Apollo.io vs Cognism
We give Apollo.io a 2.4 GPA and Cognism a 2.0, out of 4.0. Apollo.io grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Apollo.io
B2B contact database with built-in email sequences and a dialer
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAApollo.ioFair | 2.0GPACognismFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$245 a month for five on Basic, billed yearly: $49 a seat, right at this category's dearer quarter ($49). That buys 30,000 credits a seat a year, about 2,500 a month each, pooled, at 1 credit an email and 8 a phone number. | CNo prices are published: Standard and Pro are quoted by sales, so it sits at the ordinary grade. Both include 5 seats, so the quote is your five-person figure, and each seat comes with a set number of credits, one per contact revealed. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan for good with 900 credits a seat a year, 2 sequences and 250 emails a day, plus a 14-day trial of the paid plans. But 900 a year is 75 a month, a cap you'll hit if you prospect every day. | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, and both packages are sold through its sales team. |
| Features | BAbout 240 million contacts with emails and phone numbers, waterfall enrichment, unlimited sequences, a dialer, call recording and a Chrome extension. It covers the whole job, and the outreach after it. | BEmails and phone-checked mobiles, hiring, funding and job-change signals, AI search and research, a browser extension, CRM enrichment, an API and MCP. It covers the whole job, and intent data comes with Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a big web app with a database, sequences, mailboxes and a dialer, so expect a learning curve before it pays off. | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a sales platform for teams of five or more, with filters, signals and CRM syncing to set up, so expect some onboarding. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a Chrome extension that works on LinkedIn, Gmail and CRMs, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Outreach, Salesloft and Slack. No desktop or phone apps on record. | BWeb and a browser extension, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Bullhorn, Salesloft, Outreach and Zapier, plus an API and MCP. |
| Best for | contact data and outreach in one account | phone-checked mobile numbers for selling into Europe |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Apollo.io and Cognism. How we grade
Where they differ
- Apollo.io has a free plan. Cognism does not.
- Apollo.io also covers web clipper, sales pipeline and email campaigns.
At a glance
| Apollo.io | Cognism | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $49 per seat / month, billed annually | Not published |
| Free plan | 900 credits per seat a year, granted monthly, 2 sequences, basic filters, 250 emails a day from 1 mailbox, and the Chrome extension. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day trial of Basic or Professional with 75 credits | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io) | Cognism Ltd |
| Price read from | apollo.io | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Apollo.io
- Sales teams that want contact data and outreach in one account
- Founders trying outbound prospecting on a free plan
- Reps who prospect from LinkedIn through a browser extension
Cognism
- Sales teams prospecting into Europe
- Teams that cold call and need verified mobile numbers
- Mid-market and enterprise teams with five or more reps
Worth knowing
Apollo.io
- Phone numbers cost 8 credits each against 1 for an email, and unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle.
- All seats on an account must be on the same plan, and Organization requires at least 3 seats.
- Downgrades take effect at once with no refund, and annual plans cannot move to monthly mid-term.
- Inbound visitor identification costs $119 to $639 per team a month on top of a plan, billed annually.
Cognism
- No prices are published: the Standard and Pro packages, CRM Enrichment and data feeds are all quoted by sales.
- Both packages include 5 seats, and Cognism says teams of at least 5 salespeople get the most from it.
- Each seat gets a set number of credits, one per revealed contact; more credits are bought separately.
- Intent data and on-demand mobile verification need Pro, and CRM Enrichment is an extra add-on.
Key features
Apollo.io
- Contact and company database
- Search about 240 million contacts and 30 million companies by title, company, intent topics and other filters. Paid plans unlock advanced filters.
- Credits for emails and phones
- Revealing a verified email costs 1 credit and a phone number 8. Credits are pooled across the team, reset each billing cycle and do not roll over.
- Email sequences
- Multi-step outreach from connected mailboxes. The free plan allows 2 sequences and 250 emails a day; paid plans add unlimited sequences and any email provider.
- Chrome extension
- Shows emails and numbers for people on LinkedIn, company websites, Gmail and CRMs, and adds them to lists or sequences. Works on every plan.
- Enrichment and waterfall
- Fill in missing fields for CSV files, CRM records and API calls. From Basic, waterfall enrichment checks partner sources when Apollo has no match.
- Dialer and call recording
- A US dialer billed in credits, call recording with AI insights, and an Advanced Dialer add-on with parallel and international calling.
Cognism
- Contact and company data
- Emails, mobile numbers, job titles and work history for people, and revenue, headcount, headquarters and technology use for companies.
- Phone-verified mobiles
- Mobile numbers that pass extra manual and automated checks. Pro adds on-demand verification of chosen prospects and a premium mobile filter.
- Signals and intent data
- Hiring, funding, M&A and job-change signals on every package; Pro adds Bombora intent data with up to 12 topics chosen from over 11,000.
- AI search and research
- AI search, an AI persona builder and AI company research help find accounts and refine lists built with firmographic and technographic filters.
- Browser extension
- Shows contact data and buying signals on LinkedIn and company websites, and pushes contacts into a CRM.
- CRM Enrichment, MCP and API
- An add-on or standalone product enriches CRM records and keeps them current. MCP and API access come with both prospecting packages.
Plans
Apollo.io
Free$0
900 credits per seat a year, granted monthly. 2 sequences, basic filters, 25-record selection limit and 250 emails a day.
Basic$49
per seat / month, billed annually, 30,000 credits a seat a year
Unlimited sequences, advanced filters, CRM integrations, waterfall enrichment, email warmup and the US dialer (credits apply).
Professional$79
per seat / month, billed annually, 48,000 credits a seat a year
Adds A/Z testing, AI lead scoring, 4,000 minutes of call recording with AI insights and more automated workflows.
Organization$119
per seat / month, billed annually, 72,000 credits a seat a year
Minimum 3 seats. Adds 12 intent topics, 8,000 recording minutes, unlimited inbound routers, SSO and advanced security.
Cognism
Pricing could not be confirmed. See cognism.com.
Ways to pay less
Apollo.io
- Annual discount
Save 24% with annual billing
Apollo's pricing page shows a 24% saving on paid plans when billed annually instead of monthly.
- Startups
50% off for a year for early-stage startups
Startups with fewer than 20 employees, no Apollo subscription and a link to a partner program get 50% off Basic or Professional for a year, up to 5 seats.
Cognism
No public discounts listed.
