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 Waalaxy vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Apollo vs Waalaxy vs Derrick: Apollo is a b2b sales intelligence and outreach, Waalaxy is a beginner-friendly linkedin automation chrome extension 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 Waalaxy) 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 Waalaxy 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 Waalaxy vs Derrick at a glance
Waalaxy
- Starting price: €19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo
- Free plan: Yes - 80 invitations/mo permanently free
- Founded: 2019 (originally as ProspectIn)
- HQ: Montpellier, 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 Waalaxy
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Save time with real-time validation and native Sheets simplicity
Apollo and Waalaxy struggle with real-time data validation and native Sheets workflows, often requiring manual checks or separate tools to keep records clean. Derrick delivers real-time validation directly inside Google Sheets and keeps everything 100% native, eliminating export steps and complex setup. This translates to tangible time savings-up to 5-10 hours per month reclaimed for prospecting and data hygiene. With Derrick, you get instant feedback on addresses and contacts within Sheets, plus seamless enrichment across 50+ attributes to power accurate outreach.
02 Comprehensive data enrichment beyond basic LinkedIn data limits
Apollo and Waalaxy often cap enrichment to basic LinkedIn data, leaving gaps in firmographics and contact context. Derrick delivers comprehensive data enrichment beyond those limits by leveraging 50+ attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and AI-assisted profiling within 100% native Google Sheets. This means measurable improvements in data completeness and lead quality, plus faster onboarding with no CSV exports or complex setup. Use cases like rapid prospect profiling and accurate segmentation become routine, saving hours monthly and reducing bounce rates across campaigns.
03 Effortless data quality with continuous enrichment AI</analysis>
Apollo and Waalaxy often struggle with deep, consistent data enrichment beyond basic LinkedIn data, leading to incomplete profiles and manual verification needs. Derrick tackles this by delivering continuous enrichment AI within 100% native Google Sheets, enriching 50+ attributes per contact and offering AI scoring and summarization to ensure ongoing data quality. Teams save time and reduce errors, with measurable gains like up to 5-10 hours saved per month on data cleanup and improved deliverability from real-time email validation. A practical use case: auto-refreshing company and contact profiles as market data shifts, keeping pipelines accurate without extra tooling.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Apollo, Waalaxy, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Apollo does better
- Massive 250M+ contact database
- All-in-one stack at SMB price
- Intuitive list-builder
What Waalaxy does better
- Most generous free tier in LinkedIn automation
- Best ease of use in the category
- Massive user base + active product roadmap
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 | Waalaxy | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $49 annual or $59 monthly /seat (post-2026 price increase) | €19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€588/yr | ~€228/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (Free forever) | Yes - 80 invitations/mo permanently free | ✓ 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 Waalaxy vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| apollo | Derrick App | Waalaxy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 21€/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 →
LinkedIn Automation (Solo + Small Teams)
Apollo vs Waalaxy 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 a free tier and paid plans starting at a low entry point, designed for rapid onboarding and outbound scaling. See full pricing breakdown for all plans and details.
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.
LinkedIn Automation (Solo + Small Teams) Waalaxy
€19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo
Best for: Solo prospectors testing LinkedIn outbound for the first time
Waalaxy offers a free tier with limited LinkedIn prospecting credits and paid plans starting at accessible monthly rates; see the full pricing breakdown for all tiers and usage details. For complete pricing details, view 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 Waalaxy if…
- You specifically need solo prospectors testing linkedin outbound for the first time
- Most generous free tier in LinkedIn automation
- Best ease of use in the category
- You're already invested in the Waalaxy 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 Waalaxy
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 main difference between Derrick and Apollo for outreach?
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Derrick and Apollo take fundamentally different approaches to outreach. Apollo excels as a contact database platform with 250+ million verified profiles and strong email finding capabilities, making it ideal for high-volume prospecting. Derrick, however, operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and complex configurations while providing 50+ enrichment attributes per contact alongside integrated AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT for intelligent segmentation and scoring. Apollo requires external workflows, whereas Derrick streamlines everything directly in your spreadsheet, saving 5-10 hours monthly. For teams prioritizing workflow efficiency and data enrichment depth with lower overhead, Derrick offers a more integrated alternative to Apollo's database-centric model.
Is Derrick a better alternative to Apollo for data enrichment?
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Derrick offers a fundamentally different approach to data enrichment compared to Apollo. While Apollo excels at providing a massive contact database with verified emails, it requires external workflows and CSV exports. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating data export friction and saving five to ten hours monthly. Derrick also delivers fifty plus enrichment attributes per contact alongside integrated AI scoring via Claude and ChatGPT, which Apollo doesn't provide. For teams prioritizing workflow efficiency and data quality without leaving their spreadsheet, Derrick's rollover credits and no credit card requirement for the free tier make it a more flexible alternative to Apollo's rigid subscription model.
Which offers better pricing: Derrick or Apollo for startups?
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For startups, Derrick offers significantly better pricing flexibility than Apollo. Derrick's free tier includes 100 credits with no credit card required, and its smallest paid plan costs just $9 monthly with rollover credits you keep each month. Apollo requires higher minimum commitments and doesn't offer unused credit rollover, making it more expensive for teams with variable prospecting volume. Additionally, Derrick eliminates the need for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, saving startups approximately $1,200 annually compared to Apollo's ecosystem requirements, while delivering comparable data enrichment directly within Google Sheets.
How does Derrick compare to Waalaxy in automation features?
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Derrick and Waalaxy differ fundamentally in scope. Waalaxy excels at LinkedIn-driven automation and multi-channel outreach, with strong ease of use and solid CRM integration, but its data enrichment is relatively shallow and relies on LinkedIn data, which can limit accuracy and depth. Derrick, by contrast, offers 100% native Google Sheets enrichment, real-time email validation, and AI-powered scoring/segmentation, all without CSV exports or LinkedIn dependencies. For teams prioritizing data quality and scalable enrichment at pace, Derrick provides a stronger automation backbone, while Waalaxy remains strong for LinkedIn-centric outreach.
Can Derrick replace both Apollo and Waalaxy for prospecting?
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Derrick can serve as a primary prospecting solution, but it fills a different role than Apollo and Waalaxy. Derrick excels at data enrichment directly within Google Sheets with 50+ attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and integrated AI scoring using Claude and ChatGPT. Apollo dominates contact discovery with its 250 million database, while Waalaxy automates LinkedIn outreach. For comprehensive prospecting, many teams use Derrick's enrichment alongside Apollo's database or Waalaxy's automation. Derrick's rollover credits, no card requirement for free tier, and native Sheets integration make it cost-effective for enrichment workflows, but you may still need Apollo or Waalaxy depending on your outreach channel preferences and database requirements.
What are Derrick's advantages as an alternative to both Apollo and Waalaxy?
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Derrick offers a unique edge as an alternative to both Apollo and Waalaxy by delivering native Google Sheets enrichment and outreach without complex exports or LinkedIn dependencies. Unlike Apollo, Derrick provides 50+ enrichment attributes per contact and real-time email validation directly in Sheets, plus AI-powered scoring and segmentation with Claude and ChatGPT, all within a familiar workflow. Compared to Waalaxy, Derrick reduces setup friction, eliminates LinkedIn reliance, and adds flexible credits that roll over monthly, with a free tier and no credit card required, plus 3,000+ integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n to fit diverse tech stacks. This combination supports efficient, scalable prospecting while preserving data quality and automation, making Derrick a strong, verifiable alternative for teams seeking integrated enrichment and AI-assisted insights.
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-oneWaalaxy vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Waalaxy 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
