CRM · head to head
Apollo.io vs Freshservice
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; Freshservice change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
- They diverge on capability: Apollo.io covers Contact database, Freshservice covers Incident management.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apollo.io and Freshservice actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apollo.io | Freshservice |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $19/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Ios, Android |
| Category | CRM | Customer Support |
| Founded | 2020 | 2010 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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
- Engagement tracking
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Outlook
- Gmail
Only in Freshservice
- Incident management
- Asset management
- Change management
- Knowledge base
- Microsoft Teams
- AWS
- Azure
- G Suite
Both cover
- Automation
- Reporting
- Slack
- SOC2
- GDPR
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Apollo.io
- Sales prospecting and lead generationnot Freshservice
- Contact database management for sales teamsnot Freshservice
- Email outreach and workflow automationnot Freshservice
Freshservice
- IT service management and internal help desk ticketingnot Apollo.io
- Asset management and change control for IT teamsnot 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
Freshservice
- Change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
- Every plan includes only 100 ITAM asset units, with more sold separately regardless of tier
- Orchestration transactions are metered monthly, from 1,000 on Starter to 20,000 on Enterprise, with extra packs at $250 per 1,000
- The Freddy AI copilot is a $29 per agent per month add on on top of Pro or Enterprise
- Sandbox and audit logs are Enterprise only, which carries no published price
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
Freshservice
$19/month- Starter$19/month
- Incident management
- Knowledge base
- Self-service portal
- Growth$49/month
- Asset management
- Approval workflows
- SLA management
- Pro$95/month
- Problem management
- Change management
- Release management
- Enterprise$119/month
- Freddy AI
- Audit logs
- Custom SSL
Which should you pick?
Choose Apollo.io if
- You need contact database.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want email finder.
Choose Freshservice if
- You need incident management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want asset management.
Questions people ask
- Is Apollo.io or Freshservice better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apollo.io starts at Free and Freshservice at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apollo.io or Freshservice?
- Apollo.io has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apollo.io and $19/month for Freshservice.
- Does Apollo.io or Freshservice run on more platforms?
- Apollo.io runs on Web. Freshservice runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Apollo.io for free?
- Yes. Apollo.io has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshservice starts at $19/month.
- What is Apollo.io best used for?
- Apollo.io is most often used for sales prospecting and lead generation, contact database management for sales teams, email outreach and workflow automation. Of those, sales prospecting and lead generation and contact database management for sales teams are not what Freshservice is typically brought in for.
- What can Apollo.io do that Freshservice cannot?
- Apollo.io covers Contact database, Email finder, Lead search, Engagement tracking. Freshservice covers Incident management, Asset management, Change management, Knowledge base. Both handle Automation, Reporting, Slack, SOC2.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourceFreshservice: How much does Freshservice cost?
Freshservice is priced per agent per month on annual billing: Starter at $19, Growth at $49 and Pro at $99. Enterprise is quoted by sales. Freshworks states annual billing is 20% cheaper than monthly.
SourceApollo.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.
SourceFreshservice: Does Freshservice have a free trial?
Yes. Freshworks states you get free unrestricted access to all features available in Freshservice for 14 days after sign up, plus 3 free Day Passes for occasional agents.
SourceApollo.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.
SourceFreshservice: Which Freshservice plan includes change management?
Problem management, change management, major incident management and release management all start on the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month. The Growth plan at $49 covers service catalog, SLA and on-call management.
SourceFreshservice: How much does Freddy AI cost on Freshservice?
Freddy AI Copilot is an optional add-on at $29 per agent per month on the Pro plan. The Freddy AI Agent in its Classic form is included on the Enterprise plan.
SourceRelated pages
More on Freshservice
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