Is Apollo Extension the Best for Sales Prospecting? (And What to Use Instead)

Apollo.io is a dominant player in the sales intelligence space, boasting a massive database of over 265 million B2B contacts. Its Chrome extension is a core part of its offering, designed to bring valuable data and workflow features directly into the environments where sales reps spend their time, like LinkedIn and Gmail.

But is the Apollo extension the ultimate tool for your sales prospecting needs?

In this guide we look at the Apollo Chrome extension's features, pros, cons, pricing, and how it compares to leading alternatives.

What is the Apollo Extension?

The Apollo.io Chrome Extension is a lead prospecting tool that works on top of LinkedIn free account and Sales Navigator to provide access to accurate and verified emails, phone numbers, and data about company employees.

It provides detailed company profiles overviews, with in-depth insights and information about companies, including employee details and associated activities. It pulls these details from its database, which is sourced from LinkedIn, company websites, and other prospecting platforms.

Apollo Chrome Extension use cases overview

This extension helps you discover leads, enrich data, build lead lists, manage and track company accounts, and track emails. You can also create new tasks within the platform to streamline your sales processes.

Whether you’re on LinkedIn, Gmail, or Google Calendar, it will help you uncover leads and manage sales tasks without pulling you out of your workflow.

Pros and cons of using the Apollo Chrome Extension

Here's a rundown of the pros and cons of using Apollo.io extension:

Who can benefit from the Apollo Extension?

The Apollo Chrome extension is particularly valuable for sales professionals heavily involved in outbound prospecting:

• Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) & Business Development Representatives (BDRs): Who need to quickly find contact info, enrich leads, and add them to outreach sequences.

• Account Executives (AEs): Who need quick access to contact data and company insights while researching accounts or engaging prospects.

• Sales Teams Using Apollo.io: It seamlessly integrates with the core Apollo platform for list building, sequencing, and analytics.

Its main benefit is efficiency – pulling data and performing actions without leaving key platforms like LinkedIn or Gmail.

Apollo Chrome Extension privacy & data accuracy

Apollo claims high accuracy rates for its data (around 84% email match rate, 90%+ overall accuracy), leveraging real-time validation and diverse sources.

While Apollo is broadly GDPR and CCPA compliant, it claims that its Chrome Extension does not apply GDPR protections when pulling contact data from LinkedIn or websites. This means contacts from the EU or UK aren’t covered by the same safeguards when sourced through the extension.

However, there's a privacy nuance regarding GDPR: Apollo states that its Chrome Extension does not apply GDPR data protections when extracting contact information directly from LinkedIn or websites. This implies that if you use the extension to source contacts based in the EU or UK, those individuals might not have the standard GDPR opt-out or data rights applied by Apollo for that specific data capture instance.

Note 💡: Apollo advises users to manually verify the location of prospects sourced via the extension, especially if targeting EU/UK individuals, to ensure compliance with relevant data privacy regulations before adding them to outreach sequences.

Alternatives to Apollo Chrome Extension

Most modern B2B prospecting tools now offer Chrome extensions to simplify LinkedIn workflows, enrich contact data, and sync leads to CRMs. While Apollo is a strong contender, several other tools offer robust Chrome extensions for sales prospecting:

PhantomBuster Chrome Extension: A safer, smarter way to prospect

• What it is: A lead generation and sales automation platform focused on automating multi-step workflows.

• How it differs: PhantomBuster's upcoming Chrome extension (Alpha/Beta access may be available) is designed for instant contact reveals on LinkedIn, but its core strength lies in the platform's ability to automate entire sequences – finding leads via search, scraping detailed profile data, enriching info (including AI), sending connection requests, and messaging. It emphasizes user-triggered actions for safety and compliance. Offers direct 1-click sync to HubSpot from the extension.

• Pricing: Platform has a 14-day free trial; paid plans start from $56/month (billed annually).

  

Lusha

• What it is: A sales intelligence tool with a popular Chrome extension focused on providing verified B2B contact details globally.

• How it differs: Lusha emphasizes GDPR/CCPA compliance and uses community verification alongside other sources for its database. Its extension provides quick lookups on LinkedIn, websites, and CRMs. Compared to Apollo, it may have less depth in sales engagement features but a strong focus on compliant contact finding.

• Pricing: Free plan with limited credits; paid plans start at $37.45/mo (billed annually).

Kaspr

• What it is: A B2B contact finding tool with a Chrome extension, particularly known for its strong data coverage in Europe.

• How it differs: Kaspr focuses on real-time verification from 150+ sources to deliver accurate emails and phone numbers via its LinkedIn extension. It's often considered a direct competitor to Lusha and Apollo for contact lookups, with a specific edge in the EU market.

• Pricing: Free plan with limited credits; paid plans start at $49/month (billed annually).

Comparison table: Apollo vs. other Chrome Extensions

Looking for Apollo Chrome extension alternatives? Below is a comparison table detailing the features between Apollo and other extensions on the market:

If control and compliance matter most to you, PhantomBuster’s manual, safety-first approach is a better fit. On the other hand, if you like prioritizing high-volume social prospecting with built-in sequences, Apollo offers more end-to-end utility—just be ready to trade off some contact accuracy.

FAQs

Is Apollo legit?

Yes, Apollo.io, founded in 2015, is a widely used and legitimate lead intelligence and sales engagement platform trusted by numerous businesses globally. While this is a legit tool, the Apollo contact database might contain inaccurate data.

How to install the Apollo Extension for Chrome browser

1. Search for "Apollo.io Extension" on the Chrome Web Store.

2. Click “Add to Chrome” and confirm “Add Extension” in the pop-up.

3. Find the Apollo icon in your toolbar (you might need to pin it via the puzzle piece Extensions menu).

4. Click the icon and log in or sign up for an Apollo account.

Which tools does Apollo Chrome Extension integrate with?

The extension primarily overlays and interacts with LinkedIn (Free/Sales Nav), Gmail, and Google Calendar. It allows sending data to Apollo lists/sequences. While Apollo as a platform integrates deeply with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, pushing contacts directly to these CRMs from the extension overlay typically requires a paid Apollo plan (though direct-to-HubSpot push might have some availability).

Is the Apollo extension free?

Yes, the extension can be used with Apollo's free plan, which includes limited monthly credits for viewing emails/phone numbers on LinkedIn and basic Gmail/Calendar features. Advanced features like CRM sync, bulk actions, and advanced filters require a paid plan, starting around $39-$49/month (billed annually).

What's a good alternative if Apollo isn't the right fit?

The best alternative depends on why Apollo doesn't fit. If you need more automation for your entire prospecting process (beyond just lookups), PhantomBuster is designed for that. If GDPR compliance and straightforward global lookups are paramount, Lusha is a strong choice. If you primarily target the European market, Kaspr offers excellent data coverage there. Evaluate based on your specific needs for data, automation, compliance, and budget.