Apollo.io Review: The Best Sales Tool?
Apollo.io is a well-known sales platform designed to help teams with prospecting, engagement, and tracking. It’s often used by sales teams looking to streamline their workflow and improve outreach efforts.
But how good is Apollo.io really? And is it the right tool for you?
In this review, we’ll break down its features, usability, and overall effectiveness.
Let’s dive in!
What is Apollo.io?
Apollo.io is an all-in-one sales tool that helps teams:
- Find and enrich leads
- Engage with prospects
- Track deals and sales pipelines
It offers a large database of contacts and companies, making it a go-to choice for sales teams looking to build prospect lists.
But while it has strong features, it’s not without its flaws. Let’s go over the good and the bad.
Prospecting with Apollo.io
One of Apollo.io’s biggest strengths is its prospecting capabilities.
You can search for leads using various filters like industry, job title, and location. Once you’ve found contacts, Apollo.io provides their phone numbers and email addresses (though the accuracy can vary).
From there, you can enroll them in email sequences and start outreach campaigns.
The Pros and Cons of Apollo.io Prospecting
- Large contact database with filtering options
- Ability to enrich lead data with verified contact details
- Email outreach tools built into the platform
Cons:
- Requires manual searching and selection of leads
- Some data may be outdated or inaccurate
- No built-in AI prospecting to automate lead generation
Engagement Features: Email, LinkedIn, and Calls
Apollo.io allows you to:
- Set up email sequences
- Track open and response rates
- Schedule call tasks
- Send LinkedIn messages (manually)
These are all useful for outreach, but there’s a catch.
A Big Drawback: Manual LinkedIn Tasks
One of the biggest downsides of Apollo.io is that you have to manually complete LinkedIn tasks. This means if you want to send a connection request or a message, you have to do it yourself.
If LinkedIn is a big part of your sales strategy, this can be a deal-breaker. Automated LinkedIn outreach is available in Apollo.io alternatives like MailShake and LeadLoft.
Tracking and CRM Features
Apollo.io has a bu
ilt-in CRM that allows you to track deals. It includes:
- A pipeline view
- A list view
- Deal tracking with estimated close dates
However, the setup isn’t the most intuitive. Creating a deal requires multiple manual steps, which can slow things down.
The Pros and Cons of Apollo.io’s Tracking
- Visual pipeline and list views for deal tracking
- Can manage deals and sales stages within the platform
- Helps track outreach effectiveness
Cons:
- Manual deal creation slows down workflow
- Lacks AI-powered automation for follow-ups
- No unified inbox for managing all communications
Is Apollo.io Right for You?
Apollo.io is a solid tool for sales prospecting and outreach, but it has some limitations. The manual LinkedIn tasks, lack of AI-driven automation, and clunky deal tracking make it less efficient than some competitors.
If you mainly need a large lead database and don’t mind some manual work, Apollo.io is a great option.
However, if you’re looking for a more automated approach, LeadLoft is worth considering. LeadLoft automates prospecting, LinkedIn outreach, and even writes AI-powered email responses for you. This can save a lot of time and increase efficiency.
If you’re deciding between Apollo.io and LeadLoft, ask yourself:
- Do you prefer a manual or automated workflow?
- Is LinkedIn a major part of your outreach strategy?
- Do you want AI-driven lead generation?
If automation is important to you, LeadLoft may be the better choice.
What’s the Best Alternative to Apollo.io
If Apollo.io doesn’t fully meet your needs, you should look into comparing apollo to other options in the market. Here are a few great options to look at.
- LeadLoft: Best for sales teams that want AI-powered automation for prospecting, LinkedIn outreach, and follow-ups.
- Woodpecker: Best for cold email teams who need a powerful cold email automation software.
- Outreach IO: Best for teams that are currently using Salesforce.
If your team wants to cut down on manual work and improve efficiency, LeadLoft is a strong alternative to consider.
Final Verdict: Should You Use Apollo.io?
Apollo.io is a great tool for sales teams that need a lead database and basic outreach tools. It offers solid prospecting, engagement, and tracking features, but it does require more manual effort than some competitors, especially when it comes to LinkedIn Outreach.
If you prefer hands-on control over your outreach and don’t mind manually handling tasks like LinkedIn messaging and deal tracking, Apollo.io is a great choice.
Otherwise, you’re likely better off looking into Woodpecker, LeadLoft, or other great alternatives.
Hopefully you’ve found this article helpful. If you’re looking to book more leads or considering Apollo.io, feel free to book a time with my team to check out LeadLoft. We’re always happy to give tips and help out where we can.
