Updated

Apollo vs UpLead vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?

Short answer
Apollo vs UpLead vs Derrick: Apollo is a b2b sales intelligence and outreach, UpLead is a b2b contact database with real-time email verification on unlock. 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 UpLead) 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 UpLead 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.

Quick Facts

Apollo vs UpLead vs Derrick at a glance

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
4.7/5 G2 4.5/5 Capterra

UpLead

  • Starting price: Free 5 credits trial · Essentials $74/mo (annual)
  • Free plan: 7-day free trial - 5 credits
  • Founded: 2017
  • HQ: Covina, CA
4.7/5 G2 4.6/5 Capterra

Derrick

★ Recommended
  • Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
  • Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
  • Founded: 2023
  • HQ: Marseille, FR
4.8/5 G2 4.8/5 Capterra
Why Derrick wins

Why teams pick Derrick over Apollo and UpLead

3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.

01

Save time with native Sheets enrichment without CSV exports

Derrick delivers native Google Sheets enrichment, addressing Apollo and UpLead’s export-dependent limitations by eliminating CSV handoffs and multi-step workarounds. Unlike Apollo’s speed with large datasets or UpLead’s emphasis on verification alone, Derrick weaves enrichment directly inside Sheets without leaving the app. This results in concrete time savings of 5-10 hours per month for teams, thanks to a seamless, 100% native workflow. For quick wins, teams can enrich 50+ attributes per contact right where they manage pipelines, without CSV exports or external imports.

02

Real-time Email Verification at Point-of-Use for Deliverability

Apollo and UpLead both offer real-time validation, but they often rely on separate workflows or lack point-of-use verification that directly feeds deliverability in the moment of contact. Derrick delivers true real-time email verification at the point of use inside Google Sheets, eliminating delays from batch checks and reducing bounce risk during outreach. By validating at the exact moment you load or use a contact, Derrick can noticeably improve deliverability metrics and lower bounced emails in campaigns. This immediate verification streamlines workflows and keeps your cadence intact without leaving your sheet.

03

Universal data coverage with AI-driven firmographic insights

Apollo and UpLead offer strong data in specific areas, but their enrichment depth and firmographic breadth can fall short for universal coverage. Derrick delivers AI-driven firmographic insights within 100% native Google Sheets, eliminating exports and bridging gaps across 50+ attributes per entity. This yields measurable impact: up to 20% faster segmentation and more complete company profiles at the point of use, with credits that rollover monthly. Use cases show Derrick filling in missing industry, size, and tech stack data where Apollo/UpLead leave gaps, enabling truly universal coverage.

Honest Comparison

What each tool does better

We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Apollo, UpLead, and Derrick each genuinely win.

What UpLead does better

  • Best accuracy positioning in mid-market contact data
  • Highest G2 score in B2B contact data (4.7/5 across 824 reviews)
  • Bundled intent + technographics + filters at mid-tier
Read full UpLead review →
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 UpLead Derrick
Starting price (monthly) Free / $49 annual or $59 monthly /seat (post-2026 price increase) Free 5 credits trial · Essentials $74/mo (annual) €0 (free) · €9/mo paid
Annual cost (base) ~€588/yr ~€60/yr €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid
Free plan? Yes (Free forever) 7-day free trial - 5 credits ✓ 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 UpLead vs Derrick: full feature comparison

apollo Derrick App UpLead
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 99$/mois
Permanent free plan
Rollover credits to next month
Simple and transparent credit system
Simple setup & onboarding
Complete documentation
Pricing in a nutshell

Apollo vs UpLead 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 structure with entry-level credits and tiered plans starting at lightweight monthly commitments; the full pricing details are available on the dedicated pricing page-see full pricing breakdown for exact plan options and limits.

B2B Contact Database (Verified-on-Unlock)

UpLead

Free 5 credits trial · Essentials $74/mo (annual)

Best for: Mid-market SDR teams who care most about email accuracy

UpLead offers pay-per-verified-record pricing with a scalable model, starting at entry-level credits and increasing with plan size; a full pricing page provides all details. See full pricing breakdown for exact plan tiers and per-verify costs.

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
Read full Apollo review →

Pick UpLead if…

  • You specifically need mid-market sdr teams who care most about email accuracy
  • Best accuracy positioning in mid-market contact data
  • Highest G2 score in B2B contact data (4.7/5 across 824 reviews)
  • You're already invested in the UpLead ecosystem
Read full UpLead review →

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
Try Derrick free →

What teams say after switching from Apollo vs UpLead

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

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"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

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."

Dan Hughes

Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"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

Reviewed on G2

"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

Reviewed on Capterra

"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."

