Comparison
WhatWebCo vs Apollo & Cognism
They're not really the same category of tool. Here's the honest breakdown, so you can pick the right one instead of the more familiar one.
The short version
Different tool, different job
Apollo and Cognism sell access to a global database of verified people — named decision-makers, emails, phone numbers, searchable across any industry or country. That's a genuinely useful product if you need broad, scalable contact enrichment.
WhatWebCo does something narrower on purpose: it finds local UK businesses by postcode and industry, fresh from Google Maps, and enriches each one with whatever contact details, booking-system signals, and Companies House director data we can find. If your pipeline is built around local territory coverage rather than a global contact list, that's a different — and usually cheaper — problem to solve.
What it actually costs
Cognism doesn't publish pricing — figures below are estimated from public reporting on typical contract sizes, not an official rate card.
| Tool | Entry price | Effective cost per lead | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatWebCo | £49.99/mo | ~£0.05–£0.10 | Self-serve, published pricing |
| Apollo | ~$49/user/mo | Varies by plan (credit pools) | Self-serve, per-seat + credits |
| Cognism | No self-serve tier | ~$0.50–$1.00 (est.) | Enterprise quote only, $15k+/yr typical |
How they actually work
| Feature | WhatWebCo | Apollo | Cognism |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're buying | Local UK business leads, sourced fresh | Global B2B contact database | Global B2B contact database, phone-verified |
| Search by postcode + industry | — | — | |
| Interactive lead map | — | — | |
| UK Companies House director lookup | — | — | |
| Self-serve signup, no sales call | — | ||
| Published, transparent pricing | — | ||
| Built-in CRM pipeline | — | — |
Which one is actually right for you
Choose WhatWebCo if...
- You're prospecting local UK businesses by postcode or territory
- You want a CRM pipeline built in, not a separate tool to sync
- You want self-serve pricing you can see before signing up
Choose Apollo or Cognism if...
- You need named decision-makers across any industry or country
- You're not targeting a local geography specifically
- You have budget for a broader, more expensive contact database
See it on your own territory
Free trial included. No card required. Cancel anytime.