Head to head
Apollo.io vs Cognism
As a data enrichment API, Apollo.io rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 80.1 to 60, a 20.1-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Apollo.io | Cognism |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 80.1 | 60.0 |
Specifications
| Apollo.io | Cognism | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sales engagement plus enrichment | GDPR-compliant EMEA contact data for sales teams |
| Free tier | 10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo | No |
| Pricing | Per credit (email 1, phone 8) | Annual platform contract + search tokens/credits |
| Official SDKs | 6 languages | 3 languages |
Is Apollo.io better than Cognism?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Apollo.io rates higher (80.1 vs 60). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.
Verdict in one line
Apollo.io leads by 20.1 points (80.1 vs 60) and wins 4 of 4 criteria.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 80 | 72 | |
| Reliability | 84 | 66 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 78 | 62 | |
| Accessibility | 78 | 32 |
Choose Apollo.io if… / choose Cognism if…
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (80 vs 72)
- →reliability matters most to you (84 vs 66)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (78 vs 62)
- →accessibility matters most to you (78 vs 32)
- →you want a free tier to start (10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (6 official SDKs vs 3)
- →your use case matches its focus: sales engagement plus enrichment
- →your use case matches its focus: gdpr-compliant emea contact data for sales teams
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Per credit (email 1, phone 8)
- Free tier
- 10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo
- Free$0
- Basic$49/user/mo (annual)
- Professional$79/user/mo (annual)
- Organization$119/user/mo (annual)
- Overage credits$0.20 / credit
- Model
- Annual platform contract + search tokens/credits
- Free tier
- No
- FreeNone
- Platform plansCustom (third-party: about $15k-$25k/yr entry)
- Enterprise / Diamond dataCustom (third-party: $40k-$100k+/yr)
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Apollo.io) and 2026-10-07 (Cognism).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 1
REST API (HTTPS / JSON)
Only Apollo.io · 5
OpenAPI / Swagger specificationApollo MCP serverApollo CLIllms.txt index for AI agentsCommunity-built clients (e.g. Ruby gem EnaiaInc/apollo_io), no official first-party language SDKs
Only Cognism · 2
MCP serverNo official SDKs found
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Large database (275M+ contacts, 73M+ companies) with strong US coverage (~80–88% match accuracy)
- +Aggressive pricing that undercuts ZoomInfo/Lusha-class incumbents for comparable breadth
- +Bulk enrichment endpoints (up to 10 people or companies per call) reduce call volume
- –Data accuracy drops sharply outside the US (~60–73% in EU/APAC/LATAM); stale titles common
- –Phone numbers cost 8 credits each yet user-reported direct-dial accuracy is only ~50–70%
- –Credits expire every billing cycle with no rollover and no refund on unused balance
- +Clear OAuth 2.0 client-credentials auth with documented 20-minute tokens
- +Published rate limits (500 req/min per operation) with standard RateLimit headers
- +Separate search-token and credit metering visible in response headers
- –API requires a subscription entitlement and org-level enablement
- –No public pricing or free tier; contracts commonly $15k-$100k+/yr per third-party estimates
- –No official SDKs or changelog found
Apollo.io vs Cognism: questions
- Which has better documentation, Apollo.io or Cognism?
- Apollo.io scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 80 vs 72 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Apollo.io or Cognism?
- Apollo.io scores higher on reliability: 84 vs 66 out of 100.
- Do Apollo.io and Cognism have a free tier?
- Apollo.io: yes (10k credits/mo (verified corporate domain) or 100/mo). Cognism: no free tier.
- How are Apollo.io and Cognism priced?
- Apollo.io: Per credit (email 1, phone 8). Cognism: Annual platform contract + search tokens/credits.
- Which has more official SDKs?
- Apollo.io lists 6 official SDKs, Cognism lists 3.