Lusha vs Apollo: The Real Comparison for B2B Sales Teams

If you're comparing Lusha and Apollo.io, you're probably looking for a B2B contact database and sales intelligence tool. Both platforms promise to help you find verified emails and phone numbers, but they take fundamentally different approaches-and they'll hit your wallet differently too.

After digging through both platforms, here's my take: Apollo is the better value for most sales teams, especially if you need outreach automation bundled in. Lusha wins if you want simpler pricing, better phone number accuracy, or a lighter-weight tool you can pair with your existing sales stack.

Let's break down exactly what you get with each.

Quick Comparison: Lusha vs Apollo at a Glance

Pricing Breakdown: The Numbers That Matter

Lusha Pricing

Lusha runs on a credit-based system. Every contact you reveal costs credits, and phone numbers eat up more credits than emails (10 credits for a mobile vs. 1 for an email).

• Free Plan: 70 credits/month (updated from the previous 5 credits) with basic Chrome extension and CRM integrations
• Pro Plan: $348/year ($29/month billed annually) for 3,000 credits/year
• Premium Plan: $629/year ($52.45/month billed annually) for 9,600 credits/year
• Scale Plan: Custom pricing, estimated around $95/user/month for enterprise features with unlimited credits

The catch with Lusha: While the free plan now includes basic CRM integrations (a recent change), advanced features like CSV enrichment, bulk searches (300+ rows), intent signals, job change alerts, API access, and CRM enrichment are only available on Premium or Scale plans. On the lower tiers, you're primarily exporting CSVs manually.

Monthly vs. Annual Billing: Lusha offers a 25% discount for annual billing. On monthly plans, unused credits roll over up to twice your plan limit. On annual plans, all credits are provided upfront but expire at the end of the billing cycle.

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Apollo.io Pricing

Apollo also uses credits, but their model is more generous-especially with the free plan.

• Free Plan: 50 mobile credits/month, 10 export credits, 5 mobile credits, unlimited email credits (up to 10,000/month for corporate domains, 100/month for non-corporate emails)
• Basic Plan: $49/user/month (annual) or $59/month (monthly) - 120 mobile credits, 2,000 export credits
• Professional Plan: $79/user/month (annual) or $99/month (monthly) - 160 mobile credits, 3,000 export credits
• Organization Plan: $119/user/month (annual) or $149/month (monthly) - 200 mobile credits, 4,000 export credits

Apollo's big advantage: even the Basic plan includes CRM integrations, email sequences, and analytics. You're not just getting contact data-you're getting a full outbound sales platform. The discount for annual billing is approximately 20%.

The downside? Mobile credits cost 8 credits per number, and export credits are consumed every time you sync data to external systems like your CRM, Outreach, or Salesloft. Heavy prospecting teams can burn through credits fast. Additional credits cost $0.20 each with a minimum purchase of 250 monthly credits or 2,500 annual credits. Important: Credits expire at the end of your billing cycle with no refunds or extensions.

Database Size and Data Quality

Both platforms claim massive databases, but the raw numbers don't tell the whole story.

Lusha's Database

Lusha recently expanded to 280M verified contacts (adding 100M newly verified contacts). They claim 95% email accuracy and 90% phone accuracy. Their data is GDPR and CCPA compliant with SOC 2 Type II certification, ISO 27701 certification, ePrivacy seal, and TrustArc verification-making them one of the most compliance-focused providers in the market.

In practice? User reviews are mixed but generally positive for phone accuracy. Some report excellent results for North American contacts, while others complain about outdated phone numbers-especially for international markets. One Capterra reviewer noted that out of 100 contacts, they might only get 10 phone numbers, with 8 being accurate.

Lusha's strength is direct dial phone numbers for decision-makers. If you're doing cold calling and need mobile numbers, Lusha tends to outperform on quality (even if coverage is lower). Real users on G2 report: "The Chrome extension works smoothly on LinkedIn, and most of the data-especially phone numbers-is accurate enough to speed up outreach."

