CRM · head to head
Apollo.io vs Keap
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; Keap the entry price is $299 a month and includes only 2 user licences, with each additional user at $39 a month
- They diverge on capability: Apollo.io covers Contact database, Keap covers Contact management.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apollo.io and Keap actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (CRM).
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
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Outlook
Only in Keap
- Contact management
- Pipeline management
- Email marketing
- Marketing automation
- Sales automation
- Zapier
- Stripe
- Google Ads
Both cover
- Reporting
- Slack
- GDPR
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
- English language support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Apollo.io
- Sales prospecting and lead generationnot Keap
- Contact database management for sales teamsnot Keap
- Email outreach and workflow automationnot Keap
Keap
- Contact management and CRMnot Apollo.io
- Marketing automationnot Apollo.io
- Sales pipeline managementnot 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
Keap
- The entry price is $299 a month and includes only 2 user licences, with each additional user at $39 a month
- Price varies with contact count, and the bands are only visible by entering a number into a calculator on the page
- Implementation services are described as required rather than optional
- Text marketing beyond the included 500 messages is a separate add on running from $24 to $279 a month
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
Keap
$29/month- Lite$29/month
- Contact management
- Email marketing
- Standard$59/month
- Everything in Lite
- Sales automation
- Pipeline management
- Professional$149/month
- Everything in Standard
- Advanced automation
- AI features
Which should you pick?
Choose Apollo.io if
- You need contact database.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want email finder.
Choose Keap if
- You need contact management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want pipeline management.
Questions people ask
- Is Apollo.io or Keap better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apollo.io starts at Free and Keap at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apollo.io or Keap?
- Apollo.io has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apollo.io and $29/month for Keap.
- Does Apollo.io or Keap run on more platforms?
- Apollo.io runs on Web. Keap 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. Keap starts at $29/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 Keap is typically brought in for.
- What can Apollo.io do that Keap cannot?
- Apollo.io covers Contact database, Email finder, Lead search, Automation. Keap covers Contact management, Pipeline management, Email marketing, Marketing automation. Both handle Reporting, Slack, GDPR, Cloud deployment.
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.
SourceKeap: How much does Keap cost?
Keap costs $299/month billed at $2,988/year for the main plan, which includes 2 user licenses. Additional users cost $39/month each.
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.
SourceKeap: What text messaging fees does Keap charge?
Text marketing tiers range from $24 to $279/month with included message allotments. Overages are $0.015 per message and $0.01 per minute for voice.
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.
SourceKeap: Is implementation included in Keap pricing?
Implementation services are required at additional cost. Package pricing is available through Keap sales.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Apollo.io vs Seamless.AI
- Apollo.io vs Gong
- Apollo.io vs Outreach
- Apollo.io vs Pipedrive
- Apollo.io vs Seismic
- Apollo.io vs UpLead
- Apollo.io vs Reply.io
- Apollo.io vs Affinity
- Apollo.io vs Hunter
- Apollo.io vs lemlist
- Apollo.io vs Snov.io
- Apollo.io vs Woodpecker
- Apollo.io vs Folk
- Apollo.io vs Krayin
- Apollo.io vs Kylas
- Apollo.io vs Mixmax
- Apollo.io vs Nimble
- Apollo.io vs Ontraport
- Apollo.io vs SharpSpring
- Apollo.io vs Agile CRM
- Apollo.io vs Corefactors AI CRM
- Apollo.io vs Less Annoying CRM
- Apollo.io vs Capsule CRM
- Apollo.io vs Bigin
- Apollo.io vs Really Simple Systems
- Apollo.io vs Daylite
- Apollo.io vs EspoCRM
- Keap vs Seamless.AI
- Keap vs Gong
- Keap vs Outreach
- Keap vs Pipedrive
- Keap vs Seismic
- Keap vs UpLead
- Keap vs Reply.io
- Keap vs Affinity
- Keap vs Hunter
- Keap vs lemlist
- Keap vs Snov.io
- Keap vs Woodpecker
- Keap vs Folk
- Keap vs Krayin
- Keap vs Kylas
- Keap vs Mixmax
- Keap vs Nimble
- Keap vs Ontraport
- Keap vs SharpSpring
- Keap vs Agile CRM
- Keap vs Corefactors AI CRM
- Keap vs Less Annoying CRM
- Keap vs Capsule CRM
- Keap vs Bigin
- Keap vs Really Simple Systems
- Keap vs Daylite
- Keap vs EspoCRM


