Tool profile
Apollo: cost, fit and limits
Apollo is a sales intelligence and engagement platform made by ZenLeads, Inc. d/b/a Apollo.io that combines a contact database, email and phone finding, sequences, a dialer and AI agents for sales teams, sold in Free, Basic, Professional and Custom plans.
What to know first
Apollo's pricing page describes Free, Basic, Professional and Custom plans, with monthly and annual billing, but prints no plan amounts. Free is for very light use and connects Gmail only. Basic adds email sequencing and core integrations, Professional adds higher credit limits, AI features, call recording and CRM integrations, and Custom adds SSO, advanced security and API access. The database is stated at 240M contacts and 30M companies.
Apollo at a glance
| Maker | ZenLeads, Inc., United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | Quote only |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Email Finder Tools in 2026, rank 3 of 12 |
| Website | apollo.io |
Who Apollo is best for
Teams replacing several tools
Apollo Profile unifies contacts and accounts, and sequences, a parallel dialer and deliverability tooling sit in the same account as the data.
Reps prospecting from other apps
A Chrome extension shows verified emails and phone numbers while a rep works in other tools, without opening the Apollo app.
Teams building AI prospecting flows
GTM Harness and AI Context Center are named for training agents on an ICP, with ChatGPT and Claude listed as connections.
Apollo plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Not published | For very light usage, with Gmail accounts only; no amount is shown because the pricing page publishes none. |
| Basic | Not published | Email sequencing and core integrations, with Microsoft Office and other mailbox providers supported; no amount is published. |
| Professional | Not published | Higher credit limits, AI features, call recording and advanced CRM integrations; no amount is published on the page. |
| Custom | Custom quote | Custom volumes, SSO, advanced security, dedicated support and API access, quoted per customer by the vendor. |
Checked October 2026.
What Apollo does
- Apollo Profile
- A unified view of each contact and account puts data, activity and outreach history in one record for the rep to work from. This unified record is the basis for the rest of the platform.
- Waterfall Enrichment
- Enrichment aims to complete records by consulting more than one source, though the page opened does not name which sources are used. Completeness claims are the vendor's own.
- Deliverability tools
- Domain warming, inbox rotation and reputation monitoring are named for senders who run sequences from several mailboxes. These matter once volumes grow beyond one mailbox.
- Parallel Dialer
- Calls run from the same platform through a parallel dialer, and call recording is listed as an inclusion of the Professional plan. Recording is not listed on lower tiers.
- AI agents
- GTM Harness and AI Context Center support agent memory and prospecting from goal to booked meeting, per the vendor's own page. Agent features are described by the vendor and were not tested here.
How Apollo handles your data
The privacy policy says Apollo may use Contributor Database records and usage data to train internal models, and third-party AI providers are prohibited from training on Apollo data. Personal information is retained for a period consistent with its purposes, then deleted, anonymised or de-identified. Hosting region was not stated on the pages opened. The policy points to a Trust Center for certifications and to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which was not verified here.
Where Apollo falls short in practice
- No printed prices. The pricing page names plan tiers and billing options but shows no amounts, so a budget needs a quote or an in-app check. Ask sales for a quote before comparing.
- Credits reset. Credits reset at the start of each billing cycle and do not roll over, so unused credits in a slow month are lost. Annual billing does not change the reset.
- Plan and seat rules. All seats on an account must be on the same plan, and one-click record selection is capped at 10,000 leads on the base tier. A mixed-plan team therefore cannot be set up.
Works with
Alternatives to Apollo
Apollo: common questions
Does Apollo publish its prices?
No amounts appear on the pricing page. It describes Free, Basic, Professional and Custom plans and monthly and annual billing, with annual billing as a discounted upfront payment for 12 months. Ask for a quote. Annual billing is a discounted upfront payment.
Does Apollo train models on my data?
The privacy policy says Apollo may use Contributor Database records and usage data to train internal models, while third-party AI providers are prohibited from training on Apollo data. Read the policy before uploading a client list. Its Trust Center was not opened here.
Can the free Apollo plan connect Outlook?
The page says Free plans connect Gmail accounts only. Paid plans can also connect Microsoft Office and other providers, and Professional lists advanced CRM integrations, so Outlook users need at least Basic. Microsoft 365 users therefore need a paid tier. The Free tier suits only Gmail users.
Do Apollo credits roll over?
No. Credits reset at the start of each billing cycle and do not roll over. The page also says all seats on an account must be on the same plan, so mixed-tier teams are not possible. Credits are therefore best used inside the cycle.
Which Apollo plan includes API access?
API access is listed under the Custom plan with SSO, advanced security, custom volumes and dedicated support. The pages opened do not state API access for Basic or Professional, so ask before building on them. Enterprise buyers can ask for the API terms.