Apollo.io Review 2026: Pricing, Pros & Cons + 7 Alternatives

Apollo.io is still one of the best-value all-in-one prospecting tools in 2026: a B2B database that Apollo puts at 240M+ contacts and 30M+ accounts, email sequences, a dialer and AI agents in a single app, with a free plan and paid seats from $49 a month (billed annually). Its weak spots are credits that expire, data that is uneven from one market to another, and LinkedIn steps you still have to do by hand. Below: what changed since our 2024 review, the October 2026 prices, honest pros and cons, and the alternatives worth comparing.

Apollo.io at a glance

What changed at Apollo.io since 2024

Apollo looks quite different from the tool we reviewed in May 2024:

• From "database + sequences" to an agentic GTM system. Apollo's homepage now sells agents that "research, build lists, write outreach, follow up, and book meetings", trained through an AI Context Center on your ICP and product. An AI Assistant is included on every plan, including Free.
• Apollo outside Apollo. "Apollo Anywhere" lets reps use Apollo data from their CRM, Gmail, the browser, ChatGPT or Claude.
• A unified credit system. Emails, phone numbers, warmup, domains and mailboxes, and AI-researched data all draw from one credit balance. On annual plans the year's credits are granted upfront; unused credits do not roll over.
• Deliverability tooling. Paid plans include a deliverability suite with email warmup, plus the option to buy domains and mailboxes inside Apollo.
• An acquisition. On March 19, 2026 Apollo announced it had acquired Pocus, a revenue intelligence platform that turns CRM and behavioral signals into prioritized actions (Apollo newsroom).
• Different data claims. In 2024 Apollo advertised 275M contacts and 73M companies; in October 2026 its site says 240M+ contacts and 30M+ accounts. Treat any database size as marketing until you test your own segment.

Apollo.io pricing in October 2026

All prices below come from the Apollo pricing page as of October 2026, per seat, taxes excluded.

A few things that matter more than the headline price:

• Credits expire. Apollo's FAQ is explicit: unused plan and add-on credits expire at the end of each billing cycle.
• One plan per account. You can't put one rep on Professional and the rest on Basic.
• Annual is a commitment. Monthly-to-annual is allowed anytime; going back requires waiting for the annual plan to end.
• Add-ons cost extra. Inbound (website visitor identification, routing, forms) starts at $119 per team per month billed annually, and the Advanced Dialer (international, parallel and power dialing) is $119 per team per month.

Key features

B2B database and enrichment

You search people and companies with filters (title, seniority, industry, headcount, technologies, intent topics), reveal emails and mobile numbers with credits, and enrich CSV files or your CRM. Paid plans add waterfall enrichment, which queries extra sources when Apollo's own data has a gap.

Sequences, deliverability and calls

Sequences mix automatic emails, calls and tasks. Basic and up include warmup and the deliverability suite; Professional adds A/Z testing. The US dialer is included (credits apply), and call recording with AI insights is capped by plan.

AI agents and assistant

The AI Assistant and agents can research accounts, prioritize leads, draft outreach and follow up. They are most useful once you've fed the AI Context Center with your ICP, product and playbooks; out of the box the copy reads generic.

LinkedIn: tasks, not automation

This is the gap most LinkedIn-first teams hit. Apollo's help center says LinkedIn steps in a sequence "need to be manually completed" and that "Apollo doesn't automatically complete LinkedIn tasks for you" (Apollo knowledge base). Connection requests, messages and profile views are reminders in your task list, which you execute in LinkedIn yourself.

Pros and cons

Pros

• A real free plan, so you can test search and the extension before paying.
• Data, enrichment, email sequences and calling in one tool, with public prices.
• Native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, Marketo and the major email providers.
• Compliance controls built in: GDPR settings, unsubscribe management, Do Not Call screening, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.

Cons

• Credits expire at the end of each cycle, and the system (emails, phones, AI research, mailboxes) takes time to understand.
• LinkedIn steps are manual, so you still spend time inside LinkedIn every day.
• Coverage and accuracy vary by country and industry, like every database. Verify emails before sending and test a sample of your own market during the trial.
• The product has grown dense; new users often need a few days to find their way around.
• Organization requires at least three seats.

Is Apollo.io GDPR compliant?

Apollo provides tools that support GDPR compliance, but compliance depends on how you use it. Admins can switch on settings that block prospecting, email sending and email tracking for people located in the EU, and Apollo provides unsubscribe links, removal requests and data export or deletion on request (Configure GDPR Settings on Apollo). Apollo itself states it can't advise whether your processes are compliant and recommends checking with counsel.

