Dripify vs Apollo.io: one works LinkedIn, one finds leads
Dripify automates LinkedIn from $39/user/mo; Apollo.io sells a 270M+ contact database with a free plan. Different jobs, and what running both costs a team.
Dripify and Apollo.io get compared because they sit in the same category and both send sequences. They are not doing the same job.
Dripify is LinkedIn automation: connection requests, follow-ups and drip campaigns run from the cloud, with an email channel alongside. Apollo is a 270M+ contact database with email sequencing, a dialer and CRM enrichment attached. One works the people you can reach on LinkedIn; the other tells you who to reach in the first place.
So the honest answer to “Dripify or Apollo?” is usually a question back: is your bottleneck finding prospects, or working them on LinkedIn? If it’s both, plenty of teams run both, and that costs $108 per seat per month on annual billing, which is the number this post is really about.
All pricing below comes from each platform’s listed plans; verify current pricing on the vendor’s site before you commit.
What each one actually is
| Dripify | Apollo.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | LinkedIn drip campaigns | B2B contact database + outreach |
| Where your leads come from | You bring them (LinkedIn, CSV import) | Apollo’s 270M+ database |
| Channels | LinkedIn + email | Email sequences, dialer, meeting booking |
| Free plan | None | Yes (limited credits, core prospecting) |
| Trial | 7 days | 14 days |
| Entry paid (annual) | $39/user/mo | $49/user/mo |
| G2 rating | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Founded | 2020 | 2015 |
The data side is where they differ most. Dripify’s data features are an email finder, verification and lead enrichment (30+ attributes): tools for filling in leads you already have. It does not list a searchable contact database. Apollo’s whole pitch is that database: verified emails and mobile numbers, lead scoring and intent data, sync into your CRM.
The LinkedIn side is the mirror image. Automated connection requests and LinkedIn follow-ups are Dripify’s core product and do not appear anywhere in Apollo’s feature list. If someone tells you Apollo replaces a LinkedIn automation tool, ask them which feature they mean.
Where they genuinely overlap
Both run email sequences, and that is the only real collision.
Apollo’s is the stronger email product. Basic includes unlimited email credits, Professional adds uncapped sending and advanced reporting, and the email channel sits next to the database it is meant to work through. Dripify’s own listing concedes that its “email and enrichment features are newer than its core LinkedIn automation.”
So if email is your main channel, Apollo wins this comparison outright and Dripify is the wrong category of tool. If LinkedIn is your main channel, Apollo isn’t really in the running. The head-to-head only gets close for a team that wants a little of each, which is the case worth pricing.
Price, tier for tier
Both charge per user, and the ladders are closer than they look:
| Dripify (annual / monthly) | Apollo.io (annual / monthly) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | None | $0 |
| Entry | Basic $39 / $59 | Basic $49 / $65 |
| Middle | Pro $59 / $79 | Professional $79 / $99 |
| Upper | Advanced $79 / $99 | Organization $119 / $149, min 3 users |
| Custom | Enterprise | None |
Three things stand out.
Dripify’s real entry price is $59, not $39. Basic is capped; unlimited campaigns start at Pro. We covered that trap in is Dripify worth it, and it matters here because it means Dripify’s working tier costs $10/user/mo more than Apollo Basic, or $120 a year per seat.
Dripify punishes monthly billing harder. Every published Dripify tier is $20/user/mo more on monthly billing, or $240 a year per seat. On Basic that is a 34% saving for paying annually. Apollo Basic’s gap is $16/user/mo ($192 a year), about 25%. With a 7-day trial and no free plan, Dripify gives you very little room to evaluate before the expensive way in.
Apollo’s top tier has a floor. Organization (SSO) requires three users, so it starts at $357/mo ($4,284 a year) before anyone sends anything.
