles, whereas UpLead is very public about its 160+ million leads.

• Number of Features: Cognism offers many features for businesses to use, whereas UpLead focuses on fewer features in an effort to eliminate unwieldy UIs  and ensure every feature provides immense value.

Side-by-Side Comparison of Cognism vs. UpLead

Here’s a quick and easy comparison of the key components of Cognism vs. UpLead.

	Cognism	UpLead
Use Cases	Companies looking for EU, especially phone-verified mobile data.	Companies looking for a wide range of affordable and comprehensive North American data, with real-time verification.
Database Size & Reliability	Over 440 million contacts and 100 million mobiles. Diamond Data promotes 87 percent connect potential and mobile numbers are phone verified.	160M plus leads and 16M plus companies with a 95 percent data accuracy guarantee and real-time verification.
Data Enrichment Features	Choose from instant enrichment, scheduled enrichment, or on-demand enhancement.	Enrich contacts, companies, and emails, and only pay for data that’s been verified.
Contact Verification	Phone-verify contacts on-demand.	Real-time email verification.
Intent Data	Target key decision makers who are ready to buy.	Find prospects who are actively looking for your solution.
Lead Management	Generates leads and integrates with platforms to let you manage leads.	Focuses on lead generation, but works with solutions that help you score and nurture leads.
AI Features	Uses AI for processing data, improving data searches, and streamlining reporting.	Uses AI in both data collection and processing.
Integrations	Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Bullhorn.	Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Outreach, SalesLoft, Reply.io, Woodpecker, Copper, Nimble, Mailshake, Lemlist, Close, and Insightly. Also over 1,500 additional apps through Zapier.
Ease of Use	Intuitive, but the sheer amount of features may be overwhelming for some users.	A clean and straightforward user interface that’s simple to navigate for everyone.
Compliance	Both CCPA and GDPR compliant.	Complies with GDPR and CCPA.
Browser Extension	Yes	Yes
Free Access?	Free sample of 25 targeted leads via demo.	7 day free trial with 5 credits.
Advantages	International data, collection of useful features, phone-verified mobile data.	Huge database; 24/7 human support; real-time data verification; 95% data accuracy.
Disadvantages	Not transparent about pricing; potential learning curve due to abundance of features	Limited international data compared to North American offerings.

Cognism vs. UpLead: Main Features

Let’s dive a little deeper into the features of each platform to help you learn which is right for your company’s business model and use cases.

Cognism Features

• Several Types of Data Enrichment: Cognism gives you a few ways to enrich your contact data and boost its quality. You can opt for instant CRM enrichment, scheduled CRM enrichment, and on-demand CSV enhancement.

• Phone-Verified Mobile Numbers: Cognism’s Diamond Data are phone verified mobile numbers and the company re verifies numbers to maintain the advertised connect rate.

• International Data and Compliance: While some solutions focus on certain markets, Cognism markets its data as global coverage across EMEA, North America, and APAC.

• List building: Similar to UpLead, Cognism is a solid list building tool. Not only can you build target lists, but you can also cleanse them.

UpLead Features

• Massive and Highly-Accurate Database: A major reason why UpLead is among the top B2B data providers is due to its huge 160+ million lead database. But not only is it comprehensive, it’s also reliable with 95% data accuracy.  (This also makes it one of the best Lusha alternatives, if you’re looking to move away from that platform.)

• Intent Data: Similar to Cognism and other intent data providers, UpLead helps you find prospects who are actively looking for what you offer. By showing you leads with high purchase intent, it raises your chance of closing a deal on any given lead.
  

• Real-Time Verification: The platform allows you to verify any email address in just a few seconds, ensuring its validity before you download it. This makes it one of the best email verification tools available.

• Data Enrichment: UpLead provides data enrichment to ensure that any outdated, incorrect, or missing data is refreshed and updated, so every lead is informed by recent and reliable information.

