Apollo.io vs Lusha 2026
Short answer: pick Apollo.io if you want database, sequences and a dialer in one tool at better value, pick Lusha if you want the fastest LinkedIn-to-contact reveal and already own a sequencer. Apollo scores 4.1/5 in our hands-on tests, Lusha 3.7/5, and the gap is almost entirely about cost per phone number.
The catch nobody updated: Apollo quietly cut its free tier from roughly 10,000 credits a month to about 75 to 100 in 2025, and Lusha bills 10 credits for every phone reveal against 1 for an email. One open compliance question hangs over Lusha too, an Italian Garante investigation reported ongoing into late 2025. Those three facts decide most of this match.
Database, sequences and dialer in one tool. Better value at scale.
Try Apollo.io for free →Read the full Apollo.io review →Fastest LinkedIn reveal, no sequencer, and 10 credits per phone number.
Try Lusha for free →Read the full Lusha review →Who wins for you
Lusha installs and reveals a verified contact from LinkedIn in under five minutes, zero training, no sequencer needed yet.
Try Lusha for free →Apollo folds database, sequences and a dialer into $49 to $119 per seat, replacing three separate subscriptions.
Try Apollo.io for free →Apollo includes 100 mobile credits on Professional. Lusha bills 10 credits per phone, so dialing budgets evaporate fast.
Try Apollo.io for free →Neither cleanly. Lusha has more audits but an open Garante probe, Apollo offers EU filtering with user-level hygiene on you.
Apollo.io vs Lusha at a glance
Every cell below is grounded in each tool's official pricing and our own hands-on testing as of June 2026. Read the credit-cost row first, it explains most of the verdict.
| Apollo.io | Lusha | Edge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.1/5 in our hands-on test | 3.7/5 in our hands-on test | Apollo.io |
| What it is | All-in-one prospecting: database, sequences, dialer, basic CRM | Contact-data finder, no native sequencer or dialer | Apollo.io |
| Free tierApollo for email volume, Lusha for real phone reveals | ~75 to 100 credits/mo + 5 mobile (cut from ~10,000 in 2025) | 40 credits/mo (a phone costs 10, so ~3 to 4 full contacts) | Apollo.io |
| Entry paid plan | $49/user/mo (Basic, annual), 1,000 export credits + 75 mobile | $49.90/user/mo (Starter, annual), 400 credits/mo | — |
| Phone-reveal costThe single biggest cost difference for dialing teams | 1 mobile credit (pool of 75 to 200/mo by plan) | 10 credits per phone reveal | Apollo.io |
| Native email sequencer | Yes, multi-step with A/B testing and AI copy | No, needs Outreach, Salesloft or similar | Apollo.io |
| Built-in dialer | Yes (Professional and up) | No | Apollo.io |
| Email accuracy (tested) | ~85 to 90% on our 200-contact test | Claims 98%, one independent Mar 2026 test: 31% lookup yield | Apollo.io |
| Compliance certificationsLusha is formally audited, but see the regulatory row | GDPR-compliant, DPA available, no named third-party audit | ePrivacyseal GDPR, TrustArc CCPA, ISO 31700, SOC 2 Type II | Lusha |
| Regulatory status | No known active investigation | Italy Garante investigation opened Apr 2025, reported ongoing Dec 2025 | Apollo.io |
| Chrome extension | Yes, LinkedIn prospecting plus enrichment | Yes, near-zero-friction reveal from LinkedIn | Lusha |
| CRM integrations | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive (bidirectional) | Adds Zoho, Monday, Bullhorn plus Outreach and Salesloft | Lusha |
| Ideal user | Teams wanting one outbound stack at predictable cost | Solo reps and RevOps doing fast data-only enrichment | — |
Prices checked June 2026 on apollo.io/pricing and lusha.com/pricing. Both are priced in USD. Credit allowances and phone costs change, verify before you commit.
Criterion by criterion, head to head
The same five criteria we scored on each tool's review page. The scores mirror those reviews exactly.
01 Round 1: getting from zero to a verified contact.
Lusha edges this 4.5 to 4.3, and it earns the win on day one. We installed the Chrome extension, opened a prospect's LinkedIn page, clicked reveal, and had an email and a direct dial inside five minutes, no implementation call, no credit card. For the core prospecting motion the learning curve is close to zero, which is exactly why reviewers across every platform call simplicity Lusha's standout trait.
Apollo is genuinely intuitive for an all-in-one platform, but there is more to learn. The workflow is organized around four pillars, Outbound, Inbound, Data and Deals, and it is not always obvious where a feature lives (email verification sits under Data, not Outbound). Our junior SDR was sending first sequences within two hours of training, but G2 reviewers flag the feature density and a busy interface repeatedly. The honest nuance: Lusha's smooth reveal sometimes ends in an empty result when the contact is locked, so ease of access is not always ease of result.
