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Apollo.io vs Salesforce Sales Cloud comparison

Apollo.io and Salesforce are both solutions in the Opportunity Management category. Apollo.io is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while Salesforce is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2. Apollo.io holds a 15.8% mindshare in OM, compared to Salesforce’s 13.7% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of Apollo.io users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.
Apollo.io
Read 14 Apollo.io reviews
  • 659 Views
  • 659 Comparison Views
81% willing to recommend
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Read 117 Salesforce Sales Cloud reviews
  • 5,296 Views
  • 530 Comparison Views
94% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

Salesforce Sales Cloud and Apollo.io compete in the CRM and sales automation space. Salesforce Sales Cloud appears more robust due to its extensive features and integrations, while Apollo.io gains an edge with its modern interface and affordability.

Features: Salesforce Sales Cloud provides customizable workflows, advanced analytics, and seamless integration with various third-party applications. Apollo.io focuses on lead generation and sales intelligence, offering data enrichment, email automation, and a user-friendly interface.

Room for Improvement: Salesforce Sales Cloud could improve its cost-effectiveness for small businesses, the steep learning curve, and the complexity of customization options. Apollo.io could enhance its integration capabilities, expand its feature set to match larger competitors, and improve its scalability for growing businesses.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Salesforce Sales Cloud offers both cloud-based and on-premise deployment options, providing extensive support and training resources. Apollo.io features a straightforward cloud-only deployment with responsive customer support but fewer customization options than Salesforce.

Pricing and ROI: Salesforce Sales Cloud generally has higher upfront costs but aims for long-term value through scalability and extensive features. Apollo.io offers a lower-cost entry point with a focus on rapid ROI through essential sales functionalities, making it more accessible for smaller businesses.

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To learn more, read our detailed Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud
September 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.8
Users find Apollo.io cost-effective and efficient, offering strong returns with accurate data, despite manual lead generation and credit changes.
Sentiment score
6.7
Salesforce Sales Cloud boosts data visibility, efficiency, team collaboration, and productivity, enhancing nonprofits' fundraising and grant competitiveness.
Comparing the price of Apollo.io to ZoomInfo, Apollo.io provides better value while maintaining data accuracy and consistently generating leads from its database of over 270 million contacts.
I would say still with the new pricing, Apollo.io is the cheapest and it gives us a positive ROI.
Many campaigns that we have run and are running deliver significant ROI thanks to the quality of the data and the options to build out very tight audiences using a wide variety of targeting filters.
For more quotes and insights, download the Apollo.io report
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a fantastic tool but requires disciplined data entry by sales personnel and operations teams to maintain data quality.
We are not just implementing Salesforce Sales Cloud; we need to understand what the customer wants to achieve in 5 to 10 years.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report
Shadrach Godwish Chukwu - PeerSpot reviewerZaharan M - PeerSpot reviewerTom Simpson - PeerSpot reviewer
NJ
Kamal Deep - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.2
Apollo.io's customer service is generally well-rated, but some users report slow responses and dissatisfaction with support efficiency.
Sentiment score
7.0
Salesforce Sales Cloud's support is efficient and helpful when paid, but free support is slow and basic.
While the support was adequate, it could be more efficient as the response time was somewhat slow.
We had issues with Apollo.io's technical support because they repeatedly provided the same responses even when our issues were different.
For more quotes and insights, download the Apollo.io report
Support requires a subscription and when taken, the service is pretty nice.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report
Shadrach Godwish Chukwu - PeerSpot reviewerMahmood Nazeer - PeerSpot reviewer
NJ
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
4.9
Apollo.io offers flexible scaling and automation, ideal for small teams, with mixed suitability for larger companies.
Sentiment score
7.7
Salesforce Sales Cloud is scalable and adaptable across organizations but faces challenges with performance and licensing impact on scalability.
They have automation capabilities for cadences and AI functionalities.
Apollo.io is not very scalable if your company has a bigger budget - you need to simply move on from Apollo.io.
Apollo.io's scalability is very good.
For more quotes and insights, download the Apollo.io report
Salesforce is highly scalable and operates efficiently.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is totally cloud native, requiring no additional effort for scalability.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report
Amran Safari Damiri - PeerSpot reviewerMahmood Nazeer - PeerSpot reviewerTom Simpson - PeerSpot reviewer
SA
NJ
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
5.5
Apollo.io is generally stable but has issues with delays, outdated displays, and a slow user interface.
Sentiment score
8.1
Salesforce Sales Cloud is stable and reliable, with high ratings, minor issues from configuration, and occasional performance slowdowns with large datasets.
The app is very heavy and takes time to load, with frequent stuttering and freezing issues.
For more quotes and insights, download the Apollo.io report
Salesforce Sales Cloud is very stable.
I have not experienced any degradation in Salesforce's performance.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report
Mahmood Nazeer - PeerSpot reviewer
NJ
SA
 

