Apollo.io and Lusha both come up when people look for a way to find prospects and reach them. Here is how they compare on price, data, sending, channels and AI, using facts from each vendor’s own site, last checked October 1, 2026.
Short answer. Apollo.io is best for sales teams that want a contact database, sequences and a dialer in one per-seat platform. Lusha is best for teams that mainly need accurate emails and direct phone numbers pushed into their CRM.
At a glance
Pricing
| Apollo.io | Lusha | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free plan, then from $65/seat/month | Free plan, then from $49.90/month |
| Free plan | Yes. $0 with 75 credits per seat per month (900 per year), 2 sequences, 250 emails per day, Gmail mailboxes only; stays free with no time limit. | Yes. $0 with 40 credits per month and 1 seat, no credit card required. |
| Trial | 14-day trial on Basic and Professional; the trial includes 75 credits and access to most features of the selected plan. | Not listed on its site |
| Plans | Free: $0 ($0) · 75 credits per seat per month (900 per year), 2 sequences per team, 1 mailbox per user, 250 daily email sends, AI writing 5,000 words per month, Gmail only, API access Basic: $65/seat/month (monthly billing) ($49/seat/month billed annually) · 2,500 credits per seat per month (30,000 per year on annual billing), unlimited sequences, 1 mailbox per user, 250 daily email sends, deliverability suite and email warmup, domain and mailbox purchasing, CRM integrations, US dialer (credits apply), AI writing 250,000 words per month Professional: $99/seat/month (monthly billing) ($79/seat/month billed annually) · 4,000 credits per seat per month (48,000 per year on annual billing), unlimited sequences and A/Z testing, unlimited Google and Microsoft mailboxes + 5 SMTP mailboxes per user, unlimited daily sends, AI agents, AI lead scoring, call recordings and AI insights (4,000 mins), AI writing 800,000 words per month Organization: Annual only (the monthly view shows $149/seat/month marked 'Annual Only') ($119/seat/month billed annually, minimum 3 seats) · 6,000 credits per seat per month (72,000 per year), unlimited Google and Microsoft mailboxes + 15 SMTP mailboxes per user, SSO, custom reports, use your own LLM API key, AI writing 1,000,000 words per month | Free: $0 ($0) · 40 credits per month, 1 seat, no credit card required; verified emails and phones, basic and advanced filters, automated email sequences, call recordings and AI insights Starter: $49.90/month for 400 credits per month (monthly billing) ($37.45/month billed yearly for 4,800 credits per year) · 1 seat; lookalikes, bulk enrichment, AI assistant, 5 buying intent topics; API with strict rate limits Pro: $69.90/month for 600 credits per month (monthly billing) ($52.45/month billed yearly for 7,200 credits per year) · 2 free seats, API (strict rate limits), CSV enrichment, signals, webhooks; monthly credits roll over up to 2x Premium: $399.90/month for 3,400 credits per month (monthly billing) ($299.95/month billed yearly for 40,800 credits per year) · 5 free seats, API Advanced, team management, credit allocation, 5 buying intent topics with unlimited results; credits roll over up to 2x |
Features side by side
| Apollo.io | Lusha | |
|---|---|---|
| Lead data | Built-in database; homepage states access to 240M contacts and 30M companies. Email = 1 credit, phone number = 8 credits. Pricing table also lists Google Maps Business Search. | Homepage states 525M+ verified contacts, 29M+ companies, 165M+ emails and 117M+ direct dials. Email = 1 credit, phone number = 5 credits. |
| Warm-up | Deliverability Suite and Email Warmup on paid plans (Basic and up); homepage mentions domain warming, inbox rotation and reputation monitoring. | Not listed on its site |
| Sending inboxes | 1 mailbox per user on Free and Basic; unlimited Google and Microsoft mailboxes + 5 SMTP per user on Professional, + 15 SMTP on Organization. Domain and mailbox purchasing on paid plans. | Not listed on its site |
| Sales engagement page lists multi-channel sequence steps across email, call and networking platforms; FAQ says Apollo integrates with LinkedIn. No LinkedIn automation details stated. | Chrome extension works on LinkedIn, CRMs, any website and Gmail; no LinkedIn outreach automation mentioned. | |
