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 Emelia vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Cognism vs Emelia vs Derrick: Cognism is a gdpr-compliant b2b contact data with mobile coverage, Emelia is a affordable all-in-one b2b prospecting tool for cold email + linkedin at fixed pricing. 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 Emelia) 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 Emelia 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 Emelia vs Derrick at a glance
Emelia
- Starting price: PAYG credits €19/mo · Start €37/mo (3 mailboxes, unlimited sending)
- Free plan: 7-day free trial (no card) - paid entry Start €37/mo
- Founded: 2020
- HQ: Paris, Île-de-France, France
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 Emelia
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Get verified emails without enrichment gaps in Cognism/Emelia
Cognism and Emelia provide validated emails, but they can leave enrichment gaps when records lack depth or additional firmographic context. Derrick closes these gaps by enriching 50+ attributes per contact and offering real-time email validation within a native Google Sheets workflow, ensuring verified emails stay paired with complete prospect data. This delivers a measurable boost in deliverability and list quality, reducing bounce risk and follow-up friction. For teams, Derrick’s 100% native Sheets approach eliminates data silos, speeding up multi-step outreach without exporting to external tools.
02 Real-time data quality with no verification gaps remains assured
Cognism and Emelia both struggle with real-time data quality gaps when verification is not continuously updated, risking outdated records during outreach. Derrick delivers real-time data quality with no verification gaps by continuously validating emails and enriching records within 100% native Google Sheets, eliminating export delays. You save time and reduce bounce risk, achieving up to a noticeable lift in deliverability and faster activation of prospects (time-to-outreach cuts by hours). Derrick also leverages its AI scoring and 50+ attributes to maintain current, actionable profiles at scale.
03 Rapid, scalable enrichment with no platform lock-in
Cognism and Emelia often tether users to limited enrichment pipelines or require workarounds to scale beyond basic contact data. Derrick breaks free from platform lock-in by delivering rapid, scalable enrichment 100% within Google Sheets, with 50+ attributes per contact and credits that roll over, ensuring smooth growth without exporting or reconfiguring tools. Teams can enrich at scale and rewire workflows instantly, saving up to 5-10 hours per month while maintaining full control over data provenance. For fast, repeatable prospecting, Derrick keeps you agile without vendor lock-in.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Cognism, Emelia, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Cognism does better
- Best EU mobile-phone coverage
- GDPR-compliant by design
- Strong intent + technographic data
What Emelia does better
- Cheapest meaningful cold-email tool in the category
- All-in-one bundle (built-in warm-up + sender rotation + spintext + LinkedIn)
- Fast and efficient for small-team workflows
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 | Emelia | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat) | PAYG credits €19/mo · Start €37/mo (3 mailboxes, unlimited sending) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€180/yr | ~€228/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | No (demo + custom quote only) | 7-day free trial (no card) - paid entry Start €37/mo | ✓ 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 Emelia vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Cognism | Derrick App | emelia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 37€/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 →
Affordable Cold Email + LinkedIn Multichannel
Cognism vs Emelia vs Derrick pricing breakdown
Sales Intelligence (EU/EMEA) Cognism
Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat)
Best for: EU/EMEA enterprise sales
Cognition pricing starts with a premium entry tier and real-time verification, with higher, enterprise-focused options for teams needing advanced intent and data accuracy; a full pricing breakdown is available on the Cognism pricing page-see full pricing details for complete 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.
Affordable Cold Email + LinkedIn Multichannel Emelia
PAYG credits €19/mo · Start €37/mo (3 mailboxes, unlimited sending)
Best for: Solo founders + small teams running cold email on a budget
Emelia offers a starter plan with a free tier and paid options starting at a competitive monthly rate; see the full pricing breakdown for all plan levels, credits, and enterprise options. View complete pricing details on the Pricing emelia page.
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 Emelia if…
- You specifically need solo founders + small teams running cold email on a budget
- Cheapest meaningful cold-email tool in the category
- All-in-one bundle (built-in warm-up + sender rotation + spintext + LinkedIn)
- You're already invested in the Emelia 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 Emelia
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 accuracy?