• Numerous Search Filters: Similar to Cognism, UpLead allows you to use multiple filters to fine-tune every search. This includes filtering by job title, industry, location, revenue, and many other categories.
  

Cognism vs. UpLead Data

Because these platforms provide you with vital data to achieve your business goals, it’s critical to be aware of the quality and type of data that each offers.

Cognism Database

Cognism states access to a database of over 440 million contacts and 100 million mobiles. Cognism’s Diamond Data page promotes that you can connect with 87 percent of your list.

Cognism obtains its data from various sources, including partnerships, public records, and proprietary methods. The data includes mobile data, emails, job titles, and more.

UpLead Database

UpLead, on the other hand, is more forthcoming and promising with its database metrics: UpLead cites 160M plus leads and a 95 percent data accuracy rate. In addition to being plentiful, the data is also reliable, as the company has a 95% accuracy guarantee. It sources its data from public records and licenses it from trusted third-party providers.

While its real-time verified emails make it popular amongst businesses who buy email lists, UpLead also provides data like company, position, phone numbers, and social profiles.

Cognism vs. UpLead Cost

Running a business is expensive enough, so knowing the cost of third-party tools is an important factor in deciding which is right for you.

Cognism Pricing

Cognism uses quote based pricing and directs buyers to book a demo for details.

While Cognism offers a sample of its capabilities, it’s not a traditional free trial of the platform itself. Instead, the company offers a form to get a free sample of 25 targeted leads via demo, which lets you test the quality and accuracy of its data on a very small scale before deciding whether to work with the company or not.

UpLead Pricing

UpLead has more traditional and transparent plans and pricing, with three main options: Essentials, Plus, and Professional.

• Essentials: $74/month (billed annually, 2,040 credits/year) or $99/month (monthly billing, 170 credits/month). A credit unlocks a contact for download or CRM export and gives you access to their email and mobile direct dial.
• Plus: $149/month (billed annually, 4,800 credits/year) or $199/month (monthly billing, 400 credits/month). A credit unlocks a contact for download or CRM export and gives you access to their email and mobile direct dial.
• Professional: Custom seats and custom credits. Book a demo for a quote.

UpLead offers a 7 day free trial with 5 credits.

Cognism vs. UpLead Integrations

Both Cognism and UpLead offer integration with many of the leading software solutions your sales teams may already use. Each also lets you use APIs to search and enrich contact and company data, fine-tuning your results.

Cognism Integrations

Cognism integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Bullhorn.

UpLead Integrations

UpLead integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Outreach, SalesLoft, Reply.io, Woodpecker, Copper, Nimble, Mailshake, Lemlist, Close, and Insightly. Also over 1,500 additional apps through Zapier.

Cognism vs. UpLead User Experience

User experience is a crucial factor in determining the right tool, as a streamlined and modern interface often makes it easier to navigate and take advantage of the tool’s many features.

Cognism Ease of Use

Cognism is a simple platform to use and set up. The speed is suitable for most users, and you don’t need to wait long for features or data to load. Navigation is straightforward, and the company offers 24/7 support.

However, because Cognism has so many features (some of which you may not use), the tool can be a little overwhelming at first, and you may waste time trying to navigate features that don’t resonate with your needs.

UpLead Ease of Use

Whether you want to buy leads, verify email addresses, or use filters to search through data, UpLead is very easy to use and loads quickly. The tool is effortless to set up and integrate, and has a modern design that’s simple enough for almost anyone to use and navigate. It offers 24/7 support from real customer support staff, who are responsive and helpful.

Cognism vs. UpLead Compliance

While the data and features a tool offers are essential, it’s crucial not to forget about compliance, privacy, and security.

Cognism Compliance

Cognism states GDPR and CCPA aligned processing and publishes a privacy policy that explains sources such as public data and third party vendors. Cognism also publishes a compliance page that references ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2.

