Software · head to head
Apollo.io vs SmartKarrot
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; SmartKarrot the entry Basic plan starts at $15,000 per year and includes only 5 users
- They diverge on capability: Apollo.io covers Contact database, SmartKarrot covers Customer 360.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apollo.io and SmartKarrot actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apollo.io | SmartKarrot |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $499/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2020 | 2018 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 SmartKarrot
- Customer 360
- Health monitoring
- Playbook automation
- Success planning
- Touchpoints tracking
- Intercom
Both cover
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Slack
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Apollo.io
- Lead generationnot SmartKarrot
- Prospect researchnot SmartKarrot
- Sales automationnot SmartKarrot
SmartKarrot
- Tracking customer onboarding phases and account health for a SaaS businessnot Apollo.io
- Segmenting accounts and users to target customer success playsnot Apollo.io
- Reporting on customer success outcomes with embedded BI dashboardsnot 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
SmartKarrot
- The entry Basic plan starts at $15,000 per year and includes only 5 users
- All plans are billed annually with no monthly option
- Basic includes only 2 third party integrations, Growth 3 and Pro 4
- Usage tracking is limited to 1 SaaS product on Growth and 3 on Pro
- Growth, Pro and Enterprise plans are all Contact Sales with no published price
- Basic support is email-based only, with a dedicated CSM starting at Growth
- SmartKonversation call intelligence is a paid add-on rather than an included feature on Basic, Growth or Pro
- SmartOps advanced AI trends is an add-on available only on the Enterprise plan
- Additional Lite users are billed at $10 per user per month on top of the plan fee
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
SmartKarrot
$499/month- Professional$499/month
- Health scores
- Playbooks
- Customer 360
- Enterprise$1299/month
- AI insights
- Custom workflows
- Advanced analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Apollo.io if
- You need contact database.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want email finder.
Questions people ask
- Is Apollo.io or SmartKarrot better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apollo.io starts at Free and SmartKarrot at $499/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apollo.io or SmartKarrot?
- Apollo.io has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apollo.io and $499/month for SmartKarrot.
- Does Apollo.io or SmartKarrot 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. SmartKarrot starts at $499/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 SmartKarrot is typically brought in for.
- What can Apollo.io do that SmartKarrot cannot?
- Apollo.io covers Contact database, Email finder, Lead search, Automation. SmartKarrot covers Customer 360, Health monitoring, Playbook automation, Success planning. Both handle Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Web support.
Related pages
More on SmartKarrot
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- SmartKarrot vs Seismic
- SmartKarrot vs Pipedrive
- SmartKarrot vs HubSpot
- SmartKarrot vs Salesforce
- SmartKarrot vs Bitrix24
- SmartKarrot vs Capsule
- SmartKarrot vs Clari
- SmartKarrot vs Freshsales
- SmartKarrot vs Streak
- SmartKarrot vs Zoho CRM
- SmartKarrot vs Affinity
- SmartKarrot vs Agile CRM
- SmartKarrot vs Capsule CRM
- SmartKarrot vs Clay
- SmartKarrot vs Clearbit
- SmartKarrot vs Cloze
- SmartKarrot vs Aviso
- SmartKarrot vs ChurnZero
- SmartKarrot vs Planhat
- SmartKarrot vs Catalyst
- SmartKarrot vs Custify
- SmartKarrot vs CustomerSuccessBox
- SmartKarrot vs Vitally
- SmartKarrot vs Akita
- SmartKarrot vs Amity
- SmartKarrot vs Apttus
- SmartKarrot vs Better Proposals
- SmartKarrot vs Chorus.ai
- SmartKarrot vs ClientPoint
- SmartKarrot vs ClientSuccess
- SmartKarrot vs Conga
- SmartKarrot vs Kapta
- SmartKarrot vs Lessonly
- SmartKarrot vs Natero