Data Freshness: Lusha refreshes data daily and uses crowdsourced verification from its community network. This means contacts are continuously validated through real-world usage. The platform also offers job change alerts on Premium and Scale plans, helping you catch decision-makers who've moved to new roles.

Geographic Coverage: Lusha offers over 20 million contacts with verified details in Europe, making it stronger for EMEA markets compared to Apollo. This is a significant advantage if you're targeting European decision-makers.

Apollo's Database

Apollo claims 275M+ contacts (with 210M+ verified) and 35 million companies. They tout a 91% email accuracy rate through a seven-step verification process that handles catch-all domains, performs real-time verification, predicts email bounces, and automatically cleans invalid emails.

The reality? Apollo's database is massive but suffers from what users call the "ghost profile problem." Because it's so large, you'll find plenty of outdated records-people who've changed jobs, disconnected numbers, wrong email addresses. One G2 reviewer said they spend 20% of their prospecting time double-checking LinkedIn to verify Apollo's data.

User-Reported Accuracy Issues: While Apollo officially claims 91% email accuracy, independent testing and user reports tell a different story. Some users report email accuracy closer to 73% in real-world usage, with phone accuracy as low as 42%. High bounce rates (sometimes 8% or more) are commonly reported, which can damage sender reputation.

Apollo's advantage is coverage. If you need to find contacts in niche industries or smaller companies, Apollo's sheer volume helps. The platform includes 65+ filters for precision targeting: technographics, job postings, funding rounds, revenue data, intent signals, hiring data, and more.

Geographic Weakness: More than 60% of Apollo's contacts are in the US, with significantly weaker coverage in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. Users consistently report limited data availability when prospecting in international markets, especially India, MENA, and smaller European countries.

The Ghost Profile Reality: Because Apollo's database grows through its 2 million data contributor network (users who connect their email and calendar), the platform adds breadth but sometimes at the cost of quality. Many profiles have missing information-either no email or no phone number. The "confidence filters" exist for a reason: to help you wade through incomplete records.

Features: What Each Platform Actually Does

What Lusha Does Well

• Chrome Extension: Works on LinkedIn, company websites, and even in your calendar. Clean, fast, and works across multiple browsers (not just Chrome). The extension displays verified phone numbers and email addresses with a single click, and the bulk reveal feature lets you select up to 25 contacts at once from LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
• Direct Dials: Lusha's phone number quality is generally considered better than Apollo's for reaching actual mobile phones. Users report 40-50% contact rates for decision-makers, with some noting 90% accuracy for phone numbers-significantly better than many competitors.
• Intent Signals: Available on Premium/Scale plans via Bombora partnership. Shows which companies are actively researching solutions like yours. You can track up to 5 intent signal topics on Pro/Premium, or 25 topics on Custom plans.
• Simplicity: If you just need contact data and already have an outreach tool (like Lemlist or Instantly), Lusha plugs in without adding complexity.
• Job Change Tracking: Premium and Scale plans include job change alerts and filters, helping you identify decision-makers who've moved to new companies-prime opportunities for outreach.
• CSV Enrichment: Upload spreadsheets of contacts and Lusha will append email addresses and phone numbers. Depending on your plan, you can enrich 300 to 10,000 rows at once.
• Daily Lead Stream (New): Lusha now offers automated prospecting that delivers qualified prospects directly to your inbox based on Bombora intent signals, CRM data, and lookalike audiences.
• Conversation Intelligence (New): The platform recently added call recording and analytics to help teams improve their pitch and track what's working across the team.

What Lusha doesn't do: robust email sequencing (it's basic), built-in dialers, or advanced automation. It's primarily a data tool, not an all-in-one platform. The sequencing feature is new and limited-you can only connect one email account, and personalization is restricted to basic merge tags.

