AI Agent Index

Apollo.io vs lemlist (2026)

Side-by-side comparison of Apollo.io vs lemlist: pricing, capabilities, integrations, deployment complexity, and ratings. Last updated September 24, 2026 by The AI Agent Index Editorial Team.

Data sourced from The AI Agent Index

Editorial Verdict

Apollo.io and lemlist overlap on automated outbound, and teams comparing them are usually deciding whether they need a prospect database and a sequencer from one vendor, or a sequencer that runs more channels. Apollo.io is a sales intelligence platform first: a 240M+ contact database with filters for funding, technographics, hiring and intent, plus email sequencing, a built-in dialer and CRM sync. It has a permanently free plan and paid seats from $49/mo billed annually. lemlist is a multichannel sequencer first. Its Email plan starts at $55/mo billed annually and is priced for unlimited users, while LinkedIn automation, SMS, a dialer and the WhatsApp add-on sit on its per-user Multichannel plan. The price row compares two different units. Apollo charges per seat. lemlist's entry plan is one flat rate for the whole team and scales by email volume instead. Contact data is metered on both: Apollo spends credits per verified email, phone number and enrichment, and lemlist sells verified emails and phone numbers through a separate Data plan it introduced in September 2026. The data-training row needs reading carefully. Apollo shows yes because its AI policy states it may use customer data to train its own internal models, and it publishes no customer opt-out. lemlist shows not disclosed because it has published no position either way. The first is a disclosure and the second is a silence. The certification rows are accurate as shown. Apollo lists ISO 27001 as well as SOC 2 Type II, and lemlist publishes its SOC 2 Type II report through a trust center rather than a badge. Apollo.io carries the far larger G2 review base of the two, and both publish an MCP server. Choose Apollo.io when finding prospects and reaching them should happen in one seat-based subscription, with a free plan to start. Choose lemlist when the list already exists and the sequence needs LinkedIn and phone steps alongside email, with one flat-rate plan for the team.

Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

by Apollo

B2B sales intelligence with 240M+ contacts, AI sequencing, and autonomous outreach. Free plan, with paid tiers from $49/user/mo billed annually or $65 monthly. Over 600,000 companies.

Best for

B2B sales teams that want a prospect database, email sequencing, a dialer and CRM sync in one seat-based subscription, with a free plan to start

freemiumBusiness
Visit Apollo.io →

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lemlist logo

lemlist

by lemlist

Multichannel outreach across email, LinkedIn, calling, SMS, and WhatsApp with AI personalization. Email $55/mo annual for unlimited users, Multichannel $87/user/mo. SOC 2 Type II.

Best for

Outbound teams with existing prospect lists that want email, LinkedIn, calling, SMS and WhatsApp steps in one sequence, with the Email plan priced for unlimited users

subscriptionBusiness
Visit lemlist →

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Apollo.io
lemlist
Pricing model
freemium
subscription
Starting price
$49/mo, billed annually
$55/mo, billed annually
Pricing transparency
public
mostly public
Contract type
both
both
Customer segment
Business
Business
Deployment
web, api
web, api
Setup difficulty
easy
easy
Avg setup time
—
—
Editorial rating
4.7 / 5
4.4 / 5
G2 rating
4.7/5 (9,832 reviews)
4.6/5 (2,335 reviews)
MCP
Server
Server
GitHub stars
N/A
N/A
Data training
yes
not disclosed
Human in loop
optional
optional
Security certs
SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA
SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA

Capabilities

Apollo.io

lead-generationoutbound-automationemail-optimizationcrm-syncintent-detectiondata-analysispipeline-managementreportingforecasting

lemlist

outbound-automationemail-optimizationlead-generationpersonalizationcrm-syncschedulingcampaign-automationmultilingualintent-detection

Pros & Limitations

Editorial assessment

Apollo.io

Pros

  • ✓240M+ verified contacts and 30M+ companies with filters for funding stage, technographics, hiring signals, intent data, job change alerts, and AI-powered Lookalikes (BETA), all without a separate data provider.
  • ✓Autonomous sequence execution runs outreach end-to-end once configured: Apollo sends, waits, follows up, and logs to CRM without per-step human approval. AI Assistant (introductory free on paid plans) provides conversational access to prospecting data and campaign analysis.
  • ✓Publishes a first-party remote MCP server at mcp.apollo.io on every plan including the free one, with prebuilt connectors for Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity, and CRM sync with Salesforce and HubSpot runs in both directions.

