Apollo vs Woodpecker: Which is Best for Cold Email in 2025

Feeling lost in the sea of cold email tools? You’re not alone!

Choosing the right platform can be a real headache, especially with big names like Apollo vs Woodpecker vying for your attention.

Both promise to boost your sales with powerful features, but which delivers? 

In this guide, we’ll explain the key differences between Apollo and Woodpecker to help you decide which is best for your needs. 

We’ll compare pricing, features, and ease of use so you can make an informed decision and start landing those deals!

Overview

We’ve spent weeks testing both Apollo and Woodpecker to give you the most accurate comparison.

We dove deep into their features, sent out cold emails, and analyzed the results.

We’re sharing our firsthand experience to help you choose the right tool.

What is Apollo?

Have you ever wished you had a tool to find the perfect leads and help you contact them?

That’s Apollo in a nutshell. It’s like having a super-powered assistant for your sales team.

Apollo gives you access to a massive database of contacts and companies.

You can filter by industry, job title, location – you name it!

Then, you can use Apollo to build automated email sequences and track your results. Pretty cool, right?

Also, explore our favorite Apollo alternatives…

Key Benefits

• Mature & Feature-Rich: Apollo’s been around, so it’s packed with features like caching, state management, and more.
• Huge Community: Tons of developers use Apollo. You’ll find plenty of tutorials and support.
• Flexible: Works with any lead generation tool and integrates well with popular front-end frameworks.
• Full Stack Solution: Apollo offers tools for both the client and server side of your lead generation tool.

Pricing

• Free: Great for getting started and smaller projects.
• Basic: Starts at $49/month per user. 900 Mobile Credits/year
• Professional: Starts at $79/month per user. 1,200 Mobile Credits/year
• Organization: Starts at $119/month per user. 2,400 Mobile Credits/year

What is Woodpecker?

Do you want to send cold emails that get opened? Woodpecker is your go-to tool. 

It’s designed to help you avoid spam filters and land in the inbox. How?

Woodpecker mimics human sending behavior, allowing you to personalize your emails, control sending speed, and even set follow-up sequences.

It also has built-in safety features to protect your sender’s reputation. That sounds like a wise choice, right?

Also, explore our favorite Woodpecker alternatives…

Key Benefits

• Deliverability focused: Woodpecker prioritizes getting your emails delivered to the inbox, not the spam folder.
• Personalized cold emails: Send highly personalized emails that stand out from the crowd.
• Automated follow-ups: Set up automated email sequences to nurture leads and stay top-of-mind.
• Safe sending limits: Woodpecker helps you stay within safe sending limits to protect your sender reputation.

Pricing

Woodpecker keeps its pricing simple and transparent, with plans based on the number of prospects you want to contact.

• Cold Email: $29 per month
• Custom: Book a Call
• Agency: $49 per month

Feature Comparison

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and compare the core features of Apollo and Woodpecker.

This head-to-head analysis will help you see which platform aligns best with your cold email outreach needs in 2024 and beyond.

1. Ease of Use

• Apollo.io: Apollo has a modern, intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate. You’ll find it easy to start even if you’re new to cold email outreach. The platform provides helpful guides and tutorials to walk you through the process.
• Woodpecker: Woodpecker also boasts a clean and user-friendly interface. It’s designed to be straightforward to understand, even for beginners. However, some users might find Apollo’s interface slightly more visually appealing and modern.

2. Lead Generation

• Apollo.io: Apollo.io excels at lead generation. It gives you access to a massive database of 250 million+ contacts with accurate and up-to-date email addresses. You can use advanced filters to find your ideal prospects based on industry, job title, location, and more. The Apollo Chrome Extension lets you find leads and enrich contact data while browsing LinkedIn.
• Woodpecker: Woodpecker focuses primarily on cold email outreach and doesn’t have a built-in database like Apollo.io. You’ll need to import your list of prospects or use a third-party tool for lead generation. However, Woodpecker integrates with several lead-generation tools to streamline your workflow.

