Sales intelligence software is one of the most important tools in any sales team’s get-to-market strategy and ongoing outreach.

As the name suggests, a sales intelligence tool will help you make more intelligent, data-driven decisions about your outreach approach. The software should collect and analyze data to help you better understand your target customers, market trends and industry landscape, while also identifying opportunities for growth.

Such a tool not only gives you better insights and helps improve your lead qualification, but also removes a lot of manual effort and guesswork from your team – freeing them up to work on more valuable tasks.

The sales intelligence market is currently booming, and every new platform promises to be better than the last. As you may already know, Apollo.io and ZoomInfo are two of the leading tools among sales professionals in 2024, but are they actually the best?

This Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo comparison article will examine both platform’s core features and differences while weighing up which tool works best for individual use cases.

We’ll also compare the two platforms to our own AI sales tool, Topo, to provide a unique insight into some of the advanced intelligence features these tools are missing. If you want to explore Topo right away, you can check out our features here.

Otherwise, stay tuned for the ultimate guide to Apollo vs ZoomInfo.

Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo: What Do They Do?

Apollo.io is a cloud-based sales intelligence and automation platform used for lead generation, database management and email outreach.

While Apollo claims to help businesses of all sizes improve their sales performance and generate leads, the platform is generally marketed to startups and SMEs looking for affordable, holistic sales support.

ZoomInfo is an enterprise-grade sales intelligence platform well known for its extensive and highly accurate datasets. This tool generally appeals to larger organizations with bigger budgets and more complex sales processes.

Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo: Key Differences

Let’s begin this Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo comparison article by breaking down the key differences between the two platforms.

User Experience

Apollo offers a simple, user-friendly interface and accessible tools. It is a great choice for small teams and beginners who want a quick set-up and no learning curve.

ZoomInfo is a bit more complex, with features that require some training – the payoff for more advanced targeting and features.

Data Accuracy

ZoomInfo has a brilliant reputation for providing highly accurate, enriched data because of its focus on data aggregation and verification. It’s by far the better choice for industries where getting complete and correct data is the priority.

Apollo users, on the other hand, have reported incidents of unreliable and inaccurate data, especially for enterprise segments. The platform doesn’t update as quickly as ZoomInfo either, which isn’t ideal if you work in an industry that moves quickly, where up-to-date information about your prospects is vital.

ZoomInfo offers three pricing tiers: Sales, Marketing and Talent. Their exact pricing isn’t openly advertised, so you’ll need to contact them for a quote. Online reviews state that packages start at $14,995 per year, rising to $39,995 for full features and access. ZoomInfo operates a complex ‘credit’ system which can be limiting for lower-paid plans.

Notably, ZoomInfo does not offer a free plan and its prices are high, so it could be out of the question for small startups and teams on a limited budget.

Apollo is the more affordable choice, but users cite limited free features and a lack of customization. Their free version offers some basic functions and extensions, while paid plans begin at $49 per month, billed annually.

Integrations

Apollo integrates easily with Google Chrome and CRM tools like HubSpot and Zoho. It also works well with LinkedIn – a popular outreach network for sales teams.

Users have reported issues with integrating Apollo.io and Salesforce (in addition to other integrations with tools like Zapier) particularly when it comes to scaling data and automated syncing. This could be a dealbreaker if Salesforce is your CRM of choice, as ease of integration is so important for effective outreach and monitoring.

ZoomInfo is built to work flawlessly with Salesforce, as well as Zoho, HubSpot, PipeDrive, Marketo Microsoft and Google Chrome. It is far better and more reliable than Apollo on the integration front due to its robust technical resources and ability to maintain smooth syncing and good data hygiene.

Apollo.io: Features and Use Cases

Core Features

Apollo.io offers a range of impressive features to take you right from the build pipeline to closing deals, streamlining your processes and boosting your sales performance.

Features include:

• Inbound optimization to help you qualify better leads

• Automated sales engagement

• The ability to book and follow up on sales meetings

• Deal management with insights and recommendations

• Conversational intelligence allows you to track, record and analyze interactions

• Analytics and AI coaching

• Workflow engine

• Data enrichment and cleansing

Customers have also complained about the platform’s pricing and billing practices, citing recurrent billing issues and bad value for money.

Use Cases

Apollo.io is a great platform for startups and SMEs who want to build initial prospect lists, nurture their leads and start scaling their email campaigns.

This tool would work well for a B2B tech startup with seed funding that wants to automate outreach and find prospects through targeted email campaigns and LinkedIn.

ZoomInfo: Features and Use Cases

Core Features

ZoomInfo’s features are more limited for smaller plans and packages, but, again, they complement the entire sales workflow – from data collection and analytics to engagement and predictive modeling.

• Contact and company search

• Website visitor tracker

• Buyer intent analysis

• Sales automation, from calls to email outreach

• Conversational intelligence

• Website chat function

• Digital advertising, tailor-made for your audience

• Lead enrichment

• Data management

Use Cases

ZoomInfo has a very high-quality database and extensive features, as well as account-based marketing support, making it well-suited to larger organizations and teams in the B2B sector.

The platform will work well for large consultancy firms or finance organizations with the scope and budget to invest in in-depth data on specific industries, roles and buyer intent.

Concluding Our Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo Comparison Article: Who Wins?

Both Apollo.io and ZoomInfo have specific strengths that make them well-suited to different industries and business sizes.

However, we’ve tested out many of these tools and have come to the conclusion that in 2024, relying solely on data providers just isn’t enough. Customer data changes faster than ever these days, driving the need for accurate, real-time insights.

We have the solution – intelligent data activation goes a step beyond static data and leverages the latest AI to verify, enrich and engage with your prospects on a continual basis. This approach improves lead relevance and timing, reducing wasted efforts on outdated or uninterested contacts.

Through AI-powered SDRs, this technology will enhance the quality of your data, reducing the need for large data teams because AI automates the entire process and fulfills manual prospecting tasks and verification.

The future of sales is this: combining human oversight and input with intelligent data activation to combine multiple data sources with an AI execution layer to yield more targeted and actionable insights, rather than relying on a single, static data source.

Here at Topo, we employ an AI-driven approach to sales outreach, blending data activation with automatic prospecting. This technology allows us to engage leads at optimum times, using industry-specific training and refinement to make sure automated outreach tasks are done right.

Worried About Issues Integrating Apollo.io and Salesforce? Try Topo Today!

To conclude this Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo comparison article, we’re encouraging you to try Topo, which will integrate seamlessly with your existing CRM for a smooth sales workflow.

Unlike Apollo.io and ZoomInfo, Topo is a full-service growth engine that incorporates data from multiple providers, so you won’t need to rely on any single data source again!

Our tool is also cost-effective, starting at just $750 per AI sales agent, and is designed to help smaller businesses and startups offer more value than high-cost providers.

If you’re looking to optimize data utilization and outreach in 2024, take advantage of our unique value proposition and get ready to enhance your data and move beyond traditional sales intelligence limitations.

Try Topo today and see for yourself how you could save time and money while generating and nurturing high-quality, convertible leads for your business.