Alternatives

Top 5 Apollo.io Alternatives in 2026

Compare the best alternatives to Apollo.io for sales engagement, contact data, and B2B prospecting.

4.8 rating on G2

At a glance

How Apollo.io Alternatives Compare

Side-by-side comparison of the key capabilities that matter most.

Feature	Salesmotion	ZoomInfo	Lusha	Cognism	Clay
Account Research	1,000+ sources, AI-generated briefs	Firmographics, technographics & org charts	Company overview & firmographics	Company profiles with EMEA focus	150+ enrichment providers, custom workflows
Contact Database	Verified contacts with account context	321M+ contacts	150M+ business profiles	400M+ B2B profiles (phone-verified)	Aggregates from multiple data vendors
Sales Engagement	AI-drafted outreach with research context	Engage platform (add-on)	Limited engagement features	No native sequencing	AI outreach via integrations
Buying Signals	24/7 monitoring across 1,000+ sources	Intent data & company news alerts	Job change alerts	Bombora intent + sales triggers	Real-time enrichment triggers
CRM Integration	Salesforce & HubSpot sync (Enterprise plan)	Deep Salesforce & HubSpot integration	Salesforce, HubSpot & Pipedrive	Salesforce & HubSpot	Salesforce, HubSpot & 100+ tools via API
Ease of Setup	Live in minutes	Moderate (enterprise onboarding)	Browser extension, instant start	Moderate setup with training	Requires workflow building (steeper learning curve)
Pricing Model	From $85/mo (account-based, unlimited users on team plans)	Custom pricing from ~$15,000/year	Free tier + plans from $36/mo	Custom pricing (per seat)	Free tier + plans from $149/mo

Why teams switch from Apollo.io

Apollo.io has quickly become one of the most popular sales tools on the market by combining contact data with built-in email sequences and a dialer, all at an accessible price point. Its free tier and large contact database make it an easy choice for startups and growing sales teams. But as teams scale and deals become more complex, many find that Apollo's strengths in volume-based prospecting become limitations.

The most common reasons sales teams look beyond Apollo include contact data accuracy issues (especially for international numbers and niche industries), limited account intelligence beyond basic firmographics, and the challenge of standing out when everyone on Apollo is sending similar AI-generated emails to the same contacts. Per-seat pricing also escalates quickly as teams grow.

The best Apollo alternatives in 2026 take different approaches: some offer deeper account context to fuel more relevant outreach, others provide better data coverage in specific regions, and others let you build custom enrichment workflows. Here are the top five options to consider.

Detailed Breakdown

Best Apollo.io Alternatives

An in-depth look at each platform, including features, pricing, and limitations.

Salesmotion

Our Pick

G2: 4.8/5 (25 reviews)

Salesmotion takes a different approach than Apollo by focusing on account intelligence rather than volume-based prospecting. While Apollo helps you find contacts and send sequences, Salesmotion helps you understand accounts deeply so that when you do reach out, your messaging is anchored to what the company actually cares about.

The platform monitors over 1,000 sources to surface buying signals, generate AI research briefs, and create personalized talking points for every account. This makes it especially valuable for teams selling into enterprise and mid-market accounts where generic outreach falls flat.

Salesmotion also provides verified contact data, but its real differentiator is turning hours of manual account research into minutes of AI-powered intelligence. Teams report saving 30+ minutes per account and seeing significantly higher response rates because their outreach is grounded in real company context.

Best for:Mid-market and enterprise sales teams that need account intelligence to fuel relevant, high-converting outreach

Key Features

AI-generated account briefs from 1,000+ sources
Real-time buying signal monitoring (leadership changes, funding, earnings, tech adoption)
Personalized talking points and outreach drafts anchored to real research
Salesforce and HubSpot integration (Enterprise plan)
Account-based pricing with no per-seat limits
3-day average implementation time

Limitations

No built-in email sequencing or dialer (designed to complement your existing sales engagement tool)
Smaller contact database than Apollo's 275M+ records
No free tier available

Pricing: From $85/mo — flexible account-based pricing, unlimited users on team plans

4.8 rating on G2

ZoomInfo

G2: 4.5/5Visit site

ZoomInfo is the enterprise-grade contact and company data platform that has dominated the B2B data market for over a decade. With 321 million+ contacts and deep firmographic, technographic, and org chart data, ZoomInfo is the most comprehensive contact database available. It also offers an engagement platform (ZoomInfo Engage) and conversation intelligence (Chorus).

For teams stepping up from Apollo, ZoomInfo offers significantly better data accuracy and coverage, especially for enterprise accounts. However, this comes at a much higher price point and with a more complex implementation.

Best for:Large sales organizations that need the most comprehensive B2B contact database and are willing to pay enterprise pricing

Key Features

321M+ contacts with verified emails and direct dials
Org charts and reporting structure data
Intent data powered by proprietary signals
ZoomInfo Engage for sequencing and calling
Advanced company and technographic filters
Chorus conversation intelligence (add-on)

Limitations

Expensive per-seat pricing that scales quickly with team growth
Long-term contracts with difficult cancellation terms
Contact data still requires manual account research for context

Pricing: Custom pricing starting around $14,995/year for a single user. Enterprise plans range from $25,000-$60,000+/year

Lusha

G2: 4.3/5Visit site

Lusha is a streamlined contact data platform that focuses on simplicity and fast time-to-value. Its highly rated browser extension lets reps instantly pull up verified emails and direct dials while browsing LinkedIn or company websites. For teams that found Apollo's contact data quality inconsistent, Lusha often provides more reliable direct dial numbers.

