Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo: Which sales tool wins on pricing, data, and features in 2025?

Choosing between Apollo.io and ZoomInfo isn’t just another software decision. It’s the difference between spending $59/month per user or dropping $300+ monthly for enterprise-grade data access. If you’re looking for something simpler, check out IGLeads’ email scraper, a lightweight, no-credits-needed tool for extracting targeted leads from social media and the web.

Apollo and ZoomInfo platforms throw around impressive numbers. Apollo claims 275 million contacts across 73 million companies, while ZoomInfo counters with 220+ million profiles (numbers vary depending on source) spanning over 100 million businesses. But here’s what those marketing stats don’t tell you: the real differences lie in who these tools actually serve and how much you’ll pay to access that data.

Apollo.io positions itself as the accessible option. Free forever plan, $59/month entry point, and a claimed 91% email accuracy rate across 165 million email addresses (studies show the accuracy stays around 70-80%). It’s built for teams that want multichannel outreach without breaking the bank.

ZoomInfo plays in a different league entirely. Enterprise pricing starting around $300/user/month, advanced website visitor tracking, and predictive lead scoring that can identify high-intent buyers before they even reach out. The catch? You’re looking at five-figure annual commitments, sometimes reaching six figures for full feature access.

What really matters for your team? Apollo excels at automated email sequences, calls, and LinkedIn outreach, which is perfect for streamlined prospecting workflows. ZoomInfo delivers advanced intelligence features like intent data and visitor identification that enterprise sales teams swear by.

Reading generic feature comparisons won’t help you decide. You need to know which platform actually fits your workflow, budget, and team size. Whether you’re a startup burning through your first funding round or an enterprise with complex data requirements, one of these tools will serve you better than the other.

We’ll break down exactly how Apollo.io and ZoomInfo perform in real sales environments, what their pricing actually costs teams in 2025, and which tool delivers better ROI based on your specific needs.

But here’s the thing: if both Apollo and ZoomInfo still feel like a mismatch, you’re not out of options. IGLeads takes a completely different approach to lead generation. Instead of relying on massive B2B databases, it lets you pull fresh, real-time data directly from platforms like Instagram, Google Maps, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

No credit systems, no enterprise contracts. Just simple, month-to-month pricing and highly targeted leads your competitors probably aren’t even looking at. Whether you’re prospecting local businesses, creators, influencers, or niche industries, IGLeads is built for scrappy teams that value speed, affordability, and flexibility.

What Actually Separates Apollo.io from ZoomInfo

Feature
Database Size	275M+ contacts, 73M companies	260M+ contacts, 100M+ companies
Email Coverage	165M emails, 91% accuracy (claimed)	150M+ emails, confidence-scored accuracy
Phone Numbers	120M (mix of mobile & landline) (studies claim this number is exagerated)	~50M direct work dials
Data Collection Method	Crowdsourced + public scraping	Proprietary crawling + human verification
CRM Integration	Real-time sync with HubSpot, Salesforce, Outreach	Batch sync, enrichment via OperationsOS
Sales Automation	Built-in sequences for email, calls, LinkedIn	Limited—requires separate tools for sequences
AI & Insights	AI-powered email writing, meeting prep, call insights	AI Copilot, predictive lead scoring, advanced signals
Website Visitor Tracking	Basic visitor tracking (company identification)	Advanced intent data + visitor tracking (Bombora)
Technographic & Firmographic	Basic firmographics	Deep technographics, firmographics, org charts
Lead Scoring	Simple filters, manual prioritization	Predictive lead scoring with buying intent
Global Coverage	Strong US, decent global	Strong US + superior international coverage
Data Update Frequency	Monthly refresh	Real-time signals + regular updates
Pricing	Starts at $59/user/month (transparent, no sales calls)	Starts ~$300/user/month, annual contracts required
Free Plan Available	✅ Yes (limited credits)	❌ No
Best For	Startups, SMBs, lean prospecting teams	Mid-market & enterprise teams with large deal sizes

The numbers look impressive on both sides, but they don’t tell you which platform will actually work for your team. Let’s cut through the marketing fluff and focus on what matters.

Database Reality Check: Size vs Usability

Apollo.io‘s 275 million contacts sound massive until you realize that quantity doesn’t equal quality. Their 165 million email addresses come with that 91% accuracy claim, but real-world users often report bounce rates closer to 20-30%. Still, 120 million phone numbers gives you multiple ways to reach prospects when email fails.

ZoomInfo’s 260+ million contacts actually represent a more curated approach. Their 150+ million email addresses focus on verified business contacts rather than scraped data. Where ZoomInfo falls short? Only 50 million direct dials compared to Apollo’s phone number volume. That’s a significant gap if cold calling drives your pipeline.