What Apollo Does Well

• Full Sales Platform: Database + sequencing + dialer + analytics in one tool. You can find a lead, email them, call them, and track the deal without leaving Apollo.
• Email Sequences: Build multi-step outreach campaigns with unlimited sequences on Professional plans and up. Includes A/B testing (called A/Z testing in Apollo), email tracking, open and click rate monitoring, and automated follow-ups.
• Dialer: Built-in calling with recording and transcription (Professional and Organization plans). US dialer available on Professional, international dialer only on Organization. Includes 8,000 minutes of AI-generated call summaries and insights on the top tier.
• 65+ Filters: Technographics, job postings, funding rounds, revenue data, intent signals-Apollo has granular targeting that lets you slice the database dozens of ways.
• AI Features: AI-powered messaging, prospect recommendations, workflow automation, AI Research to identify prospect pain points, AI Lead Scoring to prioritize outreach, and an AI Assistant to streamline workflows.
• Deal Management: Built-in pipeline management lets you track opportunities from prospecting through close. You can manage your entire sales process in Apollo without a separate CRM.
• Conversation Intelligence: Professional and Organization plans include call recording, transcription, AI-generated summaries, and automated follow-up task creation based on what was discussed.
• LinkedIn Automation: Automate connection requests, direct messages, profile visits, and post interactions-launched directly in the Apollo app or on LinkedIn via Apollo's Chrome extension.

Apollo is trying to replace your data provider, outreach platform, dialer, and CRM in one subscription. If that sounds appealing, it's a compelling value proposition-but only if the data quality meets your standards.

Data Accuracy: What Real Users Report

Both platforms claim high accuracy rates, but user reviews tell a more nuanced story.

Lusha users report: Email accuracy around 85-90% for North American contacts, with some users experiencing 95% accuracy as claimed. Phone accuracy varies by region-strong in the US (85-90%), weaker in Europe and APAC (60-70%). Some users report significant issues with data freshness, but this is less common than with Apollo. The credit system can feel limiting, especially when an unverified number still uses up a credit.

Apollo users report: Email accuracy varies widely. Verified emails are "mostly good" according to users, but independent testing suggests 73% real-world accuracy vs. the claimed 91%. Mobile numbers are hit-or-miss-the database is so large that stale records are common. Some users report 60% error rates for phone numbers in certain markets, with contacts often leading to company switchboards rather than direct lines. High email bounce rates (8%+) are frequently mentioned, which can trigger spam filters and damage domain reputation.

G2 Ratings Comparison: Apollo scores 7.7 on G2 for contact data accuracy, while ZoomInfo (a premium competitor) scores 8.4. This suggests Apollo's accuracy claims may be optimistic. Lusha's ease of use is rated 9.3 on G2, compared to Apollo's 9.1, but Apollo scores higher on Quality of Support (8.8 vs. 8.0).

Bottom line: neither platform has perfect data. Budget for verification tools like Findymail if email deliverability is critical, and always verify before burning credits on bulk exports. One practical strategy: use Apollo for breadth (finding leads in niche markets), then verify critical contacts with Lusha for phone numbers before making calls.

When to Choose Lusha

Pick Lusha if:

• You already have a sales engagement platform and just need better contact data
• Phone accuracy matters more than volume-you're doing cold calling and need direct dials that actually work
• You want simpler, more transparent pricing without getting locked into a massive platform
• Your team is small (1-5 people) and doesn't need advanced automation
• You're targeting European markets where GDPR compliance is critical-Lusha is ISO 27701 certified, ePrivacy sealed, and TrustArc verified
• Data quality and compliance are non-negotiable (healthcare, financial services, regulated industries)
• You value daily data refresh and job change tracking to catch decision-makers on the move
• You need a tool that's fast to implement with minimal learning curve-G2 users consistently rate Lusha 9.3/10 for ease of use

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When to Choose Apollo

Pick Apollo if:

