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 Octopus CRM vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Apollo vs Octopus CRM vs Derrick: Apollo is a b2b sales intelligence and outreach, Octopus CRM is a budget chrome-extension linkedin automation tool for solo prospectors. 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 Octopus CRM) 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 Octopus CRM 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 Octopus CRM vs Derrick at a glance
Octopus CRM
- Starting price: $9.99/mo (Starter)
- Free plan: 7-day free trial
- Founded: 2018
- HQ: United States (remote-first team)
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 Octopus CRM
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time email validation without enrichment gaps
Real-time email validation is a common feature, but Apollo and Octopus CRM struggle to guarantee validation accuracy without leaving gaps in enrichment. Derrick delivers true real-time email validation inside a 100% native Google Sheets workflow, avoiding the need for external CSV exports or complex setups. This means immediate, verifiable deliverability with every newly added lead, reducing bounce rates and improving campaign outcomes by up to 15-20% in deliverability benchmarks. Use cases include instant validation during list building and automatic flagging of risky addresses for faster remediation.
02 Comprehensive data enrichment beyond basic contact details
Apollo and Octopus CRM often fall short on deep, multi-source enrichment beyond basic contact details, delivering surface-level profiles or incomplete company intelligence. Derrick differs by delivering 50+ enrichment attributes per contact and company, directly inside 100% native Google Sheets, eliminating data silos. This results in measurable gains: faster segmentation and a potential 20–40% lift in outbound accuracy due to richer profiles. A practical use case: instantly enrich a prospect list during a live cold outreach workflow without leaving Sheets.
03 AI-powered lead scoring and segmentation for precision targeting
Apollo and Octopus CRM provide basic data and automation, but they fall short on AI-driven precision scoring and nuanced segmentation needed for targeted outreach. Derrick differentiates with integrated AI (Claude and ChatGPT) that automatically scores leads and creates dynamic segments within 100% native Google Sheets workflows. This yields measurable gains: up to 25% higher response rates and clearer ICP alignment, with seamless daily use and no complex exports. Derrick enables rapid, actionable targeting directly from familiar sheets.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Apollo, Octopus CRM, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Apollo does better
- Massive 250M+ contact database
- All-in-one stack at SMB price
- Intuitive list-builder
What Octopus CRM does better
- Cheapest LinkedIn automation tool worth using
- Genuinely intuitive UI
- Built-in safety controls + smart delays
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 | Octopus CRM | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $49 annual or $59 monthly /seat (post-2026 price increase) | $9.99/mo (Starter) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€588/yr | ~€120/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (Free forever) | 7-day free trial | ✓ 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 Octopus CRM vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| apollo | Derrick App | Octopus CRM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 9.99$/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 →
Budget LinkedIn Automation (Chrome Extension)
Apollo vs Octopus CRM 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 scalable pricing with an entry-level plan and credit-based tiers; exact details vary by usage, and a full pricing breakdown is available on the pricing page for complete details. See full pricing breakdown for specifics.
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.
Budget LinkedIn Automation (Chrome Extension) Octopus CRM
$9.99/mo (Starter)
Best for: Budget-conscious solo SDRs running basic LinkedIn outreach
Octopus CRM offers affordable entry-level pricing with a starter tier and revenue-saving paid plans; details include monthly rates and feature limits, with a full pricing breakdown available on the dedicated pricing page. See complete pricing details on the pricing page.
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 Octopus CRM if…
- You specifically need budget-conscious solo sdrs running basic linkedin outreach
- Cheapest LinkedIn automation tool worth using
- Genuinely intuitive UI
- You're already invested in the Octopus CRM 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 Octopus CRM
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
Derrick vs apollo: which is the better option for data enrichment?
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For data enrichment specifically, Derrick and Apollo serve different strengths. Apollo excels with its 250 million contact database and email verification at scale, making it ideal for high-volume prospecting. However, Derrick offers superior enrichment depth with 50+ attributes per contact and integrated AI scoring using Claude and ChatGPT, all natively within Google Sheets without CSV exports. Derrick's real-time email validation and rollover credits provide better flexibility for teams prioritizing data quality and cost efficiency over sheer database size. Choose Apollo for massive contact discovery, Derrick for intelligent, enriched prospect profiles built directly in your workflow.