Company Coverage: Breadth vs Depth

Apollo.io covers 73 million companies, solid for most prospecting needs, especially if you’re targeting SMBs or mid-market accounts. The coverage works well for startups and growth-stage companies that don’t need every possible business in their database.

ZoomInfo’s 100+ million company profiles include deeper firmographic data, org charts, and technographic insights. This extra 27 million companies matters most if you’re selling to enterprises or need detailed account intelligence before making contact.

The truth? Most teams never use their full database anyway. You’re better off with quality data in your target market than massive coverage you’ll never touch.

Who These Tools Actually Serve

Apollo.io targets small to medium-sized businesses that need affordable prospecting tools without enterprise complexity. Starting at $59/month, it’s built for teams that want email automation, basic CRM sync, and multichannel outreach without learning a complex system.

What I like: Apollo makes sense for lean teams, startups, and agencies that need results fast without heavy onboarding or enterprise contracts.

ZoomInfo serves mid-market and enterprise organizations with complex data requirements across Sales, Marketing, HR, and Business Development. Annual pricing starting around $15,000 reflects their enterprise focus, you’re paying for advanced features, dedicated support, and extensive integrations.

Both platforms work well with North American data, but ZoomInfo’s international coverage tends to be stronger, especially for enterprise accounts in Europe and APAC regions.

Bottom line: Apollo fits teams that want to move fast and keep costs predictable. ZoomInfo works when you need comprehensive data and can justify enterprise pricing through larger deal sizes.

How Apollo.io and ZoomInfo Actually Work: Features That Matter

Database numbers don’t mean much if the features can’t execute. Here’s how these platforms actually perform when your team needs to hit quota.

CRM Enrichment: Live Updates vs Batch Processing

• Apollo.io CRM Integration ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Apollo’s Sales Companion syncs directly with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Outreach platforms in real-time. Contact records update automatically as you prospect, keeping your CRM clean without manual data entry.

What I like: No switching between tools. Prospect data flows into your CRM immediately, so your team always works with current information.

• ZoomInfo OperationsOS ⭐⭐⭐

ZoomInfo’s data cleansing runs on scheduled updates rather than real-time syncing. More thorough enrichment, but you’re working with yesterday’s data until the next refresh cycle.

Sales Automation: Sequences vs AI Assistance

• Apollo.io Multichannel Automation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Built-in sequences coordinate email, phone, and LinkedIn outreach automatically. The “Plays” feature handles repetitive tasks for high-volume prospecting. It’s straightforward automation that just works.

✅ Pros:

• Email, calls, and LinkedIn in one workflow
• Direct sequence building without technical setup
• Scales with team size

 

• ZoomInfo AI Copilot ⭐⭐⭐

Their AI assistant focuses on workflow triggers and intent signals rather than direct outreach. Advanced lead scoring helps prioritize prospects, but you’ll still need separate tools for actual campaign execution.

⚠️ Limitation: More intelligence, less action. Great for insights, but doesn’t replace your outreach platform.

Email Performance: Accuracy vs Intelligence

• Apollo.io Email Tools ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Claims 91% email accuracy with built-in verification. A/B testing, deliverability optimization, and engagement tracking come standard.

• ZoomInfo Engage ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Predictive outreach triggers based on buyer behavior and intent signals. Less about sending volume, more about timing and relevance.

What I like: ZoomInfo’s approach is smarter, but Apollo’s is more actionable for most teams.

Website Visitor Intelligence: Basic vs Advanced

• Apollo.io Visitor Tracking ⭐⭐

Shows which companies visit your website. Basic identification without behavioral analysis.

• ZoomInfo Intent Data ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bombora’s intent data from 5,000+ B2B sites doesn’t just identify visitors, it analyzes research patterns to surface prospects actively seeking solutions like yours.

This is where ZoomInfo’s enterprise pricing starts making sense. If you can identify high-intent prospects before competitors do, the ROI justifies the cost.

The Real Difference

Apollo.io excels at execution, multichannel sequences, real-time CRM updates, and straightforward automation. Perfect for teams that need to prospect efficiently without complex setups.

ZoomInfo delivers intelligence, intent data, predictive scoring, and advanced visitor analysis. Ideal for enterprises where data insights drive strategy, not just tactics.

Your choice depends on whether you need better execution tools or deeper market intelligence.

We have prepared in-depth reviews for you to get deepen your knowledge on Apollo.io and on ZoomInfo.