• You want an all-in-one platform for prospecting, emailing, and calling
• You need email sequencing and don't want to pay for a separate tool like Outreach or Salesloft
• Your team is scaling (5+ people) and you need shared workflows, analytics, and reporting
• Volume matters more than per-contact accuracy-you're running high-volume outbound with the expectation that some contacts will be outdated
• You want a generous free plan to test before committing (Apollo's 50 credits/month is genuinely useful)
• You're primarily targeting US markets where Apollo's database is strongest
• You need advanced filters for technographic targeting, funding data, or hiring signals
• Deal management and pipeline tracking are priorities-you want to consolidate your CRM and prospecting tool
• Your team can tolerate a steeper learning curve in exchange for more comprehensive functionality

Apollo's free tier (50 credits/month) is genuinely useful for testing. Lusha's free plan (now 70 credits/month, updated from 5) is much more viable than before and includes basic CRM integrations.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About

Lusha's Hidden Costs

• CRM enrichment requires Scale plan: Want to automatically enrich your Salesforce records at scale? That's enterprise pricing, not the basic integrations included in lower tiers.
• Credits burn fast: Phone numbers cost 10 credits each. If you're revealing 50 mobile numbers per month, that's 500 credits-more than the Pro plan provides (3,000 credits/year = 250 credits/month).
• Advanced features are paywalled: CSV enrichment (300+ rows), bulk searches, intent signals (beyond 2 topics), job change alerts, API access, and DNC list filtering all require Premium or Scale.
• No rollover on annual plans: Unlike monthly plans where credits roll over (up to 2x your limit), annual plans give you all credits upfront but any unused credits vanish at renewal.
• Price increases: Some users report that Lusha has increased prices over time, though this is less dramatic than Apollo's reported increases.

Apollo's Hidden Costs

• Per-action credits multiply fast: Revealing a phone number costs 8 credits. Exporting to CRM uses export credits. Enriching a contact profile costs 8 credits. It adds up faster than the subscription price suggests.
• Aggressive price increases: Users complain about Apollo changing rates frequently-what was $19/month for Basic is now $49-59. One Trustpilot reviewer noted: "They constantly change rates. One year ago, the basic plan was $19 a month, then three months later, $29 a month, then $39, then $49, and now $59. When you go to cancel, they give it to you for $9 a month for a lifetime. Why then keep changing your rates?"
• Data quality variance: You might burn credits on outdated contacts, which effectively raises your cost-per-lead. If you're paying for 100 contacts but 27% are invalid, you're paying $1.37 per valid contact instead of $1.
• Credit changes without notice: One Capterra review states: "It's very frustrating to see them change credits usage so often, and they don't pass on the benefits of new features and changes to users who have billed annually."
• No seat reduction mid-term: You cannot reduce the number of seats until your payment term ends. If your team shrinks, you're stuck paying for unused licenses.
• International dialer paywall: The US dialer is only available on Professional plans, and the international dialer only on Organization ($119-149/user/month). If your team needs to call globally, prepare for top-tier pricing.

The Credit Expiration Problem

Both platforms expire unused credits at the end of billing cycles with no refunds. This "use it or lose it" model means you need to carefully track usage to avoid wasting money. Apollo's credits expire monthly, while Lusha's annual credits expire yearly. This makes budgeting harder and penalizes teams with variable prospecting needs.

Integration Ecosystem

Lusha Integrations

Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, Outreach, Salesloft, MS Dynamics, and Bullhorn. Basic integrations (Chrome extension, Gmail, Outlook) are available on all plans, but bidirectional CRM enrichment and API access are limited to Scale plans.

The Integration Catch: Lower tiers get CSV export and the Chrome extension, which means you're manually importing data. The seamless, automated CRM enrichment that saves hours per week? That's Scale pricing.

Apollo Integrations

Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, Marketo, SendGrid, Pipedrive, LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, and all email providers. API access is limited to Custom/Organization tiers. Available on all paid plans with bidirectional syncing.

The Export Credit Gotcha: While integrations are available on all paid plans, every time you sync data to external systems (CRM, Outreach, Salesloft), you consume export credits. Heavy users can burn through 2,000-4,000 export credits quickly, forcing you to buy more or upgrade tiers.

If integrations matter, Apollo is more accessible. You don't need enterprise pricing to connect your CRM, but you do need to watch your export credit consumption.

