Apollo.io vs Salesforce Sales Cloud comparison

Apollo.io and Salesforce are both solutions in the Opportunity Management category. Apollo.io is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3, while Salesforce is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2. Apollo.io holds a 16.8% mindshare in OM, compared to Salesforce’s 14.6% mindshare. Additionally, 71% of Apollo.io users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.

Apollo.io

Read 6 Apollo.io reviews

627 Views
627 Comparison Views

71% willing to recommend

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Read 115 Salesforce Sales Cloud reviews

5,675 Views
511 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Apollo.io

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

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.

To learn more, read our detailed Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud

July 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 864,053 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Apollo.io

Ranking in Opportunity Management

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Ranking in Opportunity Management

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

115

Ranking in other categories

CRM (2nd), Sales Force Automation (1st), Conversation Intelligence Software (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Opportunity Management category, the mindshare of Apollo.io is 16.8%, up from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Sales Cloud is 14.6%, up from 13.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Opportunity Management

Featured Reviews

Vaibhav Patil

Digital Marketer at DigiLiterate

It makes finding your target audience easy, has a verified contact details feature, and its customer support is helpful and always available

My company used Seamless AI and Hunter.io, but I found Apollo.io more affordable based on the number of leads it gives versus what other products provide. Apollo.io has around one hundred fifty industries you can target, so it has a more extensive lead database than other products. The tool also has a more user-friendly interface and is easy to use versus other tools. You first need to learn how to use Apollo.io, which becomes pretty easy. Other advantages of Apollo.io over other products include more filters you can use to find your target audience. It also shows you verified emails and has mass email and cold call features which you can't find in other tools.

Read full review

RohitPothani

Solutions Architect at Merino Consulting Services

Enhances deal closures and have navigation and process flow features

They should also include ATP and CTP functionality. Whenever there is a sale or opportunity, sales representatives should be able to determine what is available in the inventory and how much can be delivered to the customer. For example, if I take an order today, it might take ten days to produce and deliver the product. This is the ATP. If a customer orders 100 cell phones, the CTP functionality helps determine if we can deliver that quantity. This insight is provided when ERP systems are integrated, as ERP systems handle inventory. However, even without an ERP system, this information is crucial. The ATP and CTP stock should be monitored or mentioned somewhere in Salesforce to make decisions easier for sales representatives. If my inventory has 10,000 cell phones from 8 AM to 6 PM at the start of the day, any confirmed orders should reduce this inventory count. We can monitor my inventory in real-time and decide whether to accept new opportunities based on current stock levels.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What I like most about Apollo.io is it lets you find your target audience. The tool also helps you find verified contact details, apart from allowing you to send bulk emails to people you're looking to contact."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the intent data it provides our company. I find it really interesting how Apollo.io can detect the intent of companies looking for your company's solution."

"Apollo is very user-friendly."

"I like the tool's UI. Its user experience is clear."

"The product's most valuable feature is its ease of use, especially for beginners."

"It is a scalable solution."

"Salesforce is very user-friendly, which makes it effortless to track business management reports."

"The solution can scale massively. I've been quite impressed."

"The product is very fast and responsive. There's no lag time when you are on the platform."

"I can see activity per customer. I can find out quickly and easily who was the last person I talked to, when it was, and what we were talking about."

"I would rate Salesforce Sales Cloud's scalability as very good. We have scaled from 30 to 150 within three years without a glitch."

"Salesforce is such a widespread software in terms of what it can do and its scope. Theoretically, you can run a whole company off of it. There are many valuable features, such as reporting and analytics. You can customize almost the whole environment is what appeals to so many companies the most."

"The solution is easy to use."

"The most valuable features are the reporting and the custom codes."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud pros

Cons

"What's missing in Apollo.io is a proper CRM and pipeline management system. The tool is excellent at finding contact information, but it has room for improvement in sending emails and tracking the sales pipeline."

"The solution's initial setup process could be better."

"Apollo.io still needs to work on the CRM part because it has started building some CRM infrastructure for companies to use and track their sales activities."

"They should provide a larger number of free emails."

