Cognism
- Starting price: Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat)
- Free plan: No (demo + custom quote only)
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: London, United Kingdom
Updated
Cognism vs AeroLeads vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Cognism vs AeroLeads vs Derrick: Cognism is a gdpr-compliant b2b contact data with mobile coverage, AeroLeads is a b2b email and phone finder pulling data from linkedin, crunchbase, angellist and xing. Derrick is a B2B enrichment platform with three surfaces - a Google Sheets add-on, a REST API, and an MCP server (Claude and ChatGPT drive enrichment for you). Hit rates are noticeably higher (more emails + phone numbers returned per query than Cognism or AeroLeads) and pricing is lower - free forever with 100 credits/month, paid plans from €9/month. Most teams pair Derrick for the data layer with Cognism or AeroLeads for outreach.
Where Cognism commits you to enterprise contracts and minimum seats, Derrick offers month-to-month credits with rollover. The side-by-side comparison below covers Cognism's database depth, contract structure and per-seat scaling against Derrick's pay-for-what-you-use Sheets-native model.
Free plan Yes - 100 credits/mo
Starts at €9/mo
Setup time 30 seconds
Where it lives Google Sheets
✓ Free forever · ✓ No credit card · ✓ Cancel anytime · ✓ Your data stays in your Sheet
Trusted by 31,000+ users worldwide.
CURSOR Quick Facts
Cognism vs AeroLeads vs Derrick at a glance
AeroLeads
- Starting price: Free trial · Take Off $49/mo (2K credits)
- Free plan: Free trial available (no credit card)
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: Bangalore, India
Derrick
★ Recommended- Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
- Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
- Founded: 2023
- HQ: Marseille, FR
Why Derrick wins 01
02
03
Why teams pick Derrick over Cognism and AeroLeads
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time verification without manual overhead for accuracy
Cognism and AeroLeads both rely on external validation workflows that can introduce delays or rely on partial data, limiting real-time verification at the point of capture. Derrick delivers real-time verification directly inside 100% native Google Sheets, eliminating manual overhead and enabling instant accuracy during prospecting. This reduces wasted outreach time and improves deliverability, with measurable gains like 5-10 hours saved per month per user. For example, Derrick’s real-time email validation ensures only verifiable contacts move to outreach, streamlining rapid list building.
02 Comprehensive data depth beyond basic contact info for richer profiling
Cognism and AeroLeads both rely on basic contact data, often lacking deeper firmographic, technographic, and behavioral context needed for richer profiling. Derrick delivers comprehensive data depth beyond simple contacts by layering 50+ enrichment attributes per company and contact, plus AI-powered profiling, scoring, and summarization. This yields more actionable accounts and faster priority targeting, reducing manual augmentation time by up to 30% per campaign. For example, Derrick’s integrated AI segmentation surfaces high-likelihood prospects without leaving Google Sheets, unlike AeroLeads’ focus on email verification and Cognism’s emphasis on surface-level insights.
03 Effortless setup and rapid value with no onboarding friction
Cognism and AeroLeads often require more onboarding steps or external tools to achieve rapid value, leaving teams frustrated by friction and delays. Derrick delivers effortless setup by enabling 100% native Google Sheets integration with no credit card for the free tier, eliminating complex configuration and training. Users typically save 5-10 hours per month and land faster wins as real-time enrichment kicks in instantly within familiar sheets. A practical use case is instant prospecting in a single Google Sheet without switching apps, boosting time-to-value from day one.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Cognism, AeroLeads, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Cognism does better
- Best EU mobile-phone coverage
- GDPR-compliant by design
- Strong intent + technographic data
What AeroLeads does better
- Guaranteed phone numbers per tier (unique positioning)
- Multi-source prospect data (LinkedIn + Crunchbase + AngelList + Xing)
- Solid CRM integration ecosystem
What Derrick does better
- Free forever - €0/mo with 100 credits permanent in Google Sheets
- 100+ data points per lead - verified emails, phones, LinkedIn, tech stack, SIRET
- Zero LinkedIn ban risk + real-time email verification built in
- Pair with any sequencer - LaGrowthMachine, Smartlead, Lemlist, HeyReach
Real Annual Cost
True cost over 12 months
Headline pricing rarely tells the whole story. Here's the real cost of running each tool for a year.
| Cognism | AeroLeads | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat) | Free trial · Take Off $49/mo (2K credits) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€180/yr | ~€588/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | No (demo + custom quote only) | Free trial available (no credit card) | ✓ Forever - 100 credits/mo |
| Setup cost | Hours to days | Hours to days | 30 seconds via Marketplace |
| Switching cost | CSV export + retraining | CSV export + retraining | Zero - works alongside any stack |
💡 Most teams pay 2-5x more on add-ons (extra seats, phone credits, integrations) than on the headline base price. Derrick keeps everything in one transparent tier.