User Experience and Learning Curve

Lusha: Simplicity First

Lusha is designed for speed. Install the Chrome extension, and you're revealing contact information within minutes with no training required. The interface is clean, fast, and intuitive-G2 users rate it 9.3/10 for ease of use. One user noted: "I am particularly fond of how straightforward it was to set it up; just installing a Chrome extension and logging in made the process seamless."

The downside? Simplicity means fewer customization options. Power users who want complex workflows and advanced automation will find Lusha limiting.

Apollo: Power User Platform

Apollo offers significantly more functionality, but that comes with a steeper learning curve. The platform has so many features that it can feel overwhelming, especially for new users. G2 reviews mention spending significant time figuring out integrations, workflows, and reporting. The gap between basic and advanced functionality is wide.

One common complaint: "The UI feels little heavy when using large filters," and the interface can lag when working with large data sets. Every time you remove a filter, the entire contact database reloads, which is annoying and consumes time.

The upside? Once you're trained, Apollo becomes a powerful engine for prospecting, outreach, and deal management. Teams that invest in learning the platform often see significant ROI.

Customer Support: Who Helps When You're Stuck?

Lusha Support

G2 reviews rate Lusha's Quality of Support at 8.0/10. Users describe the team as "agile & attentive," noting: "We invest in customer care and put your needs first-there's no fine print and no catch." The Scale plan includes a dedicated customer success manager and tailored onboarding.

However, some users report that cancellations require contacting the support team rather than self-service, which can be frustrating.

Apollo Support

Apollo scores higher on G2 for Quality of Support at 8.8/10. Users report that the support team is responsive and knowledgeable. However, many also complain about wildly inconsistent experiences. One Capterra review states: "The customer service is literally the worst I've ever experienced in tech, likely because they are scaling so fast. It is unimaginably bad."

Support quality seems to vary by plan tier-lower-tier users report slower response times, while Organization plan users get priority support. Technical issues like domain verification problems can take weeks to resolve.

Compliance and Data Privacy

Lusha's Compliance Edge

Lusha is one of the most compliance-focused providers in the market:

• ISO 27701 Certified: The first sales intelligence solution to achieve this certification
• GDPR Compliant: Certified by multiple impartial third-party auditors
• CCPA Compliant: California privacy law adherence
• SOC 2 Type II: Security and privacy controls audited
• ePrivacy Seal: EU privacy standards
• TrustArc Verified: Independent privacy certification
• Commitment not to sell customer data: Your data stays yours

If you're in healthcare, financial services, or any regulated industry, Lusha's compliance credentials are significant. GDPR violations can cost up to 4% of global revenue-compliance isn't optional.

Apollo's Compliance Questions

Apollo is GDPR and CCPA compliant with SOC 2 certification, but lacks the formal third-party certifications that Lusha holds. Apollo's own documentation recommends customers exclude EU data when using the tool to protect themselves, which raises questions about GDPR confidence.

Users note a lack of transparency about data collection practices. Apollo's contributory data network (2 million users who connect email and calendar) means your contact data could end up in Apollo's database if you use the platform. This raises privacy concerns for some organizations.

Apollo automatically sends email notifications to new contacts in certain regions (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Singapore, Philippines, South Africa, California, Maryland, Oregon, EU, UK, Switzerland) explaining how Apollo processes their data-but this reactive approach may not satisfy all compliance requirements.

Real Use Cases: Who Uses Each Platform?

Lusha Success Stories

Scenario 1: Recruitment Agency - A recruitment firm targeting executive placements uses Lusha's direct dial database to reach VP-level candidates. With 90% phone accuracy, they connect with decision-makers on the first try, dramatically reducing time-to-fill for senior roles. The GDPR compliance is critical for their European clients.

Scenario 2: Boutique B2B Agency - A 5-person agency needs high-quality contact data to layer into their existing cold email stack (Instantly + Smartlead). Lusha's Chrome extension lets them quickly pull verified emails from target accounts without committing to a full sales engagement platform. They spend $348/year instead of $3,000+ for Apollo.

