Is Lusha or Apollo better for cold email outreach?

Apollo has an edge for cold email specifically, since it includes built in sequencing and deliverability tooling alongside its contact database. Lusha does not send emails on its own, so it works best paired with a dedicated sending tool like Instantly or Smartlead.

Does Lusha or Apollo have a free plan?

Both offer a free tier for testing. Apollo's free plan is generally more generous for combined data plus outreach use, while Lusha's free tier is aimed at light, occasional lookups rather than ongoing prospecting. Credit limits and what counts as a "credit" change often on both sides, so check current pricing on Lusha and Apollo before committing to a paid plan.

Which has more accurate data, Lusha or Apollo?

Neither vendor publishes independently audited accuracy numbers, and third party test results vary by list, industry, and region. Lusha markets itself heavily on verified, GDPR and CCPA compliant contact data, while Apollo leans on the size of its combined database. Run a small sample list through both before buying a plan on either side, rather than relying on either company's own accuracy claims.

Apollovs

Lusha

Lusha vs Apollo (2026): Contact Data vs All-in-One Outreach

Compare Apollo and Lusha side-by-side across features, pricing, deliverability, and more. Find the best cold email tool for your outreach needs.

Written by ColdEmailKit EditorialUpdated on August 17, 2026

Overview Features Verdict FAQs

Lusha and Apollo both sit in the sales intelligence category, but they solve different problems. Lusha is a contact and company data tool built around speed and accuracy: a browser extension and web app that surface verified phone numbers and emails on LinkedIn profiles and company sites, with a strong focus on GDPR and CCPA compliant data sourcing. Apollo is a much broader platform. It combines a large contact database with built in email sequencing, a dialer, and pipeline tools, positioning itself as an all in one outbound system rather than just a data provider.

For a rep or founder who only needs to find and verify contact details fast, Lusha is the leaner option, with a browser extension workflow that fits directly into LinkedIn prospecting. For a team that wants data, outreach, and CRM style tracking in one login, Apollo removes the need to stitch together separate enrichment and sequencing tools, at the cost of a steeper learning curve.

Data accuracy claims should always be spot checked against your own list, since coverage varies heavily by industry, region, and company size for every provider in this space.

Apollo

4.1(11439 reviews)

Trust Score: 82%

Apollo is an all in one sales intelligence and engagement platform, pairing a large B2B contact database with built in email sequencing, a dialer, and pipeline and CRM style tracking in a single workspace.

Visit Apollo Read more

Details:

Overall rating
4.1
Total reviews
11,439
Trust Score
82%
Starting Price
$0/mo
Best for
Enterprises, Small business

Lusha

3.4(3186 reviews)

Trust Score: 69%

Lusha is a B2B contact and company data platform focused on fast, verified phone numbers and emails, delivered mainly through a browser extension for LinkedIn and Sales Navigator, plus a web app and API for bulk enrichment.

Visit Lusha Read more

Details:

Overall rating
3.44
Total reviews
3,186
Trust Score
69%
Starting Price
$0/mo
Best for
Recruiters, Enterprises

Highlight DifferencesHide Common Features

Features / Specs

Apollo

Visit Apollo

Lusha

Visit Lusha

Core Specifications

Lead Database AccessBuilt-in database for finding prospects

Apollo:

5/5

Lusha:

5/5

Email FindingAbility to discover email addresses

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

5/5

Email VerificationAbility to validate email deliverability

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:

5/5

Email SendingRun cold email campaigns

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Multi-step SequencesAutomated follow-ups and sequences

Apollo:

5/5

Lusha:-

Unified InboxManage replies in one place

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Built-in CRMStore and manage leads internally

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

3/5

Pricing Details

Starting Price (Monthly)Lowest paid plan

Apollo:$49/month

Lusha:$39/month

Free TrialTrial available before payment

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Free PlanPermanent free version

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:No

Most Popular Plan PriceCommonly chosen plan

Apollo:$79/mo/user annual

Lusha:$ 421.15/month

Unlimited InboxesNo hard inbox limits

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Inbox Features

Inboxes ProvidedTool supplies inboxes

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Inbox TypeGoogle, Microsoft, or proprietary

Apollo:multiple

Lusha:-

Max InboxesMaximum inboxes allowed

Apollo:Unlimited BYO

Lusha:-

Domain Provision IncludedDomains included

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Domain Setup IncludedDNS handled automatically

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Auto Inbox SetupOne-click setup

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Warm-up Features

Warmup IncludedBuilt-in warm-up

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Auto Reply/Open SimulationSimulated engagement

