Updated

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

Short answer
Cognism vs UpLead vs Derrick: Cognism is a gdpr-compliant b2b contact data with mobile coverage, UpLead is a b2b contact database with real-time email verification on unlock. 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 UpLead) 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 UpLead 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 UpLead 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

UpLead

  • Starting price: Free 5 credits trial · Essentials $74/mo (annual)
  • Free plan: 7-day free trial - 5 credits
  • Founded: 2017
  • HQ: Covina, CA
4.7/5 G2 4.6/5 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 UpLead

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

01

Real-time verification everywhere without CRM complexity

Cognism and UpLead offer real-time verification or verification-capable data, but their workflows still rely on separate tools or CRM steps that add complexity. Derrick eliminates CRM frictions by delivering real-time verification directly inside 100% native Google Sheets, turning prospect data into a live, actionable workspace without exporting or setup. This translates to faster outreach with higher deliverability and time savings of 5-10 hours per month for a typical team. For quick wins, Derrick’s real-time email validation happens at the point of use, ensuring verified contacts are ready for immediate sequencing.

02

Streamlined setup with 3000+ integrations for instant scale-up

Cognism and UpLead offer strong data quality and verification, but their integration ecosystems require extra setup and can slow scale because they aren’t natively built inside Google Sheets. Derrick delivers a streamlined setup with 3000+ integrations through Zapier/Make/n8n, all 100% native to Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and complex configurations. This setup translates to tangible gains: immediate scale-up, time savings of 5-10 hours per month, and seamless workflow automation across tools. With Derrick, teams deploy multi-step prospecting in minutes, not days, while preserving credits and enabling real-time enrichment at scale.

03

Transparent data depth beyond basic contact records access

Cognism and UpLead excel at basic contact details, but they fall short on deep, multi-attribute firmographic and behavioral context that goes beyond simple records. Derrick delivers transparent data depth by enriching up to 50+ attributes per contact and company, plus real-time validation and AI-powered profiling within Google Sheets. This deeper enrichment translates to faster, more accurate segmentation and ABM targeting, reducing data gaps by up to 40% in practice. With Derrick, you gain actionable intelligence directly in your familiar sheet workflow, streamlining rapid decision-making without leaving your workspace.

Honest Comparison

What each tool does better

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

What UpLead does better

  • Best accuracy positioning in mid-market contact data
  • Highest G2 score in B2B contact data (4.7/5 across 824 reviews)
  • Bundled intent + technographics + filters at mid-tier
Read full UpLead review →
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 UpLead Derrick
Starting price (monthly) Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat) Free 5 credits trial · Essentials $74/mo (annual) €0 (free) · €9/mo paid
Annual cost (base) ~€180/yr ~€60/yr €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid
Free plan? No (demo + custom quote only) 7-day free trial - 5 credits ✓ 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 UpLead vs Derrick: full feature comparison

Cognism Derrick App UpLead
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 99$/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 UpLead vs Derrick pricing breakdown

B2B Contact Database (Verified-on-Unlock)

UpLead

Free 5 credits trial · Essentials $74/mo (annual)

Best for: Mid-market SDR teams who care most about email accuracy

UpLead offers pay-per-verified-record pricing with options starting at a basic tier and scalable credits for higher usage; a full pricing page with all plan specifics is available to view for complete details. See full pricing breakdown for 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
Read full Cognism review →

Pick UpLead if…

  • You specifically need mid-market sdr teams who care most about email accuracy
  • Best accuracy positioning in mid-market contact data
  • Highest G2 score in B2B contact data (4.7/5 across 824 reviews)
  • You're already invested in the UpLead ecosystem
Read full UpLead 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 UpLead

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 better than Cognism for data enrichment and accuracy?

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Derrick and Cognism serve different enrichment purposes. Cognism excels at intent signals and EMEA market coverage with verified contact data, making it strong for account-based marketing. However, Derrick offers superior practicality for most teams: it's 100% native to Google Sheets requiring no CSV exports, includes real-time email validation, provides 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, and integrates AI from Claude and ChatGPT for automated scoring. Derrick's rollover credits and free tier without credit card requirements also offer more flexibility than Cognism's premium pricing model, particularly for teams prioritizing ease of use and cost efficiency.

Which is the better alternative to Cognism for SMBs: Derrick or UpLead?

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For SMBs, Derrick offers better value than both alternatives. While UpLead excels at real-time verification and Cognism at intent signals, Derrick combines data enrichment with native Google Sheets integration, eliminating CSV exports and complex setup. Derrick's rollover credits, integrated AI with Claude and ChatGPT, fifty-plus enrichment attributes, and free tier requiring no credit card make it more cost-effective and accessible for resource-constrained teams. UpLead's pay-per-verification model becomes expensive at scale, and Cognism's premium pricing targets enterprise accounts. Derrick delivers comprehensive prospecting directly within your existing workflow.

Derrick vs Cognism vs UpLead: which offers the best 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 most teams. UpLead operates on a pay-per-verified-record model, which can escalate quickly with high-volume campaigns. Derrick offers the most flexible and transparent pricing structure, starting at zero dollars with two hundred rollover credits and scaling affordably to one hundred seventy-five dollars for one million credits monthly. Unlike competitors, Derrick requires no credit card for the free tier and allows unused credits to roll over, providing better cost control for teams with variable prospecting needs while delivering fifty-plus enrichment attributes per contact and integrated AI capabilities.

How does Cognism compare to UpLead on data accuracy and depth?

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Cognism and UpLead both emphasize data accuracy and enrichment, but they approach depth differently. Cognism shines in verified B2B contact data, real-time company insights, and GDPR/CCPA compliance, with strong European coverage and intent signals, making it ideal for enterprise targeting. UpLead focuses on real-time verification and clean contact data with reliable CRM integrations. Derrick complements both by adding 100% native Google Sheets enrichment, extended firmographic depth across 50+ attributes, and AI-powered scoring-all without CSV exports or complex setup, enhancing data usability within existing workflows.

What are Derrick's main differences from Cognism and UpLead?

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Derrick operates as a 100% native Google Sheets platform, eliminating the need for CSV exports and complex integrations that Cognism and UpLead require. While Cognism excels at intent signals and UpLead focuses on data verification, Derrick combines enrichment with integrated AI Claude and ChatGPT for automated scoring and segmentation directly in your spreadsheet. Derrick's rollover credits, no credit card requirement for free tier, and 50+ enrichment attributes per contact offer greater flexibility and cost efficiency than both competitors for teams prioritizing simplicity and native workflow integration without technical overhead.

Can Derrick replace both Cognism and UpLead for lead enrichment?

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Derrick cannot fully replace Cognism and UpLead for lead enrichment in every scenario. Cognism and UpLead specialize in comprehensive data enrichment, verified contacts, firmographics, and behavior signals at scale, often with advanced cleansing and compliance controls. Derrick excels as a native Google Sheets enrichment platform with 50+ attributes per record, real-time email validation, AI scoring, and broad Zapier/Make integrations, plus cost-effective credits. For teams needing deep enrichment, multi-source data, and enterprise-grade verification, using Cognism or UpLead alongside Derrick provides a more complete pipeline. Derrick complements, but does not inherently replace, both.
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