Apollo.io Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & What You Actually Get
Apollo.io Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & What You Actually Get
Apollo charges $49/month for the basic paid plan. But the real question isn't what you pay. It's what you get for that price and whether the credit system will burn through your budget faster than you expected.
I've used Apollo across multiple campaigns. Here's the honest breakdown of what each tier offers, what the hidden costs look like, and who should pick which plan.
Apollo.io Pricing at a Glance
| Plan | Price | Credits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 emails | Testing |
| Basic | $49/user | 900 mobile | Small teams |
| Pro | $79/user | 24K export | Growing teams |
| Org | $119/user | 50K export | Large teams |
| Custom | Quote | Unlimited | Enterprise |
All paid plans billed annually. Monthly billing available at higher rates.
Free Plan: What You Actually Get
Apollo's free tier isn't a trial. It's a permanent option. But it comes with serious limitations.
Included:
- 50 email credits per month
- Basic search filters
- Chrome extension access
- LinkedIn integration
- Gmail/Google Workspace connection only
Not included:
- Mobile phone numbers
- Bulk export
- Non-Gmail email accounts for sequences
- API access
- Advanced filters
Verdict: Good for testing. Not viable for actual prospecting. You'll burn through 50 credits in about 10 minutes of searching.
Basic Plan ($49/user/month)
The entry point for serious users. Most solo founders and startups land here.
What you get:
- 900 mobile credits per month
- 12,000 export credits per month
- Unlimited email credits (fair use)
- Email sequences with unlimited follow-ups
- Connect Gmail, Outlook, or any email provider
- Basic CRM sync (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- A/B testing on sequences
What's missing:
- Buying intent data
- Advanced automation
- Priority support
Per-user cost means: A 3-person sales team pays $147/month, not $49. This scales fast.
Professional Plan ($79/user/month)
The sweet spot for growing teams that need more data and smarter targeting.
Everything in Basic, plus:
- 24,000 export credits per month
- Buying intent signals
- Advanced filters (tech stack, funding, job changes)
- Dialer with call recording
- Conversation intelligence
- Advanced analytics dashboard
Why it matters: Intent data alone can justify the $30 upgrade. Knowing which accounts are actively researching solutions changes your hit rate completely.
Organization Plan ($119/user/month)
Built for teams that need governance, security, and higher limits.
Everything in Professional, plus:
- 50,000 export credits per month
- Custom roles and permissions
- Advanced CRM integrations
- Dedicated success manager
- SSO/SAML support
- API access with higher rate limits
🎯 Best for: Teams of 10+ with compliance requirements or complex CRM workflows.
Custom/Enterprise: Quote-Based
For high-volume operations. You get:
- Unlimited credits (under "Fair Use Policy")
- Custom integrations
- Dedicated account management
- SLA guarantees
- Custom data agreements
Fair Use Policy note: "Unlimited" means up to 10,000 credits per account per month for free accounts, or the lesser of ($Paid / $0.025) or 1 million credits per year for paid unlimited accounts. Not truly unlimited.
Understanding Apollo's Credit System
This is where most people get confused. Apollo uses multiple credit types:
Email Credits: Used when you view someone's email address. Free tier caps at 50/month. Paid plans get unlimited (fair use).
Mobile Credits: Used to reveal phone numbers. These are precious. 900/month on Basic, more on higher tiers.
Export Credits: Consumed when you export data OUT of Apollo (CSV, CRM sync, API calls). This is the real bottleneck for heavy users.
Credit gotcha: Viewing the same contact twice doesn't consume another credit. But enriching, exporting, and sequence actions all eat into your allowance.
Hidden Costs to Watch
1. Per-user pricing adds up fast Basic plan for 5 reps: $245/month, not $49.
2. Annual billing locks you in Monthly billing costs 20-30% more. But you're committed for 12 months either way.
3. Credit overages You can buy additional credits mid-cycle. At roughly $0.025/credit for export and varying rates for mobile, these overage costs add up.
4. Integration costs Salesforce sync works on all paid plans. But advanced automation and webhooks need Professional or higher.