Choose Apollo if you want one tool and will spend a week unlocking its full value.
Choose Lusha if you want a verified contact in five minutes with zero setup.
02 Round 2: where the credit budget actually goes.
Apollo takes this clearly, 3.8 to 2.6, and the reason is structural. Lusha charges 10 credits for every phone reveal and 1 for an email, so a dialing team drains its budget fast: a five-person SDR team on moderate phone prospecting can burn $2,000 to $3,000 a month in credits, a figure G2 reviewers raise repeatedly. On some plans you are even charged for bounced data with no refund. Apollo folds phone numbers into a separate mobile-credit pool (100 a month on Professional) and bundles sequences and a dialer, so at $79 a seat it replaces ZoomInfo plus Lemlist plus a basic CRM, a $150-plus monthly saving.
Do the math the data supports. For a three-rep team needing 300 phone reveals plus 1,500 emails a month, Apollo Professional runs about $237 total with no overage. The same volume on Lusha needs roughly 4,500 credits, well past Professional's allowance, pushing you to Premium near $300 a month or heavy top-ups. Lusha is defensible for light, email-led work on the free or Starter tier, where 1-credit emails are cheap. The moment phones and scale enter, Apollo wins total cost of ownership by a wide margin.
Choose Apollo for any team doing more than 50 phone reveals a month per rep.
Choose Lusha only if you stay email-led and on low volume.
03 Round 3: a platform versus a precision tool.
Apollo wins 4.6 to 4.0 on sheer breadth. It bundles multi-channel sequences (email, LinkedIn, calls), an AI campaign builder that generated a six-step workflow in under 30 seconds in our test, a built-in dialer, intent data and a basic CRM pipeline. Lusha has none of those natively, it is deliberately a finder, not an outreach engine. Apollo's filtering also goes wider: NAICS codes, tech stack and intent topics against a 275M contact database, with email accuracy of 85 to 90% in our 200-contact test.
Lusha is not shallow for its niche, though, and in two places it is genuinely ahead. Its published MCP connector exposes data to AI agents in tools like Cursor, and its REST API V3 with search-then-enrich and AI lookalikes is modern, both rare for a data vendor this size. Lusha Plays pre-built automations are production-ready for RevOps. The catch is accuracy: it claims 98% email, but one independent March 2026 test returned emails for only 31% of 300 mid-market lookups, and it has no sequencer at all. Apollo for outreach in one tool, Lusha for data-only enrichment alongside an existing sequencer.
Choose Apollo if you want prospecting and outreach to live in the same tool.
Choose Lusha if you only need data and already run a dedicated sequencer.
04 Round 4: who answers, and how fast.
Apollo edges this 3.9 to 3.2, and neither is flawless. Apollo's documentation is thorough with video tutorials, and our two tickets were resolved in 8 and 24 hours. The catch: no live chat on Basic or Professional, email only, with phone support reserved for the Organization tier. For a $79 tool, faster responses would be fair to expect, but the active community forum and onboarding calls on annual contracts soften it.
Lusha actually offers email and chat on every plan including free, which is a real point in its favour, and its developer docs (full API reference, Postman workspace, MCP and migration guides) are unusually complete for a data vendor. The ceiling is the tiering: a dedicated CSM, priority SLA and personalized onboarding only land on Scale, so Premium users paying up to $399.90 a month get no assigned contact. One distortion worth naming, Lusha's 1.2/5 Trustpilot score is overwhelmingly data subjects objecting to being listed, not customers rating support, its G2 customer score is 4.3/5 across 1,618 reviews. Apollo for broader platform troubleshooting, Lusha for developer and API-led teams who self-serve.
Choose Apollo if you want help across a whole outbound platform.
Choose Lusha if your team self-serves from strong API and integration docs.
05 Round 5: breadth of connectors versus a fresh stack.
Lusha edges this 4.3 to 4.2, narrowly, on raw breadth. It lists 22 featured partners plus API and MCP, with bidirectional CRM sync across Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, Monday and Bullhorn, sales-engagement links to Outreach, Salesloft and Chili Piper, and automation through Zapier, Make, n8n, Pipedream, Workato and Albato. Because Lusha has no sequencer, those Outreach and Salesloft hooks are load-bearing rather than optional, the integration depth is the product, not a bonus.
Apollo's native integrations are tighter but rock-solid: bidirectional Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive sync that held up with zero data loss in our testing, plus Slack, Teams, Google Meet, LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Zapier for 3,000-plus more apps. It lacks native Close, Attio or Folk, so you fall back on Zapier there. One honest warning on Lusha: a documented HubSpot bug has overridden deal ownership on contact merges, so test your CRM mapping before going live. Lusha for teams already invested in Outreach or Salesloft adding a data layer, Apollo for teams building a fresh stack without existing engagement tools.
