Apollo alternative
An Apollo alternative built for European SMEs.
Apollo's strength is volume: a large contact database and fast sequencing built around the US market. For European SMEs running signal-led outbound, you get the sequence but not the why-now, and verification on Dutch and UK SME contacts runs 12-25% bounce. Hooklyne ships the missing layer: European contacts waterfall-verified across 21 providers, scored buying signals, and first-draft outreach written in your rep's voice.
You probably came here because
- Bounce rates are eating your sender domain.
- Sequences read generic, response rates show it.
- The signal you needed last week is in a different tab.
- You're researching prospects yourself instead of selling.
Still running Apollo for European outbound? The rest of this page is worth reading.
Free trial, no card
Test it against your Apollo workflow on 10 real prospects.
Send us a sample list. We build 10 fully researched packages - no card, no contract. Compare the output side by side before you decide anything.
Try for freeWhere Apollo breaks for SMEs
Three things Apollo wasn't built for.
Apollo is a fine fit for US enterprise teams running high-volume outbound on a wide TAM. Below 50 FTE in NL, BE, DACH and UK, the model leaks where it counts.
Built to research, not to send.
Apollo is a sending engine on top of a US-first contact database. Hooklyne is a research workflow that produces the prospect package before anything goes out. If your bottleneck is volume, Apollo is fine. If your bottleneck is reply rate, the volume tool is the problem.
European coverage, four-layer verification.
Apollo's NL, BE, and DACH coverage runs thinner than its US numbers because the source mix is wrong for European SMEs. We waterfall across 21 providers and run four deliverability checks (SMTP, catch-all, role, deliverable) before a contact ships, so the cold email actually clears the bar.
A signal layer Apollo doesn't have.
Funding, hiring, leadership change, expansion, launch, sector and press signals scored against your ICP. Each prospect arrives with a why-now reason that an Apollo CSV can't tell you, sourced and citable so the email writes itself in the rep's voice.
Head to head
Hooklyne vs Apollo, row by row.
Ten dimensions that actually matter, an honest verdict per row - including where the competitor still wins.
Contact database size
Apollo
270M+ contacts (largest single source)
Hooklyne
Waterfall across 21 providers
Apollo wins on raw row count. Hooklyne wins on per-row verification.
European SME coverage
Apollo
US-shaped database, thinner in NL/BE/DACH
Hooklyne
Source mix tuned for EU SMEs
Email verification
Apollo
Built-in, single-source
Hooklyne
4 layers: SMTP, catch-all, role, deliverable
Cold-list bounce rate
Apollo
≈12–25% on EU SMEs (typical)
Hooklyne
≈3–5% (verified before ship)
Buying-signal layer
Apollo
Not included
Hooklyne
7 categories, double-scored vs your ICP
Outreach personalisation
Apollo
Variable fill-ins from your data
Hooklyne
4 reasoning passes, voice-matched per rep
Sending infrastructure
Apollo
Built-in sender + warm-up + sequencing
Hooklyne
You send from your own inbox and domain
Apollo wins on out-of-the-box volume. Hooklyne keeps your sender reputation in your hands.
GDPR / EU compliance
Apollo
US-shaped, configure-your-own
Hooklyne
EU-built, no scraping, sourced citations
Typical SME spend
Apollo
€49–119 per seat / month
Hooklyne
€39–239 / month, flat plan pricing
Apollo can be cheaper at one seat. Hooklyne tends to be cheaper at three or more.
Support model
Apollo
Self-serve, tiered support packages
Hooklyne
Founder-led onboarding, replies inside 4 hours
Where Apollo still wins
Apollo is the right choice if you run high