Apollo
- Starting price: Free / $49 annual or $59 monthly /seat (post-2026 price increase)
- Free plan: Yes (Free forever)
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: San Francisco, CA
Updated
Apollo vs BetterContact vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Apollo vs BetterContact vs Derrick: Apollo is a b2b sales intelligence and outreach, BetterContact is a waterfall enrichment platform querying 20+ data providers in sequence. Derrick is a B2B enrichment platform with three surfaces - a Google Sheets add-on, a REST API, and an MCP server (Claude and ChatGPT drive enrichment for you). Hit rates are noticeably higher (more emails + phone numbers returned per query than Apollo or BetterContact) and pricing is lower - free forever with 100 credits/month, paid plans from €9/month. Most teams pair Derrick for the data layer with Apollo or BetterContact for outreach.
Apollo is a B2B database vendor - seat-time + record access charged per user, per year. The side-by-side comparison below tracks Apollo's total-cost-of-ownership across team growth and lookup volume against Derrick's credit-pool model where the cost moves with usage, not headcount.
Free plan Yes - 100 credits/mo
Starts at €9/mo
Setup time 30 seconds
Where it lives Google Sheets
✓ Free forever · ✓ No credit card · ✓ Cancel anytime · ✓ Your data stays in your Sheet
Trusted by 31,000+ users worldwide.
CURSOR Quick Facts
Apollo vs BetterContact vs Derrick at a glance
BetterContact
- Starting price: Free 50 credits · Starter $15/mo
- Free plan: Yes - 50 free credits to test
- Founded: 2022
- HQ: Lyon, France
Derrick
★ Recommended- Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
- Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
- Founded: 2023
- HQ: Marseille, FR
Why Derrick wins 01
02
03
Why teams pick Derrick over Apollo and BetterContact
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time validation without data gaps
Derrick delivers real-time validation directly within your 100% native Google Sheets workflow, avoiding data gaps that Apollo and BetterContact can struggle to close in real time. While Apollo offers rapid data access and broad outreach tools, and BetterContact focuses on email validation, neither guarantees end-to-end, instant validation across all enriched fields inside sheets. Derrick ensures every record is validated on the moment of capture, reducing bounce risk and improving deliverability with live checks at scale. With 50+ enrichment attributes and seamless sheet-based operations, you gain immediate, auditable accuracy without export steps or DB friction.
02 Scalable enrichment depth beyond basic email data
Apollo and BetterContact mainly focus on email finding and verification, leaving deeper enrichment and multi-field profiles underdeveloped. Derrick differentiates by delivering scalable enrichment depth beyond basic email data, integrating 50+ attributes per contact and company, plus AI-powered scoring and segmentation to enrich records inside Google Sheets. This yields measurable value, such as improved deliverability and smarter targeting, while credits are tied to actions for cost-efficient scaling. A typical use case: enrich a lead with firmographic, technographic, and intent-like signals in one workflow, without leaving Sheets.
03 Unified data quality governance for every record in CRM
Apollo and BetterContact are strong at individual data pieces, but they don’t deliver unified governance across every CRM record. Derrick operates as a 100% native Google Sheets solution that enforces consistent validation, enrichment, and deduplication directly within your CRM workflow, avoiding data silos. This results in measurable accuracy and completeness: up to 50+ attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and reduced cleanup time across the entire CRM, saving hours monthly. A practical use is maintaining a single source of truth for every account and contact, regardless of dataset size.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Apollo, BetterContact, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Apollo does better
- Massive 250M+ contact database
- All-in-one stack at SMB price
- Intuitive list-builder
What BetterContact does better
- Highest find rates in the category (87-95% emails)
- One subscription replaces five separate tools
- Pay-per-result + GDPR-clean compliance
What Derrick does better
- Free forever - €0/mo with 100 credits permanent in Google Sheets
- 100+ data points per lead - verified emails, phones, LinkedIn, tech stack, SIRET
- Zero LinkedIn ban risk + real-time email verification built in
- Pair with any sequencer - LaGrowthMachine, Smartlead, Lemlist, HeyReach
Real Annual Cost
True cost over 12 months
Headline pricing rarely tells the whole story. Here's the real cost of running each tool for a year.
| Apollo | BetterContact | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $49 annual or $59 monthly /seat (post-2026 price increase) | Free 50 credits · Starter $15/mo | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€588/yr | ~€600/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (Free forever) | Yes - 50 free credits to test | ✓ Forever - 100 credits/mo |
| Setup cost | Hours to days | Hours to days | 30 seconds via Marketplace |
| Switching cost | CSV export + retraining | CSV export + retraining | Zero - works alongside any stack |
💡 Most teams pay 2-5x more on add-ons (extra seats, phone credits, integrations) than on the headline base price. Derrick keeps everything in one transparent tier.
