Key Differences
Full-Cycle Execution vs Data Provider
Prospectory
End-to-end platform: signal detection, AI research, propensity scoring, multi-channel outreach, and AI response management—no additional tools needed to go from target account to booked meeting.
Cognism
Focused on contact data delivery with phone-verified mobile numbers. Campaign execution requires a separate tool such as Outreach, Salesloft, or HubSpot sequences.
Global Signal Intelligence vs EU-Centric Data
Prospectory
Monitors buying signals across global markets—funding events, leadership changes, tech migrations, hiring surges—and scores propensity to buy regardless of geography.
Cognism
Best-in-class European coverage with Diamond Data phone verification. Global coverage exists but is less comprehensive outside EMEA. Intent data available via Bombora partnership but not natively generated.
AI Autonomy vs Manual Workflows
Prospectory
Agentic AI researches prospects, composes hyper-personalized messages, coordinates multi-channel sequences, and handles objections and scheduling autonomously.
Cognism
AI features limited to basic email drafting assistance. Reps must manually research prospects, build sequences in external tools, and manage all responses themselves.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Prospectory | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Data & Intelligence | ||
| Contact database | ||
| Phone-verified mobile numbers | ||
| GDPR & CCPA compliance | ||
| Real-time buying signal detection | ||
| Propensity to Buy (P2B) scoring | ||
| Propensity to Convert (P2C) scoring | ||
| AI prospect research (128+ data points) | ||
| Intent data | ||
| Outreach & Engagement | ||
| Email sequences | ||
| LinkedIn automation | ||
| SMS outreach | ||
| Phone/dialer integration | ||
| Multi-channel coordinated workflows | ||
| AI response management | ||
| AI & Automation | ||
| AI email personalization | ||
| Agentic AI workflows | ||
| Autonomous follow-up handling | ||
| AI-driven account prioritization | ||
| Integration & Operations | ||
| CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot) | ||
| Sales engagement tool integration | ||
| API access | ||
| Browser extension | ||
Why Companies Switch to Prospectory
Teams switch from Cognism to Prospectory when they need to move beyond a data provider and into an intelligent execution platform. Cognism has earned its reputation for high-quality European contact data—their Diamond Data phone verification is genuinely best-in-class for reaching mobile numbers in EMEA. But data alone does not fill pipeline. Reps still need to export contacts, load them into a separate engagement tool, manually research each prospect, and build sequences from scratch.
Prospectory collapses that entire workflow into a single platform. When a target account in any geography shows buying signals, the AI automatically researches the prospect with 128+ data points, scores their propensity to buy, crafts personalized messaging, and launches a coordinated multi-channel campaign. Reps spend their time in conversations, not in spreadsheets.
The global coverage difference also matters. While Cognism excels in Europe, teams selling into North America, APAC, or multiple regions often find coverage gaps. Prospectory provides consistent signal intelligence and data enrichment worldwide, making it the natural choice for teams with global or multi-region go-to-market strategies.
Where Cognism Excels
Cognism is the gold standard for GDPR-compliant B2B data in Europe. Their Diamond Data offering provides human-verified mobile phone numbers with exceptional connect rates, which is invaluable for phone-first sales teams targeting EMEA. The platform's compliance infrastructure—Do Not Call list checking, GDPR consent tracking, and data processing documentation—is thorough and well-designed. For teams whose primary motion is cold calling into European markets and who already have a strong engagement tool stack, Cognism's phone data quality is hard to beat.
Who Each Tool Is Best For
Cognism is best for phone-first sales teams focused primarily on European markets that need guaranteed-accurate mobile numbers and airtight GDPR compliance, and already have mature outreach tooling in place. Prospectory is the better choice for teams that want a single platform to handle the full cycle—from signal-based account identification through AI-powered multi-channel execution—across global markets. If your team sells beyond EMEA or needs AI to manage the volume and complexity of modern outbound, Prospectory delivers more pipeline with less tooling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Prospectory better than Cognism for European sales?
Cognism has deeper phone-verified mobile number coverage in Europe, which matters if your primary motion is cold calling in EMEA. However, Prospectory offers GDPR-compliant data globally and adds layers that Cognism lacks: AI prospect research, P2B scoring, and autonomous multi-channel outreach. For teams that want to do more than just dial European numbers—coordinating email, LinkedIn, SMS, and phone with AI—Prospectory provides a more complete solution.
Does Prospectory comply with GDPR like Cognism?
Yes. Prospectory is fully GDPR and CCPA compliant. All data collection follows regulatory requirements, and the platform includes consent management, Do Not Contact list enforcement, and data processing documentation. Both platforms take compliance seriously, so compliance alone should not be the deciding factor.
Can Prospectory replace Cognism for contact data?
For most teams, yes. Prospectory provides comprehensive contact and company data with 95%+ email accuracy and real-time verification. Where Cognism has an edge is in human-verified European mobile numbers. If cold calling in EMEA is your core motion, you may want to evaluate Prospectory's phone data coverage for your specific market before switching. For teams that value multi-channel execution and AI intelligence, Prospectory is a strong replacement.
Which is cheaper, Prospectory or Cognism?
Cognism pricing is typically in the mid-five-figure range annually for mid-market teams, and you still need separate engagement tools. Prospectory bundles data, intelligence, and execution into one platform, which often results in lower total spend. The bigger cost comparison is output: Prospectory customers see 3x higher win rates and 312% more pipeline, delivering substantially higher ROI per dollar invested.