Feature-by-Feature
Cognism vs AeroLeads vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Cognism | Derrick App | AeroLeads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works natively in Google Sheets | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Requires LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($100/month) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Sales Navigator 1-click import | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email finder with real-time validation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phone finder from LinkedIn | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Company tech stack lookup | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| SimilarWeb & G2 insights integrated | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| AI integration (Claude & ChatGPT) | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Automatic AI Lead Scoring | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Data cleaning & normalization | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-platform scraping (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Zapier, Make, n8n integrations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public API available | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Native CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Entry price (paid plan) | 1000$/mois | 9€/mois | 39$/mois |
| Permanent free plan | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rollover credits to next month | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Simple and transparent credit system | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple setup & onboarding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Complete documentation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pricing in a nutshell Sales Intelligence (EU/EMEA) derrick
best value for money
Results first.
Discover Derrick →
B2B Email + Phone Finder (LinkedIn-First)
Cognism vs AeroLeads vs Derrick pricing breakdown
Sales Intelligence (EU/EMEA) Cognism
Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat)
Best for: EU/EMEA enterprise sales
Cognism offers robust B2B data with pricing tiers that start at a competitive entry level, with higher-value plans designed for enterprise needs. See the full pricing breakdown on the Cognism pricing page for complete details and options.
Results first.
Complexity removed.
Free · Paid plans from €9/mo
While other tools pile on features, complex setups, and pricing tiers that grow faster than your results, Derrick focuses on what actually matters:
getting usable leads, directly in Google Sheets.
No heavy workflows, No endless configuration. No learning curve.
B2B Email + Phone Finder (LinkedIn-First) AeroLeads
Free trial · Take Off $49/mo (2K credits)
Best for: Solo SDRs needing guaranteed phone numbers + email finder bundle
AeroLeads offers affordable starting plans with a basic tier that includes credits for lead finding and verification, plus scalable paid options-see the full pricing breakdown for all details. Click to view complete pricing details.
Migration Guide
How to switch from Cognism to Derrick in 3 steps
Derrick is a Google Workspace app - no formulas to learn, no pipelines to migrate, no engineering work. Add it to Google Sheets and you're enriching in under a minute.
1
~30 sec Install Derrick from Google Workspace Marketplace
Click the install button on our Marketplace listing and grant Google Sheets access. No credit card required - you start with 100 free credits per month.
2
~30 sec Open any Google Sheet → Extensions → Derrick
Open a Sheet with your prospect list (paste a CSV from Cognism, scrape from LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or import from your CRM). Click Extensions → Derrick and the sidebar opens with all enrichment features ready to use.
3
~1 min Enrich your list with one click
Select the column with names, LinkedIn URLs, or company domains. Pick what you want - emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn data, company info, tech stack - and click "Enrich". Derrick fills the columns directly in your Sheet. No exports, no pipelines, no waiting.
Install Derrick free →
100 free credits / month · No credit card · Cancel anytime
Decision in 60 seconds
Which one is right for you?
Pick Cognism if…
- You specifically need eu/emea enterprise sales
- Best EU mobile-phone coverage
- GDPR-compliant by design
- You're already invested in the Cognism ecosystem
Pick AeroLeads if…
- You specifically need solo sdrs needing guaranteed phone numbers + email finder bundle
- Guaranteed phone numbers per tier (unique positioning)
- Multi-source prospect data (LinkedIn + Crunchbase + AngelList + Xing)
- You're already invested in the AeroLeads ecosystem
Pick Derrick if…
- You want B2B enrichment directly in Google Sheets
- You need a usable free plan (100 credits/mo, no card)
- You don't want long contracts, lock-in, or sales calls
- You need 100+ data points per lead in one tool
What teams say after switching from Cognism vs AeroLeads
See what our customers say about Derrick.
"This app saved me so much time and effort. Great for anyone looking to build a contact list or network at scale quickly. As a start-up it's been invaluable."
Alex Clark
Director | SaaS GTM Leader
"Working pretty nifty compared to Snov.Io. Price wise it does give a fair shake, and IMO better interface since it's google sheets."
David Sire
Mortgage Broker at Zero Point Mortgage
"Derrick is a very simple and user-friendly app to enrich your contacts database. Best thing: you can test it for free. And then the price is so low, it's a no brainer."
Etienne Grange
CEO Form'actions
"Super easy to enrich linkedin urls using this tool. Both personal and company url data can be easily enriched with a click of a button."
Zaid Bilal
RevOps Professional
"Amazing Tool, I would like to advocate this to my colleagues. So that you can get more users. Keep it Up. 5 Stars!"
Asif Hanzala
Lead Generation Specialist at IdeaPeel
"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."
Dan Hughes
Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO
"I have been using other expensive apps or freemium like phantombuster, but Derrick has replaced them all. I love the simplicity of the Google sheet add-in, but what is best is the efficiency it delivers."
