Compare / Apollo vs UpLead
Apollo vs UpLead for a small business buying B2B contacts
Updated October 29, 2026. Apollo and UpLead prices read October 29, 2026.
For a small business buying B2B contacts, Apollo costs less per credit. Basic is $65 a seat month to month for 2,500 credits (2.6 cents each), or $49 a seat billed yearly for 30,000 credits a year (about 2 cents). UpLead is $99 a month for 170 credits (58 cents each), and one UpLead credit unlocks a contact's email and mobile direct dial. At Apollo an email is 1 credit and a phone number is 8.
Sales.co publishes this page. Neither Apollo nor UpLead is ours; we sell one-time industry email lists, mentioned once in the box below. Every Apollo and UpLead figure comes from its own pricing page, read October 29, 2026 (Apollo's in a browser, because its plan cards load by script).
| Apollo | UpLead | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A contact database with email sequencing and CRM integrations in the same tool | A contact database: you search, then download or export verified contacts |
| Free option | Free plan, $0: 900 credits a seat a year (75 a month), no end date | Free trial, $0 for 7 days: 5 credits |
| Entry paid plan | Basic: $65 a seat a month for 2,500 credits, or $49 a seat a month billed yearly for 30,000 credits a year | Essentials: $99 a month for 170 credits |
| Higher plans | Professional $99 monthly (4,000 credits a month) or $79 billed yearly (48,000 a year); Organization $119 billed yearly, 3-seat minimum (72,000 credits a year); Custom through sales | Plus $199 a month for 400 credits; Professional: custom price, booked by demo |
| Billing | Month to month (Basic, Professional) or yearly at the lower rate; Organization is yearly only | Monthly, or yearly at $74 a month (Essentials, 2,040 credits a year) or $149 a month (Plus, 4,800 a year) |
| What a credit buys | Email 1 credit, phone number 8, enriched data 1 to 8, AI research 1 per run; credits also cover warmup, domains and mailboxes | One contact: download or CRM export with the email and mobile direct dial |
| Price per credit | Yearly: about 2.0 cents ($588 for 30,000 on Basic). Monthly: 2.6 cents on Basic ($65 for 2,500), 2.5 cents on Professional ($99 for 4,000) | 58 cents (Essentials) or 50 cents (Plus) on monthly billing; 44 or 37 cents on yearly |
| Extra credits | Bought with a slider in settings; they renew each billing cycle until removed | 60 cents a credit on Essentials, 50 cents on Plus |
| Unused credits | Expire at the end of each billing cycle, add-ons included | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Trial on paid plans | 14 days on Basic and Professional | None listed beyond the 7-day, 5-credit free trial |
| Phone numbers | 8 credits each (about 16 to 21 cents) | Included in each credit (mobile direct dial) |
| Users | Priced per seat; every seat on an account is on the same plan | 1 user on Essentials and Plus |
The first payment, and 1,000 contacts
The smallest paid commitment is $65 at Apollo (one month of Basic, 2,500 credits) and $99 at UpLead (one month of Essentials, 170 credits). A year of Apollo Basic is $588 up front, and that year's 30,000 credits cost about 2 cents each.
For 1,000 contacts with an email address each, Apollo Basic month to month is $65: 1,000 of its 2,500 credits. UpLead's lowest listed route is Plus at $199 for 400 credits plus 600 extra credits at 50 cents, or $499; on Essentials it is $99 plus 830 extra credits at 60 cents, or $597. If each of the 1,000 also needs a phone number, Apollo spends 9 credits a contact, 9,000 in all. A monthly plan holds less (2,500 on Basic, 4,000 on Professional), and Apollo sets its extra-credit price in a slider inside the account; the $588 yearly Basic seat covers it. So for 1,000 email-and-phone contacts bought in one month, UpLead's $499 is the lower listed price, while Apollo is cheaper for emails alone and for anyone who buys through the year. Apollo's free plan gives 900 credits a year, which suits a test more than a list.
Where Apollo wins
- Price per credit. About 2 cents on yearly plans and 2.5 to 2.6 cents month to month, against 37 to 58 cents at UpLead.
- Price per contact with email and phone. Nine Apollo credits (1 for the email, 8 for the phone number) come to about 18 to 23 cents, against 37 to 58 cents for one UpLead credit.