Scenario 3: Enterprise Sales Team - A financial services company uses Lusha Scale for intent signals and job change tracking. When a CFO moves to a new company, Lusha alerts the team within 24 hours, creating a warm outreach opportunity.

Apollo Success Stories

Scenario 1: High-Volume SDR Team - A SaaS company with 10 SDRs uses Apollo's all-in-one platform to prospect 500+ contacts per week. The built-in sequencing, dialer, and deal management consolidate their tech stack, saving $1,500/month vs. separate tools. They accept 70-75% data accuracy as the cost of volume.

Scenario 2: Startup Bootstrapping - A 2-person startup uses Apollo's free plan (50 credits/month) to validate their ICP and test messaging. The 65+ filters help them narrow down their target market, and they export verified contacts to Google Sheets for manual outreach until they hit product-market fit.

Scenario 3: Sales Ops Team - A mid-market company (50 sales reps) uses Apollo Professional for its AI features and conversation intelligence. Call recordings and AI-generated summaries help the team identify winning talking points and coach reps at scale. The built-in analytics replace their need for Gong or Chorus.

The Verdict: Which One Should You Buy?

For most B2B sales teams, Apollo is the better value. You get a larger feature set-database, sequencing, dialer, analytics-at a competitive price. The free plan is genuinely useful for testing, and Basic/Professional tiers include CRM integrations.

Choose Lusha if you:

• Only need contact data (you have outreach tools already)
• Prioritize phone number accuracy over volume
• Want simpler billing without per-action credit complexity
• Target European markets or need strict GDPR compliance
• Value ease of use and fast implementation over feature breadth

Choose Apollo if you:

• Want an all-in-one prospecting and outreach platform
• Need email sequencing without buying another tool
• Run high-volume outbound and need scale over precision
• Primarily target US markets where Apollo's database is strongest
• Want deal management and pipeline tracking built-in

The Hybrid Approach: Some sophisticated teams use both. They leverage Apollo's breadth for prospecting and building lead lists, then verify critical contacts (especially phone numbers) with Lusha before making calls. This maximizes coverage while maintaining quality for high-value outreach.

Either way, start with the free plans to test data quality for your specific market before committing to annual contracts. Run a small test campaign with 50-100 contacts and measure bounce rates, connect rates, and data accuracy in your target geography and industry.

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Common Mistakes When Choosing Between Lusha and Apollo

Mistake #1: Ignoring Geographic Fit

If you're targeting EMEA, APAC, or LATAM markets, Apollo's 60% US-centric database will leave you frustrated. Many users report limited data availability outside the US. Lusha's 20M+ verified European contacts make it the better choice for international prospecting.

Mistake #2: Underestimating Credit Consumption

Teams often sign up for Apollo Basic thinking 5,000 credits sounds like plenty. Then they realize that revealing a phone number (8 credits), enriching a contact (8 credits), and exporting to their CRM (1 credit) means they're consuming 17 credits per contact. That 5,000 credit allowance becomes 294 contacts-nowhere near enough for serious prospecting.

Mistake #3: Overlooking Compliance Requirements

Regulated industries (healthcare, finance, insurance) need more than self-declared GDPR compliance. Lusha's ISO 27701 certification and TrustArc verification matter when you're facing potential violations that cost millions. Apollo's looser data collection practices (contributory network, automatic data sharing) may not pass your compliance audit.

Mistake #4: Focusing Only on Database Size

Apollo's 275M contacts sounds impressive until you realize that many profiles are incomplete or outdated. Lusha's 280M contacts are smaller but more consistently verified. Quality beats quantity when your sender reputation and connect rates are on the line.

Mistake #5: Not Testing Before Committing

Both platforms offer free trials. Use them. Export 50 contacts in your target industry and geography. Measure bounce rates, phone connect rates, and data completeness. The 30 minutes you spend testing will save you from a year of frustration and wasted budget.

