Clearbit vs. Apollo.io: Which should you choose?

About Clearbit

Clearbit transforms minimal inputs like email addresses or domains into gold mines of detailed company and contact information. It pulls data from public web sources and proprietary databases, delivering firmographics, technographics, and contact details that instantly enhance your CRM records. The service plugs directly into platforms like HubSpot (where it's now native as "Breeze"), Salesforce, and your marketing stack, enabling real-time enrichment of forms and databases.

The tool operates on an enrichment credit system — each record processed consumes one credit. Clearbit excels at automatically filling in those pesky form fields to boost conversion rates and delivers accurate company data, especially for businesses with strong digital footprints. While Clearbit covers all countries globally, the depth varies by region. It focuses specifically on data enrichment rather than offering a complete sales toolkit — you'll need to integrate it with other systems for end-to-end sales and marketing functionality.

About Apollo.io

Apollo.io combines a massive database of over 200 million contacts with powerful outbound sales tools. It serves up business contact information (emails, phone numbers), company data, and basic intent signals, while tracking engagement metrics from emails and website visits. The platform connects seamlessly with major CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, offers a Chrome extension for LinkedIn/Gmail, and links with email providers to monitor communications.

The platform follows a freemium model with paid tiers from $49-119 per user monthly, each with different credit allowances for data access. While Apollo delivers an all-in-one solution for prospecting, email sequencing, and basic CRM functionality, it struggles with data accuracy due to its crowd-sourced approach. Its coverage shines brightest in North America and Europe, with users reporting mixed results on email deliverability and phone number validity.

Comparison

Clearbit

• Clearbit gathers public web data and proprietary sources to deliver company and contact enrichment. Its data includes firmographics, contact info, technographic details, and IP intelligence that unmasks your site visitors.
• Clearbit plugs into various platforms through APIs but lacks built-in outreach capabilities — you'll need additional tools for complete sales workflows. Pricing can spiral quickly with volume, and many users find the model confusing.

Apollo.io

• Apollo.io puts a database of over 200 million contacts and companies at your fingertips — complete with emails, phone numbers, and LinkedIn profiles, plus recently added basic intent signals. The platform merges prospecting with email sequencing and basic CRM functionality.
• Apollo offers a freemium model with affordable tiers starting at just $49/user/month, making it accessible even for small teams. Data accuracy can be hit-or-miss due to its crowd-sourced nature, and integration capabilities have limitations.

Clearbit works best for data-driven marketing teams hungry for high-quality enrichment of existing leads and looking to boost conversion rates through form shortening. It's perfect for companies with developer resources and those already in the HubSpot ecosystem, but might not be cost-effective for high-volume needs or teams wanting an all-in-one solution.

Apollo.io suits budget-conscious sales teams needing both prospecting and outreach capabilities in one tool. While it can handle contact-based marketing, neither tool fully satisfies the need for true contact marketing that combines outreach, nurturing, and attribution across channels. Marketers increasingly need solutions that track the complete customer journey — not just provide data or basic engagement features.

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