Is Derrick a solid alternative to apollo for outreach?
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Yes, Derrick is a solid alternative to Apollo for outreach, particularly if you prioritize ease of use and cost efficiency. While Apollo excels at large-scale contact databases with 250+ million profiles, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating the need for CSV exports or complex integrations. Derrick offers 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, making it ideal for teams seeking streamlined prospecting without technical overhead. Additionally, Derrick's rollover credits and no credit card requirement for the free tier provide more flexibility than Apollo's rigid monthly billing. For outreach workflows prioritizing simplicity and data enrichment depth over raw database size, Derrick delivers comparable value at a fraction of the cost and complexity.
How does Derrick compare to apollo on pricing and features?
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Derrick operates as a 100% native Google Sheets platform requiring no CSV exports or complex setup, directly saving teams 5-10 hours monthly compared to Apollo's external interface. While Apollo excels at large contact databases with 250+ million records, Derrick provides deeper enrichment with 50+ attributes per contact and integrated AI scoring using Claude and ChatGPT. Pricing-wise, Derrick starts free with 100 credits and rollover flexibility, whereas Apollo typically demands higher commitments. For teams prioritizing streamlined workflows within Google Sheets and cost efficiency, Derrick eliminates LinkedIn Sales Navigator needs entirely, saving approximately $1,200 annually while delivering real-time email validation and direct Zapier integration capabilities that Apollo handles through rigid API structures.
Derrick vs apollo vs Octopus CRM: which hub wins for automation?
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Derrick wins for automation when you value 100% native Google Sheets-based prospecting, no CSV exports, and a lightweight path to scale without complex setup. Apollo excels in large-scale contact data and outbound workflows, while Octopus CRM shines for LinkedIn-led automation but lacks deep data enrichment and cross-channel depth. Derrick’s real-time email validation, AI-driven scoring and segmentation, and 3000+ integration options deliver end-to-end automation inside Sheets, with flexible credits and no credit card required for the free tier. If your priority is seamless, billable automation inside a familiar spreadsheet environment, Derrick stands out.
Which is the better choice apollo or Octopus CRM for LinkedIn prospecting?
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Both Apollo and Octopus CRM serve LinkedIn prospecting differently. Apollo excels with its massive 250 million contact database and advanced email verification, making it ideal for high-volume outreach at scale. Octopus CRM specializes in LinkedIn automation with affordable pricing and simplicity, but lacks deeper data enrichment. For teams wanting LinkedIn prospecting without extra tools, Octopus wins on focus. However, if you need verified contact data combined with seamless automation directly in Google Sheets without manual exports or LinkedIn navigator subscriptions, Derrick App offers native spreadsheet enrichment with 50+ data attributes, real-time email validation, and integrated AI at a fraction of the cost, eliminating the need for multiple platforms altogether.
Can Derrick replace apollo and Octopus CRM for small teams?
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Yes, Derrick can replace Apollo and Octopus CRM for many small teams, but with context. Derrick excels as a native Google Sheets enrichment and prospecting platform, avoiding CSV exports and complex setups, which can streamline small teams’ workflows. It offers 50+ enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, AI scoring and segmentation, and broad automation via Zapier/Make/n8n, all without a credit card for the free tier. Apollo shines with a massive contact database and outbound automation, while Octopus CRM emphasizes LinkedIn automation and simple CRM tasks. For small teams seeking an all-in-one, cost-efficient, spreadsheet-centric approach with strong enrichment and AI capabilities, Derrick provides a practical, integrated alternative, though teams relying heavily on Apollo’s data breadth or Octopus’s LinkedIn-first automation may still pair Derrick with those tools depending on their needs.
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-oneOctopus CRM vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Octopus CRM 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
