Pricing analysis Apollo lists $0-$149/seat/mo across 4 tiers. The real cost comes from the dual-limit system : data credits (capped per-tier) AND email sending limits (capped separately). You can run out of either at any time. Below : tier breakdown + 5 hidden cost triggers + how to combine Apollo Free + Derrick (from €9/mo) for a low-cost, no-install enrichment (web app, Sheets, Claude, API) stack.
Plans01 / 09
Apollo ships 4 tiers. Per-seat pricing combined with a credit system for data lookups - the listed price is rarely the real cost.
Apollo pricing tiers - verified May 2026 against the vendor and cross-checked with our review data:
| Plan | Price | Best for | Limits / Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Evaluation / testing | 10,000 · ~1,200 credits/year (~100/mo equivalent) - Free tier shrunk from old 10K/mo to current ~100/mo with 2026 changes · Database access (limited search filters) |
| Basic | $65/seat ($49/seat/mo (annual ≈ 24% off)) | ~30K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual) | ~2,500 equivalent · ~30K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual) · Sequences + email automation |
| Professional | $99/seat ($79/seat/mo (annual ≈ 20% off)) | ~48K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual) | ~4,000 equivalent · ~48K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual) · A/B testing + advanced sequencing |
| Organization | $149/seat ($119/seat/mo (annual ≈ 20% off)) | ~72K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual) | ~6,000 equivalent · ~72K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual) · Advanced reporting + custom roles |
Credits02 / 09
Apollo bills actions in credits with non-equal costs. A 5,000-credit plan does NOT mean 5,000 lookups.
Apollo uses a triple-pool system that catches most buyers off-guard :
The hardest cost surprise : the mobile bucket is independent. A calling-first SDR doing 5 mobile reveals/day burns Basic's 75/mo in 15 days regardless of how many email credits remain. Pair with Lusha ($49.90, 400 credits at 1-credit-per-phone) for phone-heavy use cases.
Compare04 / 09
How Apollo stacks against Derrick, Hunter, and the other tools we benchmarked.
Real cost-per-credit + per-mobile math across Apollo's tiers + competitors (annual billing, post-2026 price increase) :
| Tool / Tier | Monthly cost / seat | Credits / mo (avg) | Cost / email reveal | Mobile bucket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Basic | $49 annual / $65 monthly | ~2,500 | $0.020 | 75 mobile credits/mo separate |
| Apollo Pro | $79 annual / $99 monthly | ~4,000 | $0.020 | 100 mobile credits/mo separate |
| Apollo Organization | $119 annual / $149 monthly (3-seat min) | ~6,000 | $0.020 | 200 mobile credits/mo separate |
| Lusha Starter | $49.90 | 400 | $0.125 | $0.125 (1 credit each) |
| Derrick (MINI) | €9/mo, no per-seat fee | 4,000 (roll over) | ~€0.011* | Via integrated providers |
Per-credit on Apollo flattens at $0.020 across paid tiers (~$49/2,500 = $79/4,000 = $119/6,000). Higher tiers buy more total volume, not better unit economics. Mobile reveals are gated on a separate monthly bucket (75/100/200) - phone-heavy SDRs hit that wall before credit wall. Derrick bills per result found: Email Finder is 5 credits (~€0.011) per email, charged only when an email is returned, on the MINI plan (€9/mo, 4,000 credits that roll over) with no per-seat fee.
What's included05 / 09
Apollo's paid tiers (Basic+) include :
The verdict06 / 09
Apollo is the right tool for 50+ seat SDR teams where database breadth (275M+ contacts) + sequencing baked in matters more than per-credit cost economics. The platform's biggest moat is the combined data + sequencing + CRM-sync bundle - replacing what would be 2-3 separate subscriptions (Hunter + Lemlist + Salesforce add-ons) at typically lower TCO.
The pricing model fails for : SMB teams (1-10 seats where annual contracts hurt + dual-limit system is opaque), phone-heavy outbound on a budget (mobile reveals at 8 credits each burn the pool fast - Lusha at $49.90 / 1-credit-per-phone is cheaper), and teams that want predictable monthly billing without 12-month commits.
For web app or spreadsheet workflows where you only need the data layer, pair Derrick (from €9/mo, credit-based) with Apollo's Free tier (10K credits/mo) for a low-cost combined stack - Derrick handles enrichment (web app, Sheets, Claude, API) on a credits basis, Apollo provides the database lookup when you need broader coverage than Derrick's integrated providers. Replaces a typical $180/mo Apollo Pro + separate enrichment subscription at <6% of the cost.
derrick •
Install the add-on and enrich your lists without leaving your spreadsheet.
Install in Google Sheets →
https://app1.derrick-app.com/mcp Call the same enrichment endpoints straight from your own stack or workflow.
