Apollo vs Clearbit: Best Sales Intelligence Tool 2024

Last Updated on
June 7, 2024
by
Jason Gong

This article compares Apollo and Clearbit, focusing on their capabilities as sales intelligence tools, aiming to help you select the best tool for your needs. We'll break down how each tool performs in gathering and utilizing sales data. Although these tools offer multiple features, our comparison is strictly on their sales intelligence functions. By reading our detailed comparison, you can save time and make better decisions for automating sales tasks. Learn more about Bardeen, a task copilot that automates actions to save you time and effort.

ApolloClearbit
Available Data PointsExtensive contact and company data, real-time updatesReal-time enrichment from emails or domains
Enrichment IntegrationsLimited native integrations, flexible APIWide CRM integration, easy setup
Data Quality & AccuracyStrong emphasis on data quality, extensive networkFocuses on accuracy, completeness, and timeliness
ProspectingDirect outreach capabilities, intuitive interfaceRobust filtering, requires third-party for outreach
PricingTransparent pricing model, multiple tiersPricing details require contacting sales

Available Data Points - Enhancing Lead Enrichment and Personalization

Apollo stands out with its extensive range of unique data points for leads and companies, including buying signals, tech stack, and announcement triggers, which are not commonly found in other tools.

Detailed work history and company insights on Apollo

While Clearbit offers real-time simple enrichment from websites and LinkedIn, it does not provide the advanced, targeted insights like Apollo does. Clearbit's strength lies in its real-time data updates which ensures information is current, but it lacks the depth found in Apollo's data enrichment capabilities.

Integrate Apollo with Bardeen to automate workflows and enrich leads with dynamic and comprehensive data insights from various sources.

For professionals seeking deep insights and multiple data points to enable highly personalized outreach, Apollo provides a more robust solution.

Apollo

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Apollo's enrichment data includes detailed work history and company insights.

Apollo offers a comprehensive set of data points for lead enrichment, going beyond standard contact information to provide deeper insights into a prospect's work history and their company. While email and phone are table stakes for any sales intelligence platform, Apollo stands out with its breadth of data across a large number of contacts and companies.

Key data points available in Apollo:

  • Detailed work history - Including current and past roles, job titles, and tenure at each company
  • Extensive company data - Such as industry, employee count, location, and more
  • Buying signals and tech stack - Unique insights to help personalize outreach, although level of detail can vary
  • Announcement triggers - Alerts for key events like funding rounds or leadership changes

While Apollo captures fewer data points from social platforms compared to some alternatives, the platform makes up for it in scale, with a vast database of contacts and companies to work with. The company-level insights are a differentiator, providing context to tailor messaging, but some users note hit-or-miss data quality that may not always support effective personalization.

Clearbit

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Clearbit provides a variety of company data points for enrichment.

Clearbit's enrichment feature provides a straightforward way to access key data points about a company. By simply entering an email or domain, users can quickly retrieve valuable information to help inform their sales and marketing efforts.

Notable data points include:

  • Industry-specific tags: Beyond basic industry categorization, Clearbit provides granular tags like "Information Technology & Services", "Technology", "SAAS", and "B2B".
  • Real-time data: Clearbit claims to offer up-to-date information pulled from sources like company websites and LinkedIn profiles.
  • Detailed company information: Access data such as company name, legal name, description, type (public/private), and sector.
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Enrichment Integrations - Simplifying CRM and Outreach Workflows

Clearbit provides a richer set of integrations compared to Apollo for CRM and outreach tools, supporting a wide array of platforms including HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, and Pardot.

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Clearbit's dashboard showing multiple CRM integrations

This extensive integration capability facilitates smoother workflows and potentially enhances user experience by allowing more automated data flow between systems. On the other hand, Apollo, while offering a solid API for custom integrations, limits native connections to major platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce, and only a couple of outreach tools.

For users seeking a more plug-and-play solution with extensive native integration options, Clearbit is the preferable choice. Meanwhile, for those comfortable with API usage who may not need as broad a range of CRM integrations, Apollo remains a viable option. Additionally, consider using Bardeen to automate your workflows by connecting data from Apollo or Clearbit directly to your CRM or sales engagement tools, enhancing your operational efficiency without the need for deep technical know-how.

Apollo

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Apollo offers native integrations with popular CRM and outreach tools.

Apollo offers a variety of integration options to ensure seamless data synchronization and enrichment across your sales and marketing stack. While the number of native integrations is limited, the well-documented API allows for custom integrations with other platforms.

  • CRM integrations: Apollo natively integrates with HubSpot and Salesforce, enabling bi-directional sync and database enrichment.
  • Outreach tool integrations: Apollo connects with Outreach and Salesloft for streamlined sales engagement.
  • API access: Apollo provides a comprehensive API for custom integrations with other tools in your stack.

