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Side-by-side pricing breakdown, hidden costs, and negotiation intel for both tools. Verified March 6, 2026.
| Clay | Cognism | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $185/mo | $3,600/user/yr |
| Pricing model | Credit-Based | Quote Only |
| Free trial | ✓ Yes | — No |
| Annual only | ✓ No | ⚠ Yes |
| Plans | 3 tiers | 2 tiers |
| Hidden costs | 3 flagged | 4 flagged |
| Last verified | March 11, 2026 | March 6, 2026 |
Free plan available with 500 actions and 100 data credits/month. Clay uses two separate currencies: actions (for running workflows and waterfall enrichments) and data credits (for pulling contact/company data from providers). Both deplete independently.
Both plans include up to 2,000 exports/views per user per month — but only 25 at a time. Bulk exports beyond 25 contacts require separate bulk export credits, purchased additionally.
Clay pricing is fairly fixed on self-serve plans. Enterprise contracts are negotiable with multi-year commits and volume. Competing quotes from ZoomInfo and Seamless are the most effective leverage on enterprise deals — similar price range makes the threat credible.
Cognism is negotiable at EOQ/EOY. Volume discounts are structured — push to commit to 6+ seats if you're close to a tier boundary to drop from $3,600 to $2,550/user on Platinum. Teams switching from ZoomInfo or Apollo have leverage. EMEA coverage is a genuine differentiator that limits price competition for internationally-focused teams.
The right choice depends on your team size, workflow, and priorities. A few context-specific scenarios:
Data quality, deliverability, and coverage vary by region and use case — these comparisons are based on pricing structure only. Evaluate both tools on a trial before committing.