"The solution sends callouts when not in maintenance mode, which is a headache for the people involved."

"Sometimes we get the wrong information on Apollo. They should improve the emails because we are connecting all the emails and logging on to Apollo.io."

"The user interface could be more intuitive. I had some challenges with how to convert from a lead to an opportunity."

"The reporting formats could be better."

"The product is not stable when enhancements are done to the cloud."

"I would like to see a more affordable licensing model."

"Salesforce is a powerful tool and you need specialists to create or to develop new functionalities. It is a difficult platform to learn to manage and you need years to know the whole product."

"Salesforce Sales Cloud does not integrate with Slack or WhatsApp, for example. As a result, there is no easy way to directly log a conversation with a client that occurred on one of these platforms. There are a few things that still need to be done manually in these instances."

"It might be easier if there were better integration with other sales systems or clouds that are not powered by Salesforce. For example, when we work with partners, such as Amazon or any other major tech company, sometimes we collaborate to develop a sales lead."

"I don't like the way parent-child relationships work in transactions between records in Salesforce Sales Cloud. NetSuite is a little bit more user-friendly in that sense. Salesforce Sales Cloud requires that you build everything from scratch. I don't like that. It leaves a lot of thinking and solutions to the consultants and the process is more prone to errors."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Apollo.io is more affordable than its competitors. I'm on an unlimited plan that costs $19 monthly. Nowadays, Apollo.io has a $99 plan that gives you ten thousand emails monthly. Other products would cost $2,000+ annually."

"Paid versions are likely to provide more accurate information and offer more convenience to users."

"The solution's price is reasonable."

"With my idea about the pricing aspect of Apollo.io, I feel that the solution's pricing model is super good and a steal for what the product offers."

"I've seen the prices for Salesforce Sales Cloud, but I haven't been the one to handle the money. As someone who's only visually looked at the price, I would imagine it's on the pricier side, but they do have a ton of leverage, and seeing that everyone I've worked for has always been dedicated to continuing Salesforce. I've never worked for anyone who has threatened to leave. Everyone has accepted the pricing for what they offer."

"Its license is expensive. It is probably a lot more than smaller solutions. It is around £500 a month, but I don't know how many licenses we have."

"The licensing fees are reasonable."

"The main issue is the price. Because it's SaaS, you will have to pay on a monthly or yearly basis."

"The main thing is it is costly. Salesforce it is not cheap, it's costly. Some of our customers say it is a costly solution. So, we have lost some sale opportunities regarding the high price. This is the main thing that we are facing. It is sales per user and the user price is about $150 per month, per user for the Enterprise Edition. The other edition is less than this, but it is costly. A company that has 70 or 80 users would pay more than $8,000 USD yearly because it is cloud based."

"There is a license required to use this solution and the price is expensive. It could be reduced."

"Sales Cloud is expensive."

"Being license based, the license varies by type. The pricing is considered average."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Opportunity Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Comms Service Provider

Outsourcing Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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?

Sometimes we get the wrong information on Apollo. They should improve the emails because we are connecting all the emails and logging on to Apollo.io.

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?

With today's generative AI capabilities like ChatGPT ( /products/chatgpt-reviews ), it should be possible to directly communicate with the software rather than navigating through the entire system ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Salesforce Sales Cloud?

I generally use Salesforce Sales Cloud ( /products/salesforce-sales-cloud-reviews ) for our sales process, setting up the entire opportunity lifecycle from lead generation to contract closure. It h...

See all answers

Comparisons

Pipedrive vs Apollo.io

Compared 69% of the time

monday.com for Enterprise vs Apollo.io

Compared 13% of the time

Salesgear vs Apollo.io

Compared 8% of the time

More Apollo.io Competitors

Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 23% of the time

SAP CRM vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 21% of the time

Oracle CX Sales vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle CRM vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

Siebel CRM vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

More Salesforce Sales Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Opportunity Management

July 2025

Download Apollo.io product report

Buyer's Guide

Salesforce Sales Cloud

July 2025

Download 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

July 2025

Free Report: Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud

Find out what your peers are saying about Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Apollo.io vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud report.

See our list of best Opportunity Management vendors.

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.