Apollo's free tier is genuinely useful -- which makes the paid plans confusing. Here's exactly what you get at each level and when to upgrade.
Rees Bayba
Founder, Astra GTM
TL;DR
Apollo restructured its pricing in late 2025. The free tier dropped from 10,000 to 100 email credits per month, making it a trial rather than a workable outbound tool. The Professional plan dropped from $99 to $79/user/mo on annual billing. And the credit system now includes overage charges at $0.20/credit. These changes shift the calculus on when to upgrade and which plan fits.
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Price (Monthly) | Email Credits | Phone Credits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 100/month | 0 | Evaluating Apollo, light research |
| Basic | $49/user/mo | $59/user/mo | 1,000/month | 5/month | Teams starting outbound, need bulk export |
| Professional | $79/user/mo | $99/user/mo | Unlimited | 10/month | A/B testing, intent data, advanced targeting |
| Organization | $119+/user/mo (min 3) | Contact sales | Unlimited | Unlimited | Teams needing API access, custom fields, SSO |
Annual billing saves roughly 20% on all paid plans. Credit overages cost $0.20 each with a 250-credit minimum purchase. Start monthly to test, switch once you are committed. Now let's break down what each tier actually includes.
Apollo's free plan changed significantly in late 2025. It used to give you 10,000 email credits per month. It now gives you 100. That is enough to explore the platform, test filters, and preview data quality -- but it is no longer a viable outbound tool. You also get basic sequence automation, limited export (25 records at a time), and access to the full contact database with basic filters.
What it does not give you: phone credits, A/B testing, advanced intent data filters, custom fields, API access, or bulk export. For any real outbound volume, you need Basic at minimum.
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| Plan | Price (Annual) | Email credits | Phone credits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100/month | 0 | Evaluating Apollo, light research |
| Basic | $49/user/mo | 1,000/month | 5/month | Teams starting outbound, need bulk export |
| Professional | $79/user/mo | Unlimited | 10/month | A/B testing, intent data, advanced targeting |
| Organization | $119+/user/mo (min 3) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Teams needing API access, custom fields, SSO |
Apollo's full database has 275 million contacts. If you search without the 'verified email' filter, you are pulling from all of them -- including outdated emails, guessed patterns, and catch-all addresses. Run the verified filter and you drop to roughly 96 million contacts. That cut eliminates a significant portion of the bounce risk.
Apollo uses two credit types that do different things. Email credits are consumed when you reveal or export an email address. Phone credits are consumed when you reveal a direct dial number. Both credit pools reset on your monthly billing anniversary. Unused credits do not roll over -- you lose them at the end of each cycle.
On Basic, unlimited email credits means you can reveal as many emails as you want without a cap. Phone credits at 5/month is genuinely limited -- if phone outreach matters to your motion, Professional (10 credits) or Organization (unlimited) is where that becomes usable at scale.
The jump from free to Basic is the most impactful upgrade. You go from 100 to 1,000 credits and gain full CSV export. For higher volume, Professional ($79/mo annual) gives unlimited credits.
| Tool | Entry price | Database size | Phone data quality | Email data quality | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Basic | $49/user/mo (annual) | 275M contacts | Moderate | Good with verified filter | Month-to-month available ($59) |
| Apollo Professional | $79/user/mo (annual) | 275M contacts | Good | Good with verified filter | Month-to-month available ($99) |
| ZoomInfo Professional+ | $14,000+/year (team) | 265M contacts | Excellent | Excellent | Annual only, 1-3 year |
| ZoomInfo Advanced | $20,000+/year (team) | 265M contacts | Excellent + mobile | Excellent | Annual only |
ZoomInfo's data quality, especially for mobile and direct dials, is generally better than Apollo's. The cost difference is significant: Apollo Professional for a 3-person team runs about $2,850/year on annual billing ($79 x 3 x 12). ZoomInfo for the same team starts around $14,000/year with an annual commitment. For most SMB and mid-market outbound teams, Apollo's data quality is good enough at a fraction of the cost. ZoomInfo makes more sense when phone-first outreach to enterprise accounts is the core motion.
Annual billing saves roughly 20% compared to monthly. Professional drops from $99/mo to $79/mo on annual. Basic drops from $59/mo to $49/mo. Start on monthly while you validate that Apollo fits your workflow. Once you have confirmed you are using it consistently, switch to annual. Do not commit annually on day one.
Is Apollo's free tier actually enough for real outbound?
Not anymore. Apollo cut the free tier from 10,000 to 100 email credits per month in late 2025. That is enough to evaluate the platform and test data quality, but not enough to run campaigns. For real outbound, you need Basic ($49/mo annual) at minimum, which gives you 1,000 credits and bulk export. Professional ($79/mo annual) removes the credit cap entirely.
How many email credits do I actually need per month?
Count your target send volume plus 20-30% buffer for list building (you enrich more contacts than you actually send to). Sending 500 emails per month typically requires 600-700 credit reveals. Basic's 1,000 credits covers this with some headroom. If you consistently need more than 1,000 reveals/month, Professional's unlimited credits is the better choice. Overage credits on lower plans cost $0.20 each -- that adds up quickly at volume.
Are phone credits worth paying for?
It depends on your outreach motion. If you are doing pure email outreach, Basic's 5 phone credits per month is effectively irrelevant. If phone calls are part of your sequence -- especially for enterprise accounts or relationship-driven industries -- Professional's 10 credits per month still limits you to high-priority prospects only. For real call volume, Organization or a dedicated dialer tool like Nooks makes more sense.
Is annual billing worth it?
If you have been on Apollo for 2+ months and you are actively using it, yes. The ~20% discount is real savings at scale. The only reason to stay monthly is if you are still evaluating whether Apollo fits your workflow or if your team size fluctuates and you might need to add or remove seats.
How do I export data from Apollo without hitting limits?
On the free plan, you are limited to 25 records per export. On Basic and above, you can export up to 10,000 records at a time via CSV. For bulk exports beyond that, you need to segment your searches or use the API (Organization plan only). Always apply the verified email filter before exporting to reduce the volume of bad contacts in your list.
What happens to unused credits at the end of the month?
They expire. Apollo credits do not roll over -- unused email and phone credits reset to zero on your billing anniversary. This is different from some competitors that allow partial rollover. If you consistently have leftover credits, you may be on a higher plan than you need.
We implement these systems end-to-end. First sends within 14 days.