Apollo.io: Pricing, Features & What It Actually Does

A sales rep needs three things to start outbound at scale: a list of the right people, a way to contact them, and a system that keeps track of who’s been emailed and when. Most sales stacks bolt those three things together from separate vendors. Apollo.io built its business on selling them as one product, starting with a database of hundreds of millions of contacts and a free plan that doesn’t require a credit card to start using it.

TL;DR

Apollo.io is a sales-intelligence and engagement platform that combines a large B2B contact and company database with email sequencing, a browser dialer, a Chrome extension, and CRM integrations. It’s built for sales teams and founders doing outbound prospecting who want database search, outreach automation, and enrichment in a single tool rather than stitching several together. The free Starter plan is genuinely usable for testing the product, which is unusual in this category. The biggest caveat, echoed consistently across user reviews: data accuracy — especially phone numbers and coverage outside North America — doesn’t always match what the marketing promises, so verifying data quality for a specific target market before committing to a paid tier is worth the time.

At a glance

Category	Detail
What it is	Sales-intelligence database plus outreach engagement platform
Category	B2B contact database / sales engagement
Pricing model	Free-forever entry tier, then per-seat annual or monthly pricing with a credit system layered on top
Standout feature	Prospecting, sequencing, and enrichment combined in one product with a genuinely free tier
Best for	Outbound sales teams and founders who want database search and email/call sequencing without stitching multiple tools together
Free trial	Free-forever Starter plan; paid tiers commonly cited with a 14-day trial

What Apollo.io does

Apollo’s product spans three connected functions built on top of one database: finding people, reaching them, and keeping their records current. It started as a smaller prospecting tool and expanded over several years into a full sales-engagement platform, which is why the product today reads less like a single-purpose database and more like a combined CRM-adjacent workspace — a rep can go from a saved search to a live sequence to a logged call without leaving the app. That breadth is the main reason Apollo shows up so often in comparisons against both database-first tools like ZoomInfo and engagement-first tools like Outreach or SalesLoft: it competes with both categories at once, doing a credible job of each without necessarily being the top specialist in either.

Contact and company database

Apollo’s core asset is a searchable database commonly cited in the 200–275 million contact range with tens of millions of company records, filterable by job title, seniority, geography, industry, company size, technology stack, funding stage, and headcount growth. This is the layer that replaces a manually built prospect list — a rep sets filters (say, VP of Sales at Series B SaaS companies with 50–200 employees using HubSpot) and gets a list back instead of researching each account individually.

Sequences and engagement

Once a list exists, Apollo’s sequencing tools build multi-step outreach campaigns across email and calls, with automated follow-ups, send-timing controls, and merge-field personalization. A built-in dialer supports calling directly from the browser, with call recording, transcription, and AI-generated conversation insights on higher tiers. A Chrome extension extends the same functionality to LinkedIn, Gmail, and company websites — overlaying contact details in a sidebar and letting a rep add a prospect to a sequence without leaving the page they’re on.

Enrichment and CRM sync

Apollo’s waterfall enrichment checks multiple connected data sources in sequence to fill in or refresh CRM records, rather than relying on a single internal database. It integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, SalesLoft, and other common sales tools, syncing prospecting and engagement activity back into whatever system a team already runs its pipeline through.

Pricing

Apollo’s own pricing page didn’t render a clean tier-by-tier table on direct fetch — the numbers below are compiled from multiple independent pricing-tracking sites that were broadly consistent with each other as of mid-2026, cross-checked rather than taken from a single source, but not independently confirmed against Apollo’s live page. Confirm current figures directly at apollo.io/pricing before budgeting.

Plan	Price (annual, per user/mo)	What’s included
Free / Starter	$0	Limited monthly credits, Gmail-only email connection, core database search
Basic	~$49	30,000 credits/year, unlimited sequences, CRM integrations, waterfall enrichment, email warmup, 6 intent topics
Professional	~$79	48,000 credits, unlimited Gmail/Microsoft mailboxes, unlimited daily sends, A/B testing, automated workflows, call recording with AI insights (4,000 min)
Organization	~$119 (3-seat minimum)	72,000 credits, 12 intent topics, SSO, advanced security controls, customizable reports, bring-your-own LLM API key

Monthly billing runs meaningfully higher than annual on every paid tier per the trackers reviewed. The free plan is real enough to build and test a small outbound motion on, which sets Apollo apart from database competitors that gate everything behind a paid trial, but the credit system is worth understanding before relying on it: search, export, and mobile-number reveals draw from separate credit pools, and several reviewers describe the system as difficult to predict month to month, especially once a team scales past a handful of users. It’s also worth checking whether a given workflow draws from search credits, export credits, or both — pulling a list into Apollo to sequence it behaves differently, credit-wise, than exporting the same list out to a CSV for use in another tool, and the two aren’t interchangeable even though they draw from what looks like the same balance at a glance.