Choose Apollo if you are building a new stack around its native CRM sync.
Choose Lusha if you already run Outreach or Salesloft and want a data layer on top.
The real cost, plan by plan
Two pricing models that hinge on one number: what a phone reveal costs. We list the plans, then run the cost examples the data supports, assumptions stated.
| Apollo.io | Lusha | Edge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeApollo cut this free tier from ~10,000 credits/mo in 2025 | $0: ~75 to 100 credits/mo + 5 mobile, full database, 2 sequences | $0: 40 credits/mo (a phone costs 10, so ~3 to 4 full contacts) | Apollo.io |
| Entry plan | Basic $49/user/mo annual: 1,000 export credits + 75 mobile | Starter $49.90/user/mo annual: 400 credits/mo | — |
| Mid planApollo includes sequencing and a dialer at this tier | Professional $79/user/mo annual: 2,000 export + 100 mobile, sequences, dialer | Professional $52.45/user/mo annual: 600 credits/mo, 2 users | Apollo.io |
| Top plan | Organization $119/user/mo annual: 4,000 export + 200 mobile, min 3 users | Premium $299.95/mo: ~3,400 credits/mo, 5 users | — |
| Overage / top-ups | $0.20 per credit, $50 minimum (250 credits) | Credits charged even on bounced data on some plans, no refund | Apollo.io |
| Credit rollover | No rollover, all credits expire monthly | Monthly plans roll over up to 2x cap, annual resets at year-end | Lusha |
| 3 reps, 300 phones + 1,500 emails/moAssumes phone=10cr / email=1cr on Lusha, mobile pool covers Apollo | ~$237/mo total on Professional, no overage needed | ~4,500 credits needed, past Professional, pushes to Premium ~$300/mo | Apollo.io |
| Solo SDR, phone-ledClose on a solo phone budget, Apollo adds sequences and a dialer | $99/mo monthly: 2,000 export + 100 mobile, ~$0.99/mobile contact | Starter $37.45/mo annual: 400 credits = 40 phone reveals, ~$0.94/phone | — |
Prices checked June 2026. Apollo's 60-day cancellation notice and Lusha's renewal price increases are cited by third-party sources but not independently confirmed, treat them as flags to verify in writing, not facts.
Pick by scenario
Choose Apollo.io if…
- You want database, sequences and a dialer under one roof instead of three subscriptions
- Your team does high phone volume, where Apollo's mobile-credit model crushes Lusha's 10-per-phone math
- You prospect globally and need broad coverage including decent Western Europe data
- You want AI email copy, A/B testing and multi-channel campaign automation
- You are a startup or solo founder needing an all-in-one stack at $79 a month
Choose Lusha if…
- You want the fastest path from a LinkedIn profile to a verified contact, under five minutes
- Your workflow is data-enrichment only and you already run Outreach or Salesloft
- You are testing data quality first, the permanent free plan needs no credit card
- You need direct-dial accuracy for North American or UK contacts specifically
- You are a RevOps team running CRM enrichment at scale with Lusha Plays automations
Frequently asked questions
Apollo.io vs Lusha: which is better in 2026?
Apollo.io wins for teams that need a full outbound stack of database, sequences and a dialer, and it scores 4.1/5 to Lusha's 3.7/5 in our hands-on tests. Lusha wins for teams that only need fast, simple contact data and already own a sequencer. The gap is widest on value for money, Apollo 3.8 against Lusha 2.6, because Lusha charges 10 credits for every phone reveal while Apollo folds phones into a separate mobile pool and bundles outreach. Pick Apollo for breadth and predictable cost, Lusha for a near-instant LinkedIn reveal at low volume.Is Apollo.io free to use?
Yes, Apollo has a permanent free plan with the full 275M contact database, two email sequences and roughly 75 to 100 export credits a month plus 5 mobile credits. The important update: that free tier was cut from around 10,000 credits a month in 2025, so it is now enough to validate data quality but not to run active prospecting. Many comparison articles still quote the old 10,000 figure. Paid plans start at $49 per user per month on Basic (annual), which adds 1,000 export credits and 75 mobile credits a month.Is Lusha free to use?
Yes, Lusha's free plan is permanent and needs no credit card. It includes 40 credits a month, the Chrome extension and basic CRM integrations. The catch is the credit math: a phone reveal costs 10 credits and an email costs 1, so 40 credits is at most three or four full contacts a month. It is best used to test data accuracy on your own target segment before upgrading. Paid plans start at $49.90 per user per month on Starter (annual) for 400 credits a month.Apollo.io vs Lusha vs Cognism: how do I choose?
