Apollo vs Nutshell: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Apollo and Nutshell to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Apollo
6.5/10
Apollo is a sales intelligence and engagement platform that combines a B2B contact database, email sequencing, a dialer and deal tracking for outbound sales teams.
Nutshell
6.3/10
Sales CRM for small and mid-sized B2B teams that combines pipelines, email sync, AI call notes and optional email marketing, SMS and proposal add-ons.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.5/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $49/user/mo Basic | $19/user/mo Foundation |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | $190/mo Foundation |
| Features | ||
| Built-in Calling | ||
| Contact Management | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Lead Management | ||
| Opportunity Management | ||
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Sales Automation | ||
| Collaboration | Not listed | |
| Marketing Automation | Not listed | |
| Mobile Access | Not listed | |
Apollo vs Nutshell cost by team size
Apollo costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Apollo | Nutshell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | $19/moFoundation |
| 5 users | FreeFree | $95/moFoundation |
| 10 users | FreeFree | $190/moFoundation |
| 25 users | FreeFree | $475/moFoundation |
| 50 users | FreeFree | $950/moFoundation |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Apollo
- Has a free plan (Nutshell does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $190/mo
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (5/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Nutshell
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for marketing teams (6/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Apollo
Pros
- Prospect database, email sequencing, dialer and enrichment come in one subscription, so teams buy fewer tools.
- The free plan has no time limit and lets a team try the full prospecting workflow.
- Reviewers rate ease of use highly, and G2 shows about 4.7 out of 5 from roughly 9,700 reviews.
- Admins can pool credits across the team and set per-user caps.
Cons
- Many reviews report inaccurate data, especially mobile numbers and contacts outside North America.
- Credits expire each cycle, phone reveals cost about eight times as much as an email, and credits are spent even on bad records.
- Support is the lowest-rated G2 subcategory, and Trustpilot shows a TrustScore of about 3.1.
- API access and SSO require the top Custom plan, and every seat must be on the same plan.
Nutshell
Pros
- Every plan includes unlimited contacts plus webchat, an AI chatbot, forms, landing pages and basic email marketing.
- Free live support on all plans, with free data migration and onboarding during the 14-day trial that needs no credit card.
- Reviewers on Capterra and G2 most often praise how easily non-technical sales teams can set up and use it.
- Pro and higher plans include native click-to-call, which logs calls automatically and can add AI call summaries, so smaller teams may not need a separate dialer.
Cons
- Reporting is the most common reviewer complaint. Users say reports lack depth and flexibility once they need more detailed insights.
- Customization is limited. Unlimited custom fields and pipelines are only on the 79 USD Enterprise tier.
- Foundation is capped at 100 open leads, and click-to-call and sales automation start at Pro, so the cheapest plan is restrictive.
- Paid add-ons for advanced marketing, messaging, prospecting, proposals and SMS can push the total cost well above the seat price.
- Reviewers say the mobile app is less capable than the desktop version.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Apollo scores higher on our CRM criteria: 6.5/10 against 6.3/10 for Nutshell. The largest gap is in Support: 4/10 for Apollo and 8/10 for Nutshell.
Apollo costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $190/mo on its Foundation plan for Nutshell, billed monthly.
Apollo has a free plan; Nutshell does not list one.
Apollo is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 5/10 for them, against 3/10 for Nutshell.
