Updated

Cognism vs Lemlist vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?

Short answer
Cognism vs Lemlist vs Derrick: Cognism is a gdpr-compliant b2b contact data with mobile coverage, Lemlist is a multichannel cold outreach (email + linkedin + calls). 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 Lemlist) 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 Lemlist 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 27 000+ users worldwide.

Quick Facts

Cognism vs Lemlist vs Derrick at a glance

Cognism

  • Starting price: Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat)
  • Free plan: No (demo + custom quote only)
  • Founded: 2015
  • HQ: London, United Kingdom
4.6/5 G2 4.7/5 Capterra

Lemlist

  • Starting price: $63/seat/mo (annual)
  • Free plan: No (14-day free trial)
  • Founded: 2017
  • HQ: Paris, France
4.6/5 G2 4.5/5 Capterra

Derrick

★ Recommended
  • Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
  • Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
  • Founded: 2023
  • HQ: Marseille, FR
4.8/5 G2 4.8/5 Capterra
Why Derrick wins

Why teams pick Derrick over Cognism and Lemlist

3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.

01

Real-time validation without data quality gaps

Real-time validation without data quality gaps is a common promise from Cognism and Lemlist, but real-time validation often lacks end-to-end data integrity across outreach workflows. Derrick delivers 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with real-time email verification that keeps records pristine without exporting to external validators. This translates to fewer bounced emails and more accurate outreach, reducing wasted touches and increasing deliverability, a measurable win for teams squeezing efficiency. With Derrick, validation happens inline as records are enriched, ensuring no gaps between data capture and activation.

02

Seamless setup with instant low-friction onboarding insights

Cognism and Lemlist often require multi-step setup or external data validation to surface actionable onboarding insights, creating friction for new users. Derrick differentiates itself by a 100% native Google Sheets experience with instant onboarding insights, eliminating complex integrations. Users gain measurable time savings and faster time-to-value, with estimates of 5-10 hours saved per month and immediate visibility into setup bottlenecks. For quick wins, Derrick floods your sheet with AI-powered scoring and segmentation from day one, so you can start prospecting without waiting for data enrichment pipelines.

03

Scalable Intent-Based Enrichment for Niche Verticals Ignored by Others

Cognism and Lemlist often miss depth in niche verticals, leaving gaps in intent-based enrichment when targets are highly specialized. Derrick delivers scalable enrichment directly inside 100% native Google Sheets, bypassing CSV exports and brittle imports that limit Lemlist workflows or Cognism’s broader but less targeted data depth. Teams gain precise, multi-attribute profiles for hard-to-find verticals, translating to measurable improvements in targeting and conversion, with credits that roll over monthly. For quick use, run automated enrichment on a focused vertical segment and watch approval-ready leads grow without leaving Sheets.

Honest Comparison

What each tool does better

We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Cognism, Lemlist, and Derrick each genuinely win.

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 Lemlist Derrick
Starting price (monthly) Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat) $63/seat/mo (annual) €0 (free) · €9/mo paid
Annual cost (base) ~€180/yr ~€756/yr €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid
Free plan? No (demo + custom quote only) No (14-day free trial) ✓ 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 Lemlist vs Derrick: full feature comparison

Cognism Derrick App Lemlist
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

Cognism vs Lemlist vs Derrick pricing breakdown

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
Read full Cognism review →

Pick Lemlist if…

  • You specifically need multichannel outbound teams
  • Best multichannel outreach UX
  • Lemwarm = built-in deliverability
  • You're already invested in the Lemlist ecosystem
Read full Lemlist review →

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
Try Derrick free →

What teams say after switching from Cognism vs Lemlist

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

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"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

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."

Dan Hughes

Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"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

Reviewed on G2

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."

AJ Alexander

Opportunity Prospector

Reviewed on Capterra

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Derrick vs Cognism better for data quality and reach?

