# Apollo.io vs UpLead: 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; zero named UpLead. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/sales/sales-intelligence-and-contact-data/apollo-io-vs-uplead/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo.io | 73% | #1 of 9 | 16% | 68 | 13 of 14 |
| UpLead | 4% | #4 of 9 | 0% | 25 | 12 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- 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 4.20: 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)
- Kimi K2: apollo.io first (first choices: Apollo.io, Lusha) (alternatives: Cognism, ZoomInfo)
- 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 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 UpLead

- "UpLead: Lowest accuracy complaint rate (~1.7% of reviews) with real-time verification and published methodology" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, first choice)
- "UpLead is frequently cited as the best mid-market option when data accuracy is critical" (Mistral Small, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend starting with UpLead or Apollo.io" (MiniMax M2.5, 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.