In brief
Apollo is a broad sales platform with a large contact database, sales engagement tools and a dialer. Buena is a narrower membership for one seller: it researches each prospect, reveals a verified work email and drafts a personal message you approve, for $97/month.
We make Buena, so read this as a vendor's comparison. Apollo facts come only from Apollo's own pricing page, checked on September 28, 2026, and the sources section links to it so you can confirm current plans.
What each tool is built for
| Area | Apollo | Buena |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A searchable database Apollo lists at 240M contacts and 30M companies | Companies, people and signals Buena finds for you, then researches one prospect at a time |
| Plans | A Starter plan Apollo describes as free forever, plus paid plans with credits | One membership at $97/month plus applicable tax; your AI service is billed separately by your provider; no free trial |
| Monthly usage | Credits that vary by plan; see Apollo's pricing page | 500 researched prospects and 500 verified work-email reveals a month; extra reveals in $29 packs of 250 |
| Outreach | Sales engagement tools, deliverability features and a parallel dialer | Available email and LinkedIn outreach tools; you approve every campaign before it sends |
| AI | An AI assistant and an Apollo MCP connection | Works through your own AI service, such as Claude Code or Codex |
When Apollo is the better choice
- You want to search a large database and build lists before you know exactly who to contact.
- Your team calls prospects and wants a dialer in the same tool as email.
- You want to start on a free plan, or several people need their own seats.
When Buena is the better choice
- You already know the kind of company you sell to and want fewer, better-researched messages.
- You want each personal line tied to the source it came from, and nothing sent until you approve it.
- You want one flat membership price for prospect research and verified work-email reveals for one member. Your AI service is billed separately by your provider.
When Buena is not the right fit
- You need more than 500 researched prospects a month, or several members on one plan. For teams, we scope a custom deployment instead.
- You don't use an AI service such as Claude Code or Codex. Buena works through your own AI service and does not include AI inference.
- You want to try the product before paying. The membership starts with your first payment.
Sources
Apollo facts come from Apollo's pricing page, checked on September 28, 2026. Plans, credits and prices change, so confirm current details there. Buena's terms are on our pricing page.