Data Quality: Marketing Claims vs Real-World Performance

The numbers look impressive on paper. But where does this data actually come from, and how accurate is it when you’re trying to hit quota?

How They Actually Get Your Data

Apollo.io takes the crowdsourced route. They scrape “hundreds and millions of websites,” pull from third-party providers, and—here’s the kicker, according to their Terms and Conditions, they get permanent license to use and share any data you submit. Including your CRM data.

That means every contact you upload becomes part of their database. It’s a clever business model, but it raises questions about data consistency when you’re relying on information from thousands of different sources.

ZoomInfo goes proprietary. They crawl corporate websites, press releases, and job postings using their own systems, then add human verification on top. Users contribute data for platform access, but ZoomInfo maintains tighter control over the collection process.

Email Accuracy: Claims vs Reality

Apollo claims 91% email accuracy using a seven-step verification process. Sounds solid, right? Not according to a recent Pavilion survey that called Apollo’s email verification a weak point.

ZoomInfo skips the bold accuracy claims entirely. Instead, they assign confidence scores to each contact profile. Their system combines automated scraping, machine learning, and human review to establish accuracy levels. It’s less marketing-friendly but probably more honest.

The Phone Number Problem

Here’s where both platforms struggle. ZoomInfo offers around 50 million direct dials, not bad, but not great when you’re trying to reach decision-makers who screen their emails.

Apollo doesn’t publish specific direct dial numbers, focusing instead on their broader phone database. Meanwhile, competitors like Cognism claim 94 million phone-verified mobile numbers, making both Apollo and ZoomInfo look limited in this category.

Data Freshness: Monthly vs Real-Time

Apollo refreshes their database monthly. That’s reasonable for most use cases, but job changes and company updates can slip through the cracks.

ZoomInfo promises real-time signals and intent data. The intent data sounds powerful until you dig deeper. One Reddit user noted that ZoomInfo’s intent signals produce false flags over 90% of the time, with LinkedIn page visits being the most reliable trigger.

⚠️ Bottom line: Both platforms have data quality issues that marketing materials won’t tell you about. Apollo’s crowdsourced approach creates consistency problems, while ZoomInfo’s intent data generates more noise than signal.

Pricing: Where the Real Differences Show Up

Feature
Pricing Transparency	✅ Transparent, publicly listed	❌ Hidden: requires sales calls and negotiation
Free Plan	✅ Yes – free forever with limited credits	❌ No free plan
Entry Plan	$49/user/month (Basic, billed annually)	Starts ~$15,000/year for up to 3 users (≈ $416/user/month)
Professional Plan	$79/user/month (billed annually): Unlimited emails, 100+ phone credits	Scales with features: typically $20K–$60K+/year depending on users & add-ons
Organization Plan	$99/user/month (billed annually): Advanced features, priority support	Requires custom enterprise contracts: often exceeds $60K/year for full data access
Contract Terms	Monthly or annual: flexible	Annual contracts only: no monthly options
Credit System	✅ Transparent: clear credit limits by plan	❌ Complex: credits vary by contract, often hidden, potential overage charges
Overage Fees	None: fixed usage per plan	Common: extra charges if you exceed credits
Best Fit For	Startups, small & mid-sized businesses, lean sales teams	Enterprise, mid-market with large sales teams & deep data needs

Here’s where things get interesting. The pricing gap between Apollo.io and ZoomInfo isn’t just about monthly cost, it reveals completely different philosophies about who should access sales intelligence data.

Apollo.io: Transparent Pricing That Actually Makes Sense

Apollo.io doesn’t hide its pricing behind “contact sales” buttons. You know exactly what you’re paying upfront:

• Free Forever: Limited credits for testing the waters
• Basic Plan: $49/user/month ($39 annually) with 500 monthly emails
• Professional Plan: $99/user/month ($79 annually) with unlimited emails and 50 mobile numbers
• Organization Plan: $149/user/month for advanced features

What I like: No surprise fees, no mandatory sales calls, and you can start free. Apollo’s approach respects your time and budget planning.

Check out our detailed Apollo.io pricing page.

ZoomInfo: Enterprise Pricing With Enterprise Complexity

ZoomInfo requires custom quotes for everything. Their base packages start at $14,995 annually, that’s before you add users, extra features, or premium data access.

Their three main offerings:

• SalesOS: Starting at $14,995/year
• MarketingOS: Similar pricing around $14,995/year
• TalentOS: Also starting at $14,995/year

The problem? You won’t know your actual costs until after multiple sales calls and contract negotiations. For smaller teams, this approach feels unnecessarily complex. You might also want to read our ZoomInfo pricing article.

