Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

Apollo vs Pipedrive:
which should you use?

Apollo and Pipedrive, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

Apollo contact data, sequences and call recording in one place, so research and outreach do not live in separate tools. Pipedrive deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.

Pricing, simplified

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1 of 2 have a free plan 0 of 2 prices re-read automatically · how we know No paid placement

The 30-second comparison

If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.

Apollo and Pipedrive side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryApolloPipedriveBetter fit
What it's built forContact data, sequences and call recording in one place, so research and outreach do not live in separate tools.Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.Tie
Free planYes. Free plan with 75 credits per seat per monthNo. No free plan — a 14-day trial only, though it takes no credit cardApollo
Cheapest way to pay$65 a month.$24 a month.Pipedrive
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from $65/month
  • Per seat, from $119/month billed yearly
  • One person, from $24/month
Tie
What to watch out forContact data is never as accurate as the counter suggests, and the AI writes on top of whatever it found. Every plan is metered in credits, so what you pay tracks how much you export rather than how many people log in.No free plan, only a 14-day trial, though it asks for no card. Its pricing page refuses automated reading, so these figures were transcribed by hand. Annual billing takes 42 per cent off Lite but only about 20 off Growth and Ultimate, so the headline discount does not hold as you go up the ladder.Tie
Made byApollo.io — San Francisco, US.Pipedrive — Tallinn, EE.Tie

Neither leads on the 6 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table.

Too close to call

Apollo or Pipedrive

Neither leads on the rows above — the job decides it.

✓ Contact data, sequences and call recording in one place, so research and outreach do not live in separate tools. ✓ You want to start without paying anything ✓ Free plan with 75 credits per seat per month ✓ It is aimed at working professionals
Choose Pipedrive instead if…

Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.

Pipedrive is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.

✓ Contact data, sequences and call recording in one place, so research and outreach do not live in separate tools. ✓ You want to start without paying anything ✓ Free plan with 75 credits per seat per month ✓ It is aimed at working professionals

How we know

Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.

The 2 rows that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
Free planApolloHow well it does the jobFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.
Cheapest way to payPipedriveEverything elseFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.

The prices

Apollo. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because Apollo cannot be read automatically: apollo.io draws its ladder in JavaScript. The fetch step read $0.02 off the page — a credit unit rate, not a plan — which looks like a successful read and never changes, so the watch was worse than none. Checked by hand against the vendor page, both billing toggles. apollo.io/pricing

Pipedrive. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because Pipedrive cannot be read automatically: pipedrive.com refuses automation (403) and the support-article alternate carries no prices. Priced by hand from the Lite, Growth, Premium and Ultimate cards on both billing terms. pipedrive.com/en/pricing

The ratings

The category these two share. Business, Finance & Professional Work — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.

The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.

What this is not

Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.

To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.

Choose based on what you’re doing

All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.

01

General-Purpose AI Assistants

Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.

Apollo
Not a good fit
Pipedrive
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
02

Search, Research & Academics

Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.

Apollo
Not a good fit
Pipedrive
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
03

Writing, Communication & Language

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.

Apollo
Not a good fit
Pipedrive
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

Apollo
Bad fit
Pipedrive
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

Apollo
Good fit
Pipedrive
Good fit
Best choice: Tie
06

Image & Design

Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.

Apollo
Bad fit
Pipedrive
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.

Apollo
Bad fit
Pipedrive
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.

Apollo
Bad fit
Pipedrive
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.

Apollo
Not a good fit
Pipedrive
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.

Apollo
Not a good fit
Pipedrive
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
Pick Apollo if

Contact data, sequences and call recording in one place, so research and outreach do not live in separate tools.

by Apollo.io
Contact data, sequences and call recording in one place, so research and outreach do not live in separate tools.
You want to start without paying anything
Free plan with 75 credits per seat per month
It is aimed at working professionals
Pick Pipedrive if

Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.

Tallinn, EE
Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $24 against $65
No free plan — a 14-day trial only, though it takes no credit card
It is aimed at working professionals

Pricing, simplified

The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Apolloby Apollo.io
Pipedriveby Pipedrive
Free version
Apollo
Yes — Free plan availableFree plan with 75 credits per seat per month
Pipedrive
No — paid from the startNo usable free tier
Individual plans
Apollo
Basic $65 / month$49 / month (annual)
Professional $99 / month$79 / month (annual)
Pipedrive
Lite $24 / month$14 / month (annual)
Growth $49 / month$39 / month (annual)
Premium $79 / month$59 / month (annual)
Ultimate $99 / month$79 / month (annual)
Business plans
Apollo
From $119 / user / month (annual)Organization
PipedriveNot sold to teams
Enterprise
ApolloNot published
PipedriveNot published
View full details
Interactive

Tell us what you use AI for

Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.

The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover business, finance & professional work at the same level; only Apollo has a free plan; Pipedrive is cheaper to start paying for, $24 against $65.
6 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is Apollo or Pipedrive better?

Neither leads on the 6 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table. only Apollo has a free plan; Pipedrive is cheaper to start paying for, $24 against $65. Apollo: Contact data, sequences and call recording in one place, so research and outreach do not live in separate tools. Pipedrive: Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.

Is Apollo or Pipedrive cheaper?

Pipedrive — paid plans start at $24 a month against $65 a month.

Do Apollo and Pipedrive both have free plans?

Apollo does — Free plan with 75 credits per seat per month. Pipedrive does not.

What should I watch out for?

Apollo: Contact data is never as accurate as the counter suggests, and the AI writes on top of whatever it found. Every plan is metered in credits, so what you pay tracks how much you export rather than how many people log in. Pipedrive: No free plan, only a 14-day trial, though it asks for no card. Its pricing page refuses automated reading, so these figures were transcribed by hand. Annual billing takes 42 per cent off Lite but only about 20 off Growth and Ultimate, so the headline discount does not hold as you go up the ladder.

Read more

Apollo

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Pipedrive

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Best AI for Business

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.