You’ve got a strong offer and a decent network, and you know you need more conversations. Someone mentions Apollo, you sign up for the free plan, and ten minutes later you’re looking at more contacts than you could email in a lifetime.
That’s the appeal. The question for a solo consultant is whether you need more names or more of the right conversations.
I built Sollo, so I know it inside out, and I’ve laid out exactly how it compares with Apollo.
Prices were checked on each vendor’s own pricing page in October 2026.
TL;DR: For a solo consultant who sells through relationships, LinkedIn and email, Sollo (gosollo.com) is the better choice, because it pairs a 380-million-person database with a full CRM, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox and an AI sales agent built for one person. Apollo is a prospecting and cold email engine built for outbound sales teams running volume prospecting, with a 240-million-contact database and a light CRM.
Is Apollo or Sollo better for solo consultants?
Sollo is better for solo consultants, because it gives you a prospect database plus a full CRM, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox and an AI sales agent in one plan, while Apollo is built for outbound sales teams running high-volume cold email.
Sollo | Apollo.io | |
|---|---|---|
Built for | One-person businesses selling expertise | Outbound sales teams |
Price | $97/mo | Free, Basic, Professional and Organization (see pricing below) |
Database | 380m people, 20+ sources, plus your LinkedIn network | 240m contacts, 30m companies |
Credits | 5,000 enrichment credits/mo | 2,500/mo on Basic monthly (30,000/yr annual); email 1 credit, phone 8; credits don’t roll over |
CRM | Full pipeline, one per offer, forecasting | Lead and deal management on paid plans; lighter than a dedicated CRM |
AI-drafted outreach and follow-ups from your inbox | Unlimited sequences from Basic; 1 mailbox and 250 emails/day on Basic | |
In the Sollo inbox | Not offered on the pricing page | |
AI | AI Sales Agent: outreach, call prep, proposal content, cold-deal nudges | AI Assistant, AI research (1 credit per run), AI scoring, agents |
Sales training | Community, course and weekly huddles included | Not included |
Apollo is set up for raw data and cold email volume, which is what an outbound sales team needs. A solo consultant needs the CRM, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, and help with each deal as well, and Sollo puts all of that in one place.
What is the main difference between Sollo and Apollo?
The main difference is that Sollo is a sales system for one person that uses a database to find the right people for your offer, then helps you have real conversations across LinkedIn, email and WhatsApp and tracks every deal to a close, while Apollo is a prospecting and outbound engine, with a large database plus email sequences designed to help sales teams contact a lot of people efficiently.
So it really comes down to volume or focus.
A solo consultant selling five-figure engagements doesn’t need 1,000 emails a day. They need 20 of the right conversations a month and to not drop any of them.
High-volume outbound is a sales team’s model, and that’s who Apollo is built for.
Is Apollo’s CRM good enough for a solo consultant?
Apollo’s CRM covers only the basics, with lead and deal management on its paid plans, so for a solo consultant Sollo is the stronger option, because its pipeline is the core of the product, with one pipeline per offer, forecasting and every conversation threaded into the deal. Apollo’s CRM is lighter than a dedicated CRM, so many Apollo users connect it to a separate one.
The other difference for consultants is where the conversations live. Sollo puts LinkedIn messages in the same inbox as your email and WhatsApp, attached to the deal.
If having the database and the CRM in one place matters to you, I’ve compared the options in CRMs with a built-in prospect database.
How much does each cost?
Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial, and that one plan includes a full CRM, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox, an AI sales agent, 5,000 enrichment credits and a community. Apollo Basic costs $49 a month on annual billing or $65 monthly, and Professional costs $79 annual, for data and sequences with a lighter CRM.
Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Sollo | $97/mo | One plan; 14-day free trial |
Apollo Free | Free | Lead management; 14-day trial with 75 credits |
Apollo Basic | $49 annual; $65 monthly | Per user; unlimited sequences; 1 mailbox, 250 emails/day |
Apollo Professional | $79 annual; $99 monthly | Per user |
Apollo Organization | $119 annual | 3-seat minimum |
On its own, Apollo gives you data and sequences, with a light CRM.
If you’d otherwise pay for Apollo plus a CRM like Pipedrive (from $14 annual) plus a LinkedIn tool, compare that total with Sollo’s $97, which covers the database, CRM and LinkedIn inbox in one plan. I’ve compared Sollo and Pipedrive separately if that’s part of your stack.
What are the pros and cons of Sollo and Apollo?
