Apollo.io vs Lusha
Apollo.io and Lusha are essential B2B data tools, but they serve two different fundamental needs. Apollo.io aims to be your full sales platform, managing outreach sequences and data workflow. Lusha specializes in providing highly accurate contact details with real-time buying signals.
Powerful Features, Troubled Execution.
We recognize Apollo.io for its ambitious vision as an end-to-end AI sales platform with a deep, proprietary contact database. However, external user feedback reveals significant deficiencies in core areas like support and data reliability. Overall, the powerful feature set is currently undermined by difficult usability, frequent bugs, and serious concerns regarding privacy and customer care.
Pros
- Robust free-forever plan ($0) with included annual credits.
- Access to a massive, unified B2B contact and company database.
- Consolidates prospecting, outreach, and data enrichment functions.
- Advanced AI tools enable personalization and optimization at scale.
Cons
- Customer support is widely reported as consistently unresponsive and ineffective.
- Severe user complaints regarding contact data accuracy and email verification failures.
- Platform reliability issues include slow loading and frequent, disruptive UI changes.
- Multiple serious allegations of scraping user data without consent.
Serious questions about data privacy.
We observed extreme user concerns regarding Lusha’s data sourcing and privacy adherence, particularly concerning the alleged sharing of scraped personal contact numbers, which overshadows any intended utility. Overall, we cannot recommend a service facing such severe ethical and contractual complaints from its user base.
Pros
- Offers a generous Free plan to test basic functionality.
- Provides broad API and CRM integration options.
- Can be effective for prospecting when the data is accurate.
Cons
- Major concerns regarding the ethical sourcing and sharing of private contact data.
- Users struggle to opt-out or remove their personal information (GDPR violations alleged).
- Substantial complaints about high inaccuracy and obsolete contact details sold.
- Aggressive auto-renewal policies and opaque contract cancellation terms.
AboutApollo.io
Apollo is built as an end-to-end AI sales platform. It serves as a unified Go-To-Market Platform designed for running your complete sales cycle on unified customer data. This platform provides all the necessary features, integrations, and training you need to grow your business effectively. Apollo is ideal for Sales Leaders, Account Executives, Founders, and Marketers looking for a centralized command center. 💡
AboutLusha
Lusha powers up your entire Go-To-Market (GTM) engine. It provides access to a massive database of over 280 million verified B2B contacts, helping teams reach precise decision makers. Professionals across Sales, RevOps, Marketing, and Recruiting use Lusha to streamline their work and maximize return. 💡
For sales teams, Lusha helps the pipeline grow with live leads and faster closes. RevOps benefits by keeping data stacks clean, compliant, and connected for better ROI. Marketers power campaigns with enriched audiences, and Recruiters quickly find top talent using highly accurate contact data. This tool truly helps you scale up your business using trusted data.
Highlights
Feature Comparison
Features Overview
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Data Accuracy & Trust
Lusha claims specific, high accuracy rates; Apollo.io users widely report frequent data reliability issues.
Apollo.io users complain that too many "verified" emails bounce or are marked as risky. Data quality is a frequently cited pain point in user reviews for Apollo.io. Lusha actively claims 98% email deliverability and solid 85% phone accuracy for its 280M+ contacts. Lusha focuses on verified contacts to ensure your outreach lands. Lusha provides concrete numbers for accuracy, giving sellers more confidence in their data and reducing bounces. When data quality is paramount for avoiding email blacklisting, Lusha’s explicit accuracy claim is a safer bet.
Platform Scope
Apollo.io is an end-to-end sales platform; Lusha focuses specifically on contact data and signals.
Apollo.io wants to be your ultimate command center, combining prospecting, outreach, and AI tools. Apollo.io aims to replace tools like Outreach and Gong with a unified platform. Lusha focuses on being the best source for high-quality contact data and real-time signals. Lusha plugs into your existing GTM stack to enrich data and synchronize workflows. The key trade-off is breadth versus depth; Apollo.io is wide, covering everything, while Lusha is deep in contact accuracy. If you need sequences and call tracking integrated, Apollo.io offers the necessary full suite within one tool.
Free Plan Value
Apollo.io offers vastly more free annual credits; Lusha’s free plan is significantly more restricted.
Apollo.io provides a robust free-forever tiered plan granting 1,200 annual credits per user. This is immense value for individuals testing the tool or running low-volume campaigns. Lusha’s Free plan is much more restrictive, offering only 70 credits monthly for basic prospecting features. Lusha assesses credits at 1:10 for email versus phone contacts. Apollo.io is the clear winner for individual users or small teams focused primarily on maximizing budget. You can run small, ongoing email campaigns using Apollo.io for free, a massive cost advantage.
