Apollo.io
beehiiv
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $49/mo | Free / from $39/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | sales-teams, startups, recruiters, agencies, b2b-companies | newsletter-writers, media-companies, solopreneurs, content-creators |
| Founded | 2015 | 2021 |
| Contact Database | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Sequences | ✓ | ✗ |
| Linkedin Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dialer | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lead Scoring | ✓ | ✗ |
| Enrichment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Newsletter Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ad Network | ✗ | ✓ |
| Referral Program | ✗ | ✓ |
| Web Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Recommendations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Apollo.io Pros
- 275M+ verified contacts database
- Email sequences with A/B testing
- Free tier with 10,000 credits/month
- LinkedIn integration for prospecting
✗ Apollo.io Cons
- Data accuracy varies by region
- Email deliverability can suffer at scale
- Learning curve for sequence optimization
✓ beehiiv Pros
- Built specifically for newsletters
- Ad network for monetization
- Referral program built-in
- Beautiful web hosting for newsletter archives
✗ beehiiv Cons
- Less suitable for e-commerce email
- Automations less mature than Mailchimp
- Free tier limited to 2,500 subscribers
The Verdict
Apollo.io is built for sales teams and startups, with a focus on contact-database and email-sequences. beehiiv targets newsletter writers and media companies and leads with newsletter-editor and ad-network.
On pricing, beehiiv is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $39/mo compared to $49/mo for Apollo.io. That $10/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.