Act! vs Apollo.io: CRM Platform vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare Act! (CRM platform) and Apollo.io (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Act! is a CRM platform built for organizing contacts, tracking deals, and forecasting revenue, priced from $30/mo. Apollo.io is a sales engagement platform built for multi-channel outreach across email, phone, and LinkedIn, with a free entry tier and a 275M+ contact database. They solve different jobs, so many teams run both.
Key takeaways
- Act! Advantage Standard starts at $30/mo with 2,500 basic email marketing sends per month included.
- Apollo.io offers a free plan with 900 credits per seat per year, granted monthly.
- Apollo.io's Organization plan costs $119/mo and includes 72,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront.
- Apollo.io lists a B2B contact and company database of over 275 million contacts.
- Act! offers 5 pricing tiers compared to Apollo.io's 4 tiers.
Reviewed and updated September 4, 2026
Act! vs Apollo.io: CRM Platform vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Act! (CRM platform) and Apollo.io (sales engagement platform) sit next to each other in many outbound stacks. They are not substitutes for each other on every job, so this comparison covers pricing, features, and integrations for each and points out where the two meet.
The Quick Answer
Act! is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking; Apollo.io is a sales engagement platform for multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking. By each vendor's own wording, Act! lists full-featured crm and mobile app and email marketing, and Apollo.io lists b2b contact and company database (275m+ contacts) and multi-channel sequences (email, phone, linkedin).
Apollo.io offers a lower entry point at $0/mo compared to Act! at $30/mo.
If your priority is organizing contacts, tracking deals, and forecasting revenue, Act! is the one built for it; for coordinating outreach across email, phone, and social channels, that is Apollo.io. Many teams run one of each.
Understanding the Core Difference
Act! is Act! is a CRM and marketing automation platform for small and midsize businesses that unites sales, marketing and customer management in one platform. It is sold as Act! Advantage cloud plans and an Act! Premium Desktop on-premises edition.
Apollo.io is All-in-one sales intelligence and engagement platform combining a 275M+ contact database with automated sequences, email outreach, dialer, and AI-powered workflows for prospecting at scale.
The two platforms take different approaches to solving the same core challenge.
Pricing Comparison
Act! Advantage Standard
Free
Act! Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Emails |
|---|---|---|
| Act! Advantage Standard | $30/mo | Basic Email Marketing (includes 2,500 sends/mo) |
| Act! Advantage Professional | $45/mo | Email Marketing Plus (includes 25,000 sends/mo) |
| Act! Advantage Ultimate | $60/mo | Marketing Automation (includes 50,000 sends/mo) |
| Act! Premium Desktop | $40/mo | - |
| Enterprise Engagement | Contact Sales | - |
Source: Act! Pricing
Apollo.io Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 900 credits per seat per year, granted monthly |
| Basic | $49/mo | 30,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront |
| Professional | $79/mo | 48,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront |
| Organization | $119/mo | 72,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront |
Source: Apollo.io Pricing
Pricing Analysis
Apollo.io offers the lower entry point ($0/mo vs $30/mo). Teams watching their budget will appreciate the savings, especially when starting out.
Act! offers 5 pricing tiers compared to Apollo.io's 4, giving you more granularity as you scale.
Apollo.io includes a free tier, which is helpful for evaluating the platform without upfront cost.
Features Breakdown
- Full-featured CRM and mobile app
- Email marketing
- Interactive quotes and payments
- Online appointment scheduling
- Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
- Reports and interactive dashboards
- and 4 more listed below
- B2B contact and company database (275M+ contacts)
- Multi-channel sequences (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- AI-powered email writing and optimization
- Built-in dialer with call recording
- Automated workflows and engagement rules
- A/B testing for email sequences
- and 4 more listed below
Act! Key Features
- Full-featured CRM and mobile app
- Email marketing
- Interactive quotes and payments
- Online appointment scheduling
- Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
- Reports and interactive dashboards
- Marketing automation
- Lead scoring
- Project management
- Accounting integration
Apollo.io Key Features
- B2B contact and company database (275M+ contacts)
- Multi-channel sequences (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- AI-powered email writing and optimization
- Built-in dialer with call recording
- Automated workflows and engagement rules
- A/B testing for email sequences
- Buying intent signals and job change alerts
- Advanced lead scoring and filtering
- Email deliverability tools and mailbox rotation
- Conversation intelligence (Professional+)
The two lists below are a diff of each vendor's own feature list by exact wording, so a capability both tools offer can appear on either side under a different name.
