Head to head
Apollo.io vs ContactOut
As a ai candidate sourcing tools API, Apollo.io rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 80.1 to 55, a 25.1-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Apollo.io | ContactOut |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 80.1 | 55.0 |
Specifications
| Apollo.io | ContactOut | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sales engagement plus enrichment | LinkedIn-based email and phone lookup for recruiters and sales |
| Free tier | 10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo | 5 emails, 5 phones, 5 exports/day in the app; API not included |
| Pricing | Per credit (email 1, phone 8) | Credits (search, email, phone) on a quoted API plan |
| Official SDKs | 6 languages | 4 languages |
Is Apollo.io better than ContactOut?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Apollo.io rates higher (80.1 vs 55). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.
Verdict in one line
Apollo.io leads by 25.1 points (80.1 vs 55) and wins 4 of 4 criteria.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 80 | 70 | |
| Reliability | 84 | 58 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 78 | 50 | |
| Accessibility | 78 | 35 |
Choose Apollo.io if… / choose ContactOut if…
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (80 vs 70)
- →reliability matters most to you (84 vs 58)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (78 vs 50)
- →accessibility matters most to you (78 vs 35)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (6 official SDKs vs 4)
- →your use case matches its focus: sales engagement plus enrichment
- →your use case matches its focus: linkedin-based email and phone lookup for recruiters and sales
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Per credit (email 1, phone 8)
- Free tier
- 10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo
- Free$0
- Basic$49/user/mo (annual)
- Professional$79/user/mo (annual)
- Organization$119/user/mo (annual)
- Overage credits$0.20 / credit
- Model
- Credits (search, email, phone) on a quoted API plan
- Free tier
- 5 emails, 5 phones, 5 exports/day in the app; API not included
- Free$0
- Email~$49-$99/mo (sources conflict)
- Email + Phone~$99-$199/mo (sources conflict)
- Team / APICustom quote
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Apollo.io) and 2026-10-07 (ContactOut).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 1
REST API (HTTPS / JSON)
Only Apollo.io · 5
OpenAPI / Swagger specificationApollo MCP serverApollo CLIllms.txt index for AI agentsCommunity-built clients (e.g. Ruby gem EnaiaInc/apollo_io), no official first-party language SDKs
Only ContactOut · 3
Webhooks for async bulk v2Third-party MCP via Composio and viaSocketNo official SDKs or OpenAPI spec found
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Large database (275M+ contacts, 73M+ companies) with strong US coverage (~80–88% match accuracy)
- +Aggressive pricing that undercuts ZoomInfo/Lusha-class incumbents for comparable breadth
- +Bulk enrichment endpoints (up to 10 people or companies per call) reduce call volume
- –Data accuracy drops sharply outside the US (~60–73% in EU/APAC/LATAM); stale titles common
- –Phone numbers cost 8 credits each yet user-reported direct-dial accuracy is only ~50–70%
- –Credits expire every billing cycle with no rollover and no refund on unused balance
- +Public API reference with auth, endpoint credit rules and per-endpoint rate limits
- +Bulk enrichment up to 1,000 profiles per v2 job with webhook delivery
- +Boolean search, decision-maker and company endpoints plus email and phone verification
- –API is not on self-serve plans; Team/API requires a custom quote
- –Free app plan (5/5/5 per day) does not include API access
- –962 outages tracked by StatusGator over the past year, with a minor outage on the verification date
Apollo.io vs ContactOut: questions
- Which has better documentation, Apollo.io or ContactOut?
- Apollo.io scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 80 vs 70 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Apollo.io or ContactOut?
- Apollo.io scores higher on reliability: 84 vs 58 out of 100.
- Do Apollo.io and ContactOut have a free tier?
- Apollo.io: yes (10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo). ContactOut: yes (5 emails, 5 phones, 5 exports/day in the app; API not included).
- How are Apollo.io and ContactOut priced?
- Apollo.io: Per credit (email 1, phone 8). ContactOut: Credits (search, email, phone) on a quoted API plan.
- Which has more official SDKs?
- Apollo.io lists 6 official SDKs, ContactOut lists 4.