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Both Cognism and Derrick excel at data accuracy, but they serve different purposes. Cognism specializes in lead intelligence and intent signals with strong EMEA coverage and verified contact data. Derrick offers 50+ enrichment attributes with real-time email validation directly in Google Sheets, eliminating manual exports and reducing errors. Cognism works best for enterprise lead generation, while Derrick provides faster, more cost-effective enrichment for teams already using Sheets. For pure accuracy, Cognism leads, but Derrick delivers comparable accuracy with superior workflow efficiency and lower implementation friction.
Is Derrick a strong alternative to Cognism for enterprise teams?
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Yes, Derrick is a strong alternative to Cognism for enterprise teams, particularly if your organization prioritizes operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. While Cognism excels at verified contact data and intent signals, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating complex integrations and manual CSV exports that consume 5-10 hours monthly. Derrick's 50+ enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, and integrated AI with Claude and ChatGPT provide comparable intelligence capabilities at significantly lower cost. For enterprise teams already invested in Google Workspace, Derrick delivers faster implementation, rollover credits for budget flexibility, and deeper automation without the premium pricing Cognism commands. Both platforms complement different workflows, but Derrick offers superior value for teams prioritizing streamlined prospecting workflows over premium data accuracy alone.
Derrick vs Cognism vs emelia: which offers best overall comparison?
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Choosing between Derrick, Cognism, and Emelia depends on your primary need. Cognism excels at B2B intelligence and decision-maker identification with strong EMEA coverage, while Emelia focuses on email automation and outreach personalization. Derrick stands out by operating 100% natively in Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and complex setup, while delivering 50+ enrichment attributes, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, real-time email validation, and rollover credits with no credit card required for the free tier. For teams prioritizing seamless workflow integration without technical overhead, Derrick offers the most accessible comprehensive solution.
How does Cognism compare in pricing to emelia?
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Cognism generally positions itself as a premium B2B data intelligence platform with high data accuracy, strong GDPR/CCPA compliance, and robust multi-channel outreach options. Emelia, by contrast, focuses on AI-powered email outreach automation and ease of use. When comparing pricing, Cognism tends to be higher and more enterprise-oriented for data quality and intent features, while Emelia offers more approachable, campaign-focused pricing. Derrick sits in between as a complementary tool, offering 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with flexible credits and scalable AI scoring, often delivering cost efficiency for teams prioritizing data enrichment and seamless workflow without heavy upfront CRM automation costs. If you’re weighing Cognism vs Emelia specifically, Cognism may require a larger investment for top-tier data and intent signals, whereas Emelia provides affordable, rapid scalability for outreach, with Derrick serving as a capable enrichment backbone to maximize overall ROI.
What are Cognism vs emelia review highlights for SMBs?
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Cognism excels at verified contact data and intent-based prospecting, particularly strong in EMEA markets, making it ideal for mid-market focused teams. However, it struggles with SMB coverage and has steep learning curves for complex filtering. Emelia shines at email automation and list hygiene but lacks deeper firmographic enrichment and multi-channel capabilities. For SMBs specifically, both platforms require supplementary tools to maximize value. Derrick App offers a more integrated alternative by combining email validation, 50+ enrichment attributes, and AI-powered scoring directly within Google Sheets, eliminating costly platform switching while delivering comparable intelligence at a fraction of the cost.
Is Derrick the better replacement for Cognism and emelia?
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Derrick can be a strong replacement depending on your priorities, especially if you value native Google Sheets enrichment and flexible cost. Compared with Cognism, Derrick offers broader in-platform enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, and AI-powered scoring without requiring complex integrations, which can reduce onboarding time and total cost for smaller teams. Against Emelia, Derrick provides deeper B2B data intelligence and a larger ecosystem of 3,000+ integrations, plus credits that roll over and no credit card needed for the free tier. If your goal is streamlined, all-in-one prospecting with strong data quality and automation without heavy CSV exports or external tools, Derrick often delivers a more comprehensive, scalable solution. However, Cognism’s strong data verification and EU-focused depth remain compelling for enterprise-grade compliance and Europe-based targeting, while Emelia excels at outbound automation; if your needs center on multi-channel outreach alone, you may still consider Emelia alongside Derrick for best results.
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-oneemelia vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how emelia 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
