Cold email outreach has shifted from simple mass messaging to a smarter, data-driven process focused on finding the right prospects, scaling campaigns, and avoiding spam filters. For sales teams and agencies, the tools you choose play a huge role in whether your outreach delivers results—or gets lost in inbox clutter.
Apollo is widely recognized as one of the best all-in-one sales intelligence and outreach platforms, combining a massive B2B contact database, CRM integrations, and email sequencing tools for end-to-end prospecting.
Instantly, meanwhile, has built its reputation as a leading cold email automation tool, offering unlimited sending, AI-powered deliverability optimization, and inbox rotation to help teams book more meetings at scale.
So, when it comes to Apollo vs Instantly, which one is right for your team? That depends on whether you value Apollo’s rich data-driven prospecting and engagement features, or Instantly’s dedicated cold outreach automation.
In this article, we’ll break down their features, pricing, pros and cons, ease of use, and best use cases so you can confidently choose the tool that aligns with your sales goals in 2025.
Understanding Your Options
Before diving into the details, let’s examine what Apollo io and Instantly bring to the table for businesses aiming to streamline sales prospecting and cold email outreach.
Apollo io: An Overview
Apollo io is a sales intelligence and engagement platform designed to help businesses scale their outreach efforts efficiently. With a database of over 275M contacts and 75M+ companies, Apollo combines vast data coverage with powerful tools like email sequencing, CRM integrations, and a LinkedIn extension. These features empower sales teams to generate leads, automate follow-ups, and enrich CRM records in one place along with the AI enable features.
Its affordability and all-in-one functionality make it a favorite among startups, SMBs, and agencies that want both data and engagement in a single tool.
Main Audience: Small to medium-sized businesses, startups, and marketing agencies.
Primary Features: Extensive B2B database, email sequencing, CRM integrations, LinkedIn extension, competitive pricing, and AI Features.
Instantly: An Overview
Instantly is a cold email outreach automation platform built for teams that need to send high volumes of emails at scale while maximizing deliverability. Unlike Apollo, Instantly does not focus on data enrichment—it shines in email deliverability, unlimited sending accounts, AI-driven warmup, and advanced campaign automation.
With its unlimited sending capabilities and strong deliverability reputation, Instantly has become the go-to platform for agencies, lead generation companies, and growth-focused teams that prioritize outreach over database size.
Main Audience: Agencies, growth teams, cold email marketers, and B2B sales teams running high-volume campaigns.
Primary Features: Unlimited sending accounts, inbox rotation, deliverability optimization, AI warmup, campaign automation, analytics, etc.
If Looking for a Dedicated Cold Email Tool – Instantly is a Top Choice
Overview of Differences Between Apollo io vs Instantly:-
Here is the overview difference table of Apollo io vs Instantly-
Core Features and Functionality: Apollo io vs Instantly
Apollo io: All-in-One Sales Prospecting and Engagement Platform
Apollo is designed as a complete solution for sales teams that want to combine massive lead data with built-in outreach tools. It’s best known for its database of verified contacts and seamless integrations, making it a go-to choice for outbound-heavy teams.
Key Features of Apollo io:
Vast Database Access: 275M+ verified contacts and 75M+ companies with emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn profiles, and firmographics.
Sales Engagement Tools: Includes email sequencing, call tracking, A/B testing, and analytics for optimizing campaigns.
Advanced Filters: Narrow down prospects by industry, title, location, company size, and even tech stack.
Multi-Channel Outreach: Combine email, phone, and LinkedIn touchpoints in one workflow.
CRM Integrations: Native sync with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and others to centralize prospecting efforts.
Browser Extension: Highly rated tool (9.2/10) for sourcing verified leads directly from LinkedIn.
Affordability: Offers one of the most competitive pricing structures in the sales intelligence space.
Instantly: Cold Email Automation and Deliverability at Scale
Instantly takes a different angle than Apollo. Instead of focusing on database size, it excels at cold email deliverability, inbox management, and automation — making it a top choice for agencies and small businesses running large-scale outreach.
