Apollo vs Clay: B2B Prospecting Comparison

Two leading platforms for B2B prospecting with fundamentally different approaches to data and workflow.

Platform Overview

Apollo.io

Apollo.io is a comprehensive sales intelligence and engagement platform combining prospecting data with outbound execution tools. Access to 275M+ contacts and 60M+ companies.

Core Capabilities:

• Searchable database of 275M+ B2B contacts
• Email finder and verification with deliverability scoring
• Phone number database with direct dials
• Email sequencing and automation
• Cloud-based phone dialer
• Meeting scheduling and task management
• Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting
• Native CRM integrations

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans from $49/user/month to $149/user/month.

Clay

Clay is a data enrichment and automation layer that connects to 50+ data providers including Apollo, ZoomInfo, Clearbit, and Hunter.

Core Capabilities:

• Access to 50+ data enrichment providers
• Waterfall enrichment across multiple sources
• Custom workflow builder
• AI-powered data transformation
• Spreadsheet-like interface
• API access for custom integrations

Pricing: Free plan with limited credits. Paid from $149/month to $800/month plus data costs.

Key Differences

| Aspect | Apollo | Clay | |--------|--------|------| | Data Source | Proprietary database | Aggregates 50+ providers | | Use Case | End-to-end prospecting | Data enrichment & workflows | | Complexity | Low - easy to use | High - requires setup | | Sales Engagement | Built-in sequences, dialer | None - export to other tools | | Best For | Sales teams wanting simplicity | RevOps teams with complex needs |

Data Philosophy

Apollo maintains a proprietary database built through web scraping and user contributions. Unified approach provides consistency but may have coverage gaps.

Clay aggregates multiple third-party sources, allowing waterfall checking across 5-10 sources for single data points. Higher coverage but requires more setup.

Technical Complexity

Apollo offers straightforward UX - reps can prospect within hours of onboarding.

Clay requires technical sophistication and understanding of data sources and automation concepts.

When to Choose Apollo

1. Your team needs all-in-one simplicity
2. Budget is constrained
3. You prioritize speed to value
4. Standard B2B outbound workflows are sufficient
5. Limited RevOps resources

When to Choose Clay

1. You need maximum data coverage and accuracy
2. Complex data requirements with custom scoring
3. You already use dedicated sales engagement tools
4. You have RevOps resources
5. You need reverse email lookup at scale

Using Both Together

Many sophisticated teams use both:

• Clay for enrichment, Apollo for engagement - Enrich in Clay, execute sequences in Apollo
• Apollo for quick wins, Clay for strategic - Apollo for mid-market, Clay for enterprise
• Clay as data layer above Apollo - Access Apollo's API through Clay alongside other sources

Conclusion

Apollo excels as an accessible, all-in-one platform for teams wanting prospecting and engagement without technical complexity. Clay provides superior data operations for teams with RevOps resources and sophisticated requirements.

For most teams under 20 reps, Apollo offers better value. For teams with complex data needs or existing engagement tools, Clay provides capabilities that justify the additional complexity.