# Apollo Pricing 2026: Real Cost Per Seat vs $65-$149 Plans

> **TL;DR** 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 €20/mo) for a low-cost, no-install enrichment (web app and Google Sheets; MCP and API from the Plus plan) stack.

*Canonical: https://derrick-app.com/tools/apollo-pricing*
*Published: 2026-05-15 · Updated: 2026-10-15*

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## Apollo plans

### Free - $0
*Credits: 75/month*

- 75 credits per seat per month (900 per year), granted monthly
- Database access (limited search filters)
- Email + LinkedIn finder
- 2 active sequences

**Catch:** Free tier email-send limit is 100/day (non-corporate domain). Corporate domains get ~10K/year. Sequencing features gated - most buyers upgrade within 1-2 months for advanced sequencing.

### Basic - $65/seat
*Annual: $49/seat/mo (annual ≈ 24% off)*
*Credits: ~2,500 equivalent/month*

- ~30K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual)
- Sequences + email automation
- Salesforce + HubSpot basic sync
- 2,500 credits per seat per month on monthly billing

**Catch:** Per-seat billing. Credits granted UPFRONT on annual plans - no rollover at cycle end. Phone reveals cost 8 credits each from the same pool as emails. Most active reps blow through credits well before year-end.

### Professional - $99/seat
*Annual: $79/seat/mo (annual ≈ 20% off)*
*Credits: ~4,000 equivalent/month*

- ~48K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual)
- A/B testing + advanced sequencing
- Outbound dialer + click-to-call
- 4,000 credits per seat per month on monthly billing

**Catch:** The dual-limit system (credits AND email sending) hits Pro users hardest - you can run out of either. Phone-heavy SDRs burn credits ; email-heavy SDRs hit send caps.

### Organization - $149/seat (shown, annual only)
*Annual: $119/seat/mo (annual ≈ 20% off)*
*Credits: ~6,000 equivalent/month*

- ~72K data credits/year per seat (granted upfront on annual)
- Advanced reporting + custom roles
- 6,000 credits per seat per month (monthly view)
- 3-seat minimum (= $357/mo annual entry: 3 x $119)

**Catch:** 3-seat minimum = $357/mo annual entry even for 1 actual user. Custom features (advanced workflow automation) gate to Enterprise. Most teams sit on Pro and pay credit overages.

## Credit usage by action

- **Email reveal** - 1 credits
- **Mobile phone reveal** - 8 credits
- **Email verification** - Not published credits
- **Sequence send (separate cap)** - Email cap credits

## Hidden costs to watch

### Dual limit system : credits AND sending
Apollo has TWO separate quotas - data credits (30K-72K/year/seat on annual plans) AND email sending limits (1,960-4,760/mo). You can run out of either at any time. Phone-heavy SDRs burn credits ; email-heavy SDRs hit send caps.

### Mobile reveals cost 8 credits each
Mobile phone reveals cost 8× more than email reveals. A calling-first SDR doing 50 mobile reveals/day uses 400 credits a day, so Basic's 2,500 monthly credits last about 6 days. Workaround : upgrade to Pro or pair with Lusha for phone-only use cases.

### Organization tier = 3-seat minimum
Organization ($149/seat monthly shown but annual only, $119 annual) requires 3 seats - $357/mo annual entry even for 1 actual user. Most teams that want Organization's reporting features either accept the bundle or stay on Pro.

### Annual contract required for best pricing
Headline tier prices ($49/$79/$119 annual ; $65/$99 monthly, Organization annual only) - annual saves ~20-25% per tier. Credits are granted upfront with no rollover. Monthly billing costs 25-33% more than annual on Basic and Professional.

### Native integrations vary by tier
Salesforce sync is basic on Basic, bidirectional on Pro+. Outreach + Salesloft integrations gate to Pro. API access: the pricing FAQ says it is available on Custom plans. Most teams discover the integration gap after the contract is signed.

## Verdict

### Pick Derrick instead if
- You want enrichment in a web app with nothing to install, or right in Google Sheets
- You want plan-based credits, not per-seat pricing
- You want to start free (100 credits/mo, no card) and scale from €20/month (email finding is on paid plans)

## Plan-by-plan breakdown

Apollo pricing tiers - checked against apollo.io/pricing on 2026-10-15 (USD, per seat) :

| Plan | Price | Best for | Limits / Inclusions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Free** | $0 | Evaluation / testing | 75 credits per seat per month (900 per year) · Database access (limited search filters) · Email + LinkedIn finder |
| **Basic** | $65/seat ($49/seat/mo billed annually) | Starting outbound with sequences | 2,500 credits per seat per month (30,000 per year on annual) · Sequences + email automation |
| **Professional** | $99/seat ($79/seat/mo billed annually) | Teams needing A/B testing and a dialer | 4,000 credits per seat per month (48,000 per year on annual) · A/B testing + advanced sequencing |
| **Organization** | $119/seat/mo billed annually ($149 shown for monthly, annual only ; 3-seat minimum) | Teams needing reporting and custom roles | 6,000 credits per seat per month (72,000 per year) · Advanced reporting + custom roles · 3 seats minimum = $357/mo entry |

