Instantly vs Apollo: Which is the Best Lead Generation in 2025?

by | Last updated May 11, 2025

Winner
Instantly
9.0
  • Personalized Cold Email At Scale
  • Unlimited Email Warm-Up
  • 160 Million B2B Contacts
  • Inbox Placement Tracking
  • Website Visitor Tracking + CRM
  • 14 Day Free Trial
  • Plan Starts from $37/month
Runner Up
Apollo
7.5
  • Best B2B Lead Database
  • Precise Prospecting (65+ filters)
  • Website Visitor Tracking
  • Follow-Up Sequence Builder
  • Intent Signal And Scores
  • Free plan available
  • Paid Plans from $49/month
Instantly vs Apollo

Choosing the best lead generation tool is crucial. Instantly and Apollo are both powerful, but which is best for your project?

It’s tough to decide. Performance? Ease of use? Community support?

This blog post dives deep into the Instantly vs Apollo debate.

We’ll compare features and more to help you make an informed choice for your 2024 projects.

Overview

We’ve spent hours testing both Instantly and Apollo on real-world projects.

This hands on experience gives us a unique perspective to compare these two popular lead generation tools.

Let’s get started!

Instantly AI

Ready to give Instantly a try? Experience the speed and simplicity of a modern lead generation tool. Sign up for a free trial today!

9out of 10

Pricing: It has a free plan. The premium plan starts at $37/month.

Key Features:

  • Real-time Updates
  • Offline Support
  • Automatic Persisted Queries
apollo.io

Are you intrigued by Apollo’s robust feature set? Explore its potential for your next project! Visit the Apollo website to learn more.

7.5out of 10

Pricing: It has a free plan. The premium plan starts at $49/month.

Key Features:

  • Caching
  • State Management
  • Extensive Community Support

What is Instantly?

Okay, so Instantly is all about speed and keeping things simple.

It’s designed to make working with lead generation tools a breeze, even if you’re new to it.

They’ve really focused on making it lightweight and easy to get started with.

Also, explore our favorite Instantly alternatives

Instantly AI
Instantly
9.0

Ready to boost your email outreach? Don’t let another email get lost in spam. Try Instantly AI today and see the results for yourself.

Key Benefits

  • Blazing Fast: Instantly claims to be up to 70% faster than other sales software. That’s a big deal!
  • Tiny Footprint: The core library is less than 1KB. It won’t slow down your app.
  • Real-Time Updates: Get instant updates when your data changes. No more manual refreshing.
  • Works Offline: Your app keeps working even without an internet connection.

Pricing

  • Growth: $37/month.
  • Hypergrowth: $97/month.
  • Light Speed: $358/month.
Instantly AI

Pros

  • Improves email deliverability.
  • AI-powered email assistant.
  • Easy to set up and use.
  • Affordable pricing plans.
  • Helpful customer support.

Cons

  • Limited email templates.
  • Integrations could be improved.
  • Occasional deliverability issues.
  • Analytics could be more robust.

What is Apollo?

Now, let’s talk about Apollo.

This one’s been around for a while, and it’s the big kid on the block when it comes to lead generation tools.

It’s got a ton of features and a huge community, which is great if you need help or want to learn from others.

Also, explore our favorite Apollo alternatives

apollo.io
Apollo
7.5

Ready to boost your email outreach results? Apollo.io boasts a 40% increase in open rates and a 2x improvement in response rates. See for yourself with a free trial.

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
Apollo Email

Pros

  • Finds accurate contact information.
  • Helps me reach more prospects.
  • Automates my outreach efforts.
  • Provides valuable data insights.
  • Integrates with my CRM.

Cons

  • Can be expensive for small teams.
  • Data accuracy varies sometimes.
  • Email deliverability can fluctuate.
  • Requires some training to master.

Feature Comparison

Let’s break down the key features of Instantly and Apollo side-by-side to see how they stack up against each other.

1. Data Accuracy

  • Instantly: Boasts a high degree of data accuracy, providing verified email addresses and accurate contact details for effective lead generation.
  • Apollo: While it offers contact details and company websites, its data accuracy might vary, potentially impacting the effectiveness of sales and marketing campaigns.
Instantly-ai-login

2. Search Filters

  • Instantly: Offers advanced search filters comparable to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, enabling precise targeting for sales and marketing teams.
  • Apollo: Provides search filters for refining contact data but may not be as extensive as Instantly’s advanced search filters.

3. Data Enrichment

  • Instantly: Enhances existing contact data with additional buyer intent data, empowering sales and marketing teams to identify high-potential leads.
  • Apollo: It may offer some data enrichment capabilities, but Instantly’s focus on buyer intent data gives it an edge for targeted outreach.
instantly-ai-Lead-finder-pro-tips

4. Integrations

  • Instantly: Seamlessly integrates with popular sales and marketing automation tools, streamlining workflows and boosting productivity.
  • Apollo also offers integrations, but Instantly’s emphasis on sales and marketing automation makes it a strong contender for sales-driven teams.

5. Ease of Use

  • Instantly: Designed for simplicity, allowing users to quickly find accurate contact details and professional email addresses without extensive training.
  • Apollo: While functional, its interface might have a steeper learning curve compared to Instantly’s user-friendly design.

