Apollo.io
Nutshell
| Feature | Apollo.io | Nutshell |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $49/mo | From $16/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | sales-teams, startups, recruiters, agencies, b2b-companies | small-businesses, sales-teams, b2b-companies, non-technical-teams |
| Founded | 2015 | 2009 |
| Contact Database | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Sequences | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linkedin Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dialer | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lead Scoring | ✓ | ✗ |
| Enrichment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pipeline Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Web Forms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email Marketing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Nutshell Pros
- CRM + email marketing in one platform
- Very intuitive for non-technical users
- Unlimited contacts on all plans
- Great customer support
✗ Nutshell Cons
- Fewer integrations than HubSpot
- Limited customization
- No free plan
The Verdict
Apollo.io is built for sales teams and startups, with a focus on contact-database and email-sequences. Nutshell targets small businesses and sales teams and leads with pipeline-management and email-sequences.
On pricing, Nutshell is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $16/mo compared to $49/mo for Apollo.io. That $33/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Apollo.io has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Nutshell requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Apollo.io offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Nutshell takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for sales teams, b2b companies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.