Apollo and Lusha are two of the most widely-used B2B contact databases. Apollo positions itself as an all-in-one sales platform with prospecting, sequencing, and data enrichment. Lusha focuses on high-quality direct dial phone numbers and contact data accessed via a LinkedIn Chrome extension. This guide compares both on the metrics that matter for SDRs and growth teams in 2026.
| Feature | Apollo.io | Lusha |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + $49-$149/mo | $0 (5 credits/mo) + $36-$149/user/mo |
| Contact database | 275M+ contacts | 50M+ contacts |
| Email accuracy | 75-85% (mid-market) | 72-82% |
| Direct dial / mobile | Moderate coverage | Strong - primary differentiator |
| Built-in sequencing | Yes - email + task sequences | No - data only |
| CRM integration | HubSpot, SF, Pipedrive, Zoho | HubSpot, SF, Pipedrive, Zoho |
| Chrome extension (LinkedIn) | Yes | Yes - stronger UX |
| Company/account data | Strong (firmographic filters) | Basic |
| Data enrichment API | Yes | Yes |
| GDPR compliance | Yes | Yes (ISO 27001) |
| Intent data | Yes (basic) | No |
| Free plan | Yes (limited exports) | 5 credits/month |
Annual billing. Phone number credits cost extra on all plans.
Annual billing. Each credit = 1 contact reveal (email + phone).
Apollo and Lusha emails are sourced from multiple databases, LinkedIn crawls, and company websites. Email accuracy for both services degrades as contacts change jobs (22% annually). Always run your export through a dedicated email verifier like BounceZero before your first cold email send - regardless of which platform you use.
Apollo is better for teams that need volume, sequencing, and an all-in-one platform - 275M+ contacts, built-in cold email sequencing, and a free plan. Lusha is better for direct dial phone coverage and LinkedIn-based research. Apollo wins on price and contact volume; Lusha wins on phone data quality for teams that call more than email.
Apollo email accuracy is 75-85% for mid-market contacts and 60-75% for SMB contacts. Apollo shows a ‘verified’ badge on recently-confirmed emails, but this degrades as contacts change jobs. Always run Apollo exports through a dedicated verifier like BounceZero before your first send.
Lusha email accuracy is rated 72-82% in 2026 benchmarks. Lusha’s strength is phone numbers - particularly direct dials and mobile numbers - not email. For pure cold email volume, Apollo provides more contacts for the same budget. For phone-first outreach, Lusha’s direct dial coverage is generally stronger.
Upload any CSV and get valid / invalid / catch-all results in minutes. $3/1K. No subscription. Credits never expire.
Apollo, ZoomInfo, Lusha and Cognism all have accuracy gaps - verify exports before sending
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