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Customer Support · head to head

Amazon Connect vs Apollo.io

Amazon Connect logo

Amazon Connect

Customer Support

Cloud contact center from AWS

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

CRM

Revenue intelligence platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Connect telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call; Apollo.io everything is metered in credits, and the free Starter plan runs on them too, so prospecting volume is capped rather than the feature set
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Connect covers Voice, Apollo.io covers Contact database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Connect and Apollo.io actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Connect and Apollo.io differ
AttributeAmazon ConnectApollo.io
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded20062020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amazon Connect

  • Voice
  • Chat
  • Tasks
  • ML-powered analytics
  • Contact Lens
  • Outbound campaigns
  • Forecasting
  • ServiceNow

Only in Apollo.io

  • Contact database
  • Email finder
  • Lead search
  • Automation
  • Engagement tracking
  • Reporting
  • HubSpot
  • Outlook

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amazon Connect

  • Cloud contact centre with no per-seat licencenot Apollo.io
  • Voice, chat, email and SMS in one queuenot Apollo.io
  • Conversational analytics and agent assistnot Apollo.io
  • Outbound campaigns and automated contactnot Apollo.io
  • Workforce scheduling for contact centre agentsnot Apollo.io

Apollo.io

  • Sales prospecting and lead generationnot Amazon Connect
  • Contact database management for sales teamsnot Amazon Connect
  • Email outreach and workflow automationnot Amazon Connect

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amazon Connect

  • Telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call
  • Every channel is metered individually: $0.010 per chat message, $0.080 per email and $0.014 per SMS
  • Rates vary by region and by third-party provider, so a published figure is indicative rather than final
  • Cost tracks contact volume, which makes forecasting hard for a queue with seasonal peaks

Apollo.io

  • Everything is metered in credits, and the free Starter plan runs on them too, so prospecting volume is capped rather than the feature set
  • Plans described as unlimited are capped in the fair use policy at 10,000 credits a month for non-paying accounts
  • Connecting a mailbox that is not Gmail or Microsoft requires a paid plan
  • How many records can be selected at once varies by tier
  • Running out of credits means buying more rather than waiting for a reset

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Connect

Free
  • Pay-as-you-go$undefined/mo
    • Chat: $0.010 per message sent or received
    • Voice: $0.038 per minute
    • Email: $0.080 per message sent or received

Apollo.io

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic contact search
    • Limited searches
  • Starter$49/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Advanced search
    • Email finder
  • Professional$149/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Automation
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Connect if

  • You need voice.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want chat.
Amazon Connect review

Choose Apollo.io if

  • You need contact database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want email finder.
Apollo.io review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Connect or Apollo.io better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Connect starts at Free and Apollo.io at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Connect or Apollo.io?
Amazon Connect starts at Free and Apollo.io at Free.
Does Amazon Connect or Apollo.io run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Amazon Connect for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Connect best used for?
Amazon Connect is most often used for cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence, voice, chat, email and sms in one queue, conversational analytics and agent assist, outbound campaigns and automated contact. Of those, cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence and voice, chat, email and sms in one queue are not what Apollo.io is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Connect do that Apollo.io cannot?
Amazon Connect covers Voice, Chat, Tasks, ML-powered analytics. Apollo.io covers Contact database, Email finder, Lead search, Automation. Both handle Salesforce, SOC2, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Connect: How much does Amazon Connect cost?

Amazon Connect uses pay-as-you-go pricing with no minimums or long-term contracts. Costs are $0.010 per chat message, $0.038 per voice minute, $0.080 per email message, and $0.014 per SMS or third-party messaging message.

Source
Apollo.io: Does Apollo offer a free plan?

Yes, Apollo offers a Starter plan that is free forever and includes unlimited email addresses for contacts. Gmail and Microsoft email account linking are available on the free plan with limited third-party email account linking.

Source
Amazon Connect: Is Amazon Connect free to try?

Amazon Connect offers a free trial option for new customers to get started at no cost. Ongoing usage is charged based on consumption with no minimum commitment required.

Source
Apollo.io: How does Apollo's credit system work?

Apollo uses a credit-based system for exporting contact data outside the platform. Free and non-paying accounts have a monthly credit limit of 10,000 credits. Paid accounts receive limits based on their plan pricing, calculated as the lesser of annual commit divided by $0.025 or 1 million credits annually.

Source
Amazon Connect: What are Amazon Connect's per-channel pricing differences?

Communication channel costs vary: voice at $0.038 per minute is the most expensive, email at $0.080 per message, SMS at $0.014 per message, and chat at the lowest rate of $0.010 per message. All pricing is per message or per minute consumed with no unused portions charged.

Source
Apollo.io: How much do trial plans cost on Apollo?

Apollo trial plans include 50 credits and 5 mobile credits to test paid features at no charge. Trial versions do not support non-Gmail/Microsoft email account linking. Upgrades take effect immediately while downgrades take effect at the end of the billing cycle.

Source
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