A side-by-side look at how the two compare, and which one fits your use case.
| Dimension | PersistData | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Server-side per-request data API | Owned, compliance-screened database (Cognism markets 440M+ contacts, 100M+ mobiles, ~10M human phone-verified Diamond records). Self-collected, licensed, and partner data (Bombora intent); not a LinkedIn-cookie scraper |
| Login / seat required | No login, no seat | Yes; seat-based, priced per named user on top of a platform fee. API is an add-on requiring the platform contract. No LinkedIn login needed (own database) |
| LinkedIn account ban risk | None; fully server-side | None to a LinkedIn account; Cognism queries its own database (parity with PersistData). The axis where Cognism differs is contract and financial, not account-safety |
| Pricing model | One-time packs or month-to-month, transparent per-credit, no platform fee (PersistData's published terms) | Quote-only, no public list prices. Procurement estimates: Grow/Platinum ~$15,000/yr platform fee + ~$1,500/user/yr; Elevate/Diamond ~$25,000/yr + ~$2,500/user/yr. A 5-seat Grow team runs ~$22,500/yr. Annual, upfront, auto-renew |
| Approx. $ per record | ~$0.02-$0.10 per credit (PersistData's stated rates) | Not metered per record; Cognism sells access. Derived estimate (not an official rate): roughly $0.15-$0.20 per record only if you max a ~2,000-records/user/month fair-use cap, and several dollars per record for light users |
| Pay only for found | Yes; a not-found costs 0 credits (per PersistData's terms) | Partial; the Enrich API returns a no-cost preview and charges a credit only on a matched/redeemed record, but this sits on top of a large fixed annual platform + seat commitment. Core web-app usage is access-based, not pay-per-found |
| Free tier | Evaluation via low-cost packs | No free plan and no self-serve trial; the only sampling option is a sales-mediated 25-lead sample matched to your ICP (exact mechanics estimated) |
| Annual lock-in | None | Yes; annual contract required, paid upfront, auto-renewal unless written notice ~60 days before renewal. No monthly option; renewal pricing commonly rises ~10-15% |
| API access | API-first; sign up and call immediately | Yes (REST: Enrich + Redeem, plus CRM enrichment; docs at developers.cognism.com). Gated as an add-on requiring the platform contract and entitlement; CRM Enrichment / Data-as-a-Service priced separately. Not a standalone sign-up-and-call developer API |
Cognism is best-in-class for verified mobile dialing and European outbound: ~10M human phone-verified Diamond records (~98% claimed accuracy on that subset), deep UK/Western-Europe coverage, and a serious GDPR/CCPA program with DNC scrubbing across 15+ national registries. It carries a large owned database (Cognism markets 440M+ contacts, 100M+ mobiles), Bombora intent, technographics, mature native CRM/sequencer integrations, and brand trust across 4,000+ revenue teams.
PersistData fits when you want transparent, low, self-serve pricing with no platform fee, no seat minimum, and no annual lock-in, versus Cognism's ~$15,000-$25,000/yr commitment before a single seat. PersistData is pay-only-for-found at the credit level (a miss costs 0 credits) and a pure server-side API you can sign up for and call immediately, where Cognism's API is a gated add-on on top of an enterprise contract. For a developer or small team that wants metered, low-volume, no-commitment access without a sales call, PersistData is lower-friction.