Feature-by-Feature
Apollo vs BetterContact vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| apollo | Derrick App | BetterContact | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works natively in Google Sheets | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Requires LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($100/month) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Sales Navigator 1-click import | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Email finder with real-time validation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phone finder from LinkedIn | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Company tech stack lookup | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| SimilarWeb & G2 insights integrated | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| AI integration (Claude & ChatGPT) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic AI Lead Scoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Data cleaning & normalization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-platform scraping (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Zapier, Make, n8n integrations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public API available | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Native CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Entry price (paid plan) | 59$/mois | 9€/mois | 49$/mois |
| Permanent free plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rollover credits to next month | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple and transparent credit system | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple setup & onboarding | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Complete documentation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pricing in a nutshell Sales Intelligence derrick
best value for money
Results first.
Discover Derrick →
Waterfall Email + Phone Enrichment
Apollo vs BetterContact vs Derrick pricing breakdown
Sales Intelligence Apollo
Free / $49 annual or $59 monthly /seat (post-2026 price increase)
Best for: SMB & mid-market outbound
Apollo offers a scalable pricing model with an accessible entry point and paid tiers for larger teams; details are on the Pricing page. See full pricing breakdown for all plan options and usage thresholds.
Results first.
Complexity removed.
Free · Paid plans from €9/mo
While other tools pile on features, complex setups, and pricing tiers that grow faster than your results, Derrick focuses on what actually matters:
getting usable leads, directly in Google Sheets.
No heavy workflows, No endless configuration. No learning curve.
Waterfall Email + Phone Enrichment BetterContact
Free 50 credits · Starter $15/mo
Best for: Outbound teams who want best-find-rate at one subscription cost
BetterContact offers entry-level pricing with a free tier and scalable paid plans as credit bundles, designed for bulk email discovery and verification. See the full pricing breakdown for complete plan details and usage limits.
Migration Guide
How to switch from Apollo to Derrick in 3 steps
Derrick is a Google Workspace app - no formulas to learn, no pipelines to migrate, no engineering work. Add it to Google Sheets and you're enriching in under a minute.
1
~30 sec Install Derrick from Google Workspace Marketplace
Click the install button on our Marketplace listing and grant Google Sheets access. No credit card required - you start with 100 free credits per month.
2
~30 sec Open any Google Sheet → Extensions → Derrick
Open a Sheet with your prospect list (paste a CSV from Apollo, scrape from LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or import from your CRM). Click Extensions → Derrick and the sidebar opens with all enrichment features ready to use.
3
~1 min Enrich your list with one click
Select the column with names, LinkedIn URLs, or company domains. Pick what you want - emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn data, company info, tech stack - and click "Enrich". Derrick fills the columns directly in your Sheet. No exports, no pipelines, no waiting.
Install Derrick free →
100 free credits / month · No credit card · Cancel anytime
Decision in 60 seconds
Which one is right for you?
Pick Apollo if…
- You specifically need smb & mid-market outbound
- Massive 250M+ contact database
- All-in-one stack at SMB price
- You're already invested in the Apollo ecosystem
Pick BetterContact if…
- You specifically need outbound teams who want best-find-rate at one subscription cost
- Highest find rates in the category (87-95% emails)
- One subscription replaces five separate tools
- You're already invested in the BetterContact ecosystem
Pick Derrick if…
- You want B2B enrichment directly in Google Sheets
- You need a usable free plan (100 credits/mo, no card)
- You don't want long contracts, lock-in, or sales calls
- You need 100+ data points per lead in one tool
What teams say after switching from Apollo vs BetterContact
See what our customers say about Derrick.
"This app saved me so much time and effort. Great for anyone looking to build a contact list or network at scale quickly. As a start-up it's been invaluable."
Alex Clark
Director | SaaS GTM Leader
"Working pretty nifty compared to Snov.Io. Price wise it does give a fair shake, and IMO better interface since it's google sheets."
David Sire
Mortgage Broker at Zero Point Mortgage
"Derrick is a very simple and user-friendly app to enrich your contacts database. Best thing: you can test it for free. And then the price is so low, it's a no brainer."
Etienne Grange
CEO Form'actions
"Super easy to enrich linkedin urls using this tool. Both personal and company url data can be easily enriched with a click of a button."
Zaid Bilal
RevOps Professional
"Amazing Tool, I would like to advocate this to my colleagues. So that you can get more users. Keep it Up. 5 Stars!"
Asif Hanzala
Lead Generation Specialist at IdeaPeel
"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."
Dan Hughes
Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO
"I have been using other expensive apps or freemium like phantombuster, but Derrick has replaced them all. I love the simplicity of the Google sheet add-in, but what is best is the efficiency it delivers."
Julien Walon Cohen
CEO & Co-founder @ Diffly | B2B Sales Advisor
"The LinkedIn scraping and email finder combo is incredibly powerful. I can build a complete prospect list with contact info in under an hour. Absolute must-have for outbound."
