Comparison
Different strengths for different teams.
Lusha and Cognism overlap in B2B contact data and prospecting, but they fit different buying motions: Lusha emphasizes permanent Free/self-serve access and explicit reveal-credit mechanics, while Cognism emphasizes a quote-led phone-verification, EMEA and compliance-oriented data program.
TL;DR
There is no evidence-supported universal winner. Choose based on the buying motion and workflow you need: lower-friction self-serve contact reveal with Lusha, or a more sales-led phone-verification / EMEA / compliance-oriented data program with Cognism.
Read our full verdict →Best for: Targeted SDR and AE teams that value fast contact discovery and browser prospecting.; Email-first outbound teams that benefit from 1-credit email reveals.
Best for: Phone-heavy B2B outbound teams, especially when Europe/EMEA is strategically important.; Compliance-sensitive sales organizations that value documented data-governance and suppression controls.
Key canonical facts from each Software record.
| Feature | Lusha | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| StackVouch Score | Not rated | Not rated |
| Best for | Targeted SDR and AE teams that value fast contact discovery and browser prospecting.; Email-first outbound teams that benefit from 1-credit email reveals. | Phone-heavy B2B outbound teams, especially when Europe/EMEA is strategically important.; Compliance-sensitive sales organizations that value documented data-governance and suppression controls. |
| Starting price | $0Freemium; credit-based self-serve Starter, Pro and Premium plans plus custom Scale. Paid checkout varies by credits and seats. | From $12,750 (vendor-published 2026 example)Quote-led / tailored; Cognism-owned 2026 content publishes starting examples while the primary pricing page requires a live quote. |
| Free plan | Yes | Not verified |
Editorial comparison points for sales and prospecting workflows.
| Feature | Lusha | Cognism | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buying motion | Permanent Free plan + self-serve paid plans + custom Scale | Quote-led Standard / Pro | No declared winner |
| Free evaluation | Permanent Free plan | 25-lead ICP sample; Cognism says it aims for 72-hour return | No declared winner |
| Credit mechanic | 1 credit email reveal; 5 credits phone reveal | 1 credit = 1 revealed contact | No declared winner |
| Browser prospecting | Supported | Supported | Tie |
| Native email sequencing | Lusha Engage | Not the core documented buying proposition | No declared winner |
| Phone-verification workflow | Phone data available; vendor claims/tests remain attributed | Differentiated documented phone-verification workflow | No declared winner |
| Intent | Buying signals available in current product scope | Intent on Pro | No declared winner |
| API / data delivery | API available; exact current plan entitlement needs verification | API / DaaS available; commercial terms depend on quote | No declared winner |
| Compliance-oriented documentation | Do not infer weak compliance from fewer claims in this comparison | More developed current evidence set around DNC/TPS and compliance controls | No declared winner |
Raw credits and vendor data-quality percentages are not directly comparable. Lusha and Cognism use different credit mechanics and publish different types of quality evidence. If data quality materially affects the purchase, test the same ICP across both and compare usable-contact rate, paid-usage efficiency and connect rate where phone matters. API existence is verified at a high level for both, while exact entitlement remains a buyer-verification item.
Choose Lusha when permanent Free/self-serve access, browser contact reveal and explicit reveal-credit mechanics matter most. Choose Cognism when phone-verification workflow, Europe/EMEA, compliance-oriented controls and a larger quote-led data program matter more. StackVouch does not assign an overall, pricing or accuracy winner.
Evidence
Key product facts on this page were checked against the sources below. Pricing, plan names and feature entitlements can change.