The Apollo.io Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Apollo.io in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Apollo.io
The Insider’s Guide
B2B contact database with built-in email sequences and a dialer
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among lead and email finders, read from Apollo.io’s own pages.
Made by ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io) · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Apollo.io’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Apollo.io’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 3 of the 19 other lead and email finders we grade
Apollo.io is a sales platform built on a database of about 240 million contacts and 30 million companies. Reps search and filter that data, reveal work emails and phone numbers with credits, and then contact people from the same account through email sequences, a dialer and a Chrome extension. Paid plans add CRM enrichment, website visitor identification and call recording.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Apollo.io, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's a big web app with a database, sequences, mailboxes and a dialer, so expect a learning curve before it pays off.
- 1
Best for contact data and outreach in one account
Apollo is the one-stop sales shop: a big contact database, email sequences and a dialer in one account, with a free plan to start on.
- 2
Paid plans start at $49 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $49 per seat / month, billed annually.
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web, with a browser extension too.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 3 of 19
That is against the other lead and email finders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Apollo.io you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Apollo.io at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $49 per seat / month, billed annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day trial of Basic or Professional with 75 credits
- Runs on
- Web, Browser extension
- Made by
- ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io), since 2015
- Category
- Lead & Email Finders
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for contact data and outreach in one account
Apollo is the one-stop sales shop: a big contact database, email sequences and a dialer in one account, with a free plan to start on. Basic is $49 a seat a month billed yearly, so five reps pay $245. Watch the credits, though: a phone number costs 8 against 1 for an email, and unused credits vanish each cycle.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | A 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. |
| Features | B | About 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Apollo.io is for
- Great if you want to find people and email them from the same account
- Handy when you're a founder trying outbound and want a free plan with sequences
- Good for reps who prospect on LinkedIn through a browser extension
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$49
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Apollo.io has a free plan. Paid plans start at $49 per seat / month, billed annually.
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.
The 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.
Trying it first
14-day trial of Basic or Professional with 75 credits
Read from apollo.io on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 24% with annual billing
Apollo's pricing page shows a 24% saving on paid plans when billed annually instead of monthly.
Stated on apollo.ioStartups
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.
Stated on apollo.io
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Browser extension
B2B contact database with built-in email sequences and a dialer. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, web clipper, sales pipeline, email campaigns.
It covers the whole job, and the outreach after it.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Pipedrive
- Outreach
- Salesloft
- Gmail
- Slack
- SendGrid
Apollo.io is made by ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io), and has been around since 2015.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
3/19
Other lead and email finders it is graded above
Apollo.io's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 3 of the 19 other lead and email finders we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 9 of 19) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $49 a month for each person, against a middle price of $39 for the category: 9 of the 14 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 20 lead and email finders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Apollo.io’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 19
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 19
- BFeaturesAbove 9 of 19
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 19
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 19
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 15 lead and email finders. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Apollo.io is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Apollo.io you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 11 of the 19 other lead and email finders grade higher. It costs $588 a year.
What you could make
- Sales pipeline and web clipper: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Apollo.io’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
ZoomInfo, Lusha, Seamless.AI, RocketReach and lemlist
The 5 tools Apollo.io is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
ZoomInfo
Free plan
B2B contact and company data platform with AI sales tools.
- Only ZoomInfo lists an iOS app.
- Apollo.io also covers web clipper, sales pipeline and email campaigns.
- ZoomInfo also covers workflow automation and AI agents.
- 2.4GPA
Lusha
Free plan · from $37.45/mo
B2B contact data for verified emails and direct phone numbers.
- Apollo.io also covers sales pipeline.
- 2.4GPA
Seamless.AI
Free trial
B2B contact search with AI writing, emailing and a dialer.
- Apollo.io has a free plan. Seamless.AI does not, though it has a free trial.
- Apollo.io also covers sales pipeline.
- 2.4GPA
RocketReach
Free plan
Contact database for finding work emails and phone numbers.
- Apollo.io also covers sales pipeline.
- 2.8GPA
lemlist
Free trial · from $55/mo
Cold email and LinkedIn sequences with a built-in lead database.
- Apollo.io has a free plan. lemlist does not, though it has a free trial.
- Apollo.io also covers web clipper and sales pipeline.
- lemlist also covers templates and AI agents.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Apollo.io free?
Apollo.io has a 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.
How much does Apollo.io cost?
Apollo.io lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Apollo.io work on?
Apollo.io is available on Web. It also has a browser extension.
Does Apollo.io offer any discounts?
Apollo.io publicly lists the following: Save 24% with annual billing; 50% off for a year for early-stage startups.
Does Apollo.io have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Apollo.io is listed for Web.
Does Apollo.io have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Apollo.io is listed for Web.
Is Apollo.io open source?
Apollo.io is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Apollo.io have an API?
Yes. Apollo.io offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Apollo.io integrate with?
Apollo.io's listing names Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Outreach, Salesloft, Gmail, Slack and SendGrid.
Does Apollo.io have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day trial of Basic or Professional with 75 credits.
Who makes Apollo.io?
Apollo.io is made by ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io). It dates from 2015.
What are the alternatives to Apollo.io?
The closest alternatives to Apollo.io in our directory are ZoomInfo, Lusha, Seamless.AI, RocketReach and lemlist.
How does Apollo.io compare with other lead and email finders?
Apollo.io's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 3 of the 19 other lead and email finders we grade, and level with 5.
Is Apollo.io good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Apollo.io C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $49 a month for each person, against a middle price of $39 for the category: 9 of the 14 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Apollo.io?
To replace Apollo.io you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Apollo.io’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Apollo.io's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io). Prices change, so check apollo.io before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,880
Tools graded, in 47 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Apollo.io, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/apollo-io
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Apollo.io: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/apollo-io
Know someone choosing between lead and email finders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/apollo-io/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded lead and email finders after Apollo.io, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Lead & Email Finders Insider's GuideEvery one of the 20 lead and email finders we grade, compared
- Clay Insider's GuideData enrichment tables that query 150+ data providers in one place2.8 GPA
- GetProspect Insider's GuideEmail finder and B2B database with a LinkedIn extension2.8 GPA
- Hunter Insider's GuideEmail finder and verifier with cold email sequences built in2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Apollo.io’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Apollo.io is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by ZenLeads Inc. (Apollo.io). Prices and plans change: check apollo.io before you buy.