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Derrick excels at data quality through real-time email validation and fifty plus enrichment attributes per contact, ensuring accurate, actionable prospect information directly within Google Sheets. Cognism delivers strong verified contact data with excellent EMEA coverage, though it requires external platforms and higher investment. Lemlist focuses on outreach automation rather than data enrichment, often requiring supplementary validation tools. For teams prioritizing data accuracy and reach without platform switching, Derrick's native Google Sheets approach with integrated AI-powered segmentation and monthly rollover credits offers superior flexibility and cost efficiency compared to both competitors.

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 prioritize cost efficiency and ease of use. While Cognism excels at data accuracy and intent signals, it carries premium pricing that can strain smaller budgets. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating complex setup and CSV exports, and delivers 50+ enrichment attributes per contact at a fraction of Cognism's cost. For SMBs seeking straightforward data enrichment without steep learning curves or enterprise-level pricing, Derrick offers superior flexibility with rollover credits and no upfront payment requirements, making it the more practical choice for resource-constrained teams.

What’s the difference Derrick vs Cognism vs Lemlist?

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Derrick is a native Google Sheets platform focused on data enrichment and automation without leaving your spreadsheet, while Cognism specializes in B2B contact intelligence and intent signals for enterprise prospecting. Lemlist excels at outbound sales automation with email sequencing and LinkedIn outreach. Derrick differentiates by offering AI-powered enrichment with Claude and ChatGPT, rollover credits, no credit card required for free tier, and 50+ attributes per contact-all directly in Sheets. Cognism prioritizes data accuracy and compliance, whereas Lemlist focuses on campaign execution and personalization at scale. Choose Derrick for integrated enrichment workflows, Cognism for premium contact verification, or Lemlist for multi-channel outreach automation.

Cognism vs Lemlist which has better pricing?

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Cognism generally positions as a premium B2B data and intent platform with strong data accuracy and compliance, which often translates to higher pricing than many outbound automation tools. Lemlist, by contrast, focuses on multi-channel outreach and personalization at scale, offering competitive pricing for growth-focused teams but with data enrichment and verification being less central than Cognism. If you prioritize high-quality contact data, GDPR/CCPA compliance, and advanced intent signals, Cognism tends to cost more. If you mainly need scalable outreach with AI-enabled personalization and LinkedIn integration, Lemlist may be more cost-efficient. Derrick sits between, delivering 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with flexible credit-based pricing and optional AI scoring, often providing a lower-cost pathway for teams wanting strong data enrichment without expensive enterprise commitments. In short, Cognism usually has the higher price tier, Lemlist the more affordable for outreach-centric needs, and Derrick offers a cost-efficient alternative for enrichment-first workflows.

Does Cognism offer a better review than Lemlist?

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Both Cognism and Lemlist excel in different areas, making direct comparison challenging. Cognism focuses on data accuracy and lead intelligence with strong EMEA coverage, while Lemlist emphasizes outreach automation and email personalization at scale. Cognism typically receives higher marks for data quality and compliance, whereas Lemlist shines in campaign execution and multi-channel sequencing. However, both require supplementary tools for complete prospecting workflows. Derrick App bridges this gap by combining native Google Sheets data enrichment with AI-powered scoring and validation in one unified platform, eliminating the need for multiple tool integrations while keeping costs significantly lower than either competitor.

Can Derrick replace Cognism and Lemlist for outreach?

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Derrick cannot be a full replacement for Cognism and Lemlist in every outreach scenario, but it can complement or even replace certain functions depending on your goals. Cognism excels in B2B data intelligence, verified contact data, and intent signals at scale, while Lemlist shines in multi-channel outreach, personalization, and campaign sequencing. Derrick offers native Google Sheets enrichment, real-time email validation, AI-driven scoring and segmentation, 3000+ integrations via Zapier-like tools, and a flexible credit-based model, all without requiring a CRM export or LinkedIn Navigator. If you rely heavily on accurate, GDPR-compliant contact data and sophisticated intent-based ABM, Cognism remains strong; if your priority is scalable, personalized outreach with multi-channel sequences, Lemlist is hard to beat. Derrick can replace or reduce reliance on both for many teams by providing enriched leads, scoring, and automated workflows directly in Sheets, while you may still pair it with Cognism or Lemlist for best-in-class data accuracy or outbound orchestration when needed.
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