The best Apollo.io alternative depends on which part of Apollo you want to replace. For data enrichment built your way, pick Clay, which ranks just below Apollo in our best AI SDR tools. For AI prospecting inside a CRM, pick the HubSpot Prospecting Agent, our top-ranked AI SDR. For enterprise-grade data, get quotes from ZoomInfo or Cognism. For cheap contact lookups, try Lusha. For high-volume cold email, Instantly costs less. For an AI writer and dialer on a small budget, try Regie.ai. Apollo is still the best single tool for data plus outreach at a low seat price, so switch only for a clear reason.
Why people look for Apollo.io alternatives
Data accuracy is not good enough
Capterra reviewers report wrong job titles, outdated contacts and duplicates, and our ranking notes that phone numbers and contacts outside North America are weaker spots. Teams selling into Europe or to enterprise accounts often trial ZoomInfo or Cognism for better phone coverage.
Credits run out too fast
A mobile number costs 8 credits, calls cost 2 to 36 credits a minute, and warmup and bought mailboxes also draw from the pool. Phone-heavy teams can burn a year's credits in months and find per-contact tools such as Lusha easier to budget.
Deliverability problems
Apollo sends through your own mailbox, and Free and Basic allow one mailbox per user and 250 emails a day. Teams that run large cold email programmes often move sending to a dedicated tool such as Instantly, which includes unlimited mailboxes and warmup.
Support and interface frustrations
Apollo scores 3.1 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 1,331 reviews, with repeated complaints about slow support and a crowded interface. Capterra users rate customer service lower (4.2) than ease of use and features (4.5).
Data-sourcing and compliance concerns
LinkedIn removed Apollo's company page in March 2025, which MarTech linked to LinkedIn's anti-scraping rules; Apollo said its service was unaffected. Some legal and security teams prefer vendors that sell mainly on compliance, such as Cognism, especially for UK and EU outreach.
Apollo.io alternatives at a glance
Tool
Best for
Price from
Free plan
Our score
Apollo.io for comparison
Small and mid-sized teams that need contact data and AI outreach in one tool
Teams that want a data vendor built around European data and compliance
Custom quote (packages include 5 seats)
No
n/a
Scores come from our category rankings (hover for which one). "n/a" means the tool is not in a ranking yet.
The best Apollo.io alternatives, reviewed
#1 · Best for revOps and growth teams that design their own enrichment workflows
Clay
by Clay Labs · from $167/month (Launch) · free plan
8.2/10
Clay is a spreadsheet-like workspace that pulls data from more than 150 providers and runs waterfalls: it checks one source, then the next, until it finds an email or phone number. Its AI agent, Claygent, researches companies on the web and writes custom data points. The Free plan gives 500 actions and 100 data credits a month with unlimited seats; Launch starts at $167 a month and adds phone enrichment and job-change signals. Clay does not sell per seat, which helps larger teams, but it takes real setup time and you still need a sending tool.
Versus Apollo.io:Far more flexible enrichment, but no built-in database-plus-sequencer simplicity.
by HubSpot · from $1 per recommended lead, plus a paid HubSpot plan (Sales Hub Starter from $20/seat/month)
8.5/10
HubSpot's Prospecting Agent researches accounts, picks leads and drafts personalised outreach inside the HubSpot CRM, and it is our top pick in best AI SDR tools. Since 14 April 2026 it costs 100 HubSpot Credits (about $1) per lead it recommends, and it runs on Starter, Professional and Enterprise plans. Because it lives in your CRM, every email, reply and deal stays in one record. It does not come with a contact database as large as Apollo's, so teams often pair it with an enrichment source.
Versus Apollo.io:Native to the HubSpot CRM, but you pay per lead on top of seats.
#3 · Best for enterprise sales teams that need deep company data and buying signals
ZoomInfo
by ZoomInfo · from Custom quote (annual contracts) · free plan
7.6/10
ZoomInfo is the long-standing enterprise choice for B2B contact and company data, with intent data, technographics (what software a company uses) and website visitor tracking. It publishes no prices: quotes depend on seats, credit volume, features and contract length, and most paid plans are billed annually upfront. There is a free ZoomInfo Lite tier with 10 credits a month for trying the data. It suits teams with a budget and an admin, not a founder who needs results this week.
Versus Apollo.io:Richer enterprise data and signals, but opaque pricing and annual contracts.
#4 · Best for reps who want quick email and phone lookups from LinkedIn or a CRM
Lusha
by Lusha · from $37.45/month billed yearly (Starter) · free plan
Lusha is a simpler contact-data tool. Its Chrome extension shows verified emails and phone numbers while you browse LinkedIn, company websites or your CRM. The Free plan gives 40 credits a month, and Starter costs $37.45 a month billed yearly for 4,800 credits a year, with bulk enrichment, lookalikes and an AI assistant. Pro and Premium add an API, signals and team credit controls, and Pro and Premium roll over unused monthly credits up to twice the monthly cap. It includes basic email sequences, but outreach is lighter than Apollo's.
