LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Apollo: B2B Prospecting Tools

Quick Overview

LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Apollo.io represent two distinct approaches to B2B prospecting. Sales Navigator leverages LinkedIn's professional network for relationship-driven selling, while Apollo provides an all-in-one prospecting and engagement platform.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Best For: Relationship-driven selling targeting executives and decision-makers

• Access to LinkedIn's live database of 900M+ professional profiles
• Unique relationship mapping through TeamLink and connection degrees
• Native LinkedIn engagement (InMail, messages, connection requests)
• Real-time profile updates
• Price: $99-$149/user/month

Apollo.io

Best For: High-volume email campaigns and multi-channel prospecting

• Proprietary database of 275M+ contacts with emails and phone numbers
• Email sequences, phone dialer, and task management
• LinkedIn automation capabilities
• Built-in engagement tools
• Price: Free tier to $149+/user/month

Key Platform Differences

Data Access & Contact Information

| Aspect | Sales Navigator | Apollo | |--------|-----------------|--------| | Database Size | 900M+ profiles | 275M+ contacts | | Email Addresses | Not included | Included | | Phone Numbers | Not included | Included | | Data Source | User-maintained LinkedIn | Aggregated/scraped | | Data Freshness | Real-time | Varies |

Sales Navigator provides access to LinkedIn's live, user-maintained database—but notably excludes direct contact information like email addresses and phone numbers.

Apollo maintains a proprietary database with email addresses and phone numbers sourced through multiple methods, enabling direct outreach.

Primary Engagement Channels

| Channel | Sales Navigator | Apollo | |---------|-----------------|--------| | LinkedIn Messages | Yes | Limited | | InMail | Yes | No | | Email Sequences | No | Yes | | Phone Dialer | No | Yes | | SMS | No | Limited | | Task Management | No | Yes |

Relationship Intelligence

A critical differentiator: Sales Navigator offers unique relationship mapping through TeamLink and connection degrees, showing organizational connections to prospects.

• See who in your company is connected to a prospect
• Identify warm introduction paths
• Map organizational hierarchies
• Track job changes and company news

Apollo provides standard contact data without this relationship pathway visibility.

Feature Comparison

| Feature | Sales Navigator | Apollo | |---------|-----------------|--------| | Contact Database | LinkedIn network | Proprietary | | Emails Included | No | Yes | | Phone Numbers | No | Yes | | Relationship Mapping | Excellent | None | | Email Sequences | No | Yes | | LinkedIn Outreach | Native | Automation | | CRM Integration | Good | Excellent | | Intent Data | Limited | Yes | | Free Tier | No | Yes |

Sales Navigator Strengths

• Access to LinkedIn's 900M+ professional profiles
• Real-time, user-maintained data
• TeamLink relationship mapping
• Connection degree visibility
• Native LinkedIn engagement
• Job change and company alerts
• Advanced search filters

Sales Navigator Limitations

• No email addresses or phone numbers
• LinkedIn-only engagement
• Higher per-user cost
• No email sequence capabilities
• Requires separate outreach tools

Apollo Strengths

• Contact data includes emails and phone numbers
• Built-in email sequences and automation
• Phone dialer included
• Free tier available
• All-in-one prospecting platform
• Intent data integration
• Strong CRM integrations

Apollo Limitations

• Data quality varies
• No relationship mapping
• Email deliverability challenges
• Database not user-maintained
• Some data may be outdated

Pricing Comparison

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

| Plan | Price/User | |------|------------| | Core | $99/month | | Advanced | $149/month | | Advanced Plus | Custom |

Apollo.io

| Plan | Price/User | |------|------------| | Free | $0 (limited) | | Basic | $49/month | | Professional | $99/month | | Organization | $149+/month |

Annual Cost (10 Users)

• Sales Navigator Core: $11,880/year
• Apollo Professional: $11,880/year
• Both Platforms: $23,760/year

Selection Framework

Choose Sales Navigator when:

• Relationship-driven selling is your model
• Targeting C-suite executives
• Account-based strategies are primary
• LinkedIn is your main outreach channel
• Warm introductions matter
• Data accuracy is critical

Choose Apollo when:

• High-volume email is your primary channel
• Budget is a constraint (free tier available)
• You need an all-in-one platform
• Phone outreach is important
• Multi-channel automation is required
• Starting from scratch with prospecting

Use both platforms when:

• Sales Navigator for research and relationship mapping
• Apollo for email sequences and direct outreach
• Enterprise deals requiring warm paths
• Maximum coverage across channels

The Complementary Approach

Many sophisticated sales teams leverage both platforms:

1. Use Sales Navigator for:

   • Account research
   • Relationship mapping
   • Identifying warm introduction paths
   • LinkedIn-native outreach

2. Use Apollo for:

   • Email sequence execution
   • Phone number acquisition
   • Multi-channel campaigns
   • High-volume prospecting

This combination provides comprehensive coverage—relationship intelligence from LinkedIn plus direct contact data for outreach.

Conclusion

LinkedIn Sales Navigator excels at relationship-driven selling with its unique relationship mapping and access to LinkedIn's professional network. Apollo shines for high-volume, multi-channel prospecting with its all-in-one platform and included contact data. The best choice depends on your selling motion, target audience, and budget. Many teams find that using both together provides the most complete prospecting capability.