AJ Alexander

Opportunity Prospector

Reviewed on Capterra

Frequently Asked Questions

Derrick vs apollo: which is better for data enrichment accuracy?

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Both platforms approach data enrichment differently, making the comparison context-dependent. Apollo excels at scale with its 250 million contact database and real-time verification, making it ideal for high-volume prospecting. However, Apollo users frequently report data accuracy inconsistencies requiring manual validation, particularly in niche industries. UpLead delivers superior real-time verification accuracy but focuses narrowly on contact validation without broader enrichment depth. Derrick differentiates by offering 50+ enrichment attributes per contact directly within Google Sheets with real-time email validation, integrated AI scoring via Claude and ChatGPT, and no technical setup required. For teams prioritizing accuracy combined with operational efficiency and ease of use, Derrick's native Sheets integration eliminates the export friction both Apollo and UpLead introduce, while delivering comparable or superior data quality at significantly lower cost with rollover credits.

Is Derrick a good alternative to apollo for Google Sheets users?

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Yes, Derrick is an excellent alternative to Apollo for Google Sheets users. Unlike Apollo, which requires external platforms and CSV exports, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating workflow friction and saving five to ten hours monthly. While Apollo excels at database scale, Derrick offers superior flexibility for Google Sheets-native teams with rollover credits, real-time email validation, integrated AI scoring via Claude and ChatGPT, and fifty-plus enrichment attributes per contact. For teams prioritizing seamless spreadsheet integration over extensive contact databases, Derrick delivers more streamlined prospecting without complex configuration or external tools.

Derrick vs UpLead: which offers deeper enrichment features?

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Derrick offers deeper enrichment features compared to UpLead through its 50+ attributes per contact and company, combined with integrated AI capabilities using both Claude and ChatGPT for advanced scoring and segmentation. While UpLead excels at real-time email verification and contact validation, it focuses primarily on data cleanliness rather than comprehensive enrichment. Derrick's native Google Sheets integration eliminates manual exports, enabling faster enrichment workflows directly within your prospecting environment. For teams seeking broad firmographic intelligence alongside verification accuracy, Derrick delivers more granular enrichment depth without requiring external platforms or technical overhead.

What’s the difference between Derrick and apollo in pricing?

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Derrick pricing differs in its credits-based, scalable structure that is 100% native to Google Sheets, with no credit card required for the free tier. Apollo uses a more traditional plan-based pricing tied to a broad database and outreach features, while UpLead charges per verified record and emphasizes data accuracy. Derrick’s tiers (Free 100 credits, Small 4000, Medium 10000, Large 25000, XL 100000) let teams incrementally scale without exporting to CSV or paying for unused seats, and credits are rollable, which can be more cost-efficient for varying prospecting needs. If you mainly need real-time email validation, multi-attribute enrichment, and AI-driven scoring inside Sheets, Derrick often delivers more value per dollar than purely database-focused pricing models.

apollo vs UpLead: which has better review ratings and reliability?

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Both Apollo and UpLead maintain solid review ratings, but they excel in different areas. Apollo scores higher for contact database breadth and outreach automation, with users praising its scale and CRM integrations. UpLead leads in real-time verification accuracy and data cleanliness, particularly for teams prioritizing lead quality over volume. However, both platforms require external workflows and manual data management. Derrick App offers a complementary advantage by operating natively within Google Sheets, eliminating export friction while delivering 50+ enrichment attributes and real-time email validation directly in your spreadsheet, making it ideal for teams seeking simplicity without sacrificing data accuracy or verification standards.

Can Derrick replace both apollo and UpLead for your workflow?

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Derrick cannot fully replace Apollo and UpLead for every part of your workflow, but it can cover core needs more efficiently in several areas. Derrick is 100% native to Google Sheets and excels at data enrichment, real-time email validation, AI-driven scoring and segmentation, and seamless automation across 3,000+ integrations, all without exporting to CSV or requiring LinkedIn Navigator. Apollo offers a vast database, multi-channel outreach, and strong CRM integrations, while UpLead emphasizes real-time verification and data quality. If your priority is automated prospecting and enrichment within Sheets with flexible credits and no credit card for the free tier, Derrick is a strong complement. For comprehensive database breadth (Apollo) or deep verification depth and firmographic/intent signals (UpLead), you may still rely on those tools alongside Derrick to achieve full workflow coverage.
Apollo vs UpLead vs Derrick - Free · 100 credits/mo Apollo vs UpLead vs Derrick - Derrick is Product of the Day on Product Hunt Try Derrick free →