7 Best Apollo.io Alternatives for B2B Sales in 2026

Apollo.io built something impressive: 275 million contacts, prospecting and outreach in one platform, and a free tier generous enough to actually test.

For many teams, it's the default starting point for B2B sales intelligence.

But here's what happens after a few months: you notice the data accuracy varies. European contacts bounce more often. Credits drain faster than expected. And the "personalization" is still just inserting [firstName] and [companyName] into templates.

According to user reviews, common complaints include "limited data accuracy outside the US," "credits drain quickly relative to value," and "scalability is highly limited and comes at a cost."

If you're hitting these walls, here are 7 Apollo alternatives worth considering in 2026.

TL;DR: Quick Comparison

Why Teams Look for Apollo Alternatives

After talking to teams who've evaluated or switched from Apollo, these pain points come up repeatedly:

1. Data Accuracy Varies by Region

Apollo's database is strongest in the US. Once you start prospecting in Europe, APAC, or emerging markets, accuracy drops noticeably.

Multiple reviews note that "data accuracy inconsistencies" are a primary reason teams switch. "Users frequently report outdated contact information, incorrect job titles, and bounced emails."

If you're targeting global markets, this matters.

2. Credits Deplete Quickly

Apollo's pricing looks reasonable until you start using it. Credits disappear fast because they're consumed by:

• Viewing contact details
• Exporting contacts
• Email verification
• Sequence sends

What looks like a $49/month plan can quickly require upgrades or credit purchases.

3. Scaling Gets Expensive

Apollo's per-seat pricing works for small teams. But as you grow, costs multiply:

Plus credit overages when you exceed plan limits.

4. Personalization Is Still Merge Tags

Apollo offers "AI personalization," but it's fundamentally limited to the data in their database: name, title, company, industry.

Your email still reads: "Hi [firstName], I noticed [companyName] is growing in the [industry] space..."

That's not personalization anymore. Everyone has access to the same database fields. Real personalization requires data your competitors don't have.

5. GDPR Compliance Concerns

Cognism's analysis points out that "Apollo's data collection methods don't always align with GDPR requirements, creating legal risks for companies operating in European markets."

If compliance matters to your organization, this is a real consideration.

The 7 Best Apollo Alternatives

1. ZoomInfo

Best for: Enterprise teams needing intent data and conversation intelligence

ZoomInfo is the enterprise alternative. If Apollo is a Honda, ZoomInfo is a Mercedes. More expensive, more features, more data depth.

Key Features:

• 260M+ individual profiles, 100M+ company profiles
• Buyer intent data (who's actively researching)
• Conversation intelligence (call recording and analysis)
• Real-time company news and alerts
• Advanced workflow automation

Pricing:

• Professional: $14,995/year (5,000 credits)
• Advanced: $24,995/year (10,000 credits)
• Elite: $39,995/year (unlimited within fair use)

Pros:

• Most comprehensive B2B intelligence platform
• Intent data identifies active buyers
• Conversation intelligence unique in the space
• Enterprise-grade integrations

Cons:

• Expensive (minimum ~$15K/year)
• Complex platform with learning curve
• Overkill for small teams
• Annual contracts required

When to choose ZoomInfo over Apollo: You're an enterprise team with budget, need intent data to prioritize outreach, and want conversation intelligence for call analysis.

2. Cognism

Best for: Teams prioritizing GDPR compliance and phone-verified data

Cognism built its reputation on compliance and data verification. Where Apollo aggregates data at scale, Cognism focuses on accuracy and legal compliance.

Key Features:

• 400M+ business profiles
• Diamond Data: Phone-verified mobile numbers
• 16-step email verification process
• DNC screening across 14 countries
• GDPR and CCPA compliant by design

Pricing:

Custom pricing based on team size and data needs. Expect enterprise-level costs, but with predictable per-seat pricing rather than credits.

Pros:

• Phone-verified numbers connect at higher rates
• GDPR compliance built in, not bolted on
• Stronger European data than Apollo
• Predictable pricing without credit anxiety

Cons:

• Expensive for small teams
• Less US coverage than Apollo
• No free tier to test
• Sales-driven buying process

When to choose Cognism over Apollo: You're prospecting in Europe, compliance matters, and you need phone numbers that actually work.

3. SalesIntel

Best for: Teams who prioritize data accuracy above all else

SalesIntel differentiates on one thing: human-verified data. While Apollo relies on machine verification, SalesIntel has researchers manually verify contacts.

