Cognism vs People Data Labs (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Cognism grades higher than People Data Labs: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cognism grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. People Data Labs grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
People Data Labs
Person and company data sold through APIs and data feeds
Which one is for you
Pick Cognism if
- Fits if you sell into Europe and your team cold calls mobile numbers
- Works for sales teams of five or more reps
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before you buy, as there's no free plan or trial
- Skip it if you're on your own, since both packages come with 5 seats
- Watch out: no prices are published, so packages, CRM Enrichment and data feeds are all quoted by sales
- Pricey if you want intent data or CRM Enrichment, which need Pro and an add-on
- Tight if you reveal a lot of contacts, since each seat gets a set number of credits and more are bought separately
Pick People Data Labs if
- Fits if you're a developer building on person and company data
- Works for teams that want to test records on a free tier first
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an app with screens, as the pages describe APIs and feeds
- Tight if you're staying free: contact data is hidden until Pro
- Pricey if you add premium fields, which cost extra
- Watch out: person and company data have separate price lists, and SSO is an add-on on Enterprise
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACognismFair | 1.6GPAPeople Data LabsWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo prices are published: Standard and Pro are quoted by sales, so it sits at the ordinary grade. Both include 5 seats, so the quote is your five-person figure, and each seat comes with a set number of credits, one per contact revealed. | C$98 a month for 350 person credits, or $100 for 1,000 company records. Just under the $99 where the dearest tenth starts. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, and both packages are sold through its sales team. | CA free plan of 100 records a month through the APIs, but emails, phones and addresses are obfuscated. |
| Features | BEmails and phone-checked mobiles, hiring, funding and job-change signals, AI search and research, a browser extension, CRM enrichment, an API and MCP. It covers the whole job, and intent data comes with Pro. | DPerson, company and job posting data, plus licensing. It's raw data you build on, so you need a product around it. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a sales platform for teams of five or more, with filters, signals and CRM syncing to set up, so expect some onboarding. | DAimed at developers: APIs, CSV enrichment and data feeds. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a browser extension, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Bullhorn, Salesloft, Outreach and Zapier, plus an API and MCP. | CWeb only, with no integrations listed; reach is through its APIs. |
| Best for | phone-checked mobile numbers for selling into Europe | developers buying person and company data |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cognism and People Data Labs. How we grade
Where they differ
- People Data Labs also covers research.
At a glance
| Cognism | People Data Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $98 per month for 350 person credits, billing basis not shown |
| Free plan | None | Up to 100 person or company records a month through the APIs. Emails, phone numbers and addresses are obfuscated. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Cognism Ltd | People Data Labs, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | peopledatalabs.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cognism
- No prices are published: the Standard and Pro packages, CRM Enrichment and data feeds are all quoted by sales.
- Both packages include 5 seats, and Cognism says teams of at least 5 salespeople get the most from it.
- Each seat gets a set number of credits, one per revealed contact; more credits are bought separately.
- Intent data and on-demand mobile verification need Pro, and CRM Enrichment is an extra add-on.
People Data Labs
- The pricing pages describe API use, CSV enrichment and data feeds, not a prospecting app.
- Contact data is hidden on the Free plan and unlocked only from Pro.
- Premium fields cost extra, and SSO or SAML is an add-on on Enterprise.
- Person and company data have separate price lists, and the page says discounts apply as volume grows.
Key features
Cognism
- Contact and company data
- Emails, mobile numbers, job titles and work history for people, and revenue, headcount, headquarters and technology use for companies.
- Phone-verified mobiles
- Mobile numbers that pass extra manual and automated checks. Pro adds on-demand verification of chosen prospects and a premium mobile filter.
- Signals and intent data
- Hiring, funding, M&A and job-change signals on every package; Pro adds Bombora intent data with up to 12 topics chosen from over 11,000.
- AI search and research
- AI search, an AI persona builder and AI company research help find accounts and refine lists built with firmographic and technographic filters.
- Browser extension
- Shows contact data and buying signals on LinkedIn and company websites, and pushes contacts into a CRM.
- CRM Enrichment, MCP and API
- An add-on or standalone product enriches CRM records and keeps them current. MCP and API access come with both prospecting packages.
People Data Labs
- Person data
- Person profiles enriched with resume and contact information, available through enrichment and search APIs.
- Company data
- The site describes more than 70 million company records with insights and signals.
- Job posting data
- A beta dataset of job postings, updated daily, meant for tracking hiring intent.
- Data licensing
- Enterprise customers can take on-premise or flat-file bulk deliveries instead of API calls.
- Free testing tier
- Up to 100 records a month at no cost, with email, phone and address fields obfuscated until a paid plan is chosen.
- Security attestations
- The pricing page says the data and platform are ISO and SOC 2 Type 2 compliant.
Plans
Cognism
Pricing could not be confirmed. See cognism.com.
People Data Labs
Free$0
Up to 100 records a month for testing the person or company APIs. Contact data is hidden.
Pro (person data)$98
per month for 350 credits, billing basis not shown
Full person APIs, contact data, premium fields as an add-on, CSV enrichment and email support. Volume discounts as use grows.
Pro (company data)$100
per month for 1,000 records, billing basis not shown
Full company APIs from 1,000 records a month, with premium fields as an add-on and email support.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom volumes, data license feeds, SSO and SAML as an add-on, a designated success team. Annual contracts.
Ways to pay less
Cognism
No public discounts listed.
People Data Labs
- Annual discount
20% off with an annual commitment
The pricing page says annual commitments save 20% and give access to all of the data upfront.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cognism or People Data Labs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Cognism has no price we could confirm, and People Data Labs starts at $98 per month for 350 person credits, billing basis not shown.
Which has a free plan, Cognism or People Data Labs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only People Data Labs has a free plan. Cognism does not.
Which platforms do Cognism and People Data Labs run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Cognism lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.