UpLead Compliance

UpLead’s privacy policy describes data categories, purposes, and security measures and states alignment with GDPR and CCPA. The company also takes your security very seriously and has measures in place to protect your data, such as applying the principle of least privilege (PoLP) limiting access only to those who need to know the information for business reasons.

Cognism vs. UpLead Use Cases

While both of these platforms help you find leads and gather/analyze data, they have different use cases and customer types.

Cognism Use Cases

Cognism is useful for B2B companies and those seeking accurate and verified mobile data from leads in markets such as EMEA, NAM, and APAC. Several industries can make use of the software, including IT, financial services, and manufacturing. Additionally, it works for companies of all sizes who want to build targeted lists or cleanse and enrich data.

Marketing teams can use it to gather useful data for building campaigns, and sales teams can use it to reach decision makers directly.

UpLead Use Cases

Like Cognism, UpLead has a B2B focus. However, while it does offer plenty of international data, it’s especially well-suited for those who want access to a large collection of North American data as well. It’s also one of the best email list providers out there, due to its email verification feature that lets you immediately ensure an email is legitimate and active before sending a message.

UpLead is also a good choice for companies looking for a cost-effective solution, and it’s a versatile platform with features for lean start-ups, established and mature businesses, and industry-leading experts alike in numerous industries. It also has several features specifically helpful to the different teams within your organization. 

This includes providing your sales team with reliable and updated contact information for thousands of leads and helping your marketing team access high-quality B2B data to create targeted lists of engaged leads.

Cognism vs. UpLead Customer Reviews

To gain insight into user experiences with Cognism vs. UpLead, we reviewed ratings on G2 and Capterra.

Cognism Reviews

Most reviews that Cognism gets are positive, noting the quality of its international data, user-friendly interface, and intent data features. Comments also reference the ease of building lists and the usefulness of its AI features. Unfortunately, some reviews call out experiences with incorrect contact details or the software’s  high cost.

As of March 7th, 2025, Cognism has a 4.5 rating on G2 with 813 reviews, and a 4.7 rating on Capterra with 178 reviews.

UpLead Reviews

UpLead gets overwhelmingly positive reviews from past users. Many highlight the software’s ease of use and the effectiveness of its filtering system, which enables companies to reach their target contacts quickly and easily. Several comments also mention the seamless integrations and the usefulness of the Chrome extension. However, some comments wish the company offered more international data.

As of March 7, 2025, UpLead has a 4.5 rating on G2, based on 785 reviews, and a 4.6 rating on Capterra, based on 76 reviews.

Committing to a Platform: Cognism or UpLead?

So, which sales intelligence platform will best boost your prospects and, ultimately, profit? While both are solid tools with useful features and positive reviews, the right choice for you depends on your needs.

Choose Cognism for Data Outside of North America, With a Focus on Mobile Phones

Cognism offers data from various regions outside of North America, and it’s compliant with the latest international data privacy laws to protect your business.

Cognism is also a good choice for accurate mobile data, as the company manually calls every number to ensure it’s legitimate and active, and offers 100 million mobiles in its database.

Choose UpLead for a Huge Database of Accurate and Verified Data

If you require a massive database with over 160 million leads, UpLead is the best choice. Not only is the data comprehensive, but it’s also accurate: UpLead boasts a 95% data accuracy guarantee.

It’s also the preferred choice for those who want email data, as the company verifies emails in real-time before providing them to you.

Another thing that makes UpLead a solid alternative to Cognism is the streamlined features list, which is free from “feature bloat,” to ensure you’re not distracted or overwhelmed.

See Firsthand Why More Businesses Choose UpLead 

Whether you’re looking for real-time verified emails, or want access to well over 160 million leads in one place, UpLead can help. It has a sleek and streamlined UI to boost your productivity, and there’s always a human agent ready to help you with any issue.

If you’re interested in learning if UpLead is right for you, don’t hesitate to try out the free trial.

FAQs About Cognism vs. UpLead

Here are a few common questions about Cognism vs. UpLead, along with simple answers.