B2B Lead Gen Comparison

Apollo vs Lusha: A Detailed 2026 Comparison

Apollo and Lusha are two of the most popular B2B contact-data tools, but they solve different problems. We compare data depth, pricing, mobile-phone coverage, and workflow, then look at the third option many teams pick instead.

Quick Verdict:
  • Apollo wins for: teams that want one tool covering prospecting + sequencing + dialing with a self-serve plan.
  • Lusha wins for: EU-focused teams that prioritize mobile phone coverage and clean GDPR posture.
  • For most teams: Evascrape, pay-per-lead extraction across LinkedIn, Apollo, and Google Maps.
Compare All Three

Apollo vs Lusha, Side by Side

Feature Apollo Lusha
Starting price $0 (free) / $49/seat $0 (free) / $39/seat
Pricing model Subscription per seat Subscription per seat (credit-rationed)
Free tier Yes, limited credits Yes, 5 credits/month
Database size ~275M contacts ~150M contacts
Mobile phone coverage Limited Strong (EU edge)
Email coverage Strong (incl. personal) Strong business emails
Email verification Included basic Included
Built-in sequencer Yes No
Built-in dialer Yes No
Chrome extension Yes Yes (primary workflow)
GDPR posture Compliant Strong (EU-based)
API access All paid plans Pro+ tiers
CRM integrations HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive Salesforce, HubSpot
Annual export cap Yes Credit-based monthly cap

Apollo Overview

What is Apollo?

Apollo.io is an all-in-one sales engagement platform combining a B2B contact database (~275M contacts), email sequencing, dialer, and CRM workflow.

Apollo Pros

  • All-in-one workflow: prospecting + sequencing + dialing
  • Self-serve pricing from $0 to ~$119/seat
  • Free tier with limited credits
  • Strong LinkedIn Chrome extension
  • Better personal-email coverage than most competitors

Apollo Cons

  • Annual export caps even on paid plans
  • UI tries to do too much
  • Mobile phone coverage thinner than Lusha
  • Sequencing trails Outreach/Salesloft on advanced features

Best For

Inside sales teams under 50 reps, agencies running multi-client outbound, founders who want one unified tool.

Apollo Pricing

  • Free: $0, limited credits
  • Basic: $49/seat/month
  • Professional: $79/seat/month
  • Organization: $119/seat/month

Lusha Overview

What is Lusha?

Lusha is a B2B contact-data tool focused on email and mobile phone enrichment, popular in EU markets for its GDPR-clean positioning and strong mobile-direct coverage.

Lusha Pros

  • Strong mobile phone coverage (especially EU)
  • Clean GDPR posture and EU-friendly
  • Simple Chrome extension workflow
  • Reasonable starting price
  • Solid data accuracy on covered profiles

Lusha Cons

  • Per-credit rationing, credits cap monthly
  • Per-seat licensing across teams
  • No built-in sequencing or dialer
  • Coverage thinner outside core EU/US markets
  • Chrome extension dependency for primary workflow

Best For

EU sales teams that need mobile-direct dial coverage, recruiters sourcing technical talent, and SMBs needing GDPR-clean data without enterprise pricing.

Lusha Pricing

  • Free: 5 credits/month
  • Pro: $39/seat/month, 480 credits/year
  • Premium: $69/seat/month, 960 credits/year
  • Scale: $129+/seat/month

Apollo vs Lusha, Feature Deep Dive

Data Coverage & Overlap

Apollo's database is ~275M contacts, Lusha's is ~150M. There is significant overlap on US business emails. Lusha edges Apollo on mobile-direct coverage, especially in EU markets. Apollo edges Lusha on personal-email coverage and total contact volume.

Verdict: Apollo for breadth, Lusha for EU mobile-direct coverage.

Pricing Realities

Apollo starting tier is $49/seat/month, Lusha is $39/seat/month, close on paper. The real difference is credit rationing. Lusha caps your usable contacts per month per seat. Apollo gives more flexibility within a tier but caps annual exports. Both punish high-volume usage differently.