Alternatives Worth Considering

If neither Lusha nor Apollo fits, here are a few other options:

• RocketReach: 700M+ professional profiles with strong accuracy rates (98% deliverability for A-grade emails). Good for individual lookups with pay-per-contact options. Scores 4.4/5 on G2 with users praising its ability to find hard-to-reach contacts. See our RocketReach pricing breakdown.
• ZoomInfo: Premium option with 300M contacts and 8.4/10 G2 rating for contact accuracy (vs. Apollo's 7.7). Expensive ($10-15K+/year minimum) but offers the best data quality if budget isn't a constraint. Strong intent data and deeper firmographic intelligence.
• Cognism: EMEA specialist with phone-verified "Diamond Data" that delivers 3x connect rates in UK/Frankfurt markets. Custom pricing based on team size and regions. Best for European markets with strict GDPR requirements.
• Reply.io: Sales engagement platform with its own data enrichment. Better for teams that want multichannel outreach (email, LinkedIn, calls, SMS) with less emphasis on database size.
• Clay: Waterfall enrichment that pulls from 15+ data sources sequentially until it finds valid contact information. 80%+ match rates by querying multiple providers. $29/month starting price vs. $49+ for Apollo or Lusha. Best for maximizing coverage without committing to a single database.
• UpLead: 160M+ verified contacts with 95% data accuracy guarantee (credits refunded if data is invalid). Transparent pricing with data preview before using credits. Strong for teams that prioritize accuracy over all-in-one functionality.
• SalesIntel: Human-verified contact data combining automation and manual verification. Ideal for teams that rely heavily on accurate phone numbers and job titles. Custom pricing based on usage.
• Instantly: If you just need cold email infrastructure, Instantly offers unlimited email accounts at a fraction of the cost. Pair it with Lusha or Apollo for data, and you have a powerful combo.
• Smartlead: Cold email platform with built-in warmup and deliverability tools. Better email infrastructure than Apollo's built-in sequences.
• Findymail: Email verification tool that can validate Apollo or Lusha exports before sending. Reduces bounce rates and protects sender reputation.

For more on sales intelligence pricing, check out our Lusha pricing guide and Instantly pricing breakdown.

Advanced Tactics: Getting More Value From Either Platform

For Lusha Users

Maximize Credit Efficiency: Use the bulk reveal feature (25 contacts at once on Premium plans) instead of revealing contacts one-by-one. This saves time and helps you batch your prospecting.

Leverage Job Change Alerts: Set up alerts for your key accounts. When a decision-maker moves to a new company, you have a warm reason to reach out. This "trigger event" outreach converts at 2-3x the rate of cold prospecting.

Layer Intent Data: Premium/Scale plans include Bombora intent signals. Filter your lists to show only companies actively researching solutions like yours. This focuses your outreach on in-market buyers, dramatically improving conversion rates.

API Integration: If you're on Scale, use the API to build custom workflows. Auto-enrich new CRM records overnight, keeping your database fresh without manual work.

For Apollo Users

Use Confidence Filters: Apollo includes confidence scores for emails and phone numbers. Filter for "high confidence" contacts only to improve accuracy. This reduces your usable database but increases quality.

Double-Verify Before Calling: Use Apollo to build lists, but verify phone numbers with a second source (Lusha, RocketReach) before burning calling credits. The extra step saves time and improves connect rates.

Monitor Bounce Rates: Apollo warns that if you consistently see 8%+ bounce rates, you need to act fast to protect your domain. Set up email verification (Findymail, NeverBounce) to validate exports before sending.

Leverage AI Features: Use AI Research to identify prospect pain points automatically, then customize email templates around those insights. This personalization increases response rates without manual research.

Focus on US Markets: Apollo's database is strongest in the US (60%+ of contacts). If you're prospecting internationally, supplement with a tool that has better EMEA/APAC coverage.