Lusha is ISO 27701 certified and GDPR compliant, making it a solid choice for teams with compliance requirements. The platform has expanded from a pure browser extension into a full prospecting tool with advanced company search and list building.

Best for:Individual reps and small teams that want reliable contact data through a simple browser extension workflow

Key Features

High-accuracy browser extension for LinkedIn contact lookup
150M+ business profiles with direct dials and emails
Prospecting platform with company search and list building
Bulk enrichment and CRM data hygiene tools
API for custom data integration workflows
Free tier with 50 monthly credits

Limitations

No built-in sales engagement features (no sequences or dialer)
Smaller database than Apollo, particularly for technographic data
Limited account intelligence and buying signal capabilities

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro from $36/user/month. Premium from $59/user/month. Scale pricing is custom

Cognism

G2: 4.6/5Visit site

Cognism is the leading B2B data provider for teams selling into European markets. While Apollo has broad global coverage, Cognism excels specifically in EMEA with phone-verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data) that report 98% accuracy. For teams frustrated with Apollo's international data quality, Cognism is often the upgrade path.

The platform also includes Bombora-powered intent data, sales trigger events, and a Chrome extension. Cognism is headquartered in London and was built with GDPR compliance at its foundation, which gives compliance teams confidence in its data practices.

Best for:Sales teams with significant European outreach that need phone-verified, GDPR-compliant contact data

Key Features

Phone-verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data) with 98% accuracy
GDPR-first data collection and compliance
Bombora-powered intent data included in most plans
Sales trigger events (job changes, funding, hiring)
Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting
Strong EMEA and DACH region coverage

Limitations

Weaker North American data coverage compared to Apollo or ZoomInfo
No built-in email sequencing or dialer
Higher price point than Apollo with annual contracts required

Pricing: Custom pricing per seat. Typically $15,000-$30,000/year for small teams, with enterprise deals higher

Clay

G2: 4.9/5Visit site

Clay is a data enrichment and outreach automation platform that takes a radically different approach from Apollo. Instead of providing a single contact database, Clay lets you build custom enrichment workflows by pulling data from over 150 providers through a spreadsheet-like interface. This means you can waterfall across multiple data sources to maximize coverage and accuracy.

Clay is particularly popular with growth teams and RevOps professionals who want maximum flexibility in their data workflows. However, its power comes with a steeper learning curve, and its credit-based pricing can get expensive at high volumes.

Best for:Growth teams and RevOps professionals who want to build custom data enrichment workflows with maximum flexibility

Key Features

150+ data enrichment providers in one platform
Waterfall enrichment across multiple sources for best coverage
Spreadsheet-like interface for custom workflow building
AI-powered research agent for personalized outreach
Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and 100+ tools
Automated prospecting campaigns with custom logic

Limitations

Steeper learning curve than Apollo — requires workflow building skills
Credit-based pricing can get very expensive at scale
No native contact database — relies on third-party data providers

Pricing: Free plan with limited credits. Starter at $149/month. Explorer at $349/month. Pro at $800/month

Customer Story

How Cacheflow reduced prep time by 60% and tripled deal sizes

60%

less prep time

deal sizes

Hours

saved per week

“The moment we turned on Salesmotion, it became essential. No more hours on LinkedIn or Google to figure out who we're talking to. It's just there, served up to you, so it's always 'go time.'”

Adam Wainwright

Head of Revenue, Cacheflow

Read the full case study

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free alternative to Apollo.io?

Lusha offers the best free alternative with 50 monthly credits for contact lookups. Apollo's own free tier is generous (10,000 emails/month), so if you are happy with the platform but just want to reduce costs, staying on Apollo's free plan may be the simplest option. For account intelligence without per-contact charges, Salesmotion's account-based pricing can be more economical for larger teams.

Is Apollo.io accurate enough for enterprise sales?

Apollo's data accuracy has improved significantly, but many enterprise teams report inconsistencies with direct dials and international data. For enterprise selling, ZoomInfo and Cognism generally offer better data accuracy, while Salesmotion provides deeper account context that enterprise reps need to navigate complex buying committees. The right choice depends on whether your priority is contact volume or account intelligence.

Which Apollo alternative has the best sales engagement features?

Apollo's built-in sequencing and dialer are among its strongest features. ZoomInfo offers comparable engagement capabilities through ZoomInfo Engage, but at a higher price. Most other alternatives (Lusha, Cognism, Salesmotion) do not include native sequencing and are designed to complement dedicated sales engagement tools like Outreach or Salesloft.

Can I replace Apollo with just one tool?

It depends on what you use Apollo for. If you primarily use it for contact data, Lusha or Cognism can replace that function. If you need both data and engagement, ZoomInfo is the closest full replacement. For teams that want better account intelligence and outreach quality over volume, Salesmotion paired with a sales engagement tool often outperforms Apollo's all-in-one approach.

How does Clay compare to Apollo for prospecting?

Clay and Apollo serve different prospecting philosophies. Apollo provides a fixed contact database with built-in outreach tools for fast execution. Clay provides a flexible platform to waterfall across 150+ data providers and build custom enrichment workflows. Clay often yields better data quality through waterfall logic but requires more setup. Apollo is easier to use out of the box.

Related Comparisons

Explore more head-to-head comparisons and alternatives guides.

Apollo vs Salesmotion Apollo vs Lusha Apollo vs Cognism Apollo Pricing Breakdown

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