Credit Systems: Simple vs Restrictive

Apollo keeps credits straightforward. Basic plan includes 900 mobile credits and 12,000 export credits annually. Professional plans bump this to 24,000 export credits.

ZoomInfo uses a more complex usage-based system that varies by contract. Lower-tier plans hit restrictive credit walls fast, potentially creating surprise overages when you’re scaling outreach.

Contract Flexibility: Monthly vs Annual Lock-ins

Apollo offers both monthly and annual options. Annual saves about 20%, but month-to-month stays available for teams with changing needs.

ZoomInfo typically requires annual contracts. For early-stage companies or teams with uncertain growth, this creates unnecessary commitment pressure.

✅ Apollo Pricing Pros:

• Transparent, published pricing
• Free plan for testing
• Monthly billing options
• Predictable credit allocations

⚠️ ZoomInfo Pricing Cons:

• Hidden pricing requires sales calls
• High minimum annual commitments
• Complex credit systems
• Limited flexibility for smaller teams

Looking for something different entirely? Sign up to IGLeads for free.

Sign up at no cost, explore the dashboard, then choose month-to-month or save with a 12-month plan, no hidden fees and full access to exclusive social-media–sourced leads.

Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo: The Numbers That Actually Matter

Here’s what you need to know without the marketing fluff. These numbers tell the real story about which platform fits your workflow and budget.

Feature
Contact Profiles	275M	260M+
Company Records	73M	100M+
Email Addresses	165M	150M+
Phone Numbers	120M	50M direct dials
Email Accuracy Rate	91% (claimed)	Confidence scoring
Starting Price	$59/user/month	~$300/user/month
Minimum Contract	Monthly available	Annual required
Free Plan	Yes	No
Target Audience	SMBs & Startups	Mid-market & Enterprise
CRM Integration	Real-time sync	Scheduled updates
Sales Automation	Multichannel sequences	AI Copilot
Email Tools	Deliverability optimization	Predictive outreach
Website Tracking	Basic visitor identification	Advanced intent tracking
Data Collection	Crowdsourced + public crawling	Proprietary crawling + human verification
Update Frequency	Monthly	Real-time signals
G2 Rating	4.7/5	4.4/5
Gartner Rating	4.2/5	4.1/5
Interface	User-friendly	Complex, feature-rich
Customer Support	Reported as lacking	Enterprise-grade support

What these numbers really mean:

Apollo’s 275M contacts sound impressive, but remember: they’re crowdsourced and scraped from public sources. That 91% email accuracy claim? Take it with a grain of salt. Real users report much lower success rates in practice.

ZoomInfo’s 260M+ profiles come from proprietary crawling with human verification. Fewer total contacts, but potentially higher quality. Their 50M direct dials vs Apollo’s 120M phone numbers tells you something important: ZoomInfo focuses on verified direct lines, while Apollo counts any phone number they can find.

The pricing reality:

Apollo’s $59/month entry point makes it accessible for small teams. ZoomInfo’s $300+ per user puts it firmly in enterprise territory. That’s a 5x price difference that often determines the winner before you even test features.

Bottom line: Apollo works for teams that need volume at affordable prices. ZoomInfo serves organizations that can pay premium rates for verified data and advanced intelligence features.

If you’re caught between these extremes, there’s a third option. IGLeads delivers fresh, real-time data from social platforms at a fraction of either cost, without the contracts or credit limitations.

What Users Actually Say About Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo

Real users cut through the marketing fluff fast. After digging through thousands of G2, Gartner, and Reddit reviews, here’s what sales teams actually experience with these platforms.

Apollo.io Reviews: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Great for Small Teams, Support Needs Work

Apollo.io pulls strong ratings: 4.7/5 from thousands of G2 reviews and 4.2/5 from 62 Gartner reviews. Users consistently love the simple interface and filtering options.

“It’s super easy to find new leads and the email finder works great. Plus, it saves me a ton of time”! – Imre B., Manager

But the complaints are consistent too. Customer support gets hammered in reviews, and users hit walls with data enrichment features. If you’re used to fast support response times, Apollo might frustrate you.

✅ What works: Simple UI, affordable pricing, decent data for SMBs
⚠️ What doesn’t: Slow support, limited phone coverage, credit restrictions

ZoomInfo Reviews: ⭐⭐⭐ – Enterprise Power with Enterprise Prices

ZoomInfo scores 4.4/5 from 7,888 G2 reviews and 4.1/5 from 432 Gartner reviews. Slightly lower ratings, but users praise the data depth.