- A lower first payment. $65 for a month of Basic against $99 for a month of UpLead Essentials.
- A free plan with no end date. 75 credits a month; UpLead's free option is a 7-day trial with 5 credits.
- Sending in the same tool. Basic includes email sequencing and core integrations, so you can find a contact and email it without a second subscription.
Where UpLead wins
- A plain unit. One credit is one contact, with its email and mobile direct dial. Apollo credits pay for several actions at different rates, and a plan's monthly credits run out faster when phone numbers are involved.
- A cheaper one-month buy of email-and-phone contacts. 1,000 of them are $499 on Plus, against a $588 yearly Apollo seat, when you want no year-long commitment.
- Extra credits at a listed price. 60 or 50 cents each, bought when you run out; Apollo's add-on rate is set in an account slider, and those credits recur every cycle until you remove them.
- No seat count to manage. Essentials and Plus are one user each; Apollo prices every seat and puts all of them on one plan.
By need
| If you | Pick | Why, on October 29 prices |
|---|---|---|
| Prospect every week and send from the same tool | Apollo | About 2 cents a credit and sequencing on Basic |
| Want to try a database before paying | Apollo | The free plan keeps 75 credits a month; UpLead's trial ends after 7 days |
| Need 1,000 emails this month and no annual bill | Apollo | Basic month to month is $65 for 2,500 credits |
| Need 1,000 contacts with email and phone this month, paid once | UpLead | $499 on Plus, against a $588 yearly Apollo seat |
| Want a phone number with each contact at one credit | UpLead | Each credit includes the mobile direct dial; at Apollo a phone number is 8 credits |
| Have a team of three or more | Apollo | Organization is $119 a seat a month with 72,000 credits each; UpLead's team plan is a custom quote |
One industry, once
If you need one industry's emails once (dentists, roofers, HVAC contractors), a one-time list can cost less per contact than a subscription. Sales.co, the publisher of this page, sells 71 one-time industry email lists at $295 each, paid once, delivered as a CSV; across the 38 lists that publish a count that is $0.003 to $0.053 a contact. Nine list providers compared on price and one-time vs subscription lists cover the rest.
Sources
- Apollo: apollo.io/pricing, plan cards and FAQ, read in a browser October 29, 2026.
- UpLead: uplead.com/pricing, monthly and yearly plan cards and plan comparison, read October 29, 2026.
Per-credit figures are the plan price divided by its credits (yearly plans: twelve months over the year's credits), rounded to a tenth of a cent for Apollo and to the cent for UpLead. This page compares prices only; it did not test either database's accuracy or how many contacts in your market each holds, so run both free tiers on a sample of your own target accounts first. More side-by-side pages are on the compare hub, including Instantly vs Smartlead for the sending tools you would pair with either database.
FAQ
Is Apollo cheaper than UpLead?
Per credit, yes: 2 to 2.6 cents on Apollo's paid plans against 37 to 58 cents at UpLead (October 29, 2026). Apollo's first payment is also lower, $65 for a month of Basic against $99 for a month of UpLead Essentials. An Apollo email costs 1 credit and a phone number 8, so a contact with both is about 18 to 23 cents, still under UpLead's 37 cents.
Does Apollo have monthly billing?
Yes. Its pricing page has a monthly toggle (October 29, 2026): Basic is $65 a seat for 2,500 credits a month and Professional $99 for 4,000. Organization is yearly only. Yearly billing is cheaper per credit: Basic $49, Professional $79 and Organization $119 a seat a month, billed annually.
What does one UpLead credit get you?
One contact: its email and mobile direct dial, unlocked for download or CRM export. Extra credits cost 60 cents on Essentials and 50 cents on Plus.
How many Apollo credits does a contact use?
An email is 1 credit and a phone number is 8, so a contact with both is 9 credits. Enriched data is 1 to 8 credits and an AI research run is 1, per Apollo's pricing page on October 29, 2026.
Do credits roll over?
Not at Apollo: its pricing FAQ says unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle, including add-on credits. UpLead's pricing page does not say either way.
How current is this page?
Both pricing pages were read on October 29, 2026. Prices change, so check each source before you buy.