Listed only by Act!
- Full-featured CRM and mobile app
- Email marketing
- Interactive quotes and payments
- Online appointment scheduling
- Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
- Reports and interactive dashboards
- Marketing automation
- Lead scoring
- Project management
- Accounting integration
Listed only by Apollo.io
- B2B contact and company database (275M+ contacts)
- Multi-channel sequences (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- AI-powered email writing and optimization
- Built-in dialer with call recording
- Automated workflows and engagement rules
- A/B testing for email sequences
- Buying intent signals and job change alerts
- Advanced lead scoring and filtering
- Email deliverability tools and mailbox rotation
- Conversation intelligence (Professional+)
Integration Ecosystem
Act! Integrations
Act! connects with: Outlook, Google Contacts, Slack, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey, Wufoo, BigCommerce, Ecwid, Shopify, Volusion, Facebook, Freshdesk, Zendesk, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero.
Apollo.io Integrations
Apollo.io connects with: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, LinkedIn, Zapier, Slack, Sendgrid, Outreach, Salesloft, Webhooks API.
Shared Integrations
Both tools integrate with: Slack.
Integrations listed only by Act!: Outlook, Google Contacts, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey, Wufoo, BigCommerce, Ecwid, Shopify, Volusion, Facebook, Freshdesk, Zendesk, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero.
Integrations listed only by Apollo.io: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, LinkedIn, Zapier, Sendgrid, Outreach, Salesloft, Webhooks API.
Use Case Recommendations
Best Fit for Act!
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable CRM platform
- Organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integration support (16 integrations)
- Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
Best Fit for Apollo.io
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable sales engagement platform
- Teams that want to start free and scale up as needs grow
- SDR teams running multi-channel outreach sequences
- Sales managers tracking team engagement metrics
Feature Comparison Summary
| Feature | Act! | Apollo.io |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $30/mo | Free |
| Top Tier Price | Contact Sales | $119/mo |
| Total Features Listed | 10 | 10 |
| Integrations | 16 | 12 |
| Founded | N/A | 2015 |
Getting Started Checklist
- Define your customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking and multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking requirements and monthly budget
- Estimate your expected contacts and deals and sequences and engagement actions to find the right tier
- List the integrations your team currently relies on
- Sign up for free trials or demos of both platforms
- Run a small test with each tool before making a commitment
- Evaluate the onboarding experience and support quality
Final Thoughts
Act! serves the customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking side of an outbound stack and Apollo.io the multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking side. Apollo.io offers a more accessible entry point, while Act! starts at $30/mo. Your decision should weigh pricing against the specific features that matter most for your workflow.
Start with a trial of each to see which platform fits your team's daily process. The best tool is the one your team actually uses consistently.
Pricing and features verified as of September 2026. Visit Act! and Apollo.io for current information.
Frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions- What is the main difference between Act! and Apollo.io?
- Act! is a CRM platform focused on customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking, while Apollo.io is a sales engagement platform focused on multi-channel outreach and engagement tracking. Act! organizes contacts and forecasts revenue, while Apollo.io coordinates outreach across email, phone, and LinkedIn.
- Which is cheaper, Act! or Apollo.io?
- Apollo.io has the lower entry point at $0/mo with its Free plan, compared to Act!'s entry plan, Act! Advantage Standard, at $30/mo. Act! does offer more pricing tiers overall, 5 compared to Apollo.io's 4, for teams that want more granularity as they scale.
- Does Apollo.io have a free plan?
- Yes, Apollo.io's Free plan includes 900 credits per seat per year, granted monthly, which is useful for evaluating the platform before committing to a paid tier.
- Can Act! and Apollo.io be used together?
- Yes, the article notes that many teams run one of each because the two platforms serve different core purposes. Act! handles CRM and pipeline tracking while Apollo.io handles multi-channel sales outreach, so they complement rather than replace each other.
- What does Apollo.io's contact database include?
- Apollo.io lists a B2B contact and company database with more than 275 million contacts, which it combines with automated sequences, email outreach, a built-in dialer, and AI-powered workflows for prospecting at scale.
About the author.
Tim Carden is CMO / CTO at RevenueFlow, which builds and operates outbound revenue engines for B2B companies. Studied at McGill University.
Tim Carden · CMO / CTO
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