Key Features of Instantly:
Cold Email Deliverability: Built-in warmup tools and advanced deliverability features to keep campaigns out of spam.
Email Scheduling: Highly rated (9.6/10) scheduling system for flexible and automated campaign sending.
Campaign Performance Tracking: Detailed insights into open rates, reply rates, and conversions (rated 9.3/10 by G2 users).
Lead Validation: Filters and validates leads more reliably than Apollo, helping maintain quality lists.
AI-Powered Personalization: Automates personalization at scale to make cold outreach more relevant.
Multi-Inbox Management: Connects unlimited inboxes for high-volume outreach across multiple domains.
Affordable Scaling: Entry-level pricing is lower than Apollo’s higher tiers, making it attractive for growing agencies.
👉 Put simply:
Pricing Comparison of Apollo io vs Instantly
Pricing is often one of the most important factors when choosing between sales prospecting and outreach tools. While both Apollo and Instantly offer free options to get started, their pricing models are designed for different types of users.
Apollo io Pricing
Pricing Structure: Apollo follows a straightforward tiered per-user model with transparent monthly billing options:
Basic: $59/user/month
Professional: $99/user/month
Organization: $149/user/month
Best For: Startups, SMBs, and larger teams looking for an affordable all-in-one platform that combines prospecting, engagement, and CRM integration.
Free Trial: Apollo offers a free plan (1 user) with limited access to its database and features — perfect for testing before scaling up.
Instantly Pricing
Pricing Structure: Instantly uses a flat-rate plan per account (not per user), making it attractive for agencies and teams managing multiple inboxes.
Growth Plan: $37/month
Hypergrowth Plan: $97/month
Best For: Agencies, solopreneurs, and small businesses focused on scaling cold email outreach affordably across multiple inboxes with strong deliverability.
Free Trial: Instantly provides a free trial, so users can test features like deliverability, inbox management, and campaign performance before upgrading.
Summary
Apollo io: Best if you want predictable, per-user pricing with an extensive database, advanced prospecting tools, and integrated engagement features.
Instantly: Best if you prefer flat-rate pricing with unlimited inbox scaling, perfect for agencies running high-volume cold email campaigns.
Takeaway:
Choose Apollo if you need an all-in-one platform with transparent per-user pricing.
Choose Instantly if your priority is cost-effective email outreach at scale with flat-rate pricing.
User Interface and Experience of Apollo and Instantly
The ease of use is critical, especially for sales teams that need to onboard quickly.
Here's the user rating from G2, which shows the usability of both Apollo io and Instantly from the actual users...
Pros and Cons of Apollo vs Instantly
Apollo io
Pros:
Affordable Pricing: Transparent per-user pricing starting at $59/month, making it accessible for SMBs and scaling startups.
Massive Contact Database: 275M+ contacts and 75M+ companies with emails, phone numbers, and LinkedIn profiles.
Built-In Outreach Tools: Includes email sequencing, A/B testing, call tracking, and analytics for optimizing campaigns.
Seamless CRM Integrations: Works smoothly with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and others.
All-in-One Solution: Combines data, enrichment, and engagement in one platform, reducing the need for multiple tools.
Cons:
Email/Data Accuracy Issues: Some users report outdated emails or incomplete mobile data.
Less Specialized in Deliverability: While powerful for prospecting, it’s not as strong as Instantly when it comes to inbox placement and deliverability.
Learning Curve for Beginners: The platform’s depth of features may overwhelm first-time users.
Best For: Startups, SMBs, and sales teams seeking a scalable, affordable all-in-one prospecting and engagement platform.
Instantly
Pros:
Flat-Rate Pricing: Not per-user — plans start at $37/month, making it ideal for agencies and teams running multiple inboxes.
Strong Email Deliverability: Known for high inbox placement rates and avoiding spam filters, even at scale.
Unlimited Sending Accounts (on higher plans): Great for agencies managing campaigns across several clients.