Versus Apollo.io:Cheaper, simpler lookups; weaker sequencing and dialer.
by Instantly (Foo Monk, LLC) · from $47/month (Growth outreach plan)
7.8/10
Instantly is built for sending cold email at volume. Every outreach plan includes unlimited sending mailboxes and unlimited warmup, and Growth costs $47 a month for 5,000 emails and 1,000 uploaded contacts. Its lead database (450M+ contacts by Instantly's count) is a separate credits plan from $47 a month, so the combined Starter bundle is $94. Pricing is per workspace, not per seat. It has no dialer or deep CRM, so teams often keep a data tool alongside it.
Versus Apollo.io:Cheaper, flat-priced sending with unlimited mailboxes; data costs extra.
#6 · Best for small sales teams that want AI research, writing and a power dialer
Regie.ai
by Regie.ai · from $41/month billed annually (Pro) · free plan
8.0/10
Regie.ai's RegieGO product researches accounts, enriches contacts, drafts messages and runs a power dialer, sending email from your own Gmail or Outlook. The Free plan gives 250 one-time credits per person, pooled for up to 10 people. Pro costs $41 a month billed annually ($49 monthly) for 5,000 credits a month, and Team costs $125 a seat a month billed annually with a 2-seat minimum. Regie does not charge when enrichment finds nothing. It ranks in our best AI SDR tools.
Versus Apollo.io:Stronger AI writing and dialing per dollar, smaller brand and ecosystem.
#7 · Best for teams that want a data vendor built around European data and compliance
Cognism
by Cognism · from Custom quote (packages include 5 seats)
Cognism sells B2B contact data and markets itself on European coverage and "compliance-first" data, which appeals to UK and EU teams with strict legal reviews. Its Standard and Pro prospecting packages each include 5 seats and a shared credit pool, where 1 credit reveals one contact and viewing a contact you already revealed is free. It also sells CRM enrichment and data delivered by API. Prices are quote-only. Cognism is a data provider, not a sequencer, so you would pair it with a sending tool.
Versus Apollo.io:Better fit for European data and compliance reviews; no public prices.
You want better data: get quotes from ZoomInfo (enterprise signals) or Cognism (which markets itself on European data), or try Lusha for cheap, quick lookups.
You want custom enrichment: pick Clay and pair it with a sender.
You live in HubSpot: try the HubSpot Prospecting Agent, our top-ranked AI SDR.
You mostly send cold email: pick Instantly for unlimited mailboxes at a flat price.
You want AI writing and a dialer on a budget: try Regie.ai.
Many teams end up with two tools: one for data and one for sending. Run a two-week test on the same 200 target accounts in each tool and compare valid emails found, bounce rate and replies. Scores for each are in our best AI SDR tools and best AI for sales rankings, and costs are on our Apollo pricing page.
Switching tips from our editors
Export your contacts, accounts and sequence history to CSV before you cancel. Check whether your plan uses export credits for that.
Use up or reduce add-on credit packs before your renewal date, because unused credits do not roll over and add-ons renew automatically.
Move your sending mailboxes and warmup to the new tool before pausing Apollo sequences, so your domains keep a steady sending pattern.
Rebuild your best-performing sequences first and keep the same daily sending limits for at least two weeks.
Copy your unsubscribe and do-not-contact lists into the new tool on day one so nobody who opted out gets emailed again.
Apollo's unit for data and some features. An email reveal uses 1 credit and a mobile number uses 8.
Sequence
A planned series of emails, calls and tasks that runs automatically and stops when the prospect replies.
Waterfall enrichment
Checking several data providers one after another until one returns the missing email or phone number.
Email warmup
Sending and replying to small amounts of email between real inboxes so mailbox providers learn to trust a new address before cold outreach starts.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Three DNS records that prove an email really came from your domain. Gmail and Yahoo require them for bulk senders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Apollo.io?
For data, Lusha's free plan gives 40 credits a month and ZoomInfo Lite gives 10. For enrichment workflows, Clay's free plan gives 500 actions and 100 data credits a month. None matches Apollo's free plan for sequences and CRM sync together.
Is ZoomInfo better than Apollo.io?
ZoomInfo is stronger for enterprise data and buying signals, but it publishes no prices and sells mainly annual contracts. Apollo is cheaper, self-serve and includes outreach, so it suits startups and small teams better.
Is Instantly better than Apollo for cold email?
For sending volume, usually yes. Instantly includes unlimited mailboxes and warmup from $47 a month, while Apollo's Free and Basic plans allow one mailbox per user and 250 emails a day. Apollo has the stronger database, dialer and CRM sync.
What is the difference between Apollo and Clay?
Apollo is a database plus sequencer priced per seat. Clay is an enrichment workspace that pulls data from 150+ providers and uses AI to research leads, priced by actions and data credits. Many teams use Clay for data and a separate tool for sending.
Which Apollo alternative has the best European data?
Cognism markets itself on European B2B data and compliance, so it is worth a quote. Ask any vendor for a sample of your own target accounts before signing, because coverage varies by country and role.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from public information. Vendor figures are labelled as vendor claims.