6. Contact Details & Direct Dials

  • Instantly: Provides direct access to direct dials and contact details, enabling sales teams to connect with prospects efficiently.
  • Apollo: Offers contact details but may not consistently provide direct dials, potentially hindering immediate outreach efforts.

7. Sales Tools

  • Instantly: Positions itself as a comprehensive sales tool, combining contact data, buyer intent data, and sales and marketing automation features.
  • Apollo: While valuable for sales and marketing teams, its broader focus might not provide the same level of specialized sales tools as Instantly.
Apollo Email Finder

What to Look for When Choosing the Right Lead Generation Tool?

  • Performance: Does the client optimize queries and minimize network requests for faster load times?
  • Caching: How effectively does the client cache data to reduce server load & improve response times?
  • State Management: Does the client offer built-in state management solutions or integrate well with popular state management libraries?
  • Developer Experience: Is the client easy to learn and use, with clear documentation and helpful error messages?
  • Community & Support: Is there an active community and readily available support resources for troubleshooting and learning?
  • Flexibility: Can the client adapt to your specific project requirements and integrate with your existing tech stack?
  • Cost: Does the pricing model fit your budget and offer a good value for the features provided?

Final Verdict

In the battle of Instantly vs Apollo, both clients demonstrate strengths.

However, for those prioritizing speed, simplicity, and laser-focused sales features, Instantly emerges as our top pick.

Its exceptional performance, real-time updates, and seamless sales tool integrations make it a game-changer.

Remember, the best client ultimately depends on your unique project needs and preferences.

Take advantage of free trials to experience both options firsthand and make an informed decision.

Trust our hands-on experience and insights to guide you toward the perfect GraphQL client for your next endeavor!

More of Instantly

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

  • Instantly vs Snov IO: Instantly focuses on deliverability and scalable cold email campaigns. Snov IO offers a broader suite including email finding, verification, and a CRM.
  • Instantly vs Hunter IO: Instantly offers advanced cold email sequences and campaign management. Hunter IO is primarily used for email finding and verification, with basic sending.
  • Instantly vs Reply IO: Instantly is known for unlimited warm-up and robust email-focused automation. Reply IO provides a multi-channel sales engagement platform, including LinkedIn.
  • Instantly vs UpLead: Instantly specializes in maximizing email deliverability for outreach. UpLead focuses on providing highly accurate B2B contact data for prospecting.
  • Instantly vs Mailshake: Instantly streamlines high-volume cold email campaigns with a built-in lead finder. Mailshake emphasizes personalized outreach with email and social touchpoints.
  • Instantly vs Lemlist: Instantly offers unlimited email accounts for scalable warm-up and sending. Lemlist focuses on hyper-personalization, including images and multi-channel sequences.
  • Instantly vs Woodpecker: Instantly provides unlimited email warm-up with AI-powered optimization. Woodpecker is known for its strong deliverability features and sophisticated campaign logic.
  • Instantly vs Smartlead: Instantly combines lead finding with robust campaign management. Smartlead prioritizes advanced deliverability optimization for large-scale outreach.
  • Instantly vs Saleshandy: Instantly offers an all-in-one solution for cold email automation. Saleshandy provides email outreach with deliverability tools and a lead finder.
  • Instantly vs Klenty: Instantly focuses on email deliverability and simplified campaign setup. Klenty is a sales engagement platform with deeper CRM integrations and advanced cadences.
  • Instantly vs Warmbox: Instantly integrates email warm-up within its outreach suite. Warmbox is a dedicated, specialized tool for enhancing email sender reputation.
  • Instantly vs Maildoso: Instantly emphasizes unlimited warm-up and scaling cold email. Maildoso focuses on cost-effective email infrastructure and inbox rotation for deliverability.
  • Instantly vs Manyreach: Instantly offers tiered monthly plans for features. Manyreach provides credit-based pricing with comprehensive features available from the start.
  • Instantly vs Warmy: Instantly’s platform includes a streamlined warm-up. Warmy is a dedicated deliverability tool with detailed analytics and authentication features.

More of Apollo

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

  • 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 Woodpecker: Apollo provides a large database and multi-channel outreach. Woodpecker is a dedicated cold email automation tool focused on deliverability.
  • 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Instantly and Apollo together in the same project?

Technically, yes, but it’s generally not recommended. Both clients have their approaches to managing GraphQL data, and combining them could lead to conflicts and complexities. It’s best to choose one and stick with it for a smoother development experience.

Is Instantly suitable for large-scale enterprise applications?

While it Instantly excels in speed and simplicity, it’s still relatively new. For very large and complex enterprise applications with extensive data management needs, Apollo’s mature feature set and robust community support might offer a more comprehensive solution.

Does Apollo offer real-time updates like Instantly?

Apollo doesn’t have built-in real-time updates like Instantly. However, you can achieve similar functionality using subscriptions and third-party libraries, although it might require additional setup and configuration.

Which client is better for beginners?

Instantly’s straightforward setup and intuitive interface make it a great choice for beginners. Apollo’s extensive features and flexibility can be overwhelming for those new to GraphQL, but its large community and resources offer valuable support.

Can I switch from Apollo to Instantly (or vice-versa) in an existing project?

Yes, but it will require some effort. You’ll need to refactor your code to adapt to the new client’s structure and conventions. Consider the potential migration challenges and weigh them against the benefits of switching before making a decision.