Apollo.io vs LeadIQ (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Apollo.io: it is third in our ranking of lead and email finders, and they share a 2.4 GPA.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Apollo.io grades higher on features and platforms. LeadIQ grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan.
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
LeadIQ
Prospecting extension for contact data, job changes and CRM sync
Which one is for you
Pick Apollo.io if
- Fits if you want to find people and email them from the same account
- Works for founders trying outbound on a free plan with 2 sequences and 250 emails a day
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you call a lot, since each phone number eats 8 credits
- Tight if your usage is lumpy, as unused credits expire at the end of each cycle
- Not for you if you want some reps on cheaper seats, since every seat must be on the same plan and Organization needs 3
- Watch out: downgrades take effect at once with no refund, and annual plans can't move to monthly mid-term
- Pricey if you want inbound visitor identification, at $119 to $639 a team a month on top of a plan, billed yearly
Pick LeadIQ if
- Fits if you prospect on LinkedIn and push contacts into a CRM
- Works for one person who wants to try 30 days of any plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you need phones: a mobile number costs 10 credits each
- Skip it if you want much free, as the free plan is 50 credits
- Watch out: Pro covers up to 5 users; larger teams need Enterprise, which is annual only
- Watch out: the pricing page's static HTML shows $200 for Pro while its slider computes $20
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAApollo.ioFair | 2.4GPALeadIQFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$15 a month billed annually for 200 credits, $20 monthly. That's inside the cheapest quarter on price, but 200 credits is small. |
| 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. | CA free plan with 1 user and 50 credits, and a 30-day trial of any plan. |
| 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. | CCredit-based lookups, job-change tracking, an AI message writer, CRM enrichment and an API. Phones eat credits. |
| 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. | BA Chrome extension you install and use while browsing. No store rating on record. |
| 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. | CWeb and a Chrome extension, with one integration listed plus API and MCP. |
| Best for | contact data and outreach in one account | prospecting from LinkedIn into your CRM |
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 LeadIQ. How we grade
Price against what you get
Apollo.io starts at $49 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. LeadIQ starts at $15 a month and scores 2.3.
Apollo.io scores higher, and starts $34 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other lead and email finders on the chart, 1 scores higher than Apollo.io for less, and none scores higher than LeadIQ for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Apollo.io also covers web clipper, sales pipeline and email campaigns.
At a glance
| Apollo.io | LeadIQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49 per seat / month, billed annually | $15 per month for 200 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) |
| 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. | 1 user and 50 credits. |
| Free trial | 14-day trial of Basic or Professional with 75 credits | Any plan can be tried free for 30 days. |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io) | LeadIQ |
| Price read from | apollo.io | leadiq.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
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.
LeadIQ
- Mobile numbers cost 10 credits each, so phone-heavy work uses credits fast.
- Pro covers up to 5 users; larger teams need Enterprise, which is annual only.
- The pricing page's static HTML shows $200 for Pro; the slider script computes $20 at 200 credits.
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.
LeadIQ
- Credit-based contact lookups
- An email costs 1 credit, a phone number 10, email plus phone 11, and an account enrichment 3.
- Chrome extension
- Capture prospects while browsing LinkedIn or other sites and send them to a CRM or sales engagement tool.
- Job-change tracking
- Tracks champions who move to new companies so reps can reach out again.
- AI message writer
- Drafts outbound messages; the page also lists sales signals such as 10-K filings and hiring.
- CRM and form enrichment
- Keeps CRM records current and enriches web-form leads; the page lists Salesforce duplicate detection on Enterprise.
- API and MCP
- The pricing page lists API access and an MCP integration for AI assistants.
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.
LeadIQ
Free$0
1 user and 50 credits; setup takes under five minutes, per the page.
Pro$15
per month for 200 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Up to 5 users. A slider sets credits: $50 a month at 1,000 credits on monthly billing, $37.50 on annual.
EnterpriseCustom
Annual only; adds account prospecting, governance controls, CSV file enrichment, SSO and team analytics.
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.
LeadIQ
- Annual discount
Save 25% with annual billing
The pricing slider is labeled annual billing (25% off) against monthly billing for the Pro plan's credit tiers.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Apollo.io or LeadIQ?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Apollo.io starts at $49 per seat / month, billed annually, and LeadIQ starts at $15 per month for 200 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Apollo.io or LeadIQ?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Apollo.io and LeadIQ have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.