Setting up native integrations is straightforward, with step-by-step guides available in the Apollo documentation. The API offers flexibility for more complex integration scenarios, but requires technical expertise to implement.

Clearbit

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Clearbit offers integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo and Pardot.

Clearbit simplifies data integration by connecting seamlessly with popular CRM and marketing platforms. This allows users to enrich their existing data with Clearbit's extensive B2B database, providing a more comprehensive view of leads, contacts, and accounts.

Key integration features:

  • Salesforce integration: Enrich and update Salesforce records automatically with the latest data from Clearbit.
  • HubSpot integration: Manage HubSpot integration directly within Clearbit for easy data syncing.
  • Marketo integration: Connect Clearbit to Marketo to enhance lead scoring and segmentation.
  • Pardot integration: Access Clearbit's data enrichment capabilities directly from the Pardot platform.
  • Form Shortening: Use real-time data enrichment to increase form conversion with shortened forms.
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Data Quality & Accuracy - Ensuring Reliable Outreach and Deliverability

Apollo maintains a robust data infrastructure and comprehensive documentation on data quality, which is critical for effective outreach and deliverability. Clearbit, however, emphasizes its data accuracy through specific KPIs such as coverage, completeness, timeliness, accuracy, integrity, and relevance, indicating a structured approach to data quality.

Apollo's data contributor network and engagement metrics

While Apollo sources data from a large network and updates consistently, Clearbit’s focus on diverse KPIs may offer a nuanced edge in data precision, which can be crucial depending on the business’s specific needs for data depth and breadth.

Utilizing Bardeen’s integration with Apollo can significantly boost your data enrichment process by automating workflows to enrich leads in other apps, ensuring your data remains as up-to-date and comprehensive as possible.

Ultimately, if your priority is extensive documentation and community feedback, Apollo is a strong choice. However, for those requiring detailed metrics on data quality, Clearbit’s structured approach to data accuracy might be more beneficial.

Apollo

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Apollo data quality metrics and third-party data providers.

Apollo prides itself on its high-quality data, which is critical for successful sales outreach. With accurate contact information, sales teams can improve their email deliverability and overall effectiveness of their campaigns. Apollo provides detailed documentation on their data quality and sources.

Key aspects of Apollo's data quality:

  • Extensive data contributor network: Apollo aggregates data from over 1.6M trusted sources, including Dun & Bradstreet, to ensure comprehensive coverage.
  • Frequent updates: Apollo's database is updated with over 270M new contacts and 73M new companies each month, keeping information fresh and relevant.
  • Public data crawling: Apollo enables users to add specific URLs for crawling, allowing for targeted data acquisition.
  • Engagement metrics: Apollo tracks key stats like emails delivered and bounced to provide visibility into data quality.
  • Reputable third-party providers: Integrations with leading data providers further enhance Apollo's database.

While Reddit users have mixed opinions on Apollo's data quality compared to competitors, the company's extensive documentation and data sourcing practices suggest a strong commitment to providing accurate, up-to-date information to its users.

Clearbit

Clearbit places a strong emphasis on data quality and accuracy, aiming to provide users with reliable information for their sales and marketing efforts. The company measures its data against several key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure the highest standards are met.

These KPIs include:

  • Coverage: The breadth of data available across various data points and categories.
  • Completeness: The depth of information provided for each record.
  • Timeliness: How frequently the data is updated to reflect the most current information.
  • Accuracy: The precision and correctness of the data provided.
  • Integrity: The consistency and reliability of the data across various sources.
  • Relevance: The usefulness and applicability of the data to the user's specific needs.

By focusing on these KPIs, Clearbit strives to deliver high-quality data that users can trust to inform their decision-making and outreach strategies.

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Prospecting - Boosting Lead Generation and Management

Apollo provides a more integrated solution for prospecting within its platform, supporting the creation of multiple lead lists, advanced filtering, and direct outreach capabilities.

Apollo's interface allows for seamless prospecting and list management

Clearbit, while offering powerful filtering options and the ability to enrich HubSpot contacts, requires third-party integrations for email outreach, which may complicate workflow for users seeking an all-in-one platform.

For users looking for a streamlined prospecting experience with minimal reliance on external tools, Apollo stands out as the more efficient option. To further enhance your prospecting strategies, consider using Bardeen to automate and enrich lead data across your sales tools.

Apollo

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Apollo's powerful prospecting features include advanced filters and one-click actions.

Apollo's prospecting features provide a comprehensive set of tools for building targeted lists of leads and seamlessly transitioning to outreach, all within a single platform. The intuitive interface and robust functionality make it a powerful solution for sales teams looking to streamline their prospecting efforts.

