6sense ABM Platform: Features, Costs & Best Alternative

One of the most well-known players in account-based marketing (ABM) is 6sense, a platform that positions itself as “Revenue AI” with predictive analytics, intent signals, and account orchestration. 

But how well does it actually deliver on these promises?

In this article, we’ll explore the 6sense ABM platform and its key features, strengths, and limitations. We’ll also look into other alternatives and how they compare for building an effective ABM motion. 

TL;DR

6sense ABM is an AI-driven revenue orchestration platform designed to surface in-market accounts and predict buyer intent. It offers strong orchestration and analytics, but may come with high costs and complex adoption.

Cognism bridges these gaps with GDPR-compliant, phone-verified data, predictable pricing, and fast adoption. With real-time signals and international reach, Cognism ensures your ABM strategy doesn’t just identify opportunities, it converts them into revenue.

What is 6sense ABM?

6sense is a US-based ABM company that positions itself as an AI-driven revenue platform. At its core, the 6sense ABM platform uses predictive analytics and intent data to help companies identify in-market accounts and prioritise them for outreach.

Some of its core capabilities include:

• Signalverse™ & ABM intent data to detect buyer behaviour early.
• Predictive modelling and AI tools like 6AI help with account prioritisation and workflow automation.
• Marketing and sales alignment tools: reports, dashboards, analytics, alerting and CRM / MAP / SEP integrations.

6sense ABM platform overview & features

The 6sense ABM platform combines several capabilities designed to help marketing and sales teams run account-based programmes more effectively:

• Account identification: surfacing accounts that show anonymous buying signals.

• Predictive analytics: forecasting which accounts are most likely to convert.

• Orchestration: aligning ABM campaigns across advertising, email, and SDR outreach channels.

• Integrations: connecting to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and other GTM tools.

So what are the pros and cons of using 6sense for ABM? 

If these cons concern you, you might want to consider a 6sense alternative like Cognism. 

Cognism is a leader in EMEA, providing compliant, quality, fresh and reliable data. The tool includes real-time signal data and intent data from Bombora, so you can rest assured that you’re always getting the most actionable data for your campaigns. 

“I would 100% recommend Cognism. If you’re a company wanting to keep your data fresh and get new contacts, Cognism can help match specific companies to a hot list. They can compile lists, assess intent and enrich your existing prospects. It’s rare for data providers to offer this, which sets Cognism apart.”

Read the full case study

95-99%

email deliverability rate

Dom Verrall
Global Director of Data @CEC Marketing

Cognism vs 6sense ABM: Key differences

Cognism gives revenue teams the data foundation that ABM strategies need to succeed.

While 6sense focuses on predicting which accounts to target, Cognism ensures your teams can actually reach and engage the right people inside those accounts.

With Diamond Data® mobile numbers and emails, global EMEA coverage, and GDPR-compliant enrichment, Cognism bridges the gap between ABM insights and sales execution.

Add in predictable pricing, fast adoption, and real-time signals like job changes and intent data, and Cognism delivers ABM campaigns that not only look good on a dashboard but also convert.

“We compared Cognism to its competitors. The results showed that in both the EMEA and North America markets, Cognism had better results in every dimension. Most importantly giving us more contacts and the correct information of those contacts.”

Read the full case study

Mauro Visentin
Global Head of Inside Sales @Expert.ai

Still unconvinced? Learn more about Cognism vs 6sense. 

Cost-benefit analysis: Where ROI differs

Choosing an ABM platform isn’t just about features; it’s about whether the investment translates into pipeline and revenue.

Let’s look at how Cognism and 6sense differ in pricing and ROI. 

6sense ABM costs

• High upfront licence fees: often six figures, scaled by seats, modules, and data volume.
• Credit-based enrichment: pulling direct dials, emails, or workflows consumes credits. Heavy use may result in costly surprises.
• Extra upsells: audits, model tune-ups, and consulting packages are promoted as add-ons.
• Training overhead: adoption often requires 6sense ABM certification and admin resources.

Cognism ROI

• Predictable pricing: no credit-burn surprises, unlimited access for reps.
• Immediate impact: reps can call verified mobile numbers today, not wait for predictive dashboards to align.
• Faster adoption: no certifications required. Teams onboard in days.
• International reach: leader in EMEA data.
• Tangible pipeline results: from a 200% increase in contactable leads (Sparta Global) to a 22% growth in quarterly pipeline (Druva).

Bottom line:

6sense is strong at surfacing signals. Cognism ensures those signals turn into real conversations, meetings, and revenue.

“Cognism identifies the leads, allows us to target them based on the prospect’s intent and then follow-up with the sales action. Using intent data has massively reduced our Time to Engagement (TTE). Our sales cycle is typically 6-8 months long. At Cognism, we saw ROI in 8 weeks from intent data and direct dials. One deal pays for a year’s Cognism subscription.”

Read the full case study

8 weeks

taken to achieve ROI

George McKenna
Head of Cloud Sales @Ultima

Why choose Cognism for ABM? 

Platforms like 6sense are great at surfacing intent signals. But what happens next?

To turn signals into revenue, you must reach the right people inside those accounts quickly, compliantly, and at scale. 

Cognism helps with that, and we’ve got the playbooks to prove it. 

We’ve built practical ABM cheat codes that show teams how to operationalise ABM using our verified data, intent insights, and CRM-native enrichment.

Scale your pipeline

Check out this step-by-step guide on building account lists, prioritising buyers with real-time signals, and enabling sales and marketing to run coordinated campaigns. 👇

Job role: Marketing

$300K+ pipeline from our ABM playbook

Use this play to:

Prioritise high-value accounts showing real buying intent

Engage multi-stakeholder buying committees with relevant messaging

Align marketing and sales to influence pipeline from day one

View play

View play

ABM at scale

Learn how to identify, engage, and convert top-tier accounts using Cognism’s global data coverage, Diamond-verified mobiles, and Bombora intent signals. Perfect for revenue teams looking to scale ABM across multiple regions.

Job role: Marketing

Inside the scaled ABM program that drove $700K in pipeline

Use this play to:

Build ABM foundations without an expensive tool

Move from generic outreach to precision targeting

Prove ABM ROI through leading indicators like penetration and engagement

View play

View play

By combining these data-first ABM workflows with your  GTM orchestration platform of choice (whether 6sense or others), Cognism ensures your teams don’t just spot opportunities, they connect with decision-makers and close them.

FAQ

Final thoughts

Choosing an ABM platform isn’t just about identifying accounts; it’s about connecting with the right people inside them.

While 6sense excels at surfacing intent, Cognism delivers the verified data, compliance, and signals that turn those insights into real conversations and a measurable pipeline.

For marketing and sales teams who want to prove ABM ROI faster, Cognism provides a more straightforward, cost-effective path to execution.

Book a demo with Cognism today and see how our Diamond Data® and intent signals can help you power ABM campaigns that convert.