Apollo
The Swiss Army knife of sales prospecting — best free tier in the game and the default first tool for every startup SDR
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The Verdict
“Apollo.io is the best value proposition in the B2B sales intelligence space, offering an incredible free tier and affordable paid plans that replace multiple tools. Data quality has improved significantly but still lags behind premium providers. Essential tool for any GTM team.”
Best For
Startup and SMB sales teams who need an all-in-one prospecting platform without enterprise budgets
Not Great For
Enterprise teams needing rock-solid data accuracy — Apollo's database is massive but inconsistent, and the UI has a learning curve
Overview
Apollo.io is a comprehensive AI sales platform providing a massive B2B database, advanced lead targeting, email sequencing, CRM integration, and analytics. It helps sales teams find, engage, and convert prospects across the entire sales cycle.
SDRs, AEs, Sales managers, Growth teams, Founders
all sizes
Capabilities
Key Features
- 275M+ B2B contacts database
- Advanced lead filtering
- Email sequencing with A/B testing
- Chrome extension
- Buying intent signals
- AI-assisted email writing
- Phone dialer
- CRM integration
- Pipeline management
- Analytics & reporting
Benefits
- Find any prospect with 275M+ verified contacts
- Automate outreach with multi-touch sequences
- Get buying intent signals to prioritize leads
- All-in-one platform replacing multiple tools
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Generous free tier with unlimited email credits
- +Massive B2B database (275M+ contacts)
- +Incredible value for money vs competitors
- +All-in-one platform reduces tool sprawl
- +Strong community and educational resources
Cons
- -Data accuracy not as high as ZoomInfo or Cognism
- -Can be overwhelming with so many features
- -Mobile credits are limited on lower tiers
- -Email deliverability can suffer at scale
- -Support can be slow on free plans
Outbound Use Cases
Financials & Scale
| Plan | Price | Limits | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited email credits, limited mobile credits | Basic email sequences, Gmail/Microsoft email only, LinkedIn extension |
| Basic | $49/user/mo | More credits, all email providers | Everything in Free, All email providers, A/B testing, Buying intent |
| Professional | $79/user/mo | Advanced features | Everything in Basic, Advanced reports, Dialer, AI-assisted emails |
| Organization | $119/user/mo | Enterprise features | Everything in Professional, Advanced security, Custom roles, API access |
Apollo's free tier gives you 10K email credits — more than most paid plans. Paid starts at $49/mo. ZoomInfo starts at $15K+/year. Lusha is $36/user/mo. The Apollo value prop is undeniable for startups: you get data + sequencing + CRM in one tool for less than most companies pay for data alone.
The Reddit Pulse
Community Pros
- +Best free tier in the game - serious volume before needing paid
- +Lead filters are 'next-level' with detailed targeting
- +Email validation 92% accurate
- +Built-in calling + email together = streamlined (no Zapier needed)
- +Reply rates improved significantly (3.4% to 11.2% in one case)
- +Reasonable pricing for startups
Community Cons
- -UI learning curve - feels like 'Salesforce lite' initially
- -Database leans B2B - finding creators/influencers takes finesse
- -A/B testing feels rigid compared to Lemlist
- -Some suggest using scraping tools as you scale for cost savings
Reddit Questions
- ? Is Apollo.io the best and most cost efficient sales tool?
- ? Can Apollo replace Lemlist + Phantombuster stack?
- ? How accurate is Apollo's email verification?
Thinking of Switching?
Competitive Landscape
Technical Stack
Integrations
Data Intelligence
Head-to-Head Comparisons
Company Intel
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