Apollo.io vs Smartlead
Both sit in lead generation. Here is how they differ on the things you can actually check.
On price: Smartlead starts $10 a month cheaper than Apollo.io ($39 against $49, 20% less) on its Base tier. Paying annually takes Smartlead to $32.5/mo (17% off). Both figures were read from the vendors' own pricing pages on the dates shown below.
Apollo.io
apollo.io
A very large B2B contact database bundled with sequencing, dialling and a light CRM — one subscription covers finding prospects and emailing them.
Smartlead
smartlead.ai
Cold email infrastructure with unlimited sender accounts, automated warm-up and a master inbox, aimed at agencies running many clients.
| Apollo.io | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $49/mo | $39/mo |
| Entry plan | Basic | Base |
| Paid annually | $49/mo | $32.5/mosave 17% |
| Price checked | 25 Aug 2026 | 21 Sept 2026 |
| Pricing model | Free plan | Free trial |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Category | Lead Generation | Lead Generation |
| Around since | 2015 | 2021 |
Every price here was read from the vendor's own pricing page, most recently on 21 Sept 2026. Entry tier only — vendors change pricing without notice.
Apollo.io vs Smartlead, answered
- Is Apollo.io cheaper than Smartlead?
- No — Smartlead is the cheaper entry point, at $39 a month against Apollo.io's $49, 20% less. Apollo.io's figure is its annual rate — the vendor publishes no month-to-month price we could read.
- Do Apollo.io or Smartlead have a free plan?
- Apollo.io publishes an ongoing free plan; Smartlead does not.
- What is the difference between Apollo.io and Smartlead?
- Apollo.io: A very large B2B contact database bundled with sequencing, dialling and a light CRM — one subscription covers finding prospects and emailing them. Smartlead: Cold email infrastructure with unlimited sender accounts, automated warm-up and a master inbox, aimed at agencies running many clients.
- Which one is cheaper paid annually?
- Smartlead, at $32.50 a month against Apollo.io's $49. Apollo.io's $49 is already its annual rate — it publishes no month-to-month price, while Smartlead drops to $32.50 a month paid yearly (17% off).