Apollo.io and lemlist 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. lemlist is best for sales teams that want lead data, email and LinkedIn/phone outreach in one subscription and are fine paying per user for multichannel.
At a glance
Pricing
| Apollo.io | lemlist | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free plan, then from $65/seat/month | From $69/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. | No |
| Trial | 14-day trial on Basic and Professional; the trial includes 75 credits and access to most features of the selected plan. | 14-day free trial, no credit card required; includes Multichannel plan features except in-app calls, plus 200 free credits |
| 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 | Email: $69/month (monthly billing) ($55/month billed yearly (quarterly billing: $60/month)) · Unlimited users and email senders, 50,000 emails/month at the listed price (volume is selectable), email and phone finder, 650M+ lead database, lemAgent AI agents, MCP and CLI, email warm-up and Deliverability Hub, CRM integrations and API Multichannel: $109/month per user (monthly billing) ($87/month per user billed yearly (quarterly billing: $95/month)) · Everything in Email plus 5 senders per user, unlimited emails and messages, LinkedIn automation, SMS automation, WhatsApp automation add-on, built-in call dialer and VoIP integrations, use lemlist from Gmail and LinkedIn Enterprise: Custom (talk to sales) · Everything in Multichannel plus 5 or more senders per user, use lemlist from your CRM, custom roles and permissions, dedicated account manager, custom terms, SSO/SAML, priority support Lead data enrichment (add-on): $20/month ($16/month billed yearly) · 2,000 credits/month (400 emails or 100 phones), pay per success, unused credits roll over while subscribed |
Features side by side
| Apollo.io | lemlist | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 650M+ lead database with email finder/verifier and phone finder; contact data uses credits (Data add-on) |
| Warm-up | Deliverability Suite and Email Warmup on paid plans (Basic and up); homepage mentions domain warming, inbox rotation and reputation monitoring. | lemwarm warm-up and Deliverability Hub included in all plans; inbox rotation, in-app domain and mailbox purchase |
| 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. | Email plan: unlimited users and email senders; Multichannel: 5 senders per user; Google, Microsoft and SMTP supported |
| 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. | LinkedIn automation on Multichannel (profile visits, follows, invites, text and voice messages) | |
| 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. | Multichannel: built-in call dialer and VoIP integrations (Aircall, Ringover), SMS automation; WhatsApp is an add-on |
| AI writing | AI writing with monthly word allowances (5,000 to 1,000,000 words by plan); AI Assistant builds sequence steps and copy. | lemAgent and Smart Messaging AI agents (research, enrichment, personalized copy, AI LinkedIn voice notes) |
| Replies / inbox | Unified Inbox listed; homepage says agents research, build lists, write outreach, follow up and book meetings. AI reply handling not specifically described. | Unified inbox; comparison table lists AI reply intent detection, AI out-of-office detection and AI-generated replies |
| CRM | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive (paid plans); Outreach, SalesLoft, SendGrid, Mailgun, Slack, LLM integrations (MCP); homepage claims 200+ integrations. | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive; Zapier, Make, n8n, Clay; 500+ integrations |
| 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 key and documentation, plus MCP server and CLI |
| 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, lemlist. 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 lemlist stands out
- Lead database (650M+) and email/phone finder inside the same tool as sequencing
- Email, LinkedIn, calls, SMS and WhatsApp in one campaign on the Multichannel plan
- Email plan includes unlimited users and email senders
- Warm-up and deliverability tools included in all plans
- 14-day trial without a credit card
Limitations
- No free plan
- Contact data (emails, phones) and intent signals are paid via credit add-ons
- LinkedIn, calls and SMS require the per-user Multichannel plan; WhatsApp is an extra add-on
- No white-label offering stated on its pricing page
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 lemlist?
By listed starting price: Apollo.io free plan, then from $65/seat/month, lemlist from $69/month. Limits per plan differ, so compare what each plan includes.
Does Apollo.io or lemlist 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.. lemlist: no free plan listed.
What is the main difference between Apollo.io and lemlist?
Apollo.io is best for sales teams that want a contact database, sequences and a dialer in one per-seat platform. lemlist is best for sales teams that want lead data, email and LinkedIn/phone outreach in one subscription and are fine paying per user for multichannel.
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 →