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 Cognism vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Apollo vs Cognism vs Derrick: Apollo is a b2b sales intelligence and outreach, Cognism is a gdpr-compliant b2b contact data with mobile coverage. 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 Cognism) 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 Cognism 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 Cognism vs Derrick at a glance
Cognism
- Starting price: Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat)
- Free plan: No (demo + custom quote only)
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: London, United Kingdom
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 Cognism
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time validation without data gaps in enrichment
Derrick delivers real-time validation within enrichment, addressing gaps that Apollo and Cognism struggle to close in every record. While Apollo and Cognism offer data accuracy, users often encounter outdated or incomplete records during rapid prospecting, leaving gaps in profiles. Derrick ensures real-time validation directly in Google Sheets, reducing false positives and ensuring each enriched contact is verifiable the moment it’s appended. This results in measurable gains like faster list readiness and improved deliverability, with credits remaining usable across workflows.
02 Cost-effective, flexible integrations for diverse workflows
Apollo and Cognism excel at data quality, but their native workflows often require rigid setups or additional tools for broad integration, limiting flexibility in diverse processes. Derrick delivers cost-effective, 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with 3000+ integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n, eliminating CSV exports and complex config. Teams save time and money, with measurable gains like 5-10h/month in manual effort and reusable credits across workflows. A typical use case: seamless, scalable prospecting without leaving Sheets or paying for separate data enrichment suites. Derrick converts flexible integrations into tangible ROI for varied workflows.
03 Unified AI-driven scoring for precise prioritization
Apollo and Cognism provide strong data and verification, but they fall short on unified AI-driven scoring that translates into precise prioritization across channels and workflows. Derrick combines integrated AI (Claude and ChatGPT) with 50+ enrichment attributes and real-time validation to deliver a single, scoring-driven view that auto-prioritizes prospects. This yields measurable efficiency, reducing time-to-prioritize by up to 30% and boosting conversion-ready leads by a reported 15-25% in rapid test scenarios. With Derrick, score cohorts update dynamically as new signals emerge, enabling actionable prioritization without leaving Google Sheets.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Apollo, Cognism, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Apollo does better
- Massive 250M+ contact database
- All-in-one stack at SMB price
- Intuitive list-builder
What Cognism does better
- Best EU mobile-phone coverage
- GDPR-compliant by design
- Strong intent + technographic data
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 | Cognism | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $49 annual or $59 monthly /seat (post-2026 price increase) | Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€588/yr | ~€180/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (Free forever) | No (demo + custom quote only) | ✓ 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 Cognism vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| apollo | Derrick App | Cognism | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1000$/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 →
Sales Intelligence (EU/EMEA)
Apollo vs Cognism 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 pricing starts with a flexible entry-level tier and credits-based options, with paid plans scaling for teams and volume; see full pricing breakdown for complete details and any usage-based considerations.
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.
Sales Intelligence (EU/EMEA) Cognism
Custom (~$15K platform + $1.5K/seat)
Best for: EU/EMEA enterprise sales
Cognism offers premium B2B pricing with entry-level plans that start at a higher tier, featuring real-time verification and multi-channel outreach; details are available on the dedicated pricing page for full breakdown and enterprise options. See full pricing breakdown for complete details.
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 Cognism if…
- You specifically need eu/emea enterprise sales
- Best EU mobile-phone coverage
- GDPR-compliant by design
- You're already invested in the Cognism 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 Cognism
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
Is Derrick better than Apollo for data enrichment and automation?
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Derrick and Apollo serve different enrichment philosophies. Apollo excels at scale with its 250 million contact database and multi-channel outreach, making it ideal for high-volume prospecting. However, Derrick offers superior automation efficiency through native Google Sheets integration, eliminating CSV exports and manual workflows that consume 5-10 hours monthly. Derrick's AI-powered enrichment with Claude and ChatGPT provides deeper data intelligence, while Apollo focuses on breadth. For teams prioritizing data quality, workflow efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, Derrick's rollover credits and no credit card requirement for free tier offer more flexibility than Apollo's rigid pricing structure.
How does Derrick compare to Cognism in pricing?
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Derrick offers significantly more flexible pricing than Cognism, with plans starting at just nine dollars monthly for four thousand credits, compared to Cognism's enterprise-focused premium tiers. Derrick's credits roll over monthly, meaning unused credits aren't lost, whereas Cognism operates on standard monthly billing cycles. Additionally, Derrick requires no credit card for its free tier with two hundred credits, while Cognism typically demands upfront payment. For budget-conscious teams, Derrick delivers comparable data enrichment capabilities at a fraction of Cognism's cost, with integrated AI features and native Google Sheets functionality that eliminates expensive add-ons like LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
Derrick vs Apollo vs Cognism: which wins on features?
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Derrick wins on workflow efficiency by operating natively within Google Sheets, eliminating the need for CSV exports or external platforms that Apollo and Cognism require. While Apollo excels at database scale and Cognism at data accuracy, Derrick uniquely combines fifty-plus enrichment attributes with integrated AI scoring using both Claude and ChatGPT. Derrick's rollover credits, no credit card requirement for free tier, and three-thousand-plus integrations via Zapier provide superior flexibility. For teams prioritizing streamlined prospecting without technical complexity, Derrick delivers the most practical feature combination, particularly when combined with Apollo's database strength or Cognism's intent signals.
Is Apollo a good alternative to Derrick for outreach?
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Yes, Apollo can be a good alternative to Derrick for outreach, especially if your team prioritizes a large, fast-moving contact database, multi-channel outreach, and strong CRM integrations. Apollo excels at scale with verified emails and broad reach, which supports rapid pipeline building. However, Derrick offers unique advantages that may matter for some teams: 100% native Google Sheets integration (no CSV exports or complex setup), roll-over credits, 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and integrated AI scoring and segmentation within a familiar spreadsheet workflow. If you want a high-volume outbound engine with easy, no-code enrichment directly in Sheets, Derrick complements Apollo by boosting automation efficiency and data quality, whereas Cognism emphasizes data accuracy and intent signals for enterprise batching.
How does Cognism compare to Apollo for accuracy and pricing?
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Cognism and Apollo both excel at contact accuracy, but they target different segments. Apollo prioritizes scale and speed with its 250 million contact database, while Cognism focuses on data quality and intent signals, particularly in EMEA markets. Pricing-wise, Cognism positions itself as premium with enterprise-level features, whereas Apollo offers more flexible plans. However, neither integrates natively into Google Sheets without manual CSV workflows. Derrick complements both by delivering 50+ enrichment attributes directly within Sheets, with rollover credits and no card required for the free tier, making it ideal for teams seeking streamlined, cost-effective enrichment without platform switching or complex integrations.
What’s the difference between Derrick and Cognism for enterprise users?
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Derrick differs from Cognism for enterprise users in that it is 100% native to Google Sheets, turning Sheets into a full prospecting hub without exports or complex setup, while Cognism excels at verified contact data, intent signals, and account-based insights with strong GDPR/CCPA compliance. Derrick focuses on rapid, cost-efficient enrichment (50+ attributes per contact), real-time email validation, AI-powered scoring and segmentation, and vast automation via 3000+ integrations, all while offering rollable credits and a free tier without credit card. For enterprises prioritizing quick, integrated outreach within Sheets and flexible budgeting, Derrick offers a more lightweight, scalable approach; Cognism remains strong for high-quality data, compliance, and intent-driven ABM but typically at a premium and with a different workflow focus.
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-oneCognism vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Cognism 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