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Spam Folder RecoveryMoves emails from spam

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Custom Warmup ScheduleSchedule control

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Warmup Health ScoreHealth score per inbox

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Warmup + Sending ParallelWarm while sending

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Lead Database

Database SizeTotal contacts available

Apollo:275M+

Lusha:500M+

Contact SearchFind individual prospects

Apollo:

5/5

Lusha:

5/5

Company SearchFind companies

Apollo:

5/5

Lusha:

5/5

Email DataEmail coverage quality

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

4/5

Phone DataPhone number availability

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:

4/5

Mobile Phone DataMobile numbers included

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Job Title AccuracyAccuracy of roles

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

4/5

Company Data DepthFirmographic detail

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

5/5

Technographic DataTech stack insights

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Intent DataBuying intent signals

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Data Accuracy RateClaimed accuracy

Apollo:85%

Lusha:80-90%

Credits IncludedMonthly credits

Apollo:10K-unlimited export

Lusha:40-10k+

Cost Per CreditOverages pricing

Apollo:$0.50+

Lusha:$0-$0.79

Real-time VerificationVerify before export

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Data Enrichment

Enrichment TypeContact, company, or both

Apollo:both

Lusha:both

Email EnrichmentFind missing emails

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

5/5

Phone EnrichmentFind phone numbers

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:

5/5

Company EnrichmentAdd company data

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

5/5

Social Profile EnrichmentLinkedIn, social links

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Waterfall EnrichmentMulti-source lookup

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Real-time EnrichmentEnrich on demand

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:Yes

Bulk EnrichmentEnrich at scale

Apollo:

5/5

Lusha:

5/5

API EnrichmentAPI access

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:

5/5

Enrichment AccuracyClaimed accuracy

Apollo:95%

Lusha:85%+

Credits IncludedMonthly allowance

Apollo:Based on plan

Lusha:40-10k+

AI Copywriting

AI Email GenerationGenerate full emails

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Personalization DepthLevel of customization

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Research AutomationAuto prospect research

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Tone ControlAdjust writing style

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Template LibraryPre-built templates

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Custom Template TrainingTrain on own emails

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Subject Line GenerationGenerate subject lines

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

A/B Variant GenerationCopy testing

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Multi-language SupportNon-English support

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Email ScoringQuality scoring

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Email Outreach

Email SendingCore sending engine

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:-

Max Emails Per DayDaily sending cap

Apollo:400+

Lusha:-

Max Emails Per MonthMonthly sending cap

Apollo:Unlimited

Lusha:-

Unlimited SendingNo email limits

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Inbox RotationDistribute sends

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Smart RotationOptimized rotation

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Sending Schedule ControlTime-based sending

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Timezone SendingSend by recipient TZ

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Multi-step SequencesAutomated follow-ups

Apollo:

5/5

Lusha:-

Max Sequence StepsSequence depth

Apollo:Unlimited

Lusha:-

A/B TestingVariant testing

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Conditional LogicIf/then branching

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Auto-pause on ReplyStop on reply

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Custom VariablesMerge fields

Apollo:

5/5

Lusha:-

Spintax SupportText variations

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:-

AI PersonalizationAI-based tokens

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

Unified InboxCentral reply inbox

Apollo:

4/5

Lusha:-

AI Reply CategorizationAuto-sort replies

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:-

Deliverability

Inbox Placement TestingInbox vs spam testing

Apollo:

1/5

Lusha:-

Spam Score TestingSpam risk analysis

Apollo:

1/5

Lusha:-

Blacklist MonitoringBlacklist checks

Apollo:

1/5

Lusha:-

Domain Reputation MonitoringDomain health tracking

Apollo:

2/5

Lusha:-

IP Reputation MonitoringIP health tracking

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:-

DMARC/SPF/DKIM CheckerDNS validation

Apollo:Yes

Lusha:-

Email Content AnalysisSpam trigger analysis

Apollo:

3/5

Lusha:-

Deliverability AlertsIssue notifications

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Historical TrackingPerformance history

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Provider-specific TestingGmail, Outlook tests

Apollo:No

Lusha:-

Remediation GuidanceFix recommendations

Apollo:

1/5

Lusha:-

Monitoring FrequencyReal-time or periodic

Apollo:Periodic

Lusha:-

ColdEmailKit's Verdict

Pick Lusha if you already have an outreach and sequencing stack and just need a fast, accurate way to pull verified contact details while prospecting. Pick Apollo if you want one platform that handles data, sequences, and calling together, and you would rather trade some depth in any single feature for fewer tools to manage.