Overview

Apollo combines a database of more than 240 million contacts and 30 million accounts with tools for researching prospects, running outreach and managing sales activity. Its AI agents can research accounts, prioritize leads, draft outreach, follow up and book meetings. That breadth can reduce the need to move between separate prospecting and engagement tools, though teams should weigh it against the credits and plan features they will actually use.

Key features

Prospecting and research

Contact and account data includes direct-dial and intent data, with technographic filters for narrowing prospect searches. Those capabilities suit sellers who need to qualify accounts as well as find contact details. Apollo also offers API access, useful for teams connecting its data to their own workflows.

Outreach and sales activity

Email sequencing, outreach automation, dialing, call recording and pipeline tools cover much of the work after a prospect is identified. The free Chrome extension can show contact and account insights, find email addresses, support dialing and add prospects to lists or sequences. More than 200 integrations—including Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, SalesLoft, Marketo, Sendgrid, LinkedIn and major email providers—give teams options for fitting Apollo into existing systems.

Apollo says it is ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certified, GDPR compliant, and encrypts data in transit and at rest. It also describes encrypted passwords, two-factor authentication, intrusion detection and VPC firewall settings for its databases.

Pricing

Apollo uses a freemium model, with a free plan, paid tiers and a free trial. Trial access includes credits and most features of the selected plan, subject to trial-specific limits.

Plan	Price	What it includes
Free	Free	900 credits per seat per year, granted monthly; 2 sequences; API access; 1 intent topic
Basic	49.00 USD per month (billed billed annually)	30,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront; email sequencing; core integrations

The Free plan is a reasonable starting point for individual sellers or early-stage teams exploring Apollo, but its two-sequence cap and one intent topic constrain sustained outreach and research. Basic raises the annual credit allocation and adds email sequencing and core integrations; its 49.00 USD per month price is billed annually, so it is a more considered commitment than the monthly wording alone suggests. Apollo identifies additional plans for full-time sellers and larger teams, with custom pricing for the Custom plan, which includes dedicated support.

Credits do not roll over: unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle. Free-plan credits are granted monthly, while Basic credits are granted upfront, so buyers should account for that difference when planning usage.

Platforms

Apollo supports web, API and browser-extension access. The free Chrome extension is useful for sellers who prospect while browsing, while API access can support integration into team workflows.

Who it's for

Apollo is best suited to founders and early-stage teams needing prospecting and basic outreach in one place, or sales teams that can make use of its database, sequencing, automation and integrations. Sellers who need a small, predictable allowance can start free; teams with heavier prospecting needs should compare paid-plan quotas and billing terms before committing. It is less suitable for buyers who need credits to carry forward between billing cycles.

Pros and cons

Pro: Prospect data, email sequencing, dialing and pipeline tools sit in one platform, covering multiple stages of sales work.
Pro: API access is included on the Free plan, and the free Chrome extension supports contact discovery and adding prospects to sequences.
Pro: Direct-dial data, intent data and technographic filters support more targeted prospecting.
Con: Free users are limited to two sequences and one intent topic.
Con: Unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle, so uneven usage can waste an allocation.
Con: Basic is billed annually despite its monthly price presentation, which may not suit buyers seeking a short commitment.

Alternatives

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is worth considering for buyers who prefer a paid sales-intelligence option with Android, iOS and web access; its Core plan is 119.99 USD per month and Advanced is 159.99 USD per month, each billed per license with 50 InMail credits per month.
Lead411 is another option for buyers comparing paid contact-data services; it also offers a free plan and free trial.
Lusha may suit buyers seeking a freemium alternative with API and extension access; its permanent Free plan includes 40 credits a month and one seat.
Coresignal is an alternative for buyers comparing API and web access; it has a free tier and a Mini plan at 49.00 USD per month.
LeadIQ may fit teams comparing freemium prospecting tools; its free plan is for one user and includes 50 credits.
Snov.io is another freemium option with API, extension and web access, and a Starter plan at 39.00 USD per month.
Tracxn is an alternative for buyers who want a tool available across Android, iOS, web, API and extension.
Hunter may suit buyers comparing email-focused prospecting tools; it has API, extension and web access, with a free plan of 50 monthly credits.

Verdict

Apollo is a strong fit for teams that want prospect data, research and sales engagement together, especially when its sequencing, automation and integrations can serve an existing workflow. Choose it for that breadth, but look elsewhere if expiring credits or annual billing on Basic do not match how your team buys and uses sales software.

	Apollo	Swordfish
Free plan	Yes
Free trial	Yes
Paid from	$49/mo
Platforms	api, extension, Web	api
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	$49/user/mo
Contact database size	275 contacts	3,500,000,000 contacts
Direct-dial data	Yes	Yes
Intent data	Yes	Yes
Technographic filters	Yes
API access	Yes	Yes

Apollo vs Swordfish

Apollo

Swordfish