Advanced AI Features
Apollo.io includes a full AI Call Assistant suite; Lusha’s AI features focus primarily on lead generation.
Apollo.io's Call Assistant provides pre-meeting insights, instant transcription, and automatic follow-up emails. This helps streamline the entire deal flow process and reduces administrative work. Lusha’s AI powers real-time leads and buying signals delivered daily, helping reps know *when* to execute outreach. Lusha also uses AI for custom candidate lists. Apollo.io delivers richer AI tools specific to conversation intelligence and post-meeting automation. If you prioritize automating post-call administrative tasks, Apollo.io is superior here.
Real-Time Signals
Lusha prioritizes delivering daily streams of buying signals; Apollo.io focuses more on large-scale list building.
Lusha provides real-time leads and buying signals to help shorten the sales cycle and prioritize hot leads. Daily streams are curated from signals and lookalike audiences, keeping data fresh. Apollo.io focuses heavily on utilizing its existing 210M contact database for long-running sequences. Signal data is not Apollo.io's core, advertised focus area. Lusha helps you strike while the iron is hot by delivering intent and buyer signals directly to your homepage. Choose Lusha if acting on purchasing intent signals right away is critical to your strategy.
Customer Support Risk
External reviews indicate serious support deficiencies for both platforms; neither is reliable.
Apollo.io users widely report customer support as consistently unresponsive and entirely ineffective. Help tickets often go unresolved for issues like sequence failure. Lusha users also report slow support responses, particularly around resolving auto-renewal challenges. The volume of unresolved complaints appears lower than Apollo.io's. Neither platform delivers the reliable support necessary for mission-critical sales workflows. You should factor in potential downtime when using either Apollo.io or Lusha. Neither tool is the support winner here; users must accept a high risk of poor customer care for both platforms.
Our Verdict
The decision between Apollo.io and Lusha centers on whether you prioritize platform breadth or data depth. Apollo.io is undeniably the all-in-one feature behemoth. It aims to unify your entire sales execution, from prospecting list build to outreach sequences, all in one platform. Apollo.io's superpower is its integrated AI intelligence and sheer scope. It notably provides 1,200 free annual credits and features like the integrated AI Call Assistant. If you need powerful sequences, CRM syncing, and automated follow-ups within one unified tool, Apollo.io delivers faster value. It lets you consolidate your existing sales technology stack. Conversely, Lusha’s superpower is its sharp focus on data verification claims and real-time signals. Lusha publicly states high email deliverability and phone accuracy, essential facts for serious outbound efforts. It also excels at providing buying signals that Apollo.io does not emphasize as a core feature. Lusha focuses on being the accurate data layer for your existing sales tools. The deciding factor is whether you trust platform breadth or verifiable data accuracy claims. For high-volume sales teams where phone and email validity is non-negotiable, Lusha might feel safer, despite its cost. However, if you are a small team maximizing budget, Apollo.io’s robust free tier is a game-changer. Ultimately, Apollo.io wins for the majority of users seeking an integrated platform and superior free value. Choose Lusha only if verified contact details and real-time signals are your single, highest priority, accepting the compliance concerns both Apollo.io and Lusha face.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for small teams: Apollo.io or Lusha?
Apollo.io offers a massive edge with 1,200 free annual credits per user on its free-forever plan. Lusha's free tier is limited to 70 credits per month, making it quickly exhausted. Small teams can maximize prospecting budget most effectively with Apollo.io.
Does Lusha include outreach sequences like Apollo.io?
Apollo.io provides a full multichannel sequence builder for managing emails and calls directly within the platform. Lusha focuses on data accuracy and CRM syncing rather than offering a full native outreach management system.
Which platform has better data accuracy claims?
Lusha explicitly claims 98% email deliverability and 85% phone accuracy for its 280M+ contacts. Apollo.io users frequently report that many 'verified' emails bounce or are unreliable in the system.
Can I use my custom email domain on the Free Plan?
No. You must upgrade from the Apollo.io Free plan to connect Microsoft Office email or other corporate domains for campaign sending. Lusha similarly restricts full email use on its free plan.
Which tool is better for real-time buying signals?
Lusha’s primary feature is delivering daily streams of real-time leads and intent signals to users. While Apollo.io is data-rich, it does not prioritize intent signals like Lusha does for outreach timing.
Are there privacy concerns with Apollo.io or Lusha?
Yes, external user reviews for both Apollo.io and Lusha cite serious concerns regarding data scraping and privacy practices. Users should proceed cautiously and review their company compliance needs.
Ready to Choose?
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.