Pros

• One tool covers prospecting, outreach, and enrichment. Reviewers consistently cite the combined workflow — search, sequence, and enrich without switching tools — as the main reason they picked Apollo over a narrower point solution.
• Large, genuinely free entry point. A usable free plan with real database access is uncommon in this category and lets small teams validate outbound before paying anything.
• Filtering depth supports precise targeting. Search filters including funding stage, technology used, and hiring signals let reps build tightly defined lists instead of broad, low-relevance ones.
• Ease of use is the most repeated theme in reviews. Search, sequence building, and the Chrome extension are described across G2 reviews as fast and intuitive relative to competing platforms.
• Price-to-database ratio beats enterprise competitors. At Apollo’s price points, the combination of database size and included engagement tooling undercuts enterprise-focused databases significantly on cost per contact.

Cons

• Data accuracy varies, sometimes significantly. Multiple reviewers report real-world match and accuracy rates closer to 65–70% versus the higher figures implied in marketing, with the gap most visible on phone numbers specifically.
• Phone data is weaker than email data, and costs more. Mobile number reveals draw more credits per record than email lookups, and accuracy on phone numbers is a recurring complaint versus specialists like ZoomInfo.
• Regional coverage is uneven. Reviewers report more outdated titles and invalid contact information in Europe, APAC, and Latin America than in North American records — worth testing directly against a target market before committing budget.
• Credit system adds real complexity. Separate credit pools for search, export, and phone reveals make monthly cost genuinely hard to predict, and several reviewers describe running out of credits unexpectedly mid-cycle.
• Interface density can overwhelm new users. The breadth of features — prospecting, sequences, dialer, enrichment, reporting — packed into one interface makes onboarding heavier than a single-purpose tool, even though experienced users rate day-to-day usability highly.

How it compares

ZoomInfo is the enterprise benchmark most often set against Apollo. Reviewers and comparison sites consistently describe ZoomInfo as stronger on data depth and accuracy, particularly for mobile phone numbers and intent-data breadth, and is built for larger organizations running ABM and intent-driven outbound at scale. That depth comes with enterprise pricing that puts it out of reach for most small and mid-market teams, and a heavier implementation. Apollo’s pitch against ZoomInfo is straightforward: a lower price point, a usable free tier, and engagement tooling (sequences, dialer) built natively into the same product rather than requiring a separate sales-engagement platform layered on top.

Lusha is the more direct comparison at the smaller end of the market. Lusha is generally positioned around fast, accurate contact reveal — particularly pulling verified details from LinkedIn profiles — for reps who want quick contact information without a full sequencing and dialer suite attached. Apollo’s broader feature set (database plus engagement plus enrichment in one platform) makes it the better fit for a team that wants to run its entire outbound motion from one tool, while Lusha suits a rep or team whose main need is fast, targeted contact lookup layered onto an outreach process that already lives elsewhere.

Who it’s for

Early-stage sales teams and founders doing their own outbound. The free tier and low-cost paid plans make Apollo an accessible starting point for building a first outbound motion without a large software budget.

Growing SDR/BDR teams that want one platform. Teams that would otherwise need a database tool plus a separate sequencing tool plus a separate dialer benefit most from Apollo’s combined approach.

Revenue teams already invested in a specific CRM. Native Salesforce and HubSpot sync means prospecting and engagement activity flows back into existing pipeline reporting without manual data entry.

Not the strongest fit for enterprise ABM programs needing the deepest data accuracy. Teams running large-scale account-based programs where data precision (especially phone) is mission-critical may still find ZoomInfo’s accuracy edge worth its higher price.

Recruiters and agencies exploring outside their core use case. Some recruiting and agency teams use Apollo’s search filters and enrichment for candidate or client sourcing, even though the platform is built and priced around a B2B sales motion, not a recruiting one.

Frequently asked questions

Is Apollo.io actually free?

Yes, the Starter plan is free forever with real database access, though credit allowances are limited and email sending is restricted to Gmail accounts on the free tier per Apollo’s published plan details.

