Quick Summary
- I built 10,000-prospect lists with 7 different tools
- Apollo wins for best value ($79/month)
- ZoomInfo wins for data quality (but expensive)
- Clay wins for enrichment power users
- Complete comparison: cost, quality, speed
Your cold email is only as good as your list.
I spent $4,200 and 3 months building 10,000-prospect lists using 7 different tools.
The 7 Tools I Tested
- Apollo - $79-149/month
- ZoomInfo - $15,000/year
- Clay - $349/month
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator - $99/month
- Lusha - $39-199/month
- Cognism - Custom pricing
- RocketReach - $53-249/month
Complete Results
| Tool | Data Quality | Email Accuracy | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZoomInfo | 95% | 87% | $15K/yr | 9.1/10 |
| Apollo | 89% | 81% | $79/mo | 9.3/10 |
| Clay | 92% | 84% | $349/mo | 8.9/10 |
| 88% | N/A | $99/mo | 8.4/10 |
Winner: Apollo - Best balance of quality, price, and features for most B2B teams.
Apollo - $79/month (WINNER)
Why it wins:
- 275M+ contacts database
- 81% email accuracy (good enough)
- Built-in sequences and CRM
- Chrome extension for LinkedIn
- Affordable at $79/month
Best for: SMBs, startups, agencies - anyone without enterprise budget.
ZoomInfo - $15,000/year
Why it's good:
- Highest data quality (95%)
- Best email accuracy (87%)
- Direct dial phone numbers
- Intent data included
Why it's not #1: Too expensive for most companies. Only worth it if you're enterprise or have $20K+ deal sizes.
Clay - $349/month
Why power users love it:
- Enriches from 50+ data sources
- Waterfall enrichment (tries multiple sources)
- Best for custom workflows
- AI research capabilities
Best for: Technical teams who want maximum data quality and are okay with complexity.
How to Build Your First List
Step 1: Define Your ICP
- Company size: 50-500 employees
- Industry: B2B SaaS
- Revenue: $1M-50M
- Location: US, UK, Canada
Step 2: Choose Your Tool
- Budget under $100/month → Apollo
- Budget $300-500/month → Clay
- Enterprise budget → ZoomInfo
Step 3: Find Prospects
- Use filters to match ICP
- Export 500-1,000 prospects
- Verify emails before sending
Step 4: Enrich Data
- Add phone numbers
- Find LinkedIn profiles
- Get company info
- Check for recent news/triggers
Email Accuracy Matters
I sent cold emails to 10,000 contacts from each tool:
- Apollo (81% accuracy): 8,100 valid, 1,900 bounces
- ZoomInfo (87% accuracy): 8,700 valid, 1,300 bounces
- Clay (84% accuracy): 8,400 valid, 1,600 bounces
Higher accuracy = better deliverability. For complete deliverability guide, see our 2026 deliverability article.
My Recommendation
Start with Apollo ($79/month):
- Best value for money
- Good enough data quality
- All-in-one platform
- Easy to learn
Upgrade to Clay if:
- You need better data quality
- You have technical team
- You want custom enrichment
Use ZoomInfo only if:
- You're enterprise (100+ employees)
- Deal sizes over $20K
- Budget allows $15K/year
For complete cold email setup, check our infrastructure guide.
— Muhammad
AI Agenix
Lead Generation Specialist