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CRM · head to head

Apollo.io vs Groove

Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

CRM

Revenue intelligence platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Groove logo

Groove

Customer Support

Simple, powerful support for growing businesses

From
$12/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

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; Groove billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch
  • They diverge on capability: Apollo.io covers Contact database, Groove covers Shared inbox.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apollo.io and Groove actually diverge.

Attributes where Apollo.io and Groove differ
AttributeApollo.ioGroove
Starting priceFree$12/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryCRMCustomer Support
Founded20202011

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
  • Automation
  • Engagement tracking
  • HubSpot
  • Outlook
  • Gmail

Only in Groove

  • Shared inbox
  • Knowledge base
  • Live chat
  • Automation rules
  • Collision detection
  • Zapier
  • Trello
  • Jira

Both cover

  • Reporting
  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • 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 Groove
  • Contact database management for sales teamsnot Groove
  • Email outreach and workflow automationnot Groove

Groove

  • Shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teamsnot Apollo.io
  • Handling email, chat and messaging support in one queuenot 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

Groove

  • Billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch
  • A minimum of 250 tickets a month applies, which is a $3,000 annual commitment before any usage
  • A quiet month still pays the 250 ticket floor
  • No mailbox limit is published

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

Groove

$12/month
  • Standard$12/month
    • 1 mailbox
    • Knowledge base
    • Live chat
  • Plus$20/month
    • 5 mailboxes
    • Full reporting
    • Rules
  • Pro$35/month
    • 25 mailboxes
    • Salesforce
    • Enterprise SSO

Which should you pick?

Choose Apollo.io if

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

Choose Groove if

  • You need shared inbox.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want knowledge base.
Groove review

Questions people ask

Is Apollo.io or Groove better?
Neither clearly leads. Apollo.io starts at Free and Groove at $12/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apollo.io or Groove?
Apollo.io has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apollo.io and $12/month for Groove.
Does Apollo.io or Groove run on more platforms?
Apollo.io runs on Web. Groove 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. Groove starts at $12/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 Groove is typically brought in for.
What can Apollo.io do that Groove cannot?
Apollo.io covers Contact database, Email finder, Lead search, Automation. Groove covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Live chat, Automation rules. Both handle Reporting, Salesforce, Slack, GDPR.

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.

Source
Groove: How is Helply priced?

Helply uses per-ticket pricing at 1 dollar per ticket. This single price covers all features including resolutions, drafts, churn alerts, upsell flags, feature requests, and documentation.

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
Groove: Do I need to pay per team member for Helply?

No, Helply charges per ticket, not per seat. You can bring your entire team, AEs, PMs, and integrations without additional per-person charges.

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
Groove: What's included in Helply's per-ticket price?

The per-ticket price of 1 dollar includes resolutions, drafts, churn alerts, upsell flags, feature requests, documentation, and all AI capabilities with no separate add-on charges.

Source
Groove: Is there a free trial for Helply?

Helply offers a free 12-minute demo walkthrough. Enterprise plans are also available for larger organizations.

Source
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Related pages

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