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 for a $10 Sheet-native stack.
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 | $59/seat ($49/seat/mo (annual ≈ 17% 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 |
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.
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 / $59 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 | $10 (flat, unlimited seats) | 2,000+ | $0.005 | 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 at $10/mo is ~4× cheaper per email reveal at equivalent volume.
Apollo's paid tiers (Basic+) include :
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 Sheet-native workflows where you only need the data layer, pair Derrick ($10/mo flat) with Apollo's Free tier (10K credits/mo) for a $10/mo total stack — Derrick handles in-Sheet enrichment with unlimited rows, 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.
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 ($59/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 Sheet-native, Derrick at $10/mo flat is the lowest-friction option.
Apollo Free tier ($0) + Derrick ($10/mo) = $10/mo total stack. Apollo Free gives you ~1,200 credits/year for database lookups, Derrick handles Sheet-native enrichment (email + phone + tech) with unlimited rows. This combo replaces what would be a $237/mo Apollo Pro single-seat annual + separate Sheets-enrichment subscription, at ~4% of the cost. For higher database needs, upgrade Apollo to Basic ($49 annual) → $59/mo total stack still 4× cheaper than Apollo Pro alone.
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