Apollo.io vs Lusha
An independent, review-free comparison compiled by the SaaSTracker editorial team. Both products are profiled in full, and neither can pay for placement here.
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The short answer
Both sides assessedApollo.io compared with Lusha
Lusha wins on direct-dial accuracy and zero-friction adoption; Apollo wins on breadth, filters, and bundled execution. Phone-first SDR teams pick Lusha; full-stack prospecting picks Apollo.
Lusha compared with Apollo.io
Apollo for breadth, filters, and bundled execution; Lusha for dial accuracy and instant workflow. Many teams run both, Apollo as the list engine, Lusha as the phone truth source.
Choose Apollo.io if
Startups and SMB sales teams that want the largest self-serve contact database and outreach execution in one affordable product.
Choose Lusha if
SDRs and small teams that need reliable phone numbers and emails fast, without committing to an enterprise data contract.
Side by side
13 attributes| Attribute | Apollo.io | Lusha |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Data | Data |
| Starting price | Free plan; paid from $49/user/mo | Free plan (40 credits/mo); paid from $49.90/mo, or $37.45/mo billed yearly (Starter, 1 user, 400 credits/mo) |
| Pricing model | Freemium with per-user monthly tiers; credits meter email reveals (generous) and phone/export credits (tighter). Self-serve through Organization tier; custom above. | Freemium with per-plan tiers that each include a set number of seats; one credit pool meters reveals (1 credit per email, 5 per phone number), and Pro and Premium credit allowances expand on a slider. Yearly billing is 25 percent off; Scale is custom. |
| Free plan | Free forever: limited credits, 2 sequences, basic filters. | 40 credits a month for one user with the extension, enough for a handful of phone reveals or 40 emails. |
| Free trial | 14 days (of paid features) | No |
| Best for | Startups and SMB sales teams that want the largest self-serve contact database and outreach execution in one affordable product. | SDRs and small teams that need reliable phone numbers and emails fast, without committing to an enterprise data contract. |
| Setup time | Minutes to first list on free tier; a week to wire CRM enrichment rules and team sequences properly. | Ten minutes to first reveal; an afternoon for CRM sync and team credit pooling. |
| Learning curve | Low for prospecting; moderate for admin surface (credit policies, enrichment rules, plays). | The gentlest in the data category. |
| Platforms | Web app, Chrome extension, iOS app, REST API | Web app, Chrome extension, REST API |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR program, CCPA | ISO 27701, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA |
| Founded | 2015 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, US | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Ownership | Venture-backed (private) | Venture-backed (private) |
Strengths and limitations
Apollo.io
Strengths
- Unmatched self-serve coverage-per-dollar; the price floor of the entire category.
- Data + engagement in one product removes the export/import loop entirely.
- Free tier and transparent pricing make evaluation frictionless.
- Enrichment/dedupe layer quietly excellent for CRM hygiene.
Limitations
- Direct-dial accuracy trails phone specialists (Lusha, Cognism) in many segments.
- Engagement layer lacks enterprise governance, CI depth, and forecasting.
- Credit mechanics (phone/export) complicate the headline pricing.
- EU data compliance posture is workable but not the selling point Cognism makes it.
Lusha
Strengths
- Best-in-class direct-dial accuracy in its price range, the defining differentiator.
- Frictionless extension workflow; fastest time-to-value in the category.
- Genuinely useful free tier keeps evaluation honest.
- Compliance certifications (ISO 27701, SOC 2) ease privacy reviews unusual at this price.
Limitations
- Database breadth and filter depth trail Apollo's at similar spend.
- Credit economics punish careless bulk reveals; phone credits deplete fast.
- The engagement layer is thin: automated email sequences exist on every plan, but calling, multichannel cadences and deliverability tooling live elsewhere.
- Intent/signal features are add-on-grade, not differentiating.
Pricing compared
Apollo.io
Freemium with per-user monthly tiers; credits meter email reveals (generous) and phone/export credits (tighter). Self-serve through Organization tier; custom above.
- Free$0
- Basic$49
- Professional$79
- Organization$119
Nothing matches Apollo's coverage-per-dollar; it reset the category's price floor and forced legacy vendors into defensive bundling. The honest caveats: dial accuracy trails specialists, and heavy exporters discover credits are the true price. As a first data stack or a waterfall's volume layer, it remains the obvious call.