Two practical points. First, the EU settings only apply when Apollo can resolve a prospect's location. Second, if you email Europeans you remain responsible for your legal basis, opt-outs and records. In the US, an Illinois judge approved an $870,000 settlement in March 2024 in a class action brought by Illinois residents over Apollo's use of their personal data (Law360).

Who should use Apollo.io?

Apollo fits teams whose main channel is email and phone, who want a database and sequencer in one subscription, and who can live with credit limits. It's a weaker fit if LinkedIn is your main channel (manual tasks), if you only need a few hundred contacts a month (the free plan or a lighter email finder may be enough), or if you sell mostly to markets where its coverage is thin.

Our verdict

For a small team starting outbound, Apollo remains the default to beat on price per feature. Start on Free, run your ICP searches, export a sample, verify it, and only then pick Basic or Professional. If you prospect mainly on LinkedIn, pair Apollo with a LinkedIn automation tool or pick a platform that runs both channels.

The best Apollo.io alternatives in 2026

useArtemis

useArtemis is a LinkedIn + email prospecting platform for founders, sales teams and agencies. You find leads with Discover (a B2B lead database with verified emails), the LinkedIn and Sales Navigator scraper or the email finder, then run sequences that mix LinkedIn steps (invitations, messages, profile visits, likes) and emails, with AI-written personalized messages and one inbox for both channels. Plans start at $69/month (Starter: 2 LinkedIn accounts, 500 verified emails, 2,500 Discover leads), with credits that roll over. You can start with a free account (no credit card required) to search leads, build lists and prepare campaigns; finding emails, connecting LinkedIn and launching need a paid plan. Choose it over Apollo if LinkedIn is where your replies come from.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

The best search on LinkedIn data, with lead and account lists, alerts and buyer intent. It doesn't give emails or send anything for you, and there's no native export. See our Sales Navigator pricing guide for every plan.

Lusha

Lusha is simpler than Apollo: look up emails and phones from LinkedIn or your CRM, enrich lists, and run basic email sequences. The free plan gives 40 credits a month; Starter starts at $37.45 a month billed yearly (Lusha pricing).

ZoomInfo

ZoomInfo sells three sales packages (Professional, Copilot Advanced, Copilot Enterprise) with intent signals, buying-group data and workflows, all priced on request. It targets mid-market and enterprise budgets; our ZoomInfo pricing analysis explains how its contracts work.

Cognism

Cognism focuses on verified contact data, with on-demand mobile verification on its Pro plan, intent data and an API/MCP access. Its Standard and Pro packages each include five licences and are quoted by sales. It has no sequencer, so you'd pair it with an outreach tool.

Seamless.AI

Seamless.AI is a contact search engine with options for job-change alerts, buyer intent and enrichment. Pricing is on request beyond the free sign-up. Read our Seamless.AI review for the details.

Amplemarket

Amplemarket bundles data, multichannel sequences (email, LinkedIn steps, calls) and its Duo AI copilot, but starts at $600 a month for two users on an annual term. Our Amplemarket review compares it with Apollo in detail.

For lighter needs, our list of free email finding tools and our comparison of LinkedIn automation tools cover cheaper single-purpose options.

FAQ

Is Apollo.io free?

Yes, Apollo has a free plan with 900 credits per seat per year (granted monthly), two sequences, basic filters and a limited AI Assistant. Paid plans start at $49 per seat per month billed annually ($65 monthly), and Basic and Professional come with a 14-day trial.

Does Apollo.io provide phone numbers?

Yes. Apollo credits reveal emails and phone numbers, and paid plans include a US dialer where calls also consume credits. Mobile coverage varies by country, so check a sample before buying a large credit volume.

Does Apollo.io automate LinkedIn outreach?

No. Apollo sequences can include LinkedIn tasks (connection request, message, profile view, post engagement), but Apollo's documentation says these must be completed manually. To automate LinkedIn you need a dedicated tool.

What are Apollo.io's main competitors?

For data: ZoomInfo, Cognism, Lusha and Seamless.AI. For all-in-one prospecting with LinkedIn: Amplemarket and useArtemis. For pure LinkedIn search: Sales Navigator. The right pick depends on your main channel and your budget per seat.

Is Apollo.io legit and safe to use?

Apollo is a well-established company used, by its own count, by over 600,000 companies, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications. Like any database, it holds personal data about prospects, so configure its GDPR settings and unsubscribe links if you contact people in Europe.