Apollo vs Lemlist
Apollo leads on contact database depth and US-market coverage. Lemlist leads on multichannel sequences and personalised image capabilities. Here is the full breakdown — plus what both are missing.
| Feature | Apollo.io | Lemlist |
|---|---|---|
| Contact database | 275M+ B2B contacts with firmographic and technographic filters | 650M+ contacts (Clay-powered database, available on all plans) |
| Starting price | Free tier (50 export credits/mo); paid plans from ~$49/user/mo | Email Starter from $39/mo (1 user, 5,000 emails); Multichannel $109/mo (1 user) |
| Pricing model | Per-seat subscription. Database access tied to plan tier. | Per-user. Email and multichannel plans separate. Scales with users. |
| Email sequences | Built-in sequence builder with steps, delays, and templates | Visual sequence builder with step branching — one of Lemlist's strengths |
| Multichannel outreach | Email + phone dialler. LinkedIn steps available. | Email + LinkedIn + SMS + WhatsApp in one sequence workflow |
| Personalised images / video | No native personalised image generation | Personalised image and video insertion — a flagship Lemlist feature |
| AI email writing | Basic AI suggestions for subject lines and opening lines | AI email writer for drafting sequences. No mandatory approval gate. |
| Human approval gate | No — sequences send automatically | No — sequences send automatically after launch |
| Email warmup | No native warmup — connect a warmup tool separately | Built-in Lemwarm warmup (included on all plans) |
| CRM integrations | Native Salesforce and HubSpot integrations. Apollo IS the CRM for many. | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zapier |
| International coverage | Strong US/EN market. Weaker in Asia, Middle East, LatAm. | Global reach but personalisation tools are language-agnostic |
| Agency / multi-client support | Organisation accounts with team management | Team plans available. No hard multi-tenant isolation. |
| GDPR compliance tools | Basic suppression and opt-out handling | Basic unsubscribe. No built-in GDPR audit trail. |
| Analytics | Sequence analytics + deal tracking + activity log | Campaign analytics: open rate, reply rate, click rate, bounce rate |
Choose Apollo if…
Choose Lemlist if…
Neither has a human approval gate or governed AI outbound
Apollo and Lemlist both send automatically after you launch a campaign. Neither requires human review before emails reach inboxes. For teams that need a governed workflow — AI generates, human approves, then it sends — YOG.io fills this gap.
See YOG.io governed outbound →Is Apollo or Lemlist better for building a contact list?
Apollo wins on database size and filtering sophistication. 275M+ contacts with firmographic filters (company size, industry, revenue), technographic data (what software they use), and intent signals. Lemlist includes 650M contacts on all plans, but the quality and depth of filtering is generally considered weaker than Apollo for complex ICP targeting. If precise list-building with layered filters is the primary use case, Apollo is stronger.
Is Lemlist better than Apollo for multichannel outreach?
Yes, significantly. Lemlist supports email, LinkedIn automation, SMS, and WhatsApp in a single sequence — with step branching based on engagement. Apollo has email and a basic dialler, with LinkedIn steps available, but it is not as mature a multichannel tool. If your outbound strategy involves LinkedIn + email in the same sequence, Lemlist is the better fit.
Which is cheaper — Apollo or Lemlist?
Lemlist's email plan starts at $39/month for a single user, which is slightly cheaper than Apollo's entry paid tier (~$49/user/month). However, Lemlist's multichannel plan jumps to $109/month per user. Apollo's pricing can balloon quickly with multiple seats and database usage. For small teams doing email-only outbound, Lemlist's entry price is lower. For teams needing data + outreach in one, Apollo is more cost-effective than buying both separately.
Does Apollo or Lemlist have AI email generation?
Both have AI email assistants, but neither is a governed AI outbound platform. Apollo offers basic subject line and opening line suggestions. Lemlist has an AI email writer for drafting. Critically, neither requires human approval before sequences send — AI-generated emails go out automatically. If AI generation with a mandatory approval gate is required, look at platforms like YOG.io.
What is missing from both Apollo and Lemlist?
Both Apollo and Lemlist send automatically without a human approval gate. Neither has a built-in governance layer — an immutable audit trail of who approved what and when, or GDPR-compliant suppression workflows with documented lawful basis. For teams in regulated industries, agencies managing client outbound, or companies that need to document their outreach process, a governed outbound platform like YOG.io adds the compliance layer that Apollo and Lemlist do not provide.
Import an audience, let AI prepare the message, approve the work, send from the right identity, and measure what happens next. One contact memory underneath every campaign.
No credit card · 14-day free trial · Governed by design