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CRM & Sales · head to head

Apollo.io vs Better Proposals

Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

CRM & Sales

Revenue intelligence platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Better Proposals logo

Better Proposals

Customer Success

Create Proposals That Win

From
$19/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Apollo.io has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; Better Proposals documents are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Starter and 50 on Premium
  • They diverge on capability: Apollo.io covers Contact database, Better Proposals covers Proposal templates.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apollo.io and Better Proposals actually diverge.

Attributes where Apollo.io and Better Proposals differ
AttributeApollo.ioBetter Proposals
Starting priceFree$19/month
Free tierYesNo
CategoryCRM & SalesCustomer Success
Founded20202016

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Apollo.io

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

Only in Better Proposals

  • Proposal templates
  • Digital signatures
  • Analytics
  • Payment collection
  • Custom branding
  • Stripe
  • Zapier

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Apollo.io

  • Lead generationnot Better Proposals
  • Prospect researchnot Better Proposals
  • Sales automationnot Better Proposals

Better Proposals

  • Sending branded sales proposals with digital signaturesnot Apollo.io
  • Taking payment at the point of signaturenot Apollo.io
  • Tracking when a prospect opens and reads a proposalnot Apollo.io
  • Reusable content library and templatesnot Apollo.io
  • Approval workflows before a proposal goes out, on the Enterprise tiernot Apollo.io

Where each one falls short

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

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

Better Proposals

  • Documents are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Starter and 50 on Premium
  • The Starter plan at $13 a month is a single user
  • Custom domains, CRM integrations and the API all need Premium at $21 per user per month
  • Approvals, content locking and advanced permissions are Enterprise only at $42 per user per month
  • The Nudge follow-up feature is a $10 per user per month add-on, and custom design starts at $1,495

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Better Proposals

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • 10 proposals/month
    • Templates
    • Analytics
  • Premium$29/month
    • Unlimited proposals
    • Custom domain
    • Integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose Apollo.io if

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

Choose Better Proposals if

  • You need proposal templates.
  • You also want digital signatures.

Questions people ask

Is Apollo.io or Better Proposals better?
Neither clearly leads. Apollo.io starts at Free and Better Proposals at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apollo.io or Better Proposals?
Apollo.io has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apollo.io and $19/month for Better Proposals.
Does Apollo.io or Better Proposals run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Apollo.io for free?
Yes. Apollo.io has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Better Proposals starts at $19/month.
What is Apollo.io best used for?
Apollo.io is most often used for lead generation, prospect research, sales automation. Of those, lead generation and prospect research are not what Better Proposals is typically brought in for.
What can Apollo.io do that Better Proposals cannot?
Apollo.io covers Contact database, Email finder, Lead search, Automation. Better Proposals covers Proposal templates, Digital signatures, Analytics, Payment collection. Both handle Salesforce, HubSpot, Web support.

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