# Apollo.io vs ZoomInfo: 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; four named ZoomInfo. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/sales/sales-intelligence-and-contact-data/apollo-io-vs-zoominfo/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo.io | 73% | #1 of 9 | 16% | 68 | 13 of 14 |
| ZoomInfo | 12% | #2 of 9 | 36% | 69 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: both first (first choices: Apollo.io, ZoomInfo) (alternatives: Clay, Cognism)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: both first (first choices: Apollo.io, ZoomInfo) (alternatives: Cognism, Lead411)
- 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)
- 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)
- Perplexity Sonar: zoominfo first (first choices: ZoomInfo) (alternatives: Cognism, Lusha)
- Llama 4 Maverick: zoominfo first (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 ZoomInfo

- "Multiple 2024 securities class actions alleging misleading investors about financial performance and using coercive auto-renewal policies" (MiniMax M2.5, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Platform covers data, intent, seller workflow and API access in one platform; most other tools specialize in one or two layers." (Muse Glimmer 30B, comparative 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.