Michael Kim
SDR Team Lead at CloudScale
"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."
AJ Alexander
Opportunity Prospector
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Derrick vs apollo main difference for teams?
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The main difference for teams comes down to workflow integration and data freshness. Apollo excels as a comprehensive B2B database with 250 million contacts and strong CRM integrations, making it ideal for high-volume prospecting at scale. However, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets without requiring CSV exports or external platforms, saving teams 5-10 hours monthly on data management. While Apollo prioritizes breadth of contact data, Derrick combines 50+ enrichment attributes with integrated AI scoring using Claude and ChatGPT, plus real-time email validation. For teams already working in Google Sheets, Derrick eliminates platform switching friction, whereas Apollo requires more complex workflow setup. Both serve different team structures-Apollo for traditional sales operations seeking a dedicated platform, Derrick for agile teams prioritizing spreadsheet efficiency and automation without additional tools.
Is Derrick a better alternative to apollo for outreach?
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Whether Derrick is a better alternative to Apollo depends on your specific needs. Apollo excels as a comprehensive B2B sales intelligence platform with a massive verified contact database and strong CRM integrations, making it ideal for high-volume prospecting at scale. Derrick, however, operates natively within Google Sheets without requiring CSV exports or complex setup, saving teams five to ten hours monthly while offering fifty plus enrichment attributes and integrated AI capabilities with Claude and ChatGPT. If you prioritize seamless Google Sheets workflows, rollover credits, and AI-powered automation over Apollo's extensive database, Derrick delivers superior efficiency. For teams needing Apollo's breadth combined with Derrick's operational simplicity, many organizations use both complementarily to maximize prospecting effectiveness and data enrichment depth.
Derrick vs apollo vs BetterContact: which excels together?
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Each platform excels in different areas. Apollo dominates large-scale contact databases with 250 million verified profiles and strong email verification, making it ideal for high-volume prospecting teams. BetterContact specializes in email discovery with exceptional accuracy and simplicity for focused email-finding needs. Derrick shines as a native Google Sheets solution offering 50+ enrichment attributes, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, rollover credits, and no credit card required for the free tier. The best choice depends on your workflow: choose Apollo for comprehensive sales intelligence, BetterContact for pure email validation, or Derrick if you prioritize seamless spreadsheet integration with AI-powered enrichment and cost flexibility.
apollo vs BetterContact: which tool has better pricing?
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When comparing pricing between Apollo and BetterContact, Apollo generally positions itself as a broader sales intelligence platform with tiered plans that scale with data access, engagement features, and API integrations, while BetterContact focuses on high-accuracy email finding and verification at a more straightforward, typically lower price point. In practice, users often find Apollo more expensive as they add on data enrichment and multi-channel capabilities, whereas BetterContact offers cost-efficient email discovery with reliable deliverability. Derrick, by contrast, provides a cost-friendly alternative with 100% native Google Sheets enrichment, real-time email validation, and rolling credits (free tier available) that can reduce total cost of ownership while delivering extensive enrichment across 50+ fields. If you prioritize comprehensive data and advanced workflows, Apollo may justify higher spend; if email validation at scale is your main need, BetterContact is competitive, and Derrick adds additional savings and automation without requiring credit card for the free tier.
How does BetterContact compare to apollo for verification and enrichment?
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BetterContact and Apollo both excel at email verification but serve different needs. Apollo offers a broader B2B sales intelligence platform with 250+ million contacts, real-time verification, and integrated CRM workflows, making it ideal for teams needing comprehensive prospecting at scale. BetterContact specializes in email finding and validation with high accuracy rates but lacks deeper enrichment capabilities like company insights and intent signals. For teams seeking a more flexible, cost-effective alternative with 50+ enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, and native Google Sheets integration without complex setup, Derrick provides streamlined data enrichment with rollover credits and integrated AI scoring, eliminating the need for external platforms or CSV exports that both competitors require.
What are Derrick’s pricing and features versus apollo and BetterContact?
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Derrick pricing scales with credits: Free 100 credits, Small 4000 for $9, Medium 10000 for $20, Large 25000 for $47.50, XL 100000 for $175, with rollovers and no credit card required for the free tier. Derrick is 100% native to Google Sheets and eliminates complex exports, saving 5–10 hours/month. It offers 50+ enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, integrated AI (Claude and ChatGPT), and 3000+ integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n. Apollo emphasizes a large contact database and multi-channel outreach, while BetterContact centers on email finding/verification; Derrick uniquely combines enrichment, automation, and seamless sheets native workflow.
One-on-one
apollo vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how apollo compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → One-on-oneBetterContact vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how BetterContact compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → Curated stackAll B2B sales tools we reviewed in depth
Step back from the duel - see our hand-picked sales-tool selection and how every category fits together.
See the full curation → Keep Exploring
