Dun & Bradstreet vs Cognism
Choose Dun & Bradstreet if you want to start prospecting with a publicly priced D&B Hoovers Essentials plan; choose Cognism if your team prioritizes phone-verified mobile data and dedicated sales prospecting workflows. This is a viable comparison because D&B Hoovers and Cognism both offer company and contact data for B2B sales teams. Dun & Bradstreet also sells products beyond Hoovers, so the comparison focuses on D&B Hoovers rather than its wider business-data portfolio.
Last updated November 1, 2026.
At a glance
| Dimension | Dun & Bradstreet | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Published entry price | Hoovers Essentials: $49/month or $529/year | Custom quote; no price on pricing page |
| Prospecting plans | Hoovers Essentials monthly and annual plans | Standard and Pro; five seats included in each |
| Published credit allowance | Essentials monthly: 150 company and 150 contact credits | Credits included per seat; quantity not published on pricing page |
| Contact verification | Contacts verified by name, company, title and contact details | Phone-verified mobiles; on-demand verification in Pro |
| Company research | Company profiles, news and trigger events | Firmographic and technographic filters; AI company research |
| Buying signals | Buyer intent, website engagement and trigger events | Hiring, funding and job changes; intent data in Pro |
| CRM integrations | Hoovers integrations with Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and Microsoft Dynamics |
| Sales engagement integrations | Not published | Outreach and Salesloft |
| Browser access | D&B Hoovers Everywhere Chrome extension | Cognism Chrome extension |
| Trial or demo | D&B Hoovers free trial | Book a demo |
| Support | Customer service and Hoovers product contact | Live chat support |
Scroll the table sideways to compare each row.
Which should you choose?
Choose Dun & Bradstreet if
- Buyers seeking published entry-level prospecting prices
- Small teams that want a monthly company-and-contact credit allowance
- Sales teams researching company profiles, news and trigger events
- Teams using Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics with D&B Hoovers
Choose Cognism if
- Teams prioritizing phone-verified mobile contact data
- Five-seat sales teams evaluating Standard or Pro
- Teams that need Outreach or Salesloft integrations
- Buyers seeking on-demand mobile verification in Pro
The verdict
The deciding factor is how your team plans to buy and use prospecting data. D&B Hoovers Essentials suits a buyer who wants published monthly or annual pricing and a stated credit allowance, while D&B Hoovers offers account intelligence and buying signals for broader sales workflows. Cognism suits a team willing to request a quote for a five-seat prospecting package, particularly one that values phone-verified mobiles, on-demand verification in Pro, and integrations with sales engagement tools. Check the specific plan before buying: features and credit allowances differ by package.
Dun & Bradstreet vs Cognism: common questions
- Are Dun & Bradstreet and Cognism direct alternatives?
- D&B Hoovers, a Dun & Bradstreet sales intelligence product, and Cognism both help B2B teams find companies and contacts for prospecting. Dun & Bradstreet's broader portfolio includes other business-data products, so D&B Hoovers is the relevant product to compare.
- How much do Dun & Bradstreet and Cognism cost?
- Dun & Bradstreet lists D&B Hoovers Essentials at $49 per month or $529 per year. Cognism lists Standard and Pro prospecting packages but asks buyers to request a tailored quote rather than publishing a price on its pricing page.
- How do their prospecting credits work?
- The monthly D&B Hoovers Essentials plan includes 150 company credits and 150 contact credits. Cognism includes an allocation per seat, uses one credit to reveal a contact, and lets customers buy additional credits; its pricing page does not state the allocation size.
- Which offers phone-verified mobile numbers?
- Cognism publishes phone-verified mobile data and includes on-demand mobile verification in Pro. Dun & Bradstreet says D&B Hoovers verifies contacts by name, company, title and contact details, but does not describe the Hoovers Essentials contacts as phone-verified mobiles.
- Do both integrate with Salesforce?
- Yes. Dun & Bradstreet publishes a Salesforce integration for D&B Hoovers, and Cognism lists Salesforce among its CRM integrations. Confirm the integration available with the specific subscription you are considering.
- Which integrates with Outreach and Salesloft?
- Cognism lists integrations with both Outreach and Salesloft. The Dun & Bradstreet material reviewed for D&B Hoovers does not publish those integrations.
- Can I try either product before buying?
- Dun & Bradstreet offers a free trial of D&B Hoovers. Cognism invites buyers to book a demo; its pricing page does not publish a self-service free trial.
- Do both provide buyer intent data?
- Dun & Bradstreet lists buyer intent among D&B Hoovers buying signals, while Cognism includes intent data in its Pro prospecting package. Ask each vendor which signals are included in the plan you would purchase.
