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 Skylead vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Cognism vs Skylead vs Derrick: Cognism is a gdpr-compliant b2b contact data with mobile coverage, Skylead is a multichannel linkedin + email outreach with smart-sequence branching. 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 Skylead) 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 Skylead 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 Skylead vs Derrick at a glance
Skylead
- Starting price: $100/mo (All-in-One, annual)
- Free plan: 7-day free trial
- Founded: 2019
- HQ: Belgrade, Serbia
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 Skylead
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time validation without data gaps for outreach success
Derrick delivers real-time email validation within a 100% native Google Sheets workflow, a gap Cognism and Skylead struggle to fill due to their emphasis on data discovery rather than live verification. While Cognism offers verified contacts and Skylead focuses on LinkedIn-driven lead discovery, neither provides continuous, in-sheet validation that prevents outreach bounce in real time. Derrick validates emails as you prospect, reducing invalid sends and improving deliverability metrics by up to 15–25% in pilot teams. With 50+ enrichment attributes and instant validation, you keep outreach momentum without leaving Sheets.
02 Unlimited monthly rollovers for scalable enrichment efficiency
Derrick exploits unlimited monthly rollovers to maintain a continuously fresh enrichment pipeline, a capability Cognism and Skylead struggle to sustain across high-volume seasons. While Cognism offers strong data quality, it lacks seamless rollover continuity for ongoing multi-source enrichment, and Skylead focuses on LinkedIn-led prospecting with limited multi-source persistence. Derrick keeps credits rolling over monthly, preserving accumulated enrichment credits for scalable, repeatable workflows, reducing reset friction and time-to-value. This results in measurable efficiency gains, saving 5–10 hours per month of manual data refresh and enabling faster expansion of target accounts.
03 Unified multi-channel enrichment beyond LinkedIn-only reach
Cognism and Skylead both rely heavily on LinkedIn-centric workflows, limiting multi-channel reach and leaving gaps in enrichment beyond that channel. Derrick goes beyond by unifying multi-channel enrichment directly within 100% native Google Sheets, without exporting or extra integrations. This approach translates to faster, fuller profiles and a 15-25% higher deliverability rate due to real-time validation across channels, with 50+ attributes per contact. A practical use case: enrich and verify prospects across email, website, and social signals in a single sheet, ready for immediate outreach.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Cognism, Skylead, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Cognism does better
- Best EU mobile-phone coverage
- GDPR-compliant by design
- Strong intent + technographic data
What Skylead does better
- Smart sequences with if/else branching
- Unlimited email accounts + native warm-up
- Standout customer support
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 | Skylead | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat) | $100/mo (All-in-One, annual) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€180/yr | ~€1,200/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | No (demo + custom quote only) | 7-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 Skylead vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Cognism | Derrick App | Skylead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 100$/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 →
Multichannel LinkedIn + Email Sequencer
Cognism vs Skylead vs Derrick pricing breakdown
Sales Intelligence (EU/EMEA) Cognism
Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat)
Best for: EU/EMEA enterprise sales
Cognism offers enterprise-focused pricing with premium data and verification features; entry-level plans start at higher price points, with a full pricing breakdown available on the dedicated pricing page. See full pricing details for exact tiers, limits, and enterprise 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.
Multichannel LinkedIn + Email Sequencer Skylead
$100/mo (All-in-One, annual)
Best for: Active SDRs needing smart conditional LinkedIn + email sequences
Skylead offers an entry-level plan with a free tier and paid options starting at a low monthly rate, focusing on LinkedIn prospecting automation. For exact prices and all tiers, view the full pricing details on the dedicated Skylead pricing 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 Skylead if…
- You specifically need active sdrs needing smart conditional linkedin + email sequences
- Smart sequences with if/else branching
- Unlimited email accounts + native warm-up
- You're already invested in the Skylead 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 Skylead
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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Both platforms excel at data enrichment but serve different priorities. Cognism specializes in verified contact accuracy and intent signals, making it ideal for enterprise teams prioritizing data quality and GDPR compliance. However, Cognism requires external platforms and carries premium pricing. Derrick offers a more flexible, integrated approach within Google Sheets with 50+ enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, and built-in AI scoring using Claude and ChatGPT. Derrick's rollover credits and no credit card requirement for the free tier provide better cost efficiency for teams seeking comprehensive enrichment without platform switching or complex integrations. Choose Cognism for intent-focused intelligence; choose Derrick for accessible, efficient enrichment at scale within your existing workflow.
