Act! vs Cognism: CRM Platform vs Data Enrichment Tool Comparison
Compare Act! (CRM platform) and Cognism (data enrichment tool) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Act! is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking, priced from $30/mo. Cognism is a data enrichment tool for B2B lead data and contact enrichment, priced via custom quotes. They solve different parts of the workflow, so many teams use both rather than choosing one over the other.
Key takeaways
- Act! publishes an entry price of $30/mo for its Advantage Standard plan, which includes 2,500 email sends per month.
- Cognism uses custom, contact-based pricing across all four of its plans: Sales Prospecting Standard, Sales Prospecting Pro, CRM Enrichment, and Data-as-a-Service.
- Act! lists 5 pricing tiers compared to Cognism's 4 tiers.
- Act! integrates with tools like Outlook, Slack, Shopify, QuickBooks Online, and Zendesk, while Cognism integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, SalesLoft, and Zapier.
- Cognism lists Diamond Data phone-verified contacts and GDPR and CCPA compliant data as key features, while Act! lists full-featured CRM and mobile app and email marketing.
Reviewed and updated September 4, 2026
Act! vs Cognism: CRM Platform vs Data Enrichment Tool Comparison
Act! is a CRM platform; Cognism is a data enrichment tool. Whether you need one, the other, or both depends on which part of the workflow you are buying for: customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking on one side, B2B lead data and contact enrichment on the other. This guide lays out what each vendor publishes.
The Quick Answer
Act! is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking; Cognism is a data enrichment tool for B2B lead data and contact enrichment. By each vendor's own wording, Act! lists full-featured crm and mobile app and email marketing, and Cognism lists diamond data phone-verified contacts and gdpr and ccpa compliant data.
Act! publishes an entry price of $30/mo; Cognism uses custom pricing, so the two cannot be compared on list price.
If your priority is organizing contacts, tracking deals, and forecasting revenue, Act! is the one built for it; for finding accurate contact data for target accounts, that is Cognism. Many teams run one of each.
Understanding the Core Difference
Act! is Act! is a CRM and marketing automation platform for small and midsize businesses that unites sales, marketing and customer management in one platform. It is sold as Act! Advantage cloud plans and an Act! Premium Desktop on-premises edition.
Cognism is Premium B2B sales intelligence platform with GDPR-compliant data, phone-verified Diamond Data contacts, and intent signals.
The two platforms take different approaches to solving the same core challenge.
Pricing Comparison
Act! Advantage Standard
Sales Prospecting Standard
Act! Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Emails |
|---|---|---|
| Act! Advantage Standard | $30/mo | Basic Email Marketing (includes 2,500 sends/mo) |
| Act! Advantage Professional | $45/mo | Email Marketing Plus (includes 25,000 sends/mo) |
| Act! Advantage Ultimate | $60/mo | Marketing Automation (includes 50,000 sends/mo) |
| Act! Premium Desktop | $40/mo | - |
| Enterprise Engagement | Contact Sales | - |
Source: Act! Pricing
Cognism Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Prospecting Standard | Contact Sales | 5 seats included; credits allocated per seat |
| Sales Prospecting Pro | Contact Sales | 5 seats included; credits allocated per seat |
| CRM Enrichment | Contact Sales | - |
| Data-as-a-Service | Contact Sales | - |
Source: Cognism Pricing
Pricing Analysis
One or both platforms use custom or contact-based pricing for some tiers. Reach out to their sales teams for exact quotes based on your usage needs.
Act! offers 5 pricing tiers compared to Cognism's 4, giving you more granularity as you scale.
Features Breakdown
- Full-featured CRM and mobile app
- Email marketing
- Interactive quotes and payments
- Online appointment scheduling
- Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
- Reports and interactive dashboards
- and 4 more listed below
- Diamond Data phone-verified contacts
- GDPR and CCPA compliant data
- Intent data powered by Bombora
- Technographic data
- Job change and funding alerts
- Browser extension for LinkedIn
- and 4 more listed below
Act! Key Features
- Full-featured CRM and mobile app
- Email marketing
- Interactive quotes and payments
- Online appointment scheduling
- Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
- Reports and interactive dashboards
- Marketing automation
- Lead scoring
- Project management
- Accounting integration
Cognism Key Features
- Diamond Data phone-verified contacts
- GDPR and CCPA compliant data
- Intent data powered by Bombora
- Technographic data
- Job change and funding alerts
- Browser extension for LinkedIn
- CSV enrichment
- On-demand mobile verification
- Target market analysis lists
- Unlimited admin access
The two lists below are a diff of each vendor's own feature list by exact wording, so a capability both tools offer can appear on either side under a different name.
