Head to head
Apollo.io vs Crustdata
As a ai candidate sourcing tools API, Crustdata rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 95.7 to 80.1, a 15.6-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Apollo.io | Crustdata |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 80.1 | 95.7 |
Specifications
| Apollo.io | Crustdata | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sales engagement plus enrichment | Real-time data for AI agents and sourcing |
| Free tier | 10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo | Free trial credits + free-forever tier |
| Pricing | Per credit (email 1, phone 8) | Per credit (additive) |
| Official SDKs | 6 languages | 5 languages |
Is Apollo.io better than Crustdata?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Crustdata rates higher (95.7 vs 80.1). 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
Crustdata leads by 15.6 points (95.7 vs 80.1) and wins 4 of 4 criteria.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 80 | 96 | |
| Reliability | 84 | 95 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 78 | 95 | |
| Accessibility | 78 | 97 |
Choose Apollo.io if… / choose Crustdata if…
- →you need broad SDK coverage (6 official SDKs vs 5)
- →your use case matches its focus: sales engagement plus enrichment
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (96 vs 80)
- →reliability matters most to you (95 vs 84)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (95 vs 78)
- →accessibility matters most to you (97 vs 78)
- →your use case matches its focus: real-time data for ai agents and sourcing
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
- Per credit (additive)
- Free tier
- Free trial credits + free-forever tier
- Free tier$0/mo
- Real-time API AccessCredit-based / not publicly listed
- Flat File DatasetsCustom
- EnterpriseCustom (contact sales)
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Apollo.io) and 2026-06-27 (Crustdata).
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 Crustdata · 4
Official MCP server (Model Context Protocol)crustdata-mcp (community pip package)crustdata-screener-mcp (community package)Composio toolkit (Claude Code, Vercel AI SDK, OpenAI Agents SDK, Mastra AI)
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
- +Genuine real-time / live web indexing, returns data for untracked companies within minutes rather than serving stale batch data
- +Watcher API + webhooks push change signals (job changes, funding, promotions) the moment they're detected
- +Clean, fast, well-documented REST API that reviewers say makes integration 'almost effortless'
- –Paid plan pricing is opaque, no named tiers or list prices published; heavier endpoints gated behind enterprise/demo requests
- –Credit-based model can create unpredictable costs without active monitoring
- –No first-party SDKs, integration is raw REST (client libraries are community/third-party only)
Apollo.io vs Crustdata: questions
- Which has better documentation, Apollo.io or Crustdata?
- Crustdata scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 96 vs 80 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Apollo.io or Crustdata?
- Crustdata scores higher on reliability: 95 vs 84 out of 100.
- Do Apollo.io and Crustdata have a free tier?
- Apollo.io: yes (10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo). Crustdata: yes (Free trial credits + free-forever tier).
- How are Apollo.io and Crustdata priced?
- Apollo.io: Per credit (email 1, phone 8). Crustdata: Per credit (additive).
- Which has more official SDKs?
- Apollo.io lists 6 official SDKs, Crustdata lists 5.