Limitations

  • –Usage runs on credits: a verified email is 1 credit, a phone number 8, enrichment 1 to 8 per record and US dialing 2 per minute, with additional credits bought separately.
  • –Organization starts at 3 seats at $119 per user per month on annual billing, and downgrades take effect immediately without mid-term refunds.
  • –Apollo's AI policy allows Customer Data to be used to train its internal models, and it publishes no customer opt-out.

lemlist

Pros

  • ✓The Email plan is priced for unlimited users rather than per seat. At $55/month billed annually the whole team shares one rate, and the plan scales by send volume rather than by headcount. Multichannel is the per-user tier at $87.
  • ✓AI Variables generates a unique icebreaker per prospect from a single prompt, with no manual research per contact, and Intent Signal and Data Enrichment Agents handle sourcing and enrichment end to end.
  • ✓Publishes an official MCP server at app.lemlist.com/mcp on every plan, a library of 38 free Claude skill files, and a full SOC 2 Type 2 report through its trust center.

Limitations

  • –Multichannel is priced per user at $87 per month on the annual rate.
  • –Contact data is a separate Data plan from $16/month billed yearly for 2,000 credits, about 400 verified emails or 100 phone numbers, and buying signals are a further plan from $21/month billed yearly.
  • –The Email plan rate covers 50,000 emails a month, with higher volumes priced in steps from $71 to $527 a month billed yearly for 100,000 to 1,000,000 emails.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Apollo.io vs lemlist?

Apollo.io and lemlist overlap on automated outbound, and teams comparing them are usually deciding whether they need a prospect database and a sequencer from one vendor, or a sequencer that runs more channels. Apollo.io is a sales intelligence platform first: a 240M+ contact database with filters for funding, technographics, hiring and intent, plus email sequencing, a built-in dialer and CRM sync. It has a permanently free plan and paid seats from $49/mo billed annually. lemlist is a multichannel sequencer first. Its Email plan starts at $55/mo billed annually and is priced for unlimited users, while LinkedIn automation, SMS, a dialer and the WhatsApp add-on sit on its per-user Multichannel plan. The price row compares two different units. Apollo charges per seat. lemlist's entry plan is one flat rate for the whole team and scales by email volume instead. Contact data is metered on both: Apollo spends credits per verified email, phone number and enrichment, and lemlist sells verified emails and phone numbers through a separate Data plan it introduced in September 2026. The data-training row needs reading carefully. Apollo shows yes because its AI policy states it may use customer data to train its own internal models, and it publishes no customer opt-out. lemlist shows not disclosed because it has published no position either way. The first is a disclosure and the second is a silence. The certification rows are accurate as shown. Apollo lists ISO 27001 as well as SOC 2 Type II, and lemlist publishes its SOC 2 Type II report through a trust center rather than a badge. Apollo.io carries the far larger G2 review base of the two, and both publish an MCP server. Choose Apollo.io when finding prospects and reaching them should happen in one seat-based subscription, with a free plan to start. Choose lemlist when the list already exists and the sequence needs LinkedIn and phone steps alongside email, with one flat-rate plan for the team.

Which is best for my team: Apollo.io vs lemlist?

Apollo.io is best for: B2B sales teams that want a prospect database, email sequencing, a dialer and CRM sync in one seat-based subscription, with a free plan to start. lemlist is best for: Outbound teams with existing prospect lists that want email, LinkedIn, calling, SMS and WhatsApp steps in one sequence, with the Email plan priced for unlimited users.

How does pricing compare between Apollo.io vs lemlist?

Apollo.io uses a freemium model, starting at $49 per month on an annual commitment (month-to-month costs more). lemlist uses a subscription model, starting at $55 per month on an annual commitment (month-to-month costs more).

View full Apollo.io profile

Pricing, reviews, integrations →

View full lemlist profile

Pricing, reviews, integrations →

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