In one line: Apollo is a large B2B contact database with email sequences, a dialer and AI features, built mainly for companies with a sales team. RenewSell is an AI agent that searches the live web for overseas buyers, checks each one, reaches them from your own email, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, and handles the replies and inquiries.
Everything said about Apollo here comes from its website and help center, checked on 2026-10-23. Sources are listed at the end. Prices and features change, so check Apollo's site for the current details.
At a glance
| Apollo | RenewSell | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Contact database plus sales tools | AI agent that runs the whole prospecting workflow |
| Finding buyers | Filter its own database (240M+ contacts, 30M+ accounts, per its website) | Live web search from a one-sentence description; each company checked against every criterion with cited pages |
| Customs import/export data | Not mentioned on its homepage, data page or pricing page | Find importers and exporters by product, HS code, country and date; see trade partners, categories, trends and countries; 3 credits per returned row, nothing charged when nothing is found |
| Email sequences; Microsoft and other providers from Professional | Your own Gmail, Outlook or other mailbox, from Starter; every address verified before sending | |
| Sequence steps become tasks that a person completes on LinkedIn | Sent automatically from your connected account within a daily limit, from Scale | |
| Listed as a channel on the homepage; no usage documentation found | Send and receive from your own WhatsApp number, from Scale | |
| Phone | Dialer; US dialing on Professional, international on Organization | Not offered |
| Replies and inquiries | No documentation found on automatic reply handling; homepage lists website visitor, form and chat tools | One inbox for replies and new inquiries from every channel; the AI answers first and hands you buyers ready to order |
| Pricing model | Per seat; billed annually Basic $49, Professional $79, Organization $119 per user per month | Per plan, not per seat; Starter $49 (2 seats), Scale $99 (5 seats), Pro $199 (20 seats) per month |
| Credits | Per year: Free 900, Basic 30,000, Professional 48,000, Organization 72,000; unused credits expire each billing cycle | Per month: Free 300, Starter 5,000, Scale 12,000, Pro 30,000; searching and evaluating are free, failed tasks are refunded |
| Interface languages | English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian | English, Chinese |
| Billing currency | USD | USD |
Finding buyers: database filter or live search
Apollo's strength is scale. The database is ready, filtering is fast, and contacts come with titles and emails. Its website does not describe coverage by region. If your buyers are importers, distributors and wholesalers in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia or Africa, such companies are often thinly covered in general B2B databases, so try a few target markets on the free plan first.
RenewSell keeps no fixed database. You describe the buyers you want, for example "LED lighting importers and distributors in Germany with their own brand". A dedicated agent searches the web company by company and checks each of your criteria separately, citing the page it relied on. Only companies that pass every criterion count as qualified leads and cost credits.
RenewSell also includes customs import/export data. Search by product, HS code and country to find companies that have actually imported that kind of product, then see which suppliers and countries they buy from and whether their imports are growing. Customs records can be one of the sources when you look for buyers, or you can query them directly through the API and MCP. We found no customs or trade data on Apollo's website.
Reaching out: who sends, and from which account
Both can send email sequences from your own mailbox. The difference is LinkedIn and WhatsApp. In Apollo, LinkedIn steps are done by hand. In RenewSell, one sequence relays email, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, all from your own accounts, and the remaining steps are cancelled as soon as the buyer replies.
For exporters this matters: many buyers in the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa prefer to do business on WhatsApp.
After the reply: who answers
RenewSell puts replies to your outreach and new inquiries from buyers in the same inbox. The AI answers first and collects requirements, then hands you buyers who are ready to order and notifies the bots you choose. A time-zone gap no longer means answering a day late.
We found no documentation of automatic reply handling on Apollo's website, so this page does not compare it.
Which one to choose
Apollo fits better if your buyers are mainly in North America or are tech companies, you need a phone dialer and intent signals, or you already have a sales team and only need a large contact database.
RenewSell fits better if you are a manufacturer or trading company without a dedicated prospecting team, you want buyers who customs records show actually import your kind of product, your buyers are spread across countries and use LinkedIn or WhatsApp, and you want one flow from finding buyers to answering them, paying only for qualified buyers and completed work.
They also work together: look up contacts in Apollo, and use RenewSell to find importers and distributors the database does not have and follow up across channels.
FAQ
What is the main difference between RenewSell and Apollo?
Apollo is built around a ready-made contact database (240M+ contacts and 30M+ accounts, per its website) that you filter, export and sequence. RenewSell has no fixed database. It searches the live web for companies that match a one-sentence description, checks each one against your criteria with cited sources, then an AI agent handles outreach and replies.
Can Apollo send LinkedIn messages?
According to Apollo's help center, LinkedIn steps in a sequence are tasks that a person completes on LinkedIn and then marks complete in Apollo. RenewSell sends from your connected LinkedIn account automatically, within the daily limit you set.
Does Apollo have customs data?
As of 2026-10-23, Apollo's homepage, data page and pricing page do not mention customs or import/export trade data; the signals it lists are intent, job changes and website visits. RenewSell can query customs import/export records by product, HS code and country to find companies importing a given product, and show their suppliers, categories, trends and countries.
How do the two charge?
Apollo charges per seat. Billed annually, Basic is $49, Professional $79 and Organization $119 per user per month (Organization needs at least 3 seats). RenewSell charges per plan, not per seat. Starter is $49/month with 2 seats, Scale $99 with 5 seats and Pro $199 with 20 seats. Searching and evaluating are free; credits are only spent on qualified leads and completed tasks.
When is Apollo the better choice?
When your buyers are mostly in North America or are tech companies, when you need a phone dialer or intent signals, or when you already have a sales team and only need a large contact database.
Does Apollo have a Chinese interface?
As of 2026-10-23, Apollo's help center lists English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian as interface languages, without Chinese. RenewSell has English and Chinese interfaces.
Sources
- Apollo pricing (checked 2026/10/23)
- Apollo vs ZoomInfo (Apollo article with annual prices and yearly credits per plan) (checked 2026/10/23)
- Apollo homepage (checked 2026/10/23)
- Apollo data (checked 2026/10/23)
- Apollo help center: Complete LinkedIn tasks in a sequence (checked 2026/10/23)
- Apollo help center: Configure your profile settings (interface languages) (checked 2026/10/23)
- Apollo terms of service (checked 2026/10/23)
- RenewSell pricing (checked 2026/10/23)