Ease of Use: Simple, lightweight platform focused purely on cold email outreach.
Excellent Support & Ratings: G2 reviews highlight customer support (9.6/10) and ease of campaign setup.
Cons:
No Built-In Database: Unlike Apollo, Instantly does not provide leads — you need to bring your own contact lists.
Limited Feature Scope: Focuses only on cold email outreach, lacking CRM, data enrichment, or sales engagement tools.
Scaling Costs for Agencies: While flat-rate pricing is great, managing inboxes at very high scale may require multiple accounts or upgrades.
Best For: Agencies, solopreneurs, and SMBs that already have lead data and want a cost-effective way to run cold email outreach at scale.
Which Tool Should You Choose?
Both Apollo and Instantly are excellent tools, but their unique strengths make them better suited for different types of teams and sales strategies. Here’s my take:
Choose Apollo if:
You’re a startup, SMB, or sales team that wants an all-in-one prospecting and engagement platform. Apollo’s huge contact database, built-in outreach tools, CRM integrations, and affordable pricing make it ideal if your goal is to scale lead generation and outreach at volume without juggling multiple tools.
Choose Instantly if:
You already have your own lead lists (or plan to source them separately) and want a simple, affordable, and deliverability-focused cold email platform. Instantly’s flat-rate pricing and unlimited sending accounts make it a strong choice for agencies, freelancers, and small teams who prioritize high inbox placement and cost efficiency.
👉 The bottom line:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Apollo io vs Instantly
– Is Apollo cheaper than Instantly?
Not exactly. Apollo follows a per-user pricing model, starting at $59/user/month with additional features in higher tiers. Instantly, on the other hand, uses a flat-rate model starting at $37/month, allowing unlimited sending across multiple inboxes. For teams sending large volumes of cold emails, Instantly is often more cost-effective.
– Which tool offers better data coverage?
Apollo wins here. With 275M+ contacts and 75M+ companies in its database, Apollo provides one of the largest B2B contact libraries available. Instantly does not include a lead database — it’s a pure cold email platform, so you’ll need to bring your own leads (often from Apollo, Clay, or other sources).
– Does Apollo support cold email automation?
Yes. Apollo includes built-in email sequencing with personalization, A/B testing, and analytics. However, deliverability management is more basic compared to Instantly.
– What makes Instantly different from Apollo?
Instantly specializes in cold email deliverability. It helps you warm up inboxes, rotate accounts, and send thousands of emails daily without getting flagged as spam. Unlike Apollo, it doesn’t provide a database — it’s built for execution, not sourcing.
– Can both tools integrate with CRMs?
Yes. Apollo integrates natively with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and more, syncing contacts and activities directly. Instantly connects with CRMs via Zapier, webhooks, and API, making it flexible for custom workflows but less native compared to Apollo.
– Is there a free plan for Instantly?
No. Instantly doesn’t offer a free plan, though it provides a trial period. Apollo, however, does offer a free plan with limited access to its database and outreach features.
– Which tool is better for startups?
Apollo is better if you need an all-in-one solution with a lead database and engagement tools. Instantly is better if you already have leads and want a specialized cold email platform with top-tier deliverability and unlimited sending.
Wrapping Up and Next Steps
Choosing between Apollo and Instantly depends on your business goals, budget, and whether you need an all-in-one solution or a specialized cold email platform.
Apollo io: Best for startups, SMBs, and growing sales teams that want a scalable, all-in-one prospecting platform with a massive contact database, built-in email sequencing, and seamless CRM integrations. Perfect if you want to source, qualify, and reach out to leads all from one place.
Instantly: A great fit for agencies, freelancers, and small teams that already have or can source their own leads and want a cost-effective, deliverability-focused cold email tool. Its flat-rate pricing and unlimited sending make it perfect for scaling outreach campaigns on a budget.
Still on the fence?
👉 Try Apollo’s free plan to explore its database and sales engagement tools. Or start with Instantly to test how well it improves your deliverability and scales your cold email outreach.
Also Read: