Short answer: Lusha is a focused contact data tool, best known for its Chrome extension that shows emails and phone numbers while you browse. Apollo is a broader sales platform that combines a contact database with email sequences, a dialer and CRM integrations. For Indian B2B sales, neither should be picked on reputation alone. Test both, ideally alongside an India-focused tool such as PeakAI, on the same sample of real Indian prospects, and choose on usable contacts and cost per contact.
The two tools at a glance
Lusha helps reps find contact details for people and companies. Its Chrome extension works on LinkedIn and company websites, and it also offers a searchable database, list building and integrations with common CRMs. It is self-serve, so an individual rep can sign up and start.
Apollo is an all-in-one sales platform. Alongside its B2B database, it offers email sequencing, a dialer, meeting scheduling, a Chrome extension and CRM syncing. Many teams use it as both their data source and their outreach tool.
Key differences that matter
What you are buying
Lusha is mainly about contact data: find the right person, get their details, move them into your CRM or outreach tool. Apollo is a platform where contact data is one part of a wider workflow. If you already have an outreach tool you like, Apollo's extra features may matter less to you.
Workflow
Lusha is built for quick lookups while you browse. Apollo can work the same way through its extension, but its strength is searching its database, building lists and running sequences in one place.
Team size and setup
Both can be started by a single rep. Apollo takes more setup if you use its sequencing and dialer, because you need to connect mailboxes, configure sending limits and build templates. Lusha is simpler to roll out if you only need contact details.
Pricing model
Both use plans with credit limits, and both have offered free tiers with restrictions. Details change often, so check each vendor's own pricing page. Ask how credits are counted for emails versus phone numbers, and whether a credit is used when nothing is found.
What changes when you sell into India
Most comparisons of Lusha and Apollo are written for North American buyers. For Indian B2B sales, look at these points too.
- Coverage of your segment. Coverage of Indian companies can vary a lot by industry, city and company size. A tool may do well for large IT services firms and poorly for regional distributors or family-run manufacturers.
- Mobile numbers. Many Indian decision-makers are most reachable on their mobile, often by call or WhatsApp. Check how often each tool returns a mobile number that reaches the right person.
- Email domains. Smaller Indian businesses sometimes use generic or free email providers instead of a company domain. See how each tool handles that.
- Freshness. People change jobs often in fast-growing Indian sectors, so check how current the records are.
- Sending setup. If you plan to use Apollo's sequencing, warm up your mailboxes and keep volumes sensible, whichever market you sell to.
How to run a fair test
- Build a sample list of real Indian prospects across your target industries, cities, company sizes and roles.
- Run the same list through Lusha, Apollo and at least one India-focused alternative.
- Record the results for each person: verified work email, mobile number, direct dial or nothing.
- Validate a sample. Send a small batch of emails and track bounces. Call a sample of numbers and check whether you reach the right person.
- Calculate cost per usable contact for each tool.
- Ask your reps which one they would actually use every day.
Decision checklist
- Which tool found more usable contacts on your Indian list?
- Which returned more working mobile numbers?
- Do you need an outreach platform, or only contact data?
- Will your team use the extra features, or pay for them and ignore them?
- Is each vendor clear about data sourcing and opt-out handling?
Who each tool tends to suit
Lusha may suit you if you want fast contact lookups while browsing, already have an outreach tool, and prefer a simple self-serve product.
Apollo may suit you if you want one platform for finding contacts and running email and call sequences, and are willing to spend time setting it up.
Neither may be the best fit if nearly all of your prospects are Indian companies and your test shows thin coverage or few working mobile numbers in your segment.
Where PeakAI fits
PeakAI is a B2B contact data tool focused on India. It finds verified emails and mobile numbers for decision-makers, including from LinkedIn profiles through a Chrome extension, so it fits the same lookup workflow many Lusha users like and can feed contacts into Apollo or any other outreach tool. If your pipeline is mostly Indian companies, include it in your trial and compare results on the same list. Check thepeakai.com for current features and pricing.
FAQ
Is Lusha or Apollo better for India?
It depends on your segment. Coverage of Indian companies varies by industry, city and company size, so the only reliable answer comes from testing both on your own prospects.
Can I use Lusha and Apollo together?
Yes. Some teams use one tool to find contact details and Apollo to run sequences. Keep your CRM as the single source of truth to avoid duplicates.
Do Lusha and Apollo have free plans?
Both have offered free tiers with limits, but plans change. Check their current pricing pages before planning around a free plan.
Which is easier to set up?
Lusha is usually quicker to start if you only need contact details. Apollo takes longer if you use its sequencing and dialer, because mailboxes and templates need setting up.
Is it legal to use these tools for prospecting in India?
Use contact data responsibly. Follow applicable privacy laws, get consent where required, honour opt-out requests, and choose vendors that are transparent about how they source data.