SoftwareGlimpse

Apollo.io vs Closely

Apollo.io fits outbound and growth sales teams; Closely fits b2b outbound teams automating linkedin + email.

Independently recommendedLast updated Aug 18, 20268 evidence sources22 screenshotsHow we compare
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Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

6.9/10

Best for

  • • Outbound and growth sales teams
  • • RevOps teams consolidating data + engagement
  • • Buyers who need prospecting more than classic CRM boards

Starting from $49.00/user/mo

Free plan available

Visit Apollo.io
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VS

Our verdict

Our verdict

No universal winner

There is no universal winner between Apollo.io and Closely. Choose Apollo.io when Outbound and growth sales teams. Choose Closely when B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.

Apollo.io is better for

  • ✓ Email outreach
  • ✓ Value for money

Closely is better for

  • ✓ Prospecting

Tie

  • • Ease of use
  • • Integrations

Choose Apollo.io if: Outbound and growth sales teams

Choose Closely if: B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email

See detailed comparison ↓
Closely logo

Closely

6.4/10

LinkedIn + email outbound automation platform with enrichment, AI agents, and white-label options for agencies.

Best for

  • • B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email
  • • Agencies needing white-label outreach infrastructure
  • • Teams that want transparent mid-market automation pricing

Starting from $29.00/user/mo

No free plan

Visit Closely
Read review

Quick verdict

Start here — then dig into the evidence below.

Choose Apollo.io if…

  • Outbound and growth sales teams
  • RevOps teams consolidating data + engagement
  • Buyers who need prospecting more than classic CRM boards
  • You prioritize email outreach

Choose Closely if…

  • B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email
  • Agencies needing white-label outreach infrastructure
  • Teams that want transparent mid-market automation pricing
  • You prioritize prospecting

Overall recommendation

There is no universal winner between Apollo.io and Closely. Choose Apollo.io when Outbound and growth sales teams. Choose Closely when B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.

Key trade-off

Apollo.io trades toward email outreach; Closely trades toward prospecting.

Winner by category

Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.

DimensionWinnerWhy
Ease of useTieApollo.io and Closely are close on ease of use (7/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ProspectingClosely winsStronger coverage across prospecting, lead scoring, data enrichment.
Email outreachApollo.io winsApollo.io leads on email outreach (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
IntegrationsTieApollo.io and Closely are close on integrations (7/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ValueApollo.io winsBetter for value for money

Side-by-side feature matrix

Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.

Core CRM

FeatureApollo.ioClosely
Contact managementStrongNot evidenced
Lead managementStrongStrong
Pipeline managementModerateModerate
Deal managementModerateLimited

Sales engagement

FeatureApollo.ioClosely
Email syncNot evidencedStrong
Email trackingStrongNot evidenced
Email sequencesStrongStrong
Call functionalityStrongModerate
Workflow automationStrongStrong
Sales automationStrongStrong
Lead scoringNot evidencedStrong

Reporting

FeatureApollo.ioClosely
ReportingStrongStrong
ForecastingNot evidencedLimited

Platform

FeatureApollo.ioClosely
IntegrationsStrongStrong
Custom fieldsNot evidencedModerate
Custom pipelinesNot evidencedLimited
Mobile appStrongNot evidenced
AI assistanceStrongStrong

Additional capabilities

FeatureApollo.ioClosely
ProspectingStrongStrong
Data enrichmentStrongStrong
Contact dataStrongStrong
CRM syncStrongStrong
List buildingStrongStrong
Data exportStrongStrong
Email outreachStrongStrong

Pricing comparison

Pricing evidence last checked Sep 7, 2026.

Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

From $49.00/user/mo

Free plan availableFree trial available
  • Free$0.00/user/mo
  • Basic$49.00/user/mo
  • Professional$99.00/user/mo
  • EnterpriseCustom
Closely logo

Closely

From $29.00/user/mo

No free planFree trial available
  • Starter$29.00/mo
  • Growth$87.00/mo
  • Essential$145.00/mo
  • CustomCustom

Seat-count estimates

Labeled estimates from verified starting per-seat pricing — not invoices.

SeatsApollo.ioClosely
5~$245.00/mo (5 × starting seat)~$145.00/mo (5 × starting seat)
10~$490.00/mo (10 × starting seat)~$290.00/mo (10 × starting seat)
25~$1,225.00/mo (25 × starting seat)~$725.00/mo (25 × starting seat)
50~$2,450.00/mo (50 × starting seat)~$1,450.00/mo (50 × starting seat)

Estimate from verified starting per-seat pricing — actual total depends on plan, annual discounts, and add-ons.

Apollo.io researched starting price from $49/mo; a free plan is researched. Closely researched starting price from $29/mo. Affiliate economics excluded.

Open cost calculator →

Best for

Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.

  • → Apollo.io

    Best for email outreach

    Apollo.io leads on email outreach (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

  • → Apollo.io

    Best for value for money

    Better for value for money

  • → Closely

    Best for prospecting

    Stronger coverage across prospecting, lead scoring, data enrichment.

The differences that actually matter

Pair-specific analysis for Apollo.io vs Closely — not generic category copy.