Key features of Apollo's prospecting tools:

  • Multiple list creation: Users can create and manage multiple lists of leads, allowing for targeted outreach campaigns.
  • Advanced filtering: Apollo offers a wide range of filtering options, including job titles, company size, location, and more, enabling users to build highly targeted lists.
  • Export functionality: Lists can be easily exported for use in other tools or for offline analysis.
  • Alerts and triggers: Users can set up alerts for specific events, such as job changes, to trigger timely outreach.
  • One-click actions: From the prospecting view, users can quickly access email addresses, save contacts, and perform other key actions with just a click.

By combining powerful list building, advanced filtering, and seamless integration with outreach tools, Apollo's prospecting features provide a comprehensive solution for sales teams looking to efficiently identify and engage with high-quality leads.

Clearbit

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Clearbit Prospector provides powerful filters to find relevant leads.

Clearbit's Prospector tool is a robust solution for building targeted lead lists. It offers a wide range of filtering options to help users find the most relevant prospects for their outreach campaigns.

  • Extensive filtering options: Clearbit Prospector allows users to filter leads by various criteria such as job title, company size, industry, location, and more. This enables users to create highly targeted lists based on their ideal customer profile.
  • Integration with HubSpot: As Clearbit is owned by HubSpot, it seamlessly integrates with the HubSpot CRM. Users can enrich their existing HubSpot contact lists using Clearbit's data, ensuring that their lead information is always up-to-date and accurate.
  • Multiple list creation: Users can create and manage multiple lead lists within the Prospector tool, making it easy to organize and segment their prospects for different campaigns or initiatives.
  • Export functionality: Once a targeted list is created, users can easily export the data for use in their preferred outreach tools or platforms. However, it's important to note that Clearbit Prospector does require third-party integrations to send emails directly from the tool.
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Pricing Transparency - Apollo vs Clearbit

Apollo offers more transparent and accessible pricing options compared to Clearbit.

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Apollo's clear pricing tiers

Apollo provides detailed information about its pricing structure, offering a free plan and multiple paid tiers that cater to different needs, each detailed with specific features and credits available. In contrast, Clearbit requires potential customers to contact their sales team to obtain pricing information, which could delay decision-making for companies exploring their options.

Apollo's flexibility in pricing and the ability to start with a free trial without immediate commitment gives it an edge for businesses seeking clear cost structures and immediate access to services. If you're looking to enrich and manage lead data efficiently, consider integrating Apollo with Bardeen, which can automate and enhance data workflows seamlessly.

Apollo

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Apollo offers four pricing tiers with varying credit allotments and features.

Apollo provides a range of pricing options to suit different user needs, from a free plan to paid memberships with advanced features. The pricing model is based on credits per year, with higher-tier plans offering more credits for mobile and export use.

Key aspects of Apollo's pricing:

  • Billing model: Per user, per month, billed annually
  • Free trial: 14-day trial for Basic and Professional plans, limited to 50 lead credits per user
  • Free plan: Includes unlimited email credits (10,000 per account per month), 60 mobile credits, and 120 export credits per year
  • Paid plans: Basic ($49/user/month), Professional ($79/user/month), and Organization ($119/user/month, minimum 3 users)
  • Enterprise features: Organization plan offers advanced features like API access, SSO, and customizable reports
  • Sales contact: Not required for most plans, free trial available

Clearbit

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Clearbit's pricing requires contacting their sales team.

Clearbit does not publicly disclose their pricing model or plans on their website. To get pricing information, potential customers need to contact Clearbit's sales team.

Key aspects of Clearbit's pricing:

  • Contact sales: Pricing is only available by getting in touch with a sales representative.
  • Undisclosed pricing model: It is unclear if Clearbit charges per seat, usage, or another model.
  • No public pricing tiers: Clearbit does not list any pricing tiers or plans on their site. It is unknown if they offer different feature sets at different price points.
  • Lack of free trial information: There is no mention of a free trial on the pricing page.
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Apollo

Clearbit

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Apollo

Clearbit

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Apollo

Clearbit

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Apollo

Clearbit

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Apollo

Clearbit

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Which is Best for Sales Lead Enrichment?

Apollo and Clearbit both offer unique features for sales lead enrichment, but they serve slightly different purposes. Apollo excels with its detailed work history and buying signals, making it ideal for deep insights into prospects' backgrounds and behaviors. Clearbit, however, offers real-time data and industry-specific tags which are great for quick, accurate snapshots of company data.

If you need thorough background information and detailed insights for personalized outreach, Apollo is the better choice. For updated, quick-access data across a broad range of companies, Clearbit may be more suitable. Both tools provide valuable enhancements to sales intelligence efforts, making them top contenders depending on your specific needs.

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