## How Apollo's credit system works

Apollo runs **two limits** that catch most buyers off-guard :

- **Data credits** - one pool for emails, phones, enrichment and AI research : 30K-72K/year per seat, granted UPFRONT on annual plans and reset each billing cycle with no rollover. Email reveal = 1 credit ; **mobile phone reveal = 8 credits**. Credits are only used when an email or phone number is found.
- **Email sending limits** for outbound - separate from credits. Hit the send cap and sequences pause regardless of credit balance.

The hardest cost surprise : one phone number costs as many credits as 8 emails. A calling-first SDR doing 50 mobile reveals/day uses 400 credits a day, so Basic's 2,500 monthly credits last about 6 days. Pair with Lusha ($49.90, 400 credits at 1-credit-per-phone) for phone-heavy use cases.

## Cost per action - Apollo vs Derrick

Real cost-per-credit + per-phone math across Apollo's tiers + competitors (annual billing) :

| Tool / Tier | Monthly cost / seat | Credits / mo (avg) | Cost / email reveal | Cost / phone reveal |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Apollo Basic | $49 annual / $65 monthly | ~2,500 | **$0.020** | 8 credits (~$0.16) |
| Apollo Pro | $79 annual / $99 monthly | ~4,000 | **$0.020** | 8 credits (~$0.16) |
| Apollo Organization | $119 annual (3-seat min) | ~6,000 | **$0.020** | 8 credits (~$0.16) |
| **Lusha Starter** | **$49.90** | **400** | **$0.125** | **$0.125** (1 credit each) |
| **Derrick (STANDARD)** | **€20/mo, no per-seat fee** | **10,000 (never expire on a paid plan)** | **~€0.01*** | **200 credits (~€0.40)** |

Per-credit on Apollo flattens at about $0.020 across paid tiers (~$49/2,500 = $79/4,000 = $119/6,000). Higher tiers buy more total volume, not better unit economics. Phone reveals cost 8 credits each, drawn from the same pool as emails. Derrick bills per result found: Email Finder is 5 credits (~€0.01) per email, charged only when an email is returned, on the STANDARD plan (€20/mo, 10,000 credits that never expire while you stay on a paid plan) with no per-seat fee.

## Hidden costs explained

Beyond the headline tier prices, real Apollo buyers hit five recurring cost surprises :

- **Dual limit system : credits AND email sending.** Two separate quotas - you can run out of either. Phone-heavy SDRs burn credits ; email-heavy SDRs hit send caps. Most teams underestimate this at signup.
- **Mobile reveals cost 8 credits each** - 8× more than email reveals. A calling-first SDR doing 50 mobile reveals/day uses 400 credits a day, so Basic's 2,500 monthly credits last about 6 days.
- **Organization tier = 3-seat minimum.** $357/mo annual entry (3 x $119) even for 1 actual user. Most teams stick on Pro and accept the reporting gap.
- **Annual billing for best pricing.** Monthly billing costs $65/$99 vs $49/$79 annual on Basic and Professional ; Organization is annual only.
- **Integration gating varies by tier.** Outreach + Salesloft gate to Pro. Most teams discover this after signing.

## How to switch from Apollo to Derrick in 3 steps

Derrick is a web app: nothing to install, no credit card, 100 free credits every month.

1. **Open the Derrick web app** - Sign up on the Derrick web app. Nothing to install, no credit card required: you start with 100 free credits per month.
2. **Import your Apollo list** - 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.
3. **Enrich your list with one click** - 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.

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## Related

- [Apollo review](https://derrick-app.com/tools/apollo)
- [Apollo alternatives](https://derrick-app.com/tools/apollo-alternatives)
- [All tool comparisons](https://derrick-app.com/tools-for-sales)
## Where to use Derrick: web app, Google Sheets, Claude (MCP) or API

The same B2B data enrichment is available on four surfaces. The free plan gives 100 credits a month, no card required.

- **Web app** (main entry, nothing to install): import or paste your list and enrich it in the browser. https://app.derrick-app.com
- **Google Sheets**: the sidebar add-on enriches your list in place, inside your spreadsheet. Install: https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/linkedin_email_phone_finder_ia_%E2%80%94_derrick/3746789989?flow_type=2
- **Claude / AI agents (MCP)**: connect the Derrick MCP server, then enrich from chat. Setup: /mcp
- **REST API**: call the same enrichment endpoints from your own stack (PLUS plan and up). Docs: https://app.derrick-app.com/api-docs