What a team actually pays
Annual billing, on the tier each tool is realistically used at (Dripify Pro for unlimited campaigns, Apollo Basic for unlimited email credits):
| Team | Dripify Pro only | Apollo Basic only | Both, every seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $708/yr | $588/yr | $1,296/yr |
| 3 people | $2,124/yr | $1,764/yr | $3,888/yr |
| 5 people | $3,540/yr | $2,940/yr | $6,480/yr |
If your team needs Dripify’s collaboration features, Advanced at $79/user/mo is the same per-seat price as Apollo Professional: $2,844 a year each way for three people.
The “both, every seat” column is what happens when a team buys both tools for everyone by default, and it is usually the wrong shape. Most teams have one or two people who own LinkedIn and several who prospect. Price that instead:
| Setup | Monthly (annual billing) | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Solo: Apollo Free + Dripify Basic | $39 | $468 |
| Solo: Apollo Free + Dripify Pro | $59 | $708 |
| 3 people: Apollo Basic ×3 + one Dripify Pro seat | $206 | $2,472 |
| 5 people: Apollo Basic ×5 + one Dripify Pro seat | $304 | $3,648 |
The solo rows are the reason Apollo’s free plan matters so much in this comparison. One person can validate whether Apollo’s data covers their niche for $0, and only pay for the LinkedIn half. Dripify accepts CSV imports, which is the practical bridge between a list built in one tool and a campaign run in the other.
The team rows show the bigger saving: a five-person team that gives LinkedIn to one owner pays $3,648 a year instead of $6,480 ($2,832 less) for the same coverage of both channels.
The one-tool alternatives
If paying two vendors bothers you, there are tools in this category that do LinkedIn and include a lead database in one subscription, with trade-offs.
lemlist Multichannel Expert covers email, LinkedIn and calls, with a built-in B2B lead database, at $87/seat/mo on annual billing. That is $21/seat/mo less than Dripify Pro plus Apollo Basic, which is $252 a year per seat, or $756 a year at three seats. The catch is ratings and depth: lemlist rates 4.4 on G2 against Dripify’s 4.6 and Apollo’s 4.7, and it is a generalist: one vendor for both halves, without either specialist’s focus.
For one person, Closely Starter is $29/mo annual for one LinkedIn account, unlimited email and 1,000 data credits, cheaper than either tool alone. The Dripify vs Closely comparison covers that head-to-head, and if your question is really which database to buy, Apollo.io vs Lusha is the better place to start.
Which one, by situation
- You don’t have a list yet → Apollo. Start on the free plan; it answers the question of whether the data covers your market before you spend anything. Dripify’s email finder fills in leads you already have; it will not find you a market.
- Your buyers live on LinkedIn and you already know who they are → Dripify, on Pro at $59/user/mo annual. LinkedIn automation is not in Apollo’s feature list.
- Email is the main channel → Apollo, and arguably not Dripify under any circumstances. For pure sending volume, compare Apollo against a dedicated sender in Apollo.io vs Instantly.
- Solo, and you want both channels → Apollo Free plus Dripify Pro, $708 a year. Or Closely at $348 a year if one subscription matters more than specialist depth.
- A team of three to five → Apollo Basic for everyone who prospects, Dripify only for whoever owns LinkedIn. Don’t buy both for every seat.
- You need SSO → Apollo Organization, but budget the three-seat floor of $4,284 a year.
The verdict
This is not a contest so much as a sorting question. Apollo is the better default because it solves the earlier problem (knowing who to contact), has a free plan to prove it, and gives you 14 days on the paid tiers against Dripify’s seven. If you can only buy one tool and you don’t already have a list, buy Apollo.
Dripify is the better tool for the one job Apollo doesn’t do. If LinkedIn is where your replies come from, Apollo’s email sequences are no substitute, and Dripify Pro at $59/user/mo annual is a fair price for doing that job well.
The mistake to avoid is treating them as alternatives and paying for overlap. Price the seats by role, not by headcount, and the both-tools setup costs a five-person team $3,648 a year rather than $6,480.
Our advisor sorts the category by channel, seat count and whether you already have a list. The Dripify alternatives and Apollo.io alternatives pages rank each against the wider field, best cold email tool for a small team covers the email side, and the best lead generation tools hub has the whole category on price and rating.