Room For Improvement

Apollo.io should improve setup, data accuracy, performance, and support while enhancing features for better user experience and satisfaction.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is complex and expensive, with user interface, integration, scalability, and customization challenges impacting usability.
When it comes to performance, it's a very heavy app now. It takes time to load, stutters, and gets stuck frequently.
I want to ensure that the information I'm getting is something I can verify because I receive questions from prospects or clients asking where I got their number.
The data accuracy needs improvement, especially compared to tools such as ZoomInfo, though Apollo.io is more cost-effective.
For more quotes and insights, download the Apollo.io report
Compared to AWS, it is slower, which could be a hindrance.
With today's generative AI capabilities like ChatGPT, it should be possible to directly communicate with the software rather than navigating through the entire system manually.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report
Mahmood Nazeer - PeerSpot reviewerAmran Safari Damiri - PeerSpot reviewerShadrach Godwish Chukwu - PeerSpot reviewer
SA
NJ
 

Setup Cost

Apollo.io offers competitive pricing with plans from $19, appealing free options, and a vast 270 million contact database.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is costly but valued for ROI, with pricing varying by edition and negotiable for discounts.
The setup process involves minimal costs and is more affordable compared to other tools such as ZoomInfo.
For more quotes and insights, download the Apollo.io report
Without negotiation, costs can become expensive.
This happened for the first time because of the new CEO, Arundhati, who revolutionized pricing strategies, allowing discounts of 60-70% for Salesforce Sales Cloud in India.
I would rate the price for Salesforce Sales Cloud as a three, where one is a high price.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report
Shadrach Godwish Chukwu - PeerSpot reviewer
NJ
Kamal Deep - PeerSpot reviewerLuís Silva - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Valuable Features

Apollo.io enhances lead generation with precise filters, CRM integration, and a resourceful free plan, boosting user satisfaction.
Salesforce Sales Cloud enhances sales efficiency with customization, integration, automation, and analytics, appealing to organizations seeking seamless processes.
I can select as many tools as I want, add APIs, link external tools, and add AI.
Previously in my line of work with Google Cloud, it was important for me to know what solutions companies were currently using, whether they already had Google Cloud solutions or were using competitors.
The fact that it combines both database and outreach tools in one place is valuable.
For more quotes and insights, download the Apollo.io report
Its easy-to-navigate interface aids in delivering clear vision and organization, especially for sales and business management.
The Einstein Analytics and the inbuilt reporting are very useful for keeping track of pipeline movement.
The biggest benefit of the Salesforce Sales Cloud is a centralized point, a centralized source of truth for customer-related information; you centralize all the information in a single database, and that's the biggest benefit.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Sales Cloud report
Mahmood Nazeer - PeerSpot reviewerAmran Safari Damiri - PeerSpot reviewerShadrach Godwish Chukwu - PeerSpot reviewer
SA
NJ
Luís Silva - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Apollo.io
Ranking in Opportunity Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Ranking in Opportunity Management
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
117
Ranking in other categories
CRM (2nd), Sales Force Automation (2nd), Conversation Intelligence Software (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Opportunity Management category, the mindshare of Apollo.io is 15.8%, up from 12.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Sales Cloud is 13.7%, down from 14.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Opportunity Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Salesforce Sales Cloud13.7%
Apollo.io15.8%
Other70.5%
Opportunity Management
 

