FreshLeads.pro vs Apollo.io

Name: Apollo.io
Brand: Apollo.io
Price: 49 USD

The Problem

Why Apollo.io Falls Short for Local Business Leads

Apollo.io built an incredible platform for enterprise B2B sales teams. But their database was never designed for local businesses. Here's where the gaps show.

Enterprise-Focused Database

Apollo's database is optimized for tech companies, SaaS, and enterprise organizations. Local businesses like dentists, plumbers, and restaurants have extremely poor coverage, often below 20%.

Stale Data (6-12 Months Old)

Apollo relies on a proprietary database that updates periodically. Local business information changes frequently. By the time Apollo updates, phone numbers, emails, and addresses may be outdated.

No Google Maps Integration

Apollo doesn't pull from Google Maps at all. That means no access to the richest source of local business data on the planet, including real-time listings, categories, and location data.

Missing Critical Local Data

Apollo doesn't provide Google Maps ratings, review counts, business hours, or map categories. This data is essential for qualifying local leads and personalizing outreach.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-Side Comparison

An honest breakdown of how FreshLeads.pro and Apollo.io compare across the features that matter most for local business lead generation.

Feature	FreshLeads.pro Winner	Apollo.io
Local business coverage	Excellent (Google Maps)	Poor
Data freshness	Real-time	Database (monthly updates)
Email extraction	Yes	Yes
Phone numbers	Direct business lines	Often personal/HQ numbers
Google Maps ratings	Yes	No
Number of reviews	Yes	No
Business hours	Yes	No
Business categories	From Google Maps	Limited SIC codes
Free tier	25 leads/day	Limited free
Starting price	$17.99/mo	$49/mo
Best for	Local businesses, agencies	Enterprise B2B, tech sales
Built-in CRM	Yes	Yes (more complex)
Export to cold email tools	Instantly, Lemlist, Smartlead	Outreach integrations
Data source	Google Maps (real-time)	Proprietary database
Coverage: Dentists	95%+	<30%
Coverage: Restaurants	99%+	<10%
Coverage: Contractors	90%+	<20%

Honest Recommendation

When to Use Apollo vs FreshLeads

Both tools are excellent at what they do. The right choice depends entirely on who you're selling to. Here's our honest take.

Use Apollo.io if...

Enterprise B2B sales

You sell to SaaS companies, tech firms, or enterprise organizations
You need to find specific decision-makers at named companies
Your outreach is LinkedIn-based and needs personal emails
You need deep company firmographic data (funding, headcount, tech stack)
You want a built-in email sequencer for enterprise outreach

Use FreshLeads.pro if...

Local business lead gen

You target local businesses: dentists, contractors, salons, restaurants, etc.
You're an agency prospecting for clients in specific cities and niches
You run cold email campaigns for local services (SEO, web design, marketing)
You need real-time, verified data from Google Maps with ratings and reviews
You want to export directly to Instantly, Lemlist, or Smartlead

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about how FreshLeads.pro compares to Apollo.io for local business lead generation.

Not exactly. Apollo.io and FreshLeads serve different markets. Apollo excels at enterprise B2B sales intelligence — finding contacts at tech companies, SaaS firms, and large corporations. FreshLeads is purpose-built for local business lead generation, extracting data directly from Google Maps in real-time. If you sell to local businesses (dentists, restaurants, contractors, etc.), FreshLeads is the better choice. If you sell to enterprise tech companies, Apollo is likely the better fit.

Absolutely. Many agencies use Apollo for their enterprise B2B campaigns and FreshLeads for local business outreach. Both tools export to popular cold email platforms like Instantly, Lemlist, and Smartlead, so you can run parallel campaigns targeting different segments. The tools complement each other well rather than competing directly.

FreshLeads has significantly better local business data. Apollo's database covers less than 30% of local dentists, less than 10% of restaurants, and less than 20% of contractors. FreshLeads pulls directly from Google Maps in real-time, achieving 95%+ coverage for dentists, 99%+ for restaurants, and 90%+ for contractors. Plus, FreshLeads includes Google Maps ratings, reviews, business hours, and categories that Apollo simply doesn't have.

Yes. FreshLeads starts at $17.99/month for 600 verified leads, while Apollo's paid plans start at $49/month. FreshLeads also offers 25 free leads per day with no credit card required, making it easy to test before committing. For local business lead generation specifically, FreshLeads offers significantly better value per dollar spent.

FreshLeads works as a web application — no Chrome extension needed. You search for businesses by type and location, and we extract the data in real-time from Google Maps. This approach is actually more efficient for local lead generation because you can pull hundreds of leads at once instead of enriching them one by one from LinkedIn like Apollo's extension does.