Read the API docs →No credit card · No contract
Switch to Derrick07 / 09
Derrick is a web app: nothing to install, no credit card, 100 free credits every month.
Sign up on the Derrick web app. Nothing to install, no credit card required: you start with 100 free credits per month.
Upload the CSV you exported from Apollo, paste LinkedIn URLs, or import from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The same actions also run in Google Sheets, in Claude (MCP) and via the API.
Pick the column to enrich and the data you need: emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn data, company info, tech stack. Derrick fills the columns, and the email and phone finders only charge for what they find.
Apollo has 4 tiers (per-seat, annual prepay for best pricing - 2026 update bumped all paid tiers): Free ($0, ~1,200 credits/year, 100/day email cap), Basic ($65/seat/mo monthly, $49 annual - ~30K credits/year granted upfront), Professional ($99/seat/mo monthly, $79 annual - ~48K credits/year + dialer), Organization ($149/seat/mo monthly, $119 annual - ~72K credits/year + reporting, 3-seat minimum = $357/mo annual entry). Annual saves ~17-20% per tier ; credits granted UPFRONT with no rollover.
Yes - Apollo has the most generous free tier in the category. 10,000 data credits/month + email + LinkedIn finder + 2 active sequences. Email send limit is 100/day for non-corporate domains, ~10K/year for corporate. Most solo SDRs can run small-scale outbound on Free for months - the upgrade trigger is typically sequencing feature gating or hitting the 2-active-sequences cap.
Apollo's phone reveals cost 8 credits each for mobile numbers (5 credits for direct dial) - 5-8× more than email reveals (1 credit). A calling-first SDR doing 50 mobile reveals/day burns through Basic's 5K annual credits in 12-13 days. Workarounds : (1) upgrade to Pro (10K credits/year), (2) pair Apollo with Lusha ($49.90/mo, 400 phone credits at 1-credit each = $0.125/mobile vs Apollo's $0.748). For phone-heavy outbound, Lusha is materially cheaper per mobile.
Apollo has two separate quotas that catch most buyers off-guard : (1) data credits for contact reveals (5K-15K/year per seat), (2) email sending limits for outbound (1,960-4,760/month). You can run out of EITHER at any time. Phone-heavy SDRs burn credits fast ; email-heavy SDRs hit send caps. Both reset on different schedules. Most teams underestimate this at signup and discover the constraint mid-year.
Apollo's Organization tier ($149/seat monthly, $119 annual) requires a 3-seat minimum - $357/mo annual entry even if you only have 1 actual user (was $297 in 2024 - bumped with 2026 price increase). The 3-seat bundle gates advanced reporting + custom roles + bidirectional Outreach/Salesloft sync. Most teams that want Organization's features either accept the 3-seat bundle (paying for unused capacity) or stay on Pro ($79/seat annual) and work around the reporting gap.
Per-seat-per-month math (annual billing, mid-market team) : Apollo Pro $79/seat (post-2026 increase), Lusha Premium $80/seat (5-seat bundle), Cognism Essentials $250/seat (10-seat), Saleshandy Pro $59/team (unlimited mailboxes). Apollo wins on per-seat economics for database + sequencer combo. Cognism wins for EU enterprise + Diamond Data mobiles. Saleshandy wins for cold-email-at-scale unlimited-mailbox economics. For SMB or web app + Sheets, Derrick (from €9/mo, credit-based) is the lowest-friction option.
Apollo Free tier ($0) + Derrick (from €9/mo) = a low-cost combined stack. Apollo Free gives you ~1,200 credits/year for database lookups, Derrick handles no-install enrichment (email + phone + tech; web app, Sheets, Claude, API) on a credits basis. This combo pairs Apollo Free for database lookups with Derrick from €9/mo for no-install enrichment (web app, Sheets, Claude, API). For higher database needs, upgrade Apollo to Basic ($49/yr) and keep Derrick from €9/mo on top.
Keep exploring08 / 09
Comparing options? These are the other database & intelligence tools we've torn down at the same depth - real per-credit cost, hidden fees, plan calculators.
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BuiltWith review: 3.5/5. Tech-stack detection and lead lists with adoption history, free lookups then $295/month. For tech-defined ICPs, not
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Wappalyzer review: 3.2/5. Tech detection extension and lead lists for mainstream stacks, free extension then $250/month. Not for niche detec
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SimilarWeb review: 3.5/5. Web traffic and competitive intelligence with sales signals, free extension then $199/month. For traffic-led ICPs,
See pricing →Go further09 / 09
Features, accuracy, integrations - everything beyond pricing.
Open the review → Top alternatives10 picks compared by use case : Google Sheets native, Sales Nav export, deliverability, enterprise.
See the ranking → Curated stackOur hand-picked shortlist across categories.
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