# Apollo.io vs Lusha: which do AI models recommend for sales intel, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Sales intelligence and contact data. Twelve of fourteen models named Apollo.io first on the direct prompt; one named Lusha. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/sales/sales-intelligence-and-contact-data/apollo-io-vs-lusha/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo.io | 73% | #1 of 9 | 16% | 68 | 13 of 14 |
| Lusha | 4% | #3 of 9 | 13% | 52 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Kimi K2: both first (first choices: Apollo.io, Lusha) (alternatives: Cognism, ZoomInfo)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Cognism, Lusha, ZoomInfo)
- GPT-5.4 mini: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Cognism, Lusha, ZoomInfo)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Clay, Cognism, ZoomInfo)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Cognism, Lusha, UpLead)
- Mistral Small: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Cognism, ZoomInfo)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Cognism, UpLead, ZoomInfo)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io, ZoomInfo) (alternatives: Clay, Cognism)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Dealfront, HubSpot Sales Hub, ZoomInfo)
- MiniMax M2.5: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Clay, Cognism, Lusha, ZoomInfo)
- GPT-6 Luna: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io) (alternatives: Cognism, ZoomInfo)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io, ZoomInfo) (alternatives: Cognism, Lead411)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: ZoomInfo) (alternatives: Cognism, Lusha)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: ZoomInfo)

## What the models said about Apollo.io

- "Apollo's data quality issues are well-documented and compound fast, with 20-30% bounce rates being its most critical weakness" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Both had LinkedIn pages yanked in 2024 for scraping violations and terms of service issues" (MiniMax M2.5, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Apollo.io: Best "All-in-One" Platform for Budget-Conscious Mid-Market Teams... Choose Apollo.io. It combines contact databases with sequencing at an unbeatable price point." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "If you're looking for a single platform that gives you both discovery and outreach, go with Apollo.io. It's the go-to all-in-one choice for mid-market teams" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Lusha

- "The credit model can feel like a trap... Users report accuracy has declined, particularly for phone numbers" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "For most SMB and mid-market teams, Lusha is the strongest overall pick" (Claude Haiku 4.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.