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Instantly vs Apollo · pick by what you pay for
The short answer
The short answer: pick Instantly if you send a lot of cold email from many inboxes and already have, or can buy, your lead list. Pick Apollo if you are a small, data-led team that wants lead data and email steps in one bill per rep. Instantly is a sequencer. A sequencer is the tool that sends your email steps over several days, from many inboxes. Apollo is a lead database that also sends email steps. The two bills grow in different ways. Instantly grows with the number of people you store. Apollo grows with the number of seats, where a seat is one paid user login.
our pick
Our pick
Pick Instantly if you send high volume from many inboxes and bring your own list. Pick Apollo if you are a small team that wants lead data and email steps in one bill per rep.
What each tool does
Instantly
SequencersA cold email sequencer with unlimited connected accounts and warmup. A sequencer sends your email steps over days. You can add a leads database on the same plan.
Apollo
List buildFind people, unlock their contact details and send email from one login. Use another tool for the contacts Apollo can't find.
How the two tools compare
| Instantly | Apollo | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Stored people and emails sent. Lead data is a second bill. | Seats. Lead data is part of the plan. |
| Entry plan | Growth is $47 a month for up to 1,000 uploaded contacts (people added to campaigns) and 5,000 emails a month. | Basic is $49 per seat a month billed yearly, or $65 monthly, with 2,500 Apollo credits a month. Apollo credits pay to see or export a contact's details, and they are separate from Instantly Credits. |
| Lead data | SuperSearch, Instantly's database of 450M+ business contacts, paid with Credits. A verified work email costs about 1.5 credits on average. | A database of 240M contacts, included in the seat price. |
| Email accounts and warmup | Unlimited email accounts with warmup on every plan. Warmup means sending small, safe emails so a new inbox looks normal. | Warmup and mailbox buying are included from Basic. |
| Mobile numbers | Instantly lists phone lookups where available, with no published credit price. Use FullEnrich. | Use FullEnrich for mobiles you can't find. |
How to pick one if you only have 10 seconds
- Instantly Growth is $47 a month for up to 1,000 uploaded contacts. An uploaded contact is one person you add to a campaign. Hypergrowth is $97 for up to 25,000.
- Every Instantly plan includes unlimited email accounts.
- Instantly sells lead data as a separate subscription called Credits. Credits Growth starts at $47 a month for 1,500 credits. Supersonic is $97 for 5,000.
- Apollo Basic is $49 per seat a month billed yearly, or $65 monthly. Every seat on an account is on the same plan.
- The math for 3 reps: Apollo Basic is 3 × $49 = $147 a month billed yearly, or 3 × $65 = $195 monthly.
- The math for the same 3 reps finding 3,000 work emails a month on Instantly: Hypergrowth $97 + Credits Supersonic $97 = $194 a month.
Who should buy each one
Pick Instantly if
- If you run cold email for clients or send from many inboxes, use Instantly Hypergrowth at $97.
- If you already have a lead list from another tool, use Instantly and skip Credits.
- If you will upload more than 1,000 people, start on Instantly Hypergrowth, because Growth holds up to 1,000 uploaded contacts.
Pick Apollo if
- If you are 1 to 3 reps and need the lead list as much as the sending, use Apollo Basic.
- If you want to find people and email them in one tool with one bill per rep, use Apollo.
- If one rep needs Professional, price the whole team on it first, because every Apollo seat is on the same plan.
Common questions
Is Instantly cheaper than Apollo?▾
At 3 reps the bills are close. The math: Apollo Basic is $147 a month billed yearly or $195 monthly. Instantly Hypergrowth plus Credits Supersonic is $97 + $97 = $194 a month for about 3,000 work emails.
Can I use Apollo and Instantly together?▾
Yes. You can find people in Apollo and send the emails from Instantly.
Does Instantly have a lead database?▾
Yes. SuperSearch has 450M+ business contacts and is paid with Credits, a separate subscription. Credits expire 2 months after you buy them on a monthly plan.
Which is better for agencies?▾
Instantly. Every plan has unlimited email accounts with warmup, so adding inboxes for a client adds no fee.
Where do I get mobile numbers?▾
Use FullEnrich. A mobile costs 10 credits, or $0.55 on the monthly 1,000-credit plan, and it charges only for numbers it finds.
Is Apollo or Instantly better for a data-led team?▾
Apollo. If finding the right people is most of the job, Apollo puts the data and the email steps in one bill per rep.
what to do next
What to do next
Pick your line, then start the trial. Prices are from Instantly pricing and Apollo pricing, October 13, 2026. The phone-lookup detail is from Instantly's product notes, and the mobile price is from FullEnrich pricing. If you send high volume from many inboxes, use Instantly. Its 14-day trial needs no card. If you are a small team that needs the lead data most, use Apollo. For what Apollo charges to see and export emails, read Apollo credits and exports. For mobiles, read FullEnrich pricing. Try Instantly Try Apollo Next · Instantly lead finder shows what Instantly's lead data costs per email.