TL;DR: Apollo (apollo.io) is a B2B contact database with email sequences, a dialer and pipeline tracking in one app. It has a free plan with 75 credits a month per seat, and Basic is $65 per seat a month on monthly billing ($49 yearly). It suits founders and small teams. App Score: 7.9/10.
Updated October 2026
How Apollo measures up
Weighted against our AI SDR tools rubric. Sub-scores out of 10; weight in brackets.
Our independent score, from our own weighted rubric. How we rank.
| Starting price | Free plan. Basic is $65 per seat a month, or $49 on yearly billing. Professional is $99 ($79 yearly). Organization is yearly only, from $119, with 3 seats minimum. |
| Credits | Free: 900 per seat a year. Basic: 2,500 per seat a month. Professional: 4,000. Organization: 6,000. |
| What it automates | Finding contacts, email sequences, a unified inbox for replies, a meeting scheduler, calling and pipeline tracking |
| Fits | Founders and small teams that want contact data and sending in one app |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan. 14-day trial on Basic and Professional. |
| Funding | $100M Series D, August 2023, led by Bain Capital Ventures at a $1.6B valuation |
A contact database is a searchable list of people and companies with their job titles and contact details. Apollo gives you that list inside the app. You search it, pick the people you want and send to them from the same place. Credits are the units Apollo uses up when you do things such as reveal an email address. Each seat (one person's license) gets its own credits.
Key features of Apollo
- Contact database: search people and companies, then add them to a sequence in the same app.
- Email sequences: a sequence is a planned series of emails. A manual email step makes a task that you edit and send yourself. Automatic steps send on schedule.
- Unified inbox and meeting scheduler: replies come into one inbox, and a scheduler lets people book a time. Both are on every plan, including Free.
- Dialer: a tool that places calls from the app. It starts on the Basic plan.
- Deliverability tools: deliverability means whether your email reaches the inbox instead of the spam folder. Reputation and bounce protection is on every plan. Email warm-up and domain and mailbox purchase start on Basic.
- Sending limits: Free and Basic send up to 250 emails a day. Professional and Organization are unlimited.
- Pipeline tracking: follow deals through stages in the same app that holds your contacts.
How does Apollo work?
Apollo puts the steps of outbound sales in one app. The usual path has four steps.
- Search the database. Filter people and companies, and pick the ones you want to contact.
- Add them to a sequence. A sequence mixes automatic email steps, manual email steps and calls. A manual step makes a task for you to edit and send.
- Handle replies. Replies arrive in the unified inbox, and the meeting scheduler lets people book a time.
- Track the deal. Move the person through your pipeline in the same app.
Who Apollo fits
If you are a solo founder who wants to start free, the Free plan has 75 credits a month (900 a year) per seat. If you have a small team and want a low price for each person, Basic is $65 per seat a month, or $49 on yearly billing, and your bill grows with each seat. If you need unlimited daily sending, that starts on Professional. If you want to build custom lead lists with data from many sources, Clay works that way, with one price for the whole team. If you want a large database sold by quote, see ZoomInfo. See the whole field in our AI SDR tools guide.
Apollo pricing
Apollo has a free plan and three paid plans, priced per seat. Basic and Professional have a 14-day trial, and after the trial you can move to the free plan. Every seat on one account must be on the same plan level. Prices are in US dollars as of 19 October 2026.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Credits per seat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 900 a year | Free to keep |
| Basic | $65 per seat a month | $49 per seat a month | 2,500 a month | 14-day trial; dialer and warm-up start here |
| Professional | $99 per seat a month | $79 per seat a month | 4,000 a month | 14-day trial; unlimited daily emails |
| Organization | Yearly billing only | From $119 per seat a month | 6,000 a month | 3 seats minimum |
Because the price is per seat, five people on Basic cost five times the seat price: $325 a month on monthly billing or $245 on yearly billing. The Organization plan is yearly only and needs at least 3 seats, so its lowest bill is $119 x 3 seats = $357 a month on a yearly term.
What does a team of 1, 3 or 5 people pay for Apollo?
Apollo is priced per seat, so the bill grows with each person. These are the monthly totals for the two paid plans that have both billing choices.
| Plan | 1 person | 3 people | 5 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic, monthly billing | $65 a month | $195 a month | $325 a month |
| Basic, yearly billing | $49 a month | $147 a month | $245 a month |
| Professional, monthly billing | $99 a month | $297 a month | $495 a month |
| Professional, yearly billing | $79 a month | $237 a month | $395 a month |
How does Apollo compare with Clay and ZoomInfo on price?
Apollo charges per seat. Clay charges one price for the whole team. ZoomInfo is quote only. Prices are in US dollars as of 19 October 2026.
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan or trial | Sends email itself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | Free; Launch $185 a month, monthly billing | Free plan; 14-day trial on paid plans | Yes (from Launch) |
| Apollo | Free; Basic $65 per seat a month, monthly billing | Free plan; 14-day trial on Basic and Professional | Yes |
| ZoomInfo | Quote only | Free trial available | Yes (cadences with a phone dialer and an email tool) |
What should you ask before you buy Apollo?
- How many seats do I need? The price is per seat, and every seat must be on the same plan level.
- Is 250 emails a day enough? Free and Basic stop at 250. Professional and Organization are unlimited.
- Do I need Organization? It is yearly only, from $119 per seat a month, and needs 3 seats.
- Which credits will I use? Free gives 900 per seat a year, and paid plans give 2,500 to 6,000 per seat a month.
Apollo terms in plain words
- Seat: one person's license to use Apollo.
- Credit: a unit Apollo uses up when you do things such as reveal contact details.
- Sequence: a planned series of emails and calls.
- Dialer: a tool that places calls from the app.
- Warm-up: slowly raising your sending volume so email providers learn to trust a new mailbox.
- Bounce: an email that comes back undelivered.
Pros and good to know
Pros
- A free plan to start with
- A low entry price per seat: Basic is $65, or $49 on yearly billing
- Contact data, sequences, dialer, inbox and scheduler in one app
- 14-day trial on Basic and Professional
- Reputation and bounce protection on every plan
Good to know
- Organization is yearly only and needs at least 3 seats.
- Every seat on one account must be on the same plan level.
- Free and Basic send up to 250 emails a day.
- Warm-up and mailbox purchase start on Basic.
Best for your situation
Guides & comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Apollo cost?
Apollo has a free plan with 75 credits a month (900 a year) per seat. Basic is $65 per seat a month on monthly billing ($49 on yearly billing), and Professional is $99 ($79 yearly). Organization is yearly only, from $119 per seat a month, with a three-seat minimum. Prices are in US dollars as of 19 October 2026.
Is Apollo free?
Yes. Apollo has a free plan with 75 credits a month (900 a year) per seat. Basic and Professional have a 14-day trial, and after the trial you can move to the free plan.
What is Apollo used for?
Apollo is used to find business contacts and send to them. It is a B2B contact database with email sequences, a dialer, a unified inbox, a meeting scheduler and pipeline tracking in one app.
Does Apollo have a free trial?
Yes, on Basic and Professional. The trial lasts 14 days, and after it you can move to the free plan. The Free plan has no trial because it is already free.
What are Apollo alternatives?
Clay is free, then $185 a month for the whole team, and you build lists from many data providers. ZoomInfo is a large database sold by quote only. Unify (free, then $20 or $60 per seat) and Amplemarket ($600 a month on an annual term) are other options.
Is Apollo worth it for a startup?
Apollo suits a founder or a small team that wants contact data and sending in one app at a low price per seat. The free plan lets you test it. Your bill grows with each seat, so a larger team may compare it with a flat-price tool.
Does Apollo need a contract or a minimum number of seats?
Only the Organization plan. It is sold on yearly billing only and needs at least 3 seats. Basic and Professional can be paid monthly. Every seat on one account must be on the same plan level.
Can Apollo send email and protect my sender reputation?
Yes. Apollo sends email sequences. Reputation and bounce protection is on every plan, and email warm-up and domain and mailbox purchase start on Basic. Free and Basic send up to 250 emails a day, and Professional and Organization are unlimited.
Bottom line
Apollo fits a founder or a small team that wants a contact database, sequences, a dialer and an inbox in one app at a low price per seat. Before you buy, check three things. Work out the bill for your number of seats, because the price grows with each person. Check the daily sending limit for your plan. And note that Organization needs a yearly term and 3 seats. The free plan and the 14-day trial let you test all three.
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