“The Zoominfo team has exceeded our expectations in terms of functionality and onboarding support. The best features of the platform so far include being able to see which companies are visiting key pages on our website, being able to update our existing CRM database and automating our go to market business development strategies.”! – Greg S., President of a Small Business

The pattern? ZoomInfo delivers on data quality but users consistently complain about pricing and the complex interface. You get what you pay for, but you definitely pay for it.

✅ What works: Deep data coverage, enterprise features, advanced intent tracking
⚠️ What doesn’t: High costs, complex setup, annual contracts required

The Pain Points Both Platforms Share

Neither tool is perfect. Here’s what users consistently complain about:

• Data accuracy gaps: ZoomInfo users find “prospects have left the company multiple years ago”. Apollo gets dinged for slow job change updates.
• Phone number limitations: Apollo struggles here. One user noted “1/10 of my saved contacts actually has a phone number”. ZoomInfo does better but still isn’t comprehensive.
• Interface complexity: ZoomInfo’s interface requires “significant familiarity to navigate effectively”. Apollo is cleaner but still overwhelming for basic users.

Who Actually Uses What?

Apollo.io works best for startups and smaller sales teams. The pricing fits limited budgets and the all-in-one approach makes sense when you don’t have dedicated sales ops.

ZoomInfo dominates enterprise environments where data quality justifies the cost. As one user put it: “For enterprises or even midmarket companies, there is no comparison. ZoomInfo is more robust and accurate than Apollo”. The advanced features and dedicated support make sense for larger organizations.

Bottom line: Apollo serves scrappy teams that need good enough data fast. ZoomInfo serves enterprise teams that need the best data available, regardless of cost.

IGLeads: What If Lead Gen Was Actually Simple?

Stuck between Apollo’s credit limits and ZoomInfo’s enterprise pricing? Many sales teams hit this exact wall. That’s where IGLeads comes in as the scrappy alternative that just works.

While Apollo and ZoomInfo fight over traditional B2B databases, IGLeads goes where most sales tools fear to tread: Instagram, Google Maps, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. No complicated setups. No technical knowledge required. Just real leads from platforms your competitors aren’t touching.

What I like: IGLeads is built for teams that want results without the overhead. Creators, consultants, agencies, real estate pros, and local businesses get highly targeted lists fast.

Key differences from Apollo/ZoomInfo:

✅ No credit system – Tier-based access that scales with your needs.

✅ Cloud-powered scraping – All scrapes run in the cloud (so your PC can sleep).

✅ Dead simple workflow – Open it, set filters, hit scrape, done

✅ Rich scraped profiles – Instantly get username, name, email, phone, plus company/position, address, and profile URL (when available), pulled directly from public listings

✅ Platform compliant – Unique scraping method stays within platform terms

“I recently started using Igleads.io for my lead generation needs, and the results have been impressive so far. The platform is incredibly easy to use, and the data quality has been top-notch”, Elməddin Xudaverdiyev

Lead Generation Smackdown: IGLeads vs Apollo vs ZoomInfo

Feature
Data Sources	Instagram, Google Maps, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook	B2B databases (crowdsourced + scraped)	B2B databases (proprietary + verified)
Database Size	Real-time scraping, unlimited fresh data	275M contacts, 73M companies	260M contacts, 100M companies
Pricing Transparency	✅ Transparent: monthly plans	✅ Transparent: from $49/month	❌ Hidden. Sales call required
Contract Type	Monthly or annual, no lock-in	Monthly or annual, flexible	Annual only, locked contracts
Lead Types	Local businesses, influencers, real estate owners, creators, service providers	Classic B2B decision-makers	Enterprise B2B decision-makers
Outreach Tools	❌ None: data only	✅ Yes, email, calls, LinkedIn sequences	❌ Limited. It needs 3rd-party tools
Intent Data & AI	❌ No	✅ Basic – AI assistant for sequences	✅ Advanced – AI Copilot, predictive intent
Credit System	❌ None. Unlimited scraping based on plan	✅ Yes, export and phone credits	✅ Yes, complex, varies by contract
Best For	Agencies, freelancers, real estate, marketers, local businesses	Startups, SMBs, lean sales teams	Enterprises, large sales teams, global B2B

Still stuck deciding? Here’s the truth: While Apollo and ZoomInfo battle it out over databases and credit limits, IGLeads lets you skip the complexity altogether. Whether you’re targeting local businesses, influencers, real estate owners, or niche industries, IGLeads gives you fresh, real-time data from platforms your competitors are sleeping on.

No contracts. No overage fees. No sales calls. Just straightforward lead generation when you need it. Sign up for free, explore the dashboard, and see how easy lead generation can actually be.