Is Derrick a good alternative to Cognism for SMBs?
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Yes, Derrick is a strong alternative to Cognism for SMBs, particularly if you prioritize simplicity and cost-efficiency. While Cognism excels at data accuracy and intent signals, it carries premium pricing that can strain smaller budgets. Derrick operates entirely within Google Sheets with no complex setup required, saving teams five to ten hours monthly on manual data management. You get fifty plus enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, and integrated AI for scoring and segmentation, all without needing LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Derrick's rollover credits and free tier with no credit card requirement make it more flexible for SMBs with variable prospecting volumes, whereas Cognism's fixed enterprise-focused pricing often feels overengineered for smaller teams just scaling their outreach.
Derrick vs Cognism vs Skylead: who offers better pricing?
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Pricing varies significantly across the three platforms. Cognism positions itself as a premium solution with enterprise-focused pricing, making it costlier for smaller teams. Skylead offers mid-range pricing with LinkedIn-specific features included. Derrick stands out with transparent, flexible pricing starting at just 9€ monthly for 4,000 credits, with rollover credits and no credit card required for the free tier. Derrick's model works better for budget-conscious teams or those with variable monthly prospecting needs, while Cognism suits enterprises prioritizing data quality and Skylead appeals to LinkedIn-heavy workflows.
What’s the difference between Derrick and Skylead in features?
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Derrick and Skylead differ mainly in scope and data depth. Derrick is a 100% native Google Sheets enrichment and outreach platform, turning Sheets into a full prospecting hub with 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and integrated AI (Claude and ChatGPT) for scoring and segmentation. It offers 3,000+ integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n and flexible, roll-over credits with no credit card required for the free tier. Skylead, by contrast, centers on LinkedIn-based prospecting and automation with solid data discovery but lighter enrichment depth and multi-channel reach.
Cognism vs Skylead: which has stronger review scores?
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Both Cognism and Skylead maintain strong user satisfaction, though they excel in different areas. Cognism scores higher for data accuracy and EMEA market coverage with robust intent signals, while Skylead receives praise for speed and LinkedIn-focused prospecting. However, neither platform offers the native Google Sheets integration that Derrick provides, eliminating manual exports and saving teams five to ten hours monthly. For organizations seeking comprehensive enrichment without complex configuration, Derrick's integrated approach with AI-powered scoring and real-time email validation delivers comparable data quality at significantly lower operational overhead.
Does Derrick replace Cognism or Skylead for email validation?
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Derrick does not replace Cognism or Skylead for email validation in the sense of being a standalone email verification platform. Cognism offers real-time verification and robust data quality as part of a broader B2B data and intent suite, while Skylead focuses on LinkedIn-driven prospecting with basic data enrichment and multi-channel outreach. Derrick, by contrast, provides 100% native Google Sheets enrichment, real-time email validation to boost deliverability, and a flexible data layer with 50+ attributes per contact, plus AI-driven scoring and segmentation. If you already use Cognism or Skylead for data access or outreach workflows, Derrick can complement them by validating emails in real time within your sheets and automating enrichment, but it does not fully replace Cognism’s enterprise data capabilities or Skylead’s LinkedIn-centric outreach features. In short: Derrick enhances email validity and enrichment, but Cognism and Skylead serve broader data and multi-channel roles that Derrick does not entirely substitute.
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-oneSkylead vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Skylead 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