| Calls, SMS, WhatsApp | US dialer on paid plans (1 credit per 30 seconds); Advanced Dialer add-on $119/team/month billed annually ($149 billed monthly) with international, parallel and power dialer and local presence. SMS and WhatsApp not mentioned. | Call recordings and AI insights (conversation intelligence, 8 credits per recorded call). No dialer, SMS or WhatsApp mentioned. |
| AI writing | AI writing with monthly word allowances (5,000 to 1,000,000 words by plan); AI Assistant builds sequence steps and copy. | Lusha Engage includes an AI email assistant for sequences, available to all users at no extra charge. |
| Replies / inbox | Unified Inbox listed; homepage says agents research, build lists, write outreach, follow up and book meetings. AI reply handling not specifically described. | Not listed on its site |
| CRM | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive (paid plans); Outreach, SalesLoft, SendGrid, Mailgun, Slack, LLM integrations (MCP); homepage claims 200+ integrations. | Native apps for Salesforce, HubSpot, monday CRM, Zoho, Pipedrive and Bullhorn; Clay, Make, n8n and Zapier. |
| API | API access listed on Free, API enrichment on paid plans, 'All other APIs' on higher tiers. FAQ says advanced or custom integrations via API are available on Custom plans. | API on paid plans (strict rate limits on Starter and Pro), API Advanced on Premium; MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT. |
| Agencies | Not listed on its site | Not listed on its site |
Facts from each vendor’s own pricing and product pages, last checked October 1, 2026: Apollo.io, Lusha. Prices change often, so check before you buy.
Where Apollo.io stands out
- Large built-in contact database (240M contacts, 30M companies stated) combined with sequencing in one tool
- Permanent free plan with credits, 2 sequences and API access
- Built-in dialer, call recording and meeting tools on paid plans
- Email warmup, deliverability suite and domain and mailbox purchasing included from Basic
- Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive plus MCP for LLMs
Limitations
- Priced per seat; the Organization plan requires a minimum of 3 seats and is annual only
- Unused credits expire each billing cycle and do not roll over
- Free and Basic plans are limited to 1 mailbox per user and 250 daily email sends
- Phone numbers cost 8 credits each and dialer minutes consume credits
Where Lusha stands out
- Large contact database with direct dials (117M+ stated)
- Permanent free plan with 40 credits per month
- Native integrations with major CRMs and an MCP server for AI assistants
- Buying signals and intent topics on paid plans
- Lists GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2 and ISO certifications
Limitations
- Phone numbers cost 5 credits each
- Email sequences (Lusha Engage) capped at 1,000 emails a day; no warm-up or inbox rotation mentioned
- No LinkedIn automation, dialer, SMS or WhatsApp mentioned
- API on Starter and Pro has strict rate limits
And if you don’t have a list yet?
Both tools expect you to decide who to contact. If you sell to small or local businesses, or you want the targeting and the writing done for you, LeadGen.tools reads your website, finds the companies and the person who decides at each one, and writes a different email for every prospect. Free plan, no card.
FAQ
Is Apollo.io cheaper than Lusha?
By listed starting price: Apollo.io free plan, then from $65/seat/month, Lusha free plan, then from $49.90/month. Limits per plan differ, so compare what each plan includes.
Does Apollo.io or Lusha have a free plan?
Apollo.io: Yes. $0 with 75 credits per seat per month (900 per year), 2 sequences, 250 emails per day, Gmail mailboxes only; stays free with no time limit.. Lusha: Yes. $0 with 40 credits per month and 1 seat, no credit card required..
What is the main difference between Apollo.io and Lusha?
They differ most on: warm-up, sending inboxes, replies / inbox. Apollo.io is best for sales teams that want a contact database, sequences and a dialer in one per-seat platform. Lusha is best for teams that mainly need accurate emails and direct phone numbers pushed into their CRM.
Related comparisons
See it on your own business. Paste your website and watch LeadGen.tools find your best customers, the person who decides at each one, and write the emails. Free, no card. Analyze your website →