Comparison
ZoomInfo brings the largest enterprise contact database. Apollo bundles prospecting and engagement in one affordable platform. This guide breaks down where each tool wins so you can pick the right fit for your team.
| Feature | ZoomInfo | Apollo.io |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Enterprise B2B data platform | All-in-one prospecting + engagement |
| Database Size | 260M+ profiles, 100M+ companies | 270M+ contacts, 60M+ companies |
| Direct Dials | Industry-leading accuracy | Available but less accurate |
| Engagement Tools | Basic (Engage add-on) | Built-in sequences, dialer, AI writer |
| Pricing | From ~$14,995/year (3 seats) | Free plan; paid from $49/user/month |
| Best For | Enterprise outbound teams | SMBs and startups |
ZoomInfo is the largest B2B contact and company intelligence platform, serving over 35,000 customers worldwide. It provides access to a database of hundreds of millions of professional profiles and tens of millions of companies, enriched with technographic, firmographic, and intent data.
The platform offers a suite of tools spanning sales, marketing, and recruiting, including its SalesOS for prospecting, MarketingOS for advertising, and TalentOS for hiring. ZoomInfo collects data through a combination of web crawling, partnerships, community-contributed data, and proprietary algorithms.
ZoomInfo is best known for its massive contact database and direct-dial phone numbers, making it a go-to for outbound-heavy sales organizations. However, its enterprise pricing and complexity can be prohibitive for smaller teams.
Best for: Large sales teams that need a massive, enterprise-grade contact database with direct dials and intent data
G2 rating: 4.4/5
Pricing: Starts around $14,995/year for the Professional plan (3 seats). Advanced and Elite tiers run $24,995-$39,995+/year. Custom enterprise pricing available. Annual contracts required.
Apollo.io is an all-in-one sales intelligence and engagement platform that combines a large B2B contact database with built-in email sequencing, calling, and workflow tools. It has grown rapidly to become one of the most popular alternatives to ZoomInfo, especially among startups and SMBs.
Apollo offers access to over 270 million contacts and 60 million companies, along with email verification, enrichment, and a robust Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting. Its built-in engagement suite means reps can find prospects and reach out from a single platform.
Apollo has differentiated itself with a generous free tier and transparent pricing, making it accessible to individual contributors and small teams. However, data accuracy for direct dials and phone numbers tends to lag behind ZoomInfo's enterprise-grade database.
Best for: SMBs and startups that need a combined prospecting database and sales engagement platform at an affordable price
G2 rating: 4.7/5
Pricing: Free plan available (10,000 emails/month). Basic: $49/user/month. Professional: $79/user/month. Organization: $119/user/month (min 3 users). Annual billing reduces costs by ~20%.
How ZoomInfo and Apollo.io stack up across key capabilities.
| Feature | ZoomInfo | Apollo.io |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Database | 260M+ profiles, enterprise-grade verification | 270M+ contacts, community-enriched data |
| Email Verification | Built-in, high accuracy | Built-in, real-time verification |
| Phone Numbers | Best-in-class direct dials | Available, lower accuracy on dials |
| Intent Data | Bidstream + partnership intent signals | Basic buying intent signals |
| Sales Engagement | Engage add-on (separate cost) | Native sequencing, dialer, and AI writer |
| CRM Integration | Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics | Salesforce, HubSpot, plus native CRM |
| Chrome Extension | ReachOut for LinkedIn/web | LinkedIn + web extension included |
| Account Research | Company profiles with firmographics | Basic company profiles |
ZoomInfo and Apollo sit at opposite ends of the pricing spectrum. ZoomInfo's Professional plan starts around $14,995/year for three seats, with Advanced and Elite tiers climbing to $24,995-$39,995+ per year. Enterprise deals can exceed $100,000/year. ZoomInfo requires annual contracts and does not publish pricing publicly.
Apollo is dramatically more affordable. Its free plan provides 10,000 emails per month, making it a popular starting point. Paid plans range from $49 to $119 per user per month, with annual billing discounts. Even at the Organization tier, a 10-person team would pay around $14,280/year — comparable to ZoomInfo's entry point for just three seats.
The key tradeoff is depth vs. breadth. ZoomInfo's premium pricing buys you higher-accuracy direct dials, enterprise-grade intent data, and dedicated support. Apollo's value proposition is doing 80% of what ZoomInfo does at 20% of the cost, with engagement tools included.
Both ZoomInfo and Apollo excel at helping you find contacts and reach out. But neither tells you what to actually say when you get someone on the phone or in their inbox. They provide the who — not the why.
Modern buyers expect personalized, research-backed outreach that demonstrates understanding of their business. That requires deep account intelligence that goes beyond firmographics and intent scores.
Neither platform provides comprehensive account briefs synthesized from 1,000+ sources. Reps still spend hours manually researching accounts before calls.
While both offer basic intent data, neither monitors earnings calls, leadership changes, strategic initiatives, or competitive moves in real time.
Neither tool generates contextual talking points tied to what is actually happening inside a target account, leaving reps to craft messaging from scratch.
Salesmotion gives your reps the account intelligence they need to book more meetings and close bigger deals.
Apollo has a comparable number of contacts (270M+), but ZoomInfo generally has more accurate direct-dial phone numbers due to its proprietary verification processes. For email-first outreach, Apollo is often sufficient. For phone-heavy outbound, ZoomInfo has the edge.
Many teams have successfully switched from ZoomInfo to Apollo, especially if their outreach is primarily email-based. The savings can be significant — a 10-person team might save $30,000+/year. However, if direct dials and enterprise intent data are critical, the switch involves tradeoffs.
Apollo offers buying intent signals, but they are more basic compared to ZoomInfo's Bidstream-powered intent data. ZoomInfo's intent data covers more topics and provides more granular account-level signals. For teams that heavily prioritize accounts based on intent, ZoomInfo is stronger.
Apollo is typically the better choice for startups. Its free plan lets you get started immediately, and paid plans are affordable per-seat. ZoomInfo's minimum investment of ~$15,000/year is hard to justify for small teams. Apollo's built-in engagement tools also reduce the need for separate sales engagement software.
Salesmotion takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of focusing on contact databases, Salesmotion provides deep account intelligence — synthesizing 1,000+ sources into actionable briefs, monitoring real-time buying signals, and generating personalized talking points. Many teams use Salesmotion alongside their existing data provider.
Join the top-performing sales teams using Salesmotion to build more pipeline and close more deals.
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