Featured Reviews

Shadrach Godwish Chukwu - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiency improves with automation, but data accuracy needs enhancement
What I appreciate about Apollo.io most is its Chrome extension which is very user-friendly, and it has excellent sequencing capabilities that make it easier to stay consistent with outreach. The fact that it combines both database and outreach tools in one place is valuable. I utilize Apollo.io's lead scoring feature extensively. The experience with Apollo.io's CRM integration capabilities for managing pipelines is excellent. The ability to integrate with HubSpot, which I frequently use as my CRM, is outstanding. It also works seamlessly with Gmail and automation tools such as make.com or Zapier. As an SDR using Apollo.io, there is no need to copy-paste leads as everything can be automated and integrated. When leads are extracted, they automatically transfer to the CRM. This saves considerable time, and activities such as emails, calls, meetings can be automated in the CRM.
Read full review
Kamal Deep - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience exceptional project enhancements and seamless automation integration
Salesforce Sales Cloud itself is a wonderful solution, and there are two different versions: Lightning and classic. The Lightning version is a new generation version compatible with any mobile device, whether it's a phone, iPad, or any size of screen. The reporting and analytics functionalities, especially with the Einstein feature, are wonderful because it allows for analysis of data regarding your opportunity pipeline, giving insight into how long it will take to close deals. This gives a great understanding of running different levels of campaigns and defining smart workflows, where if one task is done, the other task can automatically get created and assigned to different team members. This flexibility is a key benefit of Salesforce Sales Cloud. Lead management is a great feature in Salesforce Sales Cloud because if you go for enterprise and above licenses, you can define different record types. For example, if one company is into two different businesses such as real estate and car reselling, both being opposite, this can be defined in Salesforce Sales Cloud, allowing for different workflows, fields, and mechanisms that do not affect each other's operations. The predictive insight feature known as forecasting is a very old feature of Salesforce Sales Cloud, giving predictions based on your pipeline and previous opportunity closings. The new Einstein analytics feature is more advanced and is enabled with AI, providing better forecasting based on your current pipeline. Salesforce Sales Cloud is working smartly with AI to help close more deals based on opportunity stages, trends, and industries, advising on the steps to take next. Lead generation is the most important thing because every sale starts from the lead. At the lead level, different stages and resources can be defined. You can capture leads from various resources, with Salesforce Sales Cloud offering a web-to-lead feature and integrations with LinkedIn to fetch data. Once a lead is qualified and converted into opportunities, there are stages with percentages, and workflows can help in easily closing deals.
Read full review
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
University
9%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business54
Midsize Enterprise26
Large Enterprise40
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Apollo.io?
The product's most valuable feature is its ease of use, especially for beginners.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apollo.io?
We are using the free version of the solution.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Apollo.io?
There was an issue with Apollo.io earlier this year or sometime last year when there was a breach regarding its use on LinkedIn, and many people were unhappy about it. They were actually removed fr...
See all answers
What do you like most about Salesforce Sales Cloud?
The features of Sales Cloud most useful for testing and running email campaigns are highly valuable.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Salesforce Sales Cloud?
From a customer perspective, it's a very stable system, and people are used to its functionalities, good and bad. Improvement, in my opinion, would be to include AI functionality in a simpler way; ...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Salesforce Sales Cloud?
For managing two different things, I'm managing some sales pipeline, the pipeline of sales of some products, and also doing marketing automation for after-sales.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 4% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Apollo.io
September 2025
Apollo.io reportDownload Apollo.io product report
Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Sales Cloud
August 2025
Salesforce Sales Cloud reportDownload Salesforce Sales Cloud product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Sales Cloud, SFDC, Salesforce
 

Overview

The sales intelligence and engagement platform to crush your sales numbers every quarter. Use our data of over 220 million contacts and 30 million companies to find and engage your future customers at the right time with the right message in our all-in-one platform.

Apollo.io

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a comprehensive CRM platform designed for efficient lead management, sales forecasting, and customer engagement, offering extensive customization and cloud-based accessibility.

Aimed at enhancing business efficiency, Salesforce Sales Cloud supports core business processes like CRM, lead and opportunity management, sales forecasting, and customer engagement. Its robust integration capabilities allow seamless connectivity with ERP systems and various applications. The platform offers pipeline tracking, process automation, and advanced sales cycle management. Users appreciate its cloud-based accessibility, allowing teams to operate remotely and manage sales operations effectively. However, users highlight concerns about its complexity, cost, and the need for a more intuitive interface.

What features does Salesforce Sales Cloud offer?
  • Customization: Tailor the CRM to meet specific business requirements.
  • Robust Reporting: Comprehensive analytics and data insights.
  • Lead Management: Efficiently manage and convert leads.
  • API Integration: Seamless connectivity with multiple applications.
  • Cloud Accessibility: Work from anywhere with cloud-based access.
What benefits should be evaluated in Salesforce Sales Cloud reviews?
  • Enhanced Productivity: Streamline sales processes with automation.
  • Improved Collaboration: Facilitate team coordination and client engagement.
  • Accurate Forecasting: Make informed decisions with reliable sales forecasts.
  • Flexibility: Accommodate diverse industry needs with ease.
  • Legacy System Integration: Efficiently update and integrate with existing systems.

Salesforce Sales Cloud is widely implemented across industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail, supporting sales teams in tracking and managing sales operations. Its use extends to reporting, collaboration, and enhancing client interactions, allowing companies to tailor Salesforce to meet industry-specific requirements efficiently.

Salesforce
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Kuoni Global Travel Services, Financial Times, Just Eat, Jobsite, H.R. Owen, PlayerLayer, O2, DMGT, Philips, Xtreme.ie, Business Stream, Remote Asset Management, Dialogue Group
Buyer's Guide
Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud
September 2025
Free Report: Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud
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We monitor all Opportunity Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.