Apollo vs Lusha 2026: Data, Credits and Real Cost Compared

Quick answer: Apollo.io is the better all-in-one pick: a 240M+ contact database with unlimited sequences, a dialer and deal tracking from $49 per seat a month billed annually. Lusha is the simpler, phone-first pick: a 290M+ contact database (117M+ direct dials, by its own count) used mostly through its Chrome extension, from $37.45 a month billed yearly, where a phone number costs 5 credits against Apollo’s 8. Choose Apollo if you want to prospect and run outreach in one tool. Choose Lusha if your reps live in LinkedIn and the CRM and mainly need mobile numbers. Prices vendor-published, checked September 2026.

Apollo and Lusha are both self-serve B2B contact databases with free plans, credit-based pricing and a browser extension, so they end up on the same evaluation list. The overlap stops at the data. Apollo has grown into a full sales engagement platform. Lusha has stayed closer to its roots as a fast way to get a verified email or mobile number while you look at a profile.

This comparison covers features, pricing with a worked example, data coverage, reviews, and when it makes sense to use both. For Apollo on its own, read our Apollo.io review.

Apollo vs Lusha: Feature Comparison

Sources: apollo.io/pricing, Apollo B2B data, lusha.com/pricing, lusha.com and Lusha Engage, checked September 2026. Database and accuracy figures are each vendor’s own claims.

What Is Better, Apollo or Lusha?

For most outbound teams, Apollo does more for the money. One seat gets you search, email reveals, sequences, a dialer and basic deal tracking, so a small team can run its whole prospecting motion inside it.

Lusha is better when the job is narrower. If your reps already have a sales engagement tool (Outreach, Salesloft, HubSpot sequences) and mainly need accurate mobile numbers while browsing LinkedIn or the CRM, Lusha’s extension is quicker to learn and its phone credits go further. A phone number costs 5 Lusha credits against 8 on Apollo.

Both vendors publish head-to-head pages that, unsurprisingly, declare themselves the winner. Lusha’s Apollo comparison (last updated July 2025) says more than 60% of Apollo’s contacts are in the US. Apollo’s Lusha comparison leans on its built-in sequences and dialer. Treat both as marketing, and test on your own list.

Apollo vs Lusha Pricing

Vendor-published, checked September 2026. The biggest structural difference: Apollo charges per seat, while Lusha’s Pro and Premium plans include extra seats and charge for credits. Detailed breakdowns are in our Apollo pricing and Lusha pricing guides.

Worked example: 1,000 contacts a month

Calculated from vendor-published prices and credit costs, checked September 2026. Both vendors charge only when they return verified data, so real usage is usually lower. Even so, Apollo’s per-credit price is lower at almost every volume, which cancels out Lusha’s cheaper phone credit. Lusha narrows the gap for teams that need several seats but modest volume, because Pro and Premium bundle extra seats.

One contract detail to check with Lusha: its billing FAQ says monthly plans roll unused credits over (up to 2x the monthly limit), but on annual plans unused credits “do not roll over under any circumstances”. Apollo credits also expire at the end of each billing cycle.

Data Coverage and Where the Data Comes From

On paper Lusha’s database is larger (290M+ contacts against 240M+) and its homepage breaks out 117M+ direct dials. Apollo publishes no phone count and no regional breakdown.

Both build their data partly from a contributor network, which is worth understanding before you buy:

• Lusha says its data comes from community members who share email headers and signature blocks, licensed business directories, public sources scanned by its algorithm, and machine-learning auto-completion.
• Apollo says 2M+ users keep its data fresh “through inbox connections, CRM syncs, and real-world engagement signals”, filled in by third-party data providers and public data.

For European prospecting, Lusha leans harder on compliance: it lists GDPR and CCPA validation, ISO 27701 and SOC 2 Type II, and its 2025 comparison page claimed over 20 million contacts with verified details in Europe. Apollo’s privacy policy relies on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and legitimate interests. Neither replaces your own legal review.

What Do Users Say About Apollo and Lusha?

Checked September 2026 on Capterra (Apollo), Capterra (Lusha), Trustpilot (Apollo) and Trustpilot (Lusha).

The Trustpilot scores need context. Many recent Lusha reviews there come from people who found their own mobile number in the database, not from customers. Customer complaints that do show up for Lusha are about forfeited credits and auto-renewal charges. Apollo’s negative reviews cluster around outdated or wrong contact data, credits running out quickly, pricing changes and slow support. On Capterra, where reviewers are buyers, both score well, with Apollo ahead.

Can You Use Apollo and Lusha Together?

Yes, and it is a common pairing on phone-heavy teams. The usual setup is Apollo for list building, email reveals and sequences, with Lusha’s extension used to fill in mobile numbers where Apollo comes up empty. Because both push into Salesforce and HubSpot, the CRM becomes the meeting point.

The catch is cost: you pay for two credit pools and two sets of seats. It is only worth it if connect rates on Apollo’s phone data are hurting your call volume. Test that first by pulling 100 target contacts from each and dialling them. If you want to automate “try Apollo, then Lusha, then another source” instead of doing it by hand, that is exactly what a waterfall tool like Clay does; see our Clay vs Apollo comparison.

Who Should Choose Apollo

• Startups and SMB sales teams that want data and outreach in one subscription.
• SDRs who email and call from the same tool.
• Teams that need high monthly credit volume at a low per-credit price.
• Buyers who want to test with a generous free plan.

Who Should Choose Lusha

• Reps who prospect from LinkedIn and the CRM and mainly need direct dials.
• Teams that already own a sales engagement platform and do not want a second one.
• Small teams that want several seats without paying per seat (Pro includes 2, Premium 5).
• Companies that want vendor-stated GDPR certifications on paper.

Still looking? See our lists of Apollo.io alternatives and Lusha alternatives, or the enterprise option in Apollo vs ZoomInfo.

How to Choose Between Apollo and Lusha

1. Decide if you need outreach built in. If yes, Apollo. If you already have a sequencer, both work.
2. Count phones versus emails. Phone-heavy workflows favour Lusha’s 5-credit phone; email-heavy favour Apollo’s larger allowances.
3. Run a 100-contact test. Use both free plans on the same target list and compare verified emails, mobiles and connect rates.
4. Price seats and credits together. Apollo multiplies by seat; Lusha multiplies by credits.
5. Read the renewal terms. Check credit rollover and auto-renewal on either annual plan before signing.

More options are in the sales intelligence software category. Spotsaas also keeps summaries of Apollo.io and Lusha.

Frequently Asked Questions