CACI Acorn has served UK data teams well for decades. But it was built around census snapshots — and the last census was 2011. Here's how the two products compare.
| Feature | Cogstrata | CACI Acorn |
|---|---|---|
| Data freshness | ✓Continuously refreshed (AI inference) | ✗Census-anchored (2011 base, periodic overlays) |
| UK postcodes covered | ✓1.8M+ active postcodes | ✗~1.7M postcodes |
| Attributes per record | ✓5,000+ derived attributes | ✗~60 Acorn category variables |
| AI / LLM ready | ✓Structured for direct agent ingestion | ✗Not designed for AI consumption |
| API access | ✓REST API, real-time | ✗Legacy batch delivery |
| Privacy model | ✓Postcode-level aggregation (GDPR-safe) | ✗Household-level classification (PII risk) |
| Pricing model | ✓Usage-based, no minimum | ✗Annual licence, high minimum commitment |
| GDPR compliance | ✓By design (no personal data) | ✗Requires careful handling |
CACI Acorn's core geodemographic taxonomy is anchored to the 2011 census. Cogstrata uses continuous AI inference across housing, macroeconomic, and behavioural signals to keep classifications accurate in real time.
Acorn was designed for batch exports and BI dashboards. Cogstrata is structured for direct agent ingestion — self-documenting labels, machine-readable schemas, and a REST API that returns enriched records in milliseconds.
Cogstrata operates at the postcode sector level, meaning there's no personal data at any point in the pipeline. GDPR compliance is by design, not by policy.
Send us a sample of postcodes and we'll return fully enriched records within 24 hours — no contract, no commitment.
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