Instantly vs Apollo
Instantly is built for high-volume cold email with unlimited sending accounts and warmup. Apollo is a contact database that also sends sequences. Many teams use both: Apollo for data, Instantly for sending.
| Instantly | Apollo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Cold email platform with unlimited sending accounts and warmup, a lead database, an AI reply agent and a built-in CRM. | B2B contact database with enrichment, sequencing, inbound routing and CRM enrichment. |
| Pricing | Outreach: Growth $47/mo (5,000 emails/mo, 1,000 contacts), Hypergrowth $97/mo (125,000 emails/mo, 25,000 contacts), Light Speed $358/mo (500,000 emails/mo); Enterprise: custom; lead credits sold separately | Free $0; paid plans $49, $79 and $119 per seat/mo (top tier min. 3 seats); Inbound add-on from $119/team/mo |
| Pricing model | Public pricing | Public pricing |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | Unknown | Yes |
| HubSpot | Yes | Yes |
| Salesforce | Unknown | Yes |
| Last checked | 2026-10-18 | 2026-10-18 |
| Source | instantly.ai | apollo.io |
Prices as shown on each vendor's site on 2026-10-18. Vendors change prices often, so confirm before you buy. Some links are affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never affects rankings.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Instantly if…
deliverability and sending volume across many mailboxes are the priority, and HubSpot is your CRM.
Pick Apollo if…
you need the contact data first, want to start free, and are happy sending sequences from the same per-seat tool.
Apollo: Buy the data. You can't DIY a contact database; you can DIY the CRM-enrichment workflow around Apollo's API.
Read the full build-vs-buy guide for Outbound & Sequencing →
FAQ
Does Instantly or Apollo publish its pricing?
Instantly: yes. Outreach: Growth $47/mo (5,000 emails/mo, 1,000 contacts), Hypergrowth $97/mo (125,000 emails/mo, 25,000 contacts), Light Speed $358/mo (500,000 emails/mo); Enterprise: custom; lead credits sold separately. Apollo: yes. Free $0; paid plans $49, $79 and $119 per seat/mo (top tier min. 3 seats); Inbound add-on from $119/team/mo. Checked 2026-10-18 on the vendors' pricing pages.
Do Instantly and Apollo work with HubSpot and Salesforce?
Instantly: HubSpot yes, Salesforce unknown. Apollo: HubSpot yes, Salesforce yes. "Unknown" means we could not confirm it on the vendor's site.
Is there a free plan for Instantly or Apollo?
Instantly: No. Apollo: Yes.
Should I build this in n8n instead of buying Instantly or Apollo?
Instantly: Buy the sending infrastructure; mailbox rotation, warmup and deliverability are not a DIY job. Use n8n to push positive replies into your CRM and Slack. Apollo: Buy the data. You can't DIY a contact database; you can DIY the CRM-enrichment workflow around Apollo's API.
Keep comparing
Instantly
Cold email platform with unlimited sending accounts and warmup, a lead database, an AI reply agent and a built-in CRM.
Apollo.io
B2B contact database with enrichment, sequencing, inbound routing and CRM enrichment.