Lusha
Freemium with per-plan tiers that each include a set number of seats; one credit pool meters reveals (1 credit per email, 5 per phone number), and Pro and Premium credit allowances expand on a slider. Yearly billing is 25 percent off; Scale is custom.
- Free$0
- Starter$49.90
- Pro$69.90
- Premium$399.90
- ScaleCustom
Priced above Apollo per record and below enterprise contracts, Lusha's premium buys dial accuracy where it pays for itself in connect rates. For email-centric volume it's the wrong spend; for phone-led motions it's often the highest-ROI data line after the sequencer.
Editorial verdict on each
Apollo.io
Category LeaderApollo is the gravitational center of self-serve B2B data: coverage that reset the market's price floor, fused to an engagement layer that genuinely eliminates the export loop for SMBs. Its honest weaknesses, dial accuracy, credit fine print, mid-depth engagement, haven't slowed the flywheel because nothing else offers this much stack per dollar. Start here; add specialists only where measurement says Apollo falls short.
Read the full Apollo.io profileLusha
Best ValueLusha is the precision instrument of self-serve B2B data: the extension is still the fastest reveal workflow anywhere, and the dials are the ones that actually connect. It has wisely stopped pretending to be a platform, its future is being the trusted, certified accuracy layer inside bigger stacks, a role the Clay era rewards. Buy it for phones and speed; buy breadth elsewhere.
Read the full Lusha profileApollo.io profile last reviewed 2026-09-26; Lusha last reviewed 2026-09-27. Pricing is compiled from public sources and can change without notice. See our methodology.
The best in B2B Data Providers
26 trackedB2B data providers supply the contact and company information (emails, phone numbers, firmographics, and buying signals) that feeds prospecting lists and enrichment workflows.
The largest self-serve contact database in the category, fused with sequencing, data and execution in one product.
Accurate direct dials and a genuinely usable free tier make Lusha the lowest-friction entry point into paid B2B data.
Founded in 2022 and already at 40,000 users, Prospeo shipped AI Search, lookalikes, and an MCP server in 2025 as its database passed 280M leads.
Semantic search over the live web with contact data attached made prospecting a language problem rather than a database subscription.
Signup to verified emails in five minutes with zero configuration, and failed searches cost nothing, so nobody needs training to get value from Anymailfinder.
Frequently asked questions
6 questionsWhat is the difference between Apollo.io and Lusha?
Lusha wins on direct-dial accuracy and zero-friction adoption; Apollo wins on breadth, filters, and bundled execution. Phone-first SDR teams pick Lusha; full-stack prospecting picks Apollo.
Is Apollo.io or Lusha cheaper?
Apollo.io starts at Free plan; paid from $49/user/mo. Lusha starts at Free plan (40 credits/mo); paid from $49.90/mo, or $37.45/mo billed yearly (Starter, 1 user, 400 credits/mo). The billing models differ, so the entry price is rarely the whole cost. Apollo.io pricing model: Freemium with per-user monthly tiers; credits meter email reveals (generous) and phone/export credits (tighter). Self-serve through Organization tier; custom above. Lusha pricing model: Freemium with per-plan tiers that each include a set number of seats; one credit pool meters reveals (1 credit per email, 5 per phone number), and Pro and Premium credit allowances expand on a slider.
Does Apollo.io or Lusha have a free plan?
Apollo.io has a free plan. Free forever: limited credits, 2 sequences, basic filters. Trial terms: 14 days (of paid features). Lusha has a free plan. 40 credits a month for one user with the extension, enough for a handful of phone reveals or 40 emails.
Who should choose Apollo.io?
Startups and SMB sales teams that want the largest self-serve contact database and outreach execution in one affordable product.
Who should choose Lusha?
SDRs and small teams that need reliable phone numbers and emails fast, without committing to an enterprise data contract.
What are the best alternatives to Apollo.io and Lusha?
SaaSTracker profiles 26 products in B2B Data Providers. The Summer 2026 awards in the category went to Prospeo (Momentum), Exa (Innovation), Anymail Finder (Ease of Use). Every profile is compiled from primary sources, so a shortlist can be built from pricing, limitations, and fit rather than from star ratings.