The Stack That Actually Works

Many sophisticated sales teams don't choose between Lusha and Apollo-they use a layered approach:

1. Prospecting: Apollo for volume and breadth (finding leads in niche industries)
2. Verification: Lusha for phone numbers and critical contacts
3. Email Infrastructure: Instantly or Smartlead for deliverability
4. Enrichment: Clay for waterfall coverage
5. Verification: Findymail to validate before sending

This approach costs more upfront but maximizes data quality, deliverability, and conversion rates. The ROI often justifies the complexity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use both Lusha and Apollo together?

Yes, and many teams do. Use Apollo for broad prospecting and lead list building (leveraging the 65+ filters), then verify high-value contacts with Lusha before calling. This maximizes coverage while maintaining quality for critical outreach.

Which has better data for cold calling?

Lusha wins for cold calling. Users consistently report better phone number accuracy (90% vs. Apollo's unspecified rate), and Lusha specializes in direct dial mobile numbers rather than company switchboards. If your primary outreach is cold calling, Lusha is the better choice.

Which is better for GDPR compliance?

Lusha has significantly stronger compliance credentials: ISO 27701 certified, GDPR compliant (verified by multiple third parties), ePrivacy seal, and TrustArc verified. Apollo is self-declared GDPR compliant but lacks the formal certifications. For regulated industries or European markets, Lusha is safer.

Do credits roll over?

Lusha: Monthly plans roll over credits up to 2x your limit. Annual plans give all credits upfront but expire at renewal. Apollo: Credits expire at the end of each billing cycle with no refunds or extensions. Neither platform is generous with unused credits.

Can I cancel anytime?

Both platforms allow cancellation, but with caveats. Lusha requires contacting support to cancel (to preserve remaining credits). Apollo lets you cancel renewal for annual plans with 61 days written notice (for some contracts). Monthly plans are easier to cancel. Read the fine print before committing to annual contracts.

Which has better CRM integrations?

Apollo includes CRM integrations on all paid plans with bidirectional syncing. Lusha includes basic integrations on all plans but limits CRM enrichment and API access to Scale plans. If you need automated, bidirectional CRM syncing without enterprise pricing, Apollo is more accessible.

Is the free plan actually useful?

Apollo's free plan (50 mobile credits, 10 export credits, unlimited email credits) is genuinely useful for testing and low-volume prospecting. Lusha's free plan (now 70 credits/month, updated from 5) is much more viable than before and suitable for individual users or small-scale testing.

Which platform has better customer support?

G2 ratings show Apollo at 8.8/10 vs. Lusha at 8.0/10 for Quality of Support. However, reviews are mixed for both. Apollo users report inconsistent experiences (excellent or terrible, rarely in-between). Lusha users describe support as "agile & attentive" but some complain about requiring support contact for cancellations.

How often is data refreshed?

Lusha refreshes data daily using crowdsourced verification and real-time signals. Apollo refreshes data in real-time whenever the system captures a signal (job change, new phone number, new email). In practice, both claim real-time updates, but users report that data freshness varies-Lusha is generally more consistent.

What happens when data is wrong?

Neither platform refunds credits for inaccurate data, which is a common complaint. Apollo has confidence filters to help you avoid low-quality records, but you still pay credits to reveal them. Lusha charges credits even for unverified numbers. Budget for 10-20% waste in your credit planning.

Final Thoughts: Making the Right Choice

The Lusha vs. Apollo decision isn't just about features and pricing-it's about aligning the tool with your go-to-market strategy, team size, geographic focus, compliance requirements, and tolerance for data variance.

Apollo is the right choice if you're a high-volume, US-focused sales team that wants to consolidate multiple tools into one platform. The all-in-one approach saves money and simplifies your tech stack, even if it means accepting 70-75% data accuracy and spending time on verification.

Lusha is the right choice if you're a quality-focused team that prioritizes accuracy over volume, targets European markets, needs strict compliance, or already has a sales engagement platform and just wants better data.

The good news? Both platforms offer free trials. Spend 30 minutes testing data quality in your target market. The insights you gain will be worth far more than any comparison article.

Remember: the best sales intelligence tool is the one that actually delivers accurate contacts in your specific market. Generic advice only goes so far-your testing will reveal the truth.

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