Listed only by Act!
- Full-featured CRM and mobile app
- Email marketing
- Interactive quotes and payments
- Online appointment scheduling
- Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
- Reports and interactive dashboards
- Marketing automation
- Lead scoring
- Project management
- Accounting integration
Listed only by Cognism
- Diamond Data phone-verified contacts
- GDPR and CCPA compliant data
- Intent data powered by Bombora
- Technographic data
- Job change and funding alerts
- Browser extension for LinkedIn
- CSV enrichment
- On-demand mobile verification
- Target market analysis lists
- Unlimited admin access
Integration Ecosystem
Act! Integrations
Act! connects with: Outlook, Google Contacts, Slack, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey, Wufoo, BigCommerce, Ecwid, Shopify, Volusion, Facebook, Freshdesk, Zendesk, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero.
Cognism Integrations
Cognism connects with: Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, SalesLoft, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Bullhorn, Zapier.
Integrations listed only by Act!: Outlook, Google Contacts, Slack, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey, Wufoo, BigCommerce, Ecwid, Shopify, Volusion, Facebook, Freshdesk, Zendesk, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero.
Integrations listed only by Cognism: Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, SalesLoft, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Bullhorn, Zapier.
Use Case Recommendations
Best Fit for Act!
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable CRM platform
- Organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integration support (16 integrations)
- Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
Best Fit for Cognism
- Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
- Revenue operations teams building targeted prospect lists
- Marketing teams enriching CRM data for segmentation
- Sales teams researching target accounts
Feature Comparison Summary
| Feature | Act! | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $30/mo | Contact Sales |
| Top Tier Price | Contact Sales | Contact Sales |
| Total Features Listed | 10 | 10 |
| Integrations | 16 | 8 |
| Founded | N/A | 2015 |
Getting Started Checklist
- Define your customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking and B2B lead data and contact enrichment requirements and monthly budget
- Estimate your expected contacts and deals and data credits or contact lookups to find the right tier
- List the integrations your team currently relies on
- Sign up for free trials or demos of both platforms
- Run a small test with each tool before making a commitment
- Evaluate the onboarding experience and support quality
Final Thoughts
Act! serves the customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking side of an outbound stack and Cognism the B2B lead data and contact enrichment side. Act! publishes an entry price of $30/mo, while Cognism uses custom pricing for its plans, so compare on features and on the quote you receive. Your decision should weigh pricing against the specific features that matter most for your workflow.
Start with a trial of each to see which platform fits your team's daily process. The best tool is the one your team actually uses consistently.
Pricing and features verified as of September 2026. Visit Act! and Cognism for current information.
Frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions- What is the main difference between Act! and Cognism?
- Act! is a CRM platform built for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking, while Cognism is a data enrichment tool built for finding B2B lead data and enriching contacts. They address different parts of the sales workflow, so the choice depends on whether you need to manage relationships or source accurate contact data.
- How much does Act! cost compared to Cognism?
- Act! publishes an entry price of $30/mo for its Advantage Standard plan, with higher tiers at $45/mo and $60/mo. Cognism does not publish list pricing and instead uses custom, contact-based quotes across all its plans, so the two cannot be directly compared on price.
- Can I use Act! and Cognism together?
- Yes, many teams run both since they serve different functions: Act! for organizing contacts, tracking deals, and forecasting revenue, and Cognism for sourcing accurate contact data on target accounts. Cognism integrates with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, though Act! is not listed among its named integrations.
- What integrations does each platform support?
- Act! connects with tools like Outlook, Google Contacts, Slack, Eventbrite, Shopify, Zendesk, FreshBooks, and QuickBooks Online. Cognism connects with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, SalesLoft, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Bullhorn, and Zapier.
- Which tool is better for finding B2B contact data?
- Cognism is built for that purpose, listing features like Diamond Data phone-verified contacts, GDPR and CCPA compliant data, intent data powered by Bombora, and technographic data. Act! does not list contact data enrichment features, focusing instead on CRM functions like email marketing and pipeline tracking.
About the author.
Tim Carden is CMO / CTO at RevenueFlow, which builds and operates outbound revenue engines for B2B companies. Studied at McGill University.
Tim Carden · CMO / CTO
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