Julien Walon Cohen
CEO & Co-founder @ Diffly | B2B Sales Advisor
"The LinkedIn scraping and email finder combo is incredibly powerful. I can build a complete prospect list with contact info in under an hour. Absolute must-have for outbound."
Michael Kim
SDR Team Lead at CloudScale
"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."
AJ Alexander
Opportunity Prospector
Frequently Asked Questions
Derrick vs Cognism: which is better for data enrichment?
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Cognism excels at verified contact data and intent signals for mid-market to enterprise teams, particularly in EMEA markets, but carries premium pricing and requires manual configuration for complex workflows. Derrick App offers a more accessible alternative for data enrichment, operating natively within Google Sheets with fifty plus enrichment attributes per contact and real-time email validation built in. Derrick's monthly rollover credits, no credit card requirement for free tier, and integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT provide flexibility that Cognism doesn't match. For teams prioritizing cost efficiency, seamless spreadsheet workflows, and rapid enrichment without external platform management, Derrick delivers comparable data depth at a fraction of Cognism's enterprise pricing while eliminating the integration friction both platforms typically require.
Is Derrick a good alternative to Cognism for SMBs?
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Yes, Derrick is an excellent alternative to Cognism for SMBs, particularly if you're budget-conscious and want faster implementation. While Cognism excels at data accuracy and intent signals, it comes with premium pricing that strains SMB budgets. Derrick operates directly in Google Sheets without complex setup, eliminating the need for CSV exports or external platforms. You get fifty-plus enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation for better deliverability, and integrated AI with Claude and ChatGPT for scoring and segmentation. Derrick's pricing starts at just nine euros monthly with rollover credits, versus Cognism's enterprise-focused model. For SMBs prioritizing cost-efficiency and ease of use over advanced intent data, Derrick delivers stronger value while maintaining solid data quality and enrichment depth.
Derrick vs Cognism vs AeroLeads: which offers better pricing?
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Derrick offers the most flexible pricing structure with rollover credits that don't expire monthly, starting at just nine dollars for four thousand credits with no credit card required for the free tier. Cognism positions itself as a premium enterprise solution with higher costs but stronger intent signals, while AeroLeads appears affordable upfront but users report significant hidden costs from poor data accuracy requiring constant re-verification and credit waste. Derrick's transparent per-credit model combined with real-time email validation and fifty plus enrichment attributes delivers better value for teams seeking reliable data without premium enterprise pricing or accuracy concerns.
How does Cognism compare to AeroLeads on reviews and features?
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Cognism and AeroLeads both emphasize strong data accuracy and lead finding, but Cognism leans into high-quality, GDPR/CCPA-compliant contact data, real-time verification, and intent signals with a premium, enterprise-oriented pricing model. AeroLeads excels in affordable, fast email discovery and robust CRM integrations, yet user reviews frequently note data refresh and accuracy gaps at scale. Derrick App complements both by enriching data 50+ attributes natively in Google Sheets, offering real-time email validation, AI-powered scoring, and extensive integrations, all without CSV exports or credit card requirements. For teams weighing Cognism versus AeroLeads, Cognism provides deeper intent and enterprise-grade insights, while AeroLeads delivers cost-effective basic contact discovery; Derrick adds scalable enrichment and workflow automation to bridge gaps in both approaches.
Are Cognism and AeroLeads good replacements for Derrick's AI-powered enrichment?
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Cognism and AeroLeads serve different purposes than Derrick's AI-powered enrichment. Cognism excels at lead intelligence and intent signals but lacks native automation for continuous enrichment, while AeroLeads focuses on email verification with documented accuracy issues affecting deliverability. Derrick differentiates through 100% Google Sheets integration, real-time email validation, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, fifty-plus enrichment attributes per contact, and rollover credits-making it ideal for teams seeking seamless enrichment without external platforms or complex configurations.
What pricing differences exist between Derrick and Cognism, AeroLeads?
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Pricing differences between Derrick and Cognism, AeroLeads primarily hinge on structure, value, and flexibility rather than just dollar amounts. Derrick offers a transparent, credit-based model with monthly rollovers (Free 100 credits; Small 4000 for $9; Medium 10000 for $20; Large 25000 for $47.50; XL 100000 for $175) and no credit card is required for the free tier. Cognism and AeroLeads typically position as more traditional B2B data platforms with higher upfront costs or different pricing cadences. Derrick emphasizes native Google Sheets integration, real-time email validation, and extensibility through 3000+ integrations, which can reduce total cost of ownership for teams prioritizing automation and enrichment at scale.
One-on-one
Cognism vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Cognism compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → One-on-oneAeroLeads vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how AeroLeads compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → Curated stackAll B2B sales tools we reviewed in depth
Step back from the duel - see our hand-picked sales-tool selection and how every category fits together.
See the full curation → Keep Exploring