Cognism is the pick for EU and GDPR-first teams needing verified mobiles inside consent frameworks. Apollo.io is best for English-speaking teams wanting an all-in-one outbound platform with a large database. Lusha sits between them, simpler and cheaper than both, with decent North American phone data, but thinner EU coverage and an open Italian Garante investigation that makes it a consideration for EU prospecting. On budget, Cognism is enterprise-priced and typically custom from around $1,000 a month, Apollo starts at $49 a seat, and Lusha at $49.90 a seat.How do I migrate from Lusha to Apollo.io?
Export your Lusha records as CSV from the Workspace or via the API, then import into Apollo's contact database or your CRM and let Apollo enrich from its own data. Re-map custom fields before import. Apollo's bidirectional HubSpot and Salesforce sync means contacts enriched in Apollo update your CRM automatically. Lusha's one-click Chrome reveal has no exact equivalent, but Apollo's Chrome extension is functionally similar and deeper, with multi-field enrichment and sequence-add straight from LinkedIn. Expect one to two days for a clean migration on a CRM-first team, and start with your highest-value lists.What is the cheapest option for just finding phone numbers of US leads?
For pure phone-reveal volume, Apollo is cheaper. Its Professional plan at $79 a seat a month (annual) includes 100 mobile credits plus 2,000 export credits, whereas on Lusha Starter at $49.90 a seat, 100 phone reveals would cost 1,000 credits, far past the 400-credit monthly allowance and forcing an upgrade. Lusha can edge ahead on raw direct-dial quality for some North American records, but on cost per phone contact at any real volume, Apollo's mobile-credit model wins. For 100-plus phone reveals a month per rep, Apollo is the clear value choice.Is Apollo.io GDPR-compliant for European prospecting?
Apollo is GDPR-compliant and offers data processing agreements, EU contact filtering and suppression-list management. Compliance still depends on how you use it, legitimate interest and opt-out hygiene are your responsibility. Apollo's database is also less reliable for EU SMBs, around 75 to 85% accuracy for Western Europe against 85 to 90% for the US and UK. For the cleanest GDPR posture, Cognism is the market alternative, but Apollo is workable for EU prospecting with proper setup, EU filtering switched on and double opt-in forms where relevant.Is Lusha GDPR-compliant for European prospecting?
Lusha holds the strongest formal compliance stack here, a GDPR certification audited by ePrivacyseal GmbH plus CCPA via TrustArc, ISO 31700 and SOC 2 Type II. The nuance matters, though. Italy's Garante opened an investigation in April 2025 after complaints about unsolicited calls traced to Lusha-sourced data, and it was reported still ongoing in December 2025 with a potential fine, no fine, verdict or ban has been imposed. France's CNIL investigated and closed on territorial-scope grounds rather than a clean bill. The 1.2/5 Trustpilot score comes largely from data subjects objecting to being listed. For GDPR-sensitive EU teams, that open investigation is a real factor to weigh regardless of the certifications.Apollo.io vs Lusha for recruiting and talent sourcing?
Lusha is the more natural fit for sourcing. It has dedicated integrations with SourceWhale and the Bullhorn ATS and is widely used to pull candidate contact details from LinkedIn. Apollo is B2B sales-focused and lacks native ATS integrations, so a recruiting team would lean on Zapier or manual export. For pure talent sourcing, Lusha's Chrome-extension-to-ATS workflow is more purpose-fit. Either way, personal data used for recruiting still needs proper legitimate-interest documentation under GDPR, the tool's certifications do not transfer that responsibility to you.Which tool has better phone number accuracy, Apollo or Lusha?
The evidence is mixed. Several comparison tests rate Lusha's US direct-dial quality above Apollo's, and Apollo's own data showed about 60% direct-dial accuracy in our 200-contact test. But Lusha's lookup yield is the catch: one independent March 2026 test on 300 mid-market contacts returned data for only 31% of them, so even accurate records are sparse. Apollo's larger 275M database means more hits overall even at lower per-hit accuracy. For North American decision-makers at large companies, Lusha's direct-dial quality may edge ahead, for overall volume and global coverage, Apollo wins.
Test both, then decide
Free to start on either side. The fastest way to know is to run both on your own target segment for a week.
Best for teams wanting database, sequences and a dialer in one tool at predictable cost. Permanent free plan, full database included.
Try Apollo.io for free →Read the full Apollo.io review →Best for solo reps and RevOps who want a verified contact from LinkedIn in five minutes. Permanent free plan, 40 credits a month, no card.
Try Lusha for free →Read the full Lusha review →Affiliate links: if you sign up through them, you support our independent hands-on tests at no extra cost to you. We score both tools the same way and disclose the weak spots on each.
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