  • Contact data

    Depends

    Contact data: Apollo.io — Apollo.io vs Closely on contact data is not a scored universal winner in current research — choose by job fit.. Closely — Apollo.io vs Closely on contact data is not a scored universal winner in current research — choose by job fit.. Feature evidence also diverges on Deal management (Apollo.io: Moderate; Closely: Limited); Call functionality (Apollo.io: Strong; Closely: Moderate).

  • Prospecting

    Closely ahead

    On prospecting, Closely is ahead. Apollo.io: Trails Closely on this criterion. Closely: Stronger coverage across prospecting, lead scoring, data enrichment..

  • Email outreach

    Apollo.io ahead

    On email outreach, Apollo.io is ahead. Apollo.io: Apollo.io leads on email outreach (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.. Closely: Trails Apollo.io on this criterion.

  • Integrations

    Tie

    Apollo.io and Closely are close on integrations. Apollo.io and Closely are close on integrations (7/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

  • Value for money

    Apollo.io ahead

    On value for money, Apollo.io is ahead. Apollo.io: Better for value for money. Closely: Trails Apollo.io on this criterion.

Pros and cons

Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.

Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

Pros

  • Stronger on email outreach
  • Stronger on value for money

Cons

  • Trails on prospecting
Closely logo

Closely

Pros

  • Stronger on prospecting

Cons

  • Trails on email outreach
  • Trails on value for money

Implementation & learning curve

Based on researched setup / ease criteria for this pair.

Apollo.io

  • Comparable ease of use to Closely

Closely

  • Comparable ease of use to Apollo.io

Integrations

Overlaps and exclusives from product integration data when available.

Apollo.io: Strong. Closely: Strong.

Who should not choose each product

Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.

Don't choose Apollo.io if…

  • You need Closely's stronger prospecting more than Apollo.io's strengths
  • Your primary fit looks closer to: B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email
  • Your primary fit looks closer to: Agencies needing white-label outreach infrastructure

Don't choose Closely if…

  • You need Apollo.io's stronger email outreach more than Closely's strengths
  • You need Apollo.io's stronger value for money more than Closely's strengths
  • Your primary fit looks closer to: Outbound and growth sales teams
  • Your primary fit looks closer to: RevOps teams consolidating data + engagement

Alternatives worth considering

When neither product is the right fit.

  • Lusha logoLusha

    B2B data intelligence platform for verified contact/company data, enrichment, signals, and Engage outreach sequences.

  • RocketReach logoRocketReach

    B2B contact database for finding professional emails, phone numbers, and company insights with prospecting automations.

  • Amplemarket logoAmplemarket

    AI-powered multichannel outbound platform combining lead intelligence, sequences, deliverability, and Duo AI assistants.

  • ZoomInfo logoZoomInfo

    Enterprise go-to-market intelligence platform for B2B contact/company data, enrichment, intent, and Copilot workflows — custom-quote packaging.

Final verdict

Scenario-level close — not a repeat of the intro.

Apollo.io wins when…

Outbound and growth sales teams

Closely wins when…

B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email

  • Best for email outreachApollo.io
  • Best for value for moneyApollo.io
  • Best for prospectingClosely

Which one should you choose?

Choose Apollo.io if:

  • Outbound and growth sales teams
  • RevOps teams consolidating data + engagement
  • Buyers who need prospecting more than classic CRM boards

Choose Closely if:

  • B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email
  • Agencies needing white-label outreach infrastructure
  • Teams that want transparent mid-market automation pricing

Product screenshots

Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.

Apollo.io

  • Apollo product interface overview from the official homepage.
  • Outbound prospecting product view from Apollo homepage.
  • Inbound engagement product view from Apollo homepage.
  • Data enrichment product view from Apollo homepage.

Closely

  • Closely product home visual 1 from the official Closely website.
  • Closely product home visual 2 from the official Closely website.
  • Closely product home visual 3 from the official Closely website.
  • Closely product home visual 4 from the official Closely website.

FAQ

Is Apollo.io better than Closely?
There is no universal winner between Apollo.io and Closely. Choose Apollo.io when Outbound and growth sales teams. Choose Closely when B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
Which sales intelligence fits which team?
Apollo.io: Outbound and growth sales teams Closely: B2B outbound teams automating LinkedIn + email
Does Apollo.io or Closely have a free plan?
Apollo.io: Free plan available. Closely: No free plan.
How does Apollo.io vs Closely pricing compare?
Apollo.io starts from $49.00/user/mo. Closely starts from $29.00/user/mo. Confirm live vendor pricing before purchasing.
How did SoftwareGlimpse compare these products?
We map both products to the same category criteria, then evaluate trade-offs using verified product, pricing and feature evidence. Affiliate relationships never change outcomes.

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  • Affiliate links never change winners

Some visit links may be affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Comparison outcomes are never based on commission.

Affiliate disclosure: some links may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rankings and scores are never based on commission. Full disclosure

Methodology disclosure: scores and recommendations follow SoftwareGlimpse evaluation criteria (version 1.0.0). Affiliate relationships do not determine rankings.

How we recommend: product claims are tied to recorded research where available.

AI-assisted disclosure: drafts may be AI-assisted from approved facts and assessments. Humans approve publishable editorial judgments. AI does not invent live prices or claim hands-on testing.

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