3. Email Automation

• Apollo.io: Apollo.io offers robust email automation features. You can create automated email sequences, personalize your messages, and schedule emails to be sent at the optimal time. The platform also provides A/B testing features to help you optimize your campaigns.
• Woodpecker: Woodpecker is designed for email automation and emphasizes deliverability. It allows you to create personalized email campaigns, set up follow-up sequences, and control sending speed to mimic human behavior. This helps improve your sender reputation and ensures your outreach efforts land in inboxes.

4. Email Deliverability

• Apollo.io: Apollo.io has built-in email verification tools to help improve deliverability. It also provides insights into your sender’s reputation and offers guidance on improving your email practices.
• Woodpecker: Woodpecker emphasizes email deliverability. It offers features like email warm-up, which gradually increases sending volume to build trust with email providers. Woodpecker also monitors your sender’s reputation and provides alerts if any issues arise.

5. Integrations

• Apollo.io: Apollo.io integrates with various sales and marketing tools, including CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot. This allows you to streamline your sales processes and keep all your data in sync.
• Woodpecker: Woodpecker integrates with popular CRMs, email marketing software, and other tools. While its list of integrations might not be as extensive as Apollo.io’s, it covers most of the essential platforms for cold outreach.

6. Pricing

• Apollo.io: Apollo.io offers different pricing tiers based on the number of email credits you need. The free plan has limited features; paid plans start at $49 monthly. You can upgrade to access more credits, advanced features, and higher sending limits.
• Woodpecker: Woodpecker’s pricing is based on the number of contacts you want to store in your account. Paid plans start at $59 per month for up to 1,000 contacts. You can also try the platform for free for 7 days before committing to a paid plan.

7. Unique Features

• Apollo.io: Apollo.io offers unique features, such as the Apollo Chrome Extension for finding leads on LinkedIn, advanced lead scoring to prioritize outreach, and a sales intelligence dashboard to track progress. It also provides 60 mobile credits and 120 export credits per month.
• Woodpecker: Woodpecker’s unique strength lies in its focus on email deliverability. Features like email warm-up and deliverability monitoring help ensure your emails reach the intended recipients. It also offers customizable sending schedules and advanced personalization options.

What to Look for When Choosing a Cold Email Tool?

• Your budget: Apollo and Woodpecker offer various pricing plans. Consider your needs and the number of emails you’ll send each month.
• Your tech skills: Apollo has a broader range of features, which can overwhelm beginners. Woodpecker is more user-friendly, especially for those new to cold email.
• Your email volume: Apollo’s more extensive database and advanced automation might be a better fit for you if you plan to send large emails.
• Your need for other sales tools: Apollo offers a suite of sales tools beyond cold email, such as a CRM and a sales intelligence platform. Apollo might be the way to go if you need an all-in-one solution.
• Your focus on deliverability: Woodpecker prioritizes email deliverability with its warm-up feature and sender reputation monitoring. If inbox placement is your top priority, Woodpecker is a strong contender.

Final Verdict

So, which tool comes out on top? For us, it’s Apollo. We love its massive database and powerful features.

It’s perfect for finding and reaching a large number of leads.

Plus, Apollo offers a wide range of email templates and A/B testing to help you optimize your campaigns.

You can even verify email addresses to improve deliverability.

However, Woodpecker is still a great option, mainly if you focus on email deliverability and warm-up.

If you’re looking for a more affordable option with unlimited email sending, you might consider Lemlist. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your specific needs and budget.

We’ve spent countless hours testing these tools to help you make the right decision.

Trust our expertise and choose the platform to take your cold email game to the next level.

Whether you’re just starting or scaling your outreach, the right tool can make all the difference.

More of Apollo

Here’s a comparison of Apollo with its alternatives, highlighting their unique strengths:

• Apollo vs Instantly: Apollo offers a vast lead database and comprehensive sales intelligence. Instantly focuses on lightning-fast email deliverability and unlimited warm-up capabilities.
• Apollo vs Snov IO: Apollo provides an extensive B2B database and multi-channel sales engagement. Snov IO emphasizes email finding, verification, and automated email drip campaigns.
• Apollo vs Hunter IO: Apollo is an all-in-one platform for lead generation and outreach automation. Hunter IO specializes in finding and verifying professional email addresses.
• Apollo vs Reply IO: Apollo offers a large database and robust sales intelligence with outreach. Reply IO provides advanced AI-powered email automation and multi-channel sequences.
• Apollo vs UpLead: Apollo integrates lead data with outreach automation. UpLead focuses on delivering highly accurate, verified B2B contact information.
• Apollo vs Mailshake: Apollo combines lead prospecting with automated email sequences. Mailshake excels in personalized cold email outreach and deliverability optimization.
• Apollo vs Lemlist: Apollo boasts a massive contact database and comprehensive sales engagement. Lemlist focuses on hyper-personalized cold emails with unique visual elements.
• Apollo vs Smartlead: Apollo offers a broad sales intelligence platform with outreach capabilities. Smartlead emphasizes scalable cold email campaigns with advanced deliverability features.
• Apollo vs Saleshandy: Apollo delivers extensive lead data and integrated outreach. Saleshandy offers email tracking, automation, and a unified inbox for outreach.
• Apollo vs Klenty: Apollo provides a comprehensive sales engagement platform, including a dialer. Klenty specializes in automating sales cadences and CRM integrations for outreach.
• Apollo vs Warmbox: Apollo’s broader platform includes a basic warm-up. Warmbox is a specialized tool dedicated to advanced email warm-up and sender reputation.
• Apollo vs Maildoso: Apollo offers a comprehensive lead database with integrated outreach. Maildoso focuses on maximizing email deliverability and unlimited mailboxes.
• Apollo vs Manyreach: Apollo provides a rich B2B database and broad sales engagement tools. Manyreach focuses on highly scalable email campaigns with deliverability features.
• Apollo vs Warmy: Apollo is a comprehensive sales intelligence platform with outreach. Warmy is a dedicated email warm-up and deliverability monitoring service.

More of Woodpecker

Here’s a comparison of Woodpecker with its alternatives in the cold outreach space:

• Woodpecker vs Instantly: Woodpecker focuses on robust deliverability and advanced email sequencing. Instantly emphasizes unlimited warm-up and AI for high-volume sending.
• Woodpecker vs Snov IO: Woodpecker excels in personalized email campaigns and deliverability. Snov IO provides a comprehensive suite for email finding and sales automation.
• Woodpecker vs Hunter IO: Woodpecker automates cold email campaigns with built-in warm-up. Hunter IO primarily specializes in finding and verifying email addresses.
• Woodpecker vs Reply IO: Woodpecker prioritizes advanced email personalization and deliverability. Reply IO offers a broader multi-channel sales engagement platform.
• Woodpecker vs UpLead: Woodpecker effectively manages and automates cold email campaigns. UpLead is a lead generation platform that provides accurate B2B contact data.
• Woodpecker vs Mailshake: Woodpecker focuses on human-like email automation and deliverability. Mailshake supports AI-powered email and multi-channel engagement.
• Woodpecker vs Lemlist: Woodpecker offers straightforward, effective email outreach with conditional logic. Lemlist emphasizes highly personalized, visual, multi-channel campaigns.
• Woodpecker vs Smartlead: Woodpecker provides a comprehensive cold email outreach platform. Smartlead specializes in AI-powered warm-up and high-volume, multi-channel campaigns.
• Woodpecker vs Saleshandy: Woodpecker is a standalone platform for cold email outreach. Saleshandy offers email tracking and automation, often as a plugin.
• Woodpecker vs Klenty: Woodpecker concentrates on core cold email deliverability and personalization. Klenty provides broader sales engagement with multi-channel cadences.
• Woodpecker vs Warmbox: Woodpecker includes warm-up features within its cold email platform. Warmbox is a dedicated tool for advanced email warm-up and deliverability.
• Woodpecker vs Maildoso: Woodpecker offers robust email deliverability and automation. Maildoso features advanced analytics and interactive AMP email capabilities.
• Woodpecker vs Manyreach: Woodpecker focuses on safe sending limits and email deliverability. Manyreach offers unlimited prospect uploads and a unified inbox.
• Woodpecker vs Warmy: Woodpecker features secure cold email campaigns and deliverability tools. Warmy is a specialized tool dedicated to improving email deliverability through consistent warm-up.

Frequently Asked Questions