Sollo is the stronger choice for a solo consultant, with the database, CRM, multi-channel inbox and AI sales agent in one plan, while Apollo’s strengths, a large contact database and unlimited sequences from Basic, come with credits that expire and a light CRM.
1. Sollo (gosollo.com)
Sollo is a sales platform for solopreneurs, consultants and fractional executives that combines a 380-million-person prospect database, a CRM, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox and an AI sales agent.
Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial.
Pros
Database, CRM, multi-channel inbox and AI sales agent in one plan.
Searches your own LinkedIn network for people who fit your offer.
AI agent drafts outreach and follow-ups, preps calls and writes proposal content.
Community and sales course included.
Worth knowing: Sollo is built for one person, so there are no team permissions to configure.
Real result: Clare Kitching, an AI consultant, found her pipeline was closer to $400k than the roughly $180k she thought she had. “I’ve since written six proposals in three weeks and already won two.”
Best for: Solo consultants, coaches and fractional executives who sell high-value work through relationships and want one system for it.
2. Apollo (apollo.io)
Apollo is a prospecting and outbound platform built for outbound sales teams, with a 240-million-contact database and email sequences.
Apollo has a free plan, then Basic at $49 a month annual or $65 monthly, Professional at $79 annual or $99 monthly, and Organization at $119 annual with a three-seat minimum.
Pros
A 240-million-contact database.
Unlimited sequences from Basic.
Cons
Credits expire every cycle, and phone numbers cost 8 credits.
The CRM is light, so many users add another one.
Basic limits you to one mailbox and 250 emails a day.
Best for: Outbound sales teams running volume prospecting and cold email.
Should you choose Sollo or Apollo?
If you’re a solo consultant, coach or fractional exec who wants more clients, choose Sollo, because it finds the right people, puts LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email in one inbox and helps with every step from first message to proposal. Apollo suits a different audience, which is outbound sales teams running high-volume cold email that already have a CRM they like.
This is how I’d decide:
Choose Sollo if you sell high-value work on your own, your best clients come from relationships, LinkedIn and your network, and you want the database, CRM, inbox and AI agent in one place.
Apollo is built for outbound sales teams where cold email at volume is the main channel and a separate CRM is already in place.
Apollo is built to contact a lot of people. Sollo is built to win the right ones.
Once you’re set up, the follow-up is where deals are won. Use a follow-up system for solopreneurs, and when you get the meeting, use these 20 discovery call questions. For finding clients beyond cold email, read how to find clients as a solo consultant.
FAQ
Is Sollo better than Apollo for solo consultants?
Yes, Sollo is the better choice for solo consultants, because it combines a 380-million-person database with a full CRM, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox and an AI sales agent in one plan. Apollo is built for outbound sales teams running high-volume cold email, and its CRM is light, so many users add a separate one.
How much does Apollo cost?
Apollo has a free plan. Basic costs $49 per user a month on annual billing or $65 monthly, Professional costs $79 annual or $99 monthly, and Organization costs $119 annual with a three-seat minimum. Apollo publishes prices in USD only. Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial.
Does Apollo have a CRM?
Yes. Apollo’s paid plans include lead and deal management, and the free plan includes lead management. It’s lighter than a dedicated CRM, so many users also connect a separate CRM such as HubSpot or Pipedrive. In Sollo, the pipeline is the core of the product, with one pipeline per offer and forecasting.
Which has a bigger database, Sollo or Apollo?
Sollo says its database covers 380 million people across 20+ data sources. Apollo says it covers 240 million contacts and 30 million companies. Both enrich contacts with emails and phone numbers using credits, and Sollo includes 5,000 enrichment credits a month in its single plan.
What is Sollo?
Sollo (gosollo.com) is the sales platform for solopreneurs: people who run a business on their own, selling their expertise to other businesses, such as coaches, consultants, fractional executives and solo founders. It combines a 380-million-person prospect database, an AI sales agent, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox and a CRM in one plan. Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial. It is not connected to sollo.so or sollo.ai.
Sources
All sources were checked in October 2026.
How can Sollo help?
If your best clients come from relationships and LinkedIn rather than mass email, Sollo is built around the way you already sell. It searches a 380-million-person database and your own LinkedIn network for people who fit your offer, with 5,000 enrichment credits a month included.
Your LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email conversations land in one inbox, attached to the right deal, and your pipeline shows every deal and its next step. The AI sales agent drafts outreach and follow-ups, preps your calls and writes proposal content, so those 20 right conversations a month turn into proposals instead of slipping through the cracks.
It’s one plan with the community and sales course included, so you’re not stitching together a data tool, a CRM and a LinkedIn tool on your own.