Verdict: Lusha for low-volume teams, Apollo for moderate volume, both punish high volume.

Workflow Coverage

Apollo is one tool: source, sequence, dial. Lusha is a data tool: extract emails and phones, then bring your own sequencer (Outreach, Salesloft, Mailshake). Apollo wins for unified workflow; Lusha wins for teams that already have sequencing.

Verdict: Apollo for all-in-one, Lusha for data-only feeding existing sequencers.

GDPR & EU Compliance

Both tools claim GDPR alignment. Lusha has a stronger EU posture given its origin and customer base. Apollo is US-headquartered but compliant. For pure EU outbound, Lusha is the conservative pick.

Verdict: Lusha for EU-strict requirements, Apollo for global with EU compliance.

Mobile Phone Coverage

Lusha's standout is mobile phones, direct dials, especially in tech and EU segments. Apollo's phone coverage skews toward office numbers. If your outreach is phone-first, Lusha wins.

Verdict: Lusha decisively for mobile-direct, Apollo for office numbers and email-first.

A Better Alternative? Why Most Teams Choose Evascrape

Apollo and Lusha both rely on cached databases and per-seat subscriptions. A third class of tools, pure extraction, pay-per-lead, sidesteps both constraints. Here is what changes when you trade subscription credits for delivered leads.

Pay-per-Lead vs Annual Contracts

Apollo and Lusha bill monthly per seat. Evascrape charges $12 per 1,000 leads, pay only for what you extract. For agencies with multiple clients or seasonal teams that pause outbound, the per-lead model maps directly to actual usage.

Real-Time Data vs Stale Database

Apollo and Lusha serve from cached databases. Records age between refreshes. Evascrape pulls live from LinkedIn at extraction time and SMTP-verifies before delivery. For recently-funded companies, recent role changes, or fast-moving segments, fresh wins.

Triple-Source Coverage

Evascrape combines LinkedIn email scraping, unlimited Apollo exports, and a Google Maps email extractor in a single platform, coverage neither Apollo nor Lusha can match.

Feature Apollo Lusha Evascrape
Price (10K leads) ~$1,000/yr (Apollo Pro) ~$830/yr (Lusha Pro) $120 (one-time)
Mobile phone coverage Limited Strong (EU) Public-LinkedIn level
Apollo bypass N/A No Yes
Google Maps scraping No No Yes
Pay per lead No No Yes
Annual contract Optional Optional None
Free trial Free tier Free tier Free credits

Final Verdict, Which Should You Choose?

Choose Apollo if...

  • You want one tool covering prospecting + sequencing + dialing
  • You are an SMB or mid-market team and self-serve pricing matters
  • You need strong personal-email coverage

Choose Lusha if...

  • You are EU-focused and need mobile-direct phone coverage
  • You already have a sequencer and just need data
  • You need clean GDPR posture for European outbound

Choose Evascrape if...

Frequently Asked Questions

Apollo vs Lusha, which is cheaper?

Lusha entry-tier ($39/seat) is slightly cheaper than Apollo entry-tier ($49/seat). At higher tiers Apollo gets more competitive on credits-per-dollar.

Which has better data quality?

Apollo for breadth and personal emails; Lusha for mobile-direct coverage in EU markets. Quality is segment-dependent.

Can I use Apollo and Lusha together?

Yes, some teams do, Apollo for sequencing, Lusha for mobile enrichment. Cost is high but data layers complement.

Which is better for EU markets?

Lusha, stronger EU mobile coverage and cleaner GDPR posture given EU origin.

Which is better for US outbound?

Apollo for unified workflow, larger contact base, and stronger personal-email coverage.

How does Evascrape compare?

Evascrape replaces both as a pay-per-lead extraction tool. See our Apollo alternative and Lusha alternative guides.

Can I get a free trial of both?

Both have free tiers. Apollo is more usable than Lusha's 5-credit monthly cap.

Skip the Comparison, Try Evascrape Risk-Free

Get free credits and test the only platform that combines LinkedIn, Apollo, and Google Maps scraping with pay-per-lead pricing.

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