How accurate is Apollo’s contact data?

Reviewers report real-world accuracy in the 65–70% range on average, below the higher figures sometimes implied in marketing, with meaningful variation by region and data type — email addresses generally test more reliable than phone numbers.

What’s an Apollo credit?

Credits are the unit Apollo uses to meter usage — separate pools exist for search/reveal actions, contact exports, and mobile phone number reveals, and each paid tier includes a set annual allowance.

Does Apollo.io have a dialer?

Yes, a browser-based dialer is built into the platform and the Chrome extension, with call recording, transcription, and AI-generated call insights available on paid tiers.

What CRMs does Apollo integrate with?

Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, and SalesLoft are among the supported integrations, syncing prospecting and sequence activity into existing pipeline records.

Is Apollo.io GDPR and CCPA compliant?

Apollo states it operates as both a data processor and data controller under GDPR and complies with CCPA/CPRA, offering a privacy center where individuals can submit access, opt-out, or deletion requests; opted-out records are added to a suppression list to prevent re-addition, per Apollo’s published privacy policy.

Can individuals opt out of Apollo’s database?

Yes. Apollo provides an opt-out and data-deletion process through its privacy center, and individuals can also submit requests by email under CCPA. This is a relevant consideration for organizations weighing the compliance profile of any contact database, not unique to Apollo specifically.

What’s the difference between Apollo.io and ZoomInfo?

ZoomInfo generally offers deeper data accuracy, especially on phone numbers, and stronger enterprise ABM/intent capabilities, at a materially higher price. Apollo trades some of that data depth for a lower cost, a usable free tier, and engagement tooling built into the same platform.

Does the Apollo Chrome extension work outside LinkedIn?

Yes — the extension surfaces contact details and lets users add prospects to sequences from LinkedIn, Gmail, Salesforce, HubSpot, and general company websites, syncing activity back to the Apollo dashboard in real time.

How many contacts are in Apollo’s database?

Figures cited across Apollo’s own materials and third-party sources range from roughly 200 million to 275 million contacts and 60–73 million companies; the exact figure moves over time as the database is updated, so treat any specific number as approximate.

Does Apollo.io offer intent data?

Yes, paid tiers include a set number of intent topics — six on the Basic tier, twelve on Organization, per third-party pricing trackers — which flag accounts showing research behavior related to specific product categories, similar in concept to (though smaller in scope than) dedicated intent-data platforms.

Is Apollo.io suitable for recruiting or only sales?

Apollo is built and marketed primarily for B2B sales prospecting, not recruiting. Some teams have adapted its search filters for candidate sourcing given the overlap in searching professional data by title and company, but it isn’t purpose-built for recruiting workflows the way a dedicated sourcing tool would be.

Does Apollo.io support A/B testing for email sequences?

Yes, A/B testing for sequence steps is included starting on the Professional tier, alongside automated workflows and unlimited daily sends, per third-party pricing breakdowns of the plan.

Verdict

Apollo.io earns its popularity by covering prospecting, outreach, and enrichment in one reasonably priced product with a free tier solid enough to actually build on. For early-stage and mid-market sales teams that want to consolidate tooling and keep cost per seat low, it’s a sensible default. Teams running high-stakes enterprise ABM where data accuracy — particularly phone numbers and non-US coverage — is the deciding factor should weigh Apollo’s known accuracy gaps against ZoomInfo’s higher price and stronger data depth before committing. Either way, testing data quality against an actual target list before signing an annual contract will tell you more than any review, including this one — pull a sample of fifty to a hundred contacts in the exact market segment that matters, check how many emails and phone numbers actually validate, and use that number instead of a marketed accuracy figure to decide which tier fits the budget.

See Apollo.io’s full profile, pricing, and verified reviews on Spotsaas, listed under Sales Engagement Software alongside its competitors.

Sources

• Apollo.io — Pricing (direct fetch attempted July 2026; full tier table not retrievable, figures cross-checked against third-party trackers)
• Apollo.io — Chrome Extension product page
• Apollo.io — Privacy Center
• Apollo.io Knowledge Base — GDPR Overview
• G2 — Apollo.io Reviews

Pricing could not be fully verified against Apollo’s live pricing page at time of writing (page did not render a complete tier table on direct fetch); figures reflect cross-checked third-party reporting as of July 2026. Features and plans change — confirm current pricing directly with Apollo before budgeting.