Who Should Use Which Plan
Free Plan:
- Just exploring Apollo
- Running a one-time campaign
- Budget is truly $0
Basic ($49/user/mo):
- Solo founders doing their own outbound
- Small teams (2-3 people) starting structured prospecting
- You mainly need emails, not phone numbers
Professional ($79/user/mo):
- Sales teams running multi-channel campaigns
- You need intent data to prioritize outreach
- Call recording and conversation intelligence matter
Organization ($119/user/mo):
- Teams over 10 people
- Enterprise clients requiring SSO
- Heavy CRM integration needs
Enterprise (Custom):
- Processing 100K+ contacts per month
- Need dedicated support and custom SLAs
- Compliance and data governance requirements
Apollo vs. The Alternatives
Apollo isn't your only option. Here's how it stacks up:
| Tool | Price | Database | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo | $49/user | 210M+ | All-in-one |
| ZoomInfo | ~$15K/yr | 100M+ | Enterprise |
| Clay | $134/mo | 150+ sources | Enrichment |
| Instantly | $37/mo | BYOL | Cold email |
| Lemlist | $55/user | 450M+ | Multichannel |
Key difference: Apollo bundles database + sequencing. Clay is pure enrichment (no outreach). ZoomInfo is 10-20x more expensive.
Check our sales prospecting tools guide for the full breakdown.
Is Apollo Worth It?
Apollo makes sense if:
- You need both data AND outreach in one platform
- Per-user pricing works for your team size
- You'll use 10K+ export credits per month
- The Chrome extension fits your workflow
Look elsewhere if:
- You already have a sequencing tool (Instantly, Smartlead)
- You need waterfall enrichment across multiple providers
- Your team is 20+ people (per-user costs explode)
- You're doing very high-volume campaigns
For pure data enrichment, Clay gives you more sources at a flat rate. For cold email at scale, Instantly or Smartlead cost less for unlimited sending.
Getting Started with Apollo
Apollo offers a 14-day free trial on all paid plans. The trial includes:
- 50 credits
- 5 mobile credits
- Most features of your selected plan
Pro tip: Don't burn your trial credits exploring. Build your ICP filters first, then use credits on real prospects.
Get Apollo's Free Trial (opens in new tab)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Apollo.io cost per month?
Apollo's paid plans start at $49/user/month for Basic, $79/user/month for Professional, and $119/user/month for Organization when billed annually. A free tier with 50 credits/month exists permanently.
Is Apollo.io free tier worth using?
For testing the interface and basic searches, yes. For actual prospecting, no. 50 credits gets you through about 10 minutes of real work. You'll need to upgrade quickly.
What's the difference between Apollo credits?
Apollo uses email credits (viewing addresses), mobile credits (phone numbers), and export credits (sending data outside Apollo). Email credits are unlimited on paid plans. Mobile and export credits have monthly caps.
Does Apollo have hidden fees?
The main "hidden" cost is per-user pricing. What looks like $49/month becomes $245/month for a 5-person team. Credit overages also cost extra if you exceed your monthly allowance.
Can I use Apollo with my CRM?
Yes. Salesforce and HubSpot sync on all paid plans. Outreach, SalesLoft, and Marketo integrations are also available. API access needs Professional tier or higher.
How does Apollo compare to ZoomInfo pricing?
Apollo is significantly cheaper. Basic Apollo costs $49/user/month. ZoomInfo typically starts at $15,000/year for SMBs. The trade-off is ZoomInfo has org charts, intent data, and phone-verified contacts at higher accuracy.
Is Apollo good for small teams?
Yes, if you have 2-5 people. The all-in-one approach saves buying separate tools. Beyond 5 users, per-seat costs start hurting and flat-rate alternatives become attractive.
What's the Apollo unlimited plan policy?
"Unlimited" follows Fair Use Policy. Free accounts cap at 10,000 credits/month. Paid unlimited accounts cap at 1 million credits/year or your payment divided by $0.025, whichever is less.
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ClayMBA is my comprehensive course on becoming a top GTM engineer. Learn everything from basics to advanced workflows.
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