Key Features:

• Human-verified contact data
• 95% accuracy guarantee
• Research-on-demand for missing contacts
• Intent data partnership
• Chrome extension for LinkedIn

Pricing:

• Individual: $69/user/month
• Teams: Custom pricing
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Pros:

• 95% accuracy rate (externally validated)
• Human verification catches what machines miss
• Research-on-demand fills gaps
• Strong for hard-to-find contacts

Cons:

• Smaller database than Apollo
• Higher per-contact cost
• Slower for bulk prospecting
• Less feature-rich platform

When to choose SalesIntel over Apollo: Data accuracy is your top priority and you're willing to pay more per contact for verified information.

4. Lusha

Best for: Budget-conscious teams who need simple prospecting (see our startup outreach guide for a complete budget stack)

Lusha is the lightweight alternative. No complex platform to learn, no credit calculations to manage. Just a Chrome extension that shows you contact info while browsing LinkedIn.

Key Features:

• Chrome extension for LinkedIn
• 60M+ professional contacts
• 7-step verification process
• Bulk enrichment capabilities
• Simple CRM integrations

Pricing:

• Free: 50 emails, 5 phones/month
• Pro: $29/user/month
• Premium: $51/user/month
• Scale: Custom pricing

Pros:

• Lowest starting price ($29/mo)
• Dead simple to use
• Works where you already prospect
• No complex workflows to build

Cons:

• Smaller database than Apollo
• Less feature depth
• Limited automation
• Basic compared to full platforms

When to choose Lusha over Apollo: You want simple prospecting from LinkedIn without platform complexity or high costs.

5. Saleshandy

Best for: Teams who need unlimited email accounts with prospecting

Saleshandy combines a large contact database with cold email infrastructure. The key differentiator: unlimited email accounts at no extra cost.

Key Features:

• 700M+ B2B contacts
• Unlimited email accounts
• AI prospect enrichment
• Email warmup included
• Unlimited clients (for agencies) - see our agency cold email guide for agency-specific strategies

Pricing:

• Outreach Starter: $25/month
• Outreach Pro: $74/month
• Outreach Scale: $149/month
• Outreach Scale Plus: $219/month

Pros:

• Largest database (700M+ contacts)
• Unlimited email accounts included
• Lower starting price than Apollo
• No per-seat multiplication

Cons:

• Newer platform than Apollo
• Less established brand
• Email-focused (no dialer)
• Fewer integrations

When to choose Saleshandy over Apollo: You need prospecting data plus cold email sending with unlimited accounts at a lower price point.

For more on cold email tools, see our Instantly alternatives guide.

6. Clay

Best for: Teams needing custom enrichment from multiple data sources

Clay isn't a traditional Apollo alternative. It's a data enrichment platform that connects to 150+ providers, letting you build custom prospecting workflows.

Key Features:

• 150+ data providers in one platform
• Waterfall enrichment (try multiple sources)
• AI research agents (Claygents)
• Custom workflow builder
• Integrates with any CRM or outreach tool

Pricing:

• Starter: $149/month
• Explorer: $349/month
• Pro: $800/month
• Enterprise: Custom

Pros:

• Most flexible enrichment platform
• Combine multiple data sources
• AI agents automate research
• Build exactly what you need

Cons:

• Steep learning curve (2-4 weeks)
• Expensive for simple use cases
• Credit-based pricing adds complexity
• Requires technical comfort

When to choose Clay over Apollo: You need to combine multiple data sources and want full control over your enrichment workflow.

For a detailed comparison, see our Clay alternatives guide.

7. personalize.marketing

Best for: Adding social profile personalization to any data source

personalize.marketing solves a different problem than traditional Apollo alternatives. Instead of providing contact data, it adds personalization from social profiles.

Here's the gap: Apollo (and every alternative above) gives you company data, contact info, and maybe intent signals. Your personalization is limited to those fields.

personalize.marketing adds what databases don't have: what someone actually posts on LinkedIn, their content on Instagram, their videos on TikTok. That's personalization your competitors can't copy.

Key Features:

• Multi-platform analysis: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok
• AI-generated personalized messages
• Brand fit scoring (1-10) for each prospect
• Works via API with any data source
• No-code integrations with Zapier, Make, n8n

Pricing: Free tier available. See pricing for all plans.

Pros:

• Personalization from actual social content
• Works WITH Apollo (not a replacement)
• Specializes in Instagram and TikTok
• Free tier to test

Cons:

• Doesn't provide contact data (pairs with data tools)
• Requires workflow integration
• Best for social-profile-based outreach

When to choose personalize.marketing: You have contact data (from Apollo or elsewhere) but need personalization beyond merge tags. Or you're doing influencer/creator outreach where social profiles matter.

For integration patterns, see our Personalization API guide.

How to Choose the Right Apollo Alternative

Quick decision tree:

1. Need enterprise-grade with intent data? ZoomInfo
2. Prospecting in Europe with compliance needs? Cognism
3. Want highest data accuracy? SalesIntel
4. Just need simple, cheap prospecting? Lusha
5. Need data + email sending combined? Saleshandy
6. Want to build custom workflows? Clay
7. Need personalization beyond merge tags? Add personalize.marketing to any tool

The Personalization Gap in B2B Data Tools

Here's what most teams miss when comparing Apollo alternatives: they're all solving the same problem slightly differently. More contacts. Better accuracy. Different pricing.

But none of them solve the personalization problem. For a complete guide to B2B personalization strategies, see our B2B outreach personalization guide.

Every tool gives you the same types of fields:

• First name, last name
• Job title, company
• Industry, company size
• Maybe intent signals

Your competitors have access to the same data. When everyone personalizes with "Hi [firstName], I noticed [companyName] is in the [industry] space," nobody stands out.

Real personalization requires unique data:

• What did they post on LinkedIn last week?
• What topics do they care about?
• What achievements have they shared recently?
• What's their communication style?

That's social profile data. It's public, but it's not in any B2B database. And manually researching it doesn't scale.

personalize.marketing's API bridges this gap:

Apollo contact data (name, company, email)
           +
LinkedIn profile URL
           ↓
personalize.marketing API
           ↓
AI-generated message referencing their actual posts
           ↓
Outreach that stands out

Instead of: "Hi Sarah, I noticed TechCorp is growing."

You get: "Hi Sarah, your post about reducing SDR burnout while maintaining quality resonated. We've been testing similar approaches."

The second version references something specific. It proves you actually looked. That's what gets replies.

For detailed workflows:

• LinkedIn personalization
• API integration guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Apollo.io worth it?

For US-focused B2B prospecting with budget constraints, Apollo offers good value. The free tier is generous, the database is large, and having prospecting + outreach in one platform is convenient. The problems emerge when you scale globally, need higher accuracy, or want personalization beyond merge tags.

What's the most accurate Apollo alternative?

SalesIntel claims 95% accuracy through human verification. Cognism's Diamond Data provides phone-verified mobile numbers. Both prioritize accuracy over database size, which means higher per-contact costs but fewer bounces and wrong numbers.

Which alternative is best for GDPR compliance?

Cognism is built specifically for GDPR compliance with DNC screening across 14 countries and data collection methods designed for European regulations. If you're prospecting in the EU, this should be a primary consideration.

Can I use Apollo with personalization tools?

Yes. Apollo exports to CSV or integrates with CRMs. You can use Apollo for contact data, then run those contacts through personalize.marketing (using LinkedIn URLs from Apollo) to generate personalized messages. Best of both worlds: Apollo's database plus social profile personalization.

What's cheaper than Apollo for basic prospecting?

Lusha starts at $29/month for simple LinkedIn-based prospecting. Saleshandy starts at $25/month with a larger database (700M+ contacts). Both are significantly cheaper than Apollo's paid tiers for basic functionality.

Does Apollo have intent data?

Apollo offers some intent signals, but it's not their core strength. ZoomInfo and Cognism (through Bombora partnership) provide more sophisticated intent data. If identifying active buyers is critical, those platforms offer deeper capabilities.

Conclusion

Apollo.io works well as a starting point for B2B sales intelligence. The database is large, the free tier is useful, and having everything in one platform reduces tool sprawl.

But as you scale, the limitations become clear: data accuracy varies, credits deplete, and personalization is stuck at merge tags.

For a full replacement:

• Enterprise + intent: ZoomInfo
• GDPR compliance: Cognism
• Data accuracy: SalesIntel
• Budget option: Lusha or Saleshandy
• Custom workflows: Clay

For better personalization without switching: Keep Apollo for data. Add personalize.marketing for AI-powered personalization from LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok profiles. Your outreach references actual content, not just database fields.

Ready to try social profile personalization? personalize.marketing offers 200 free credits to test. Works with Apollo, ZoomInfo, or any data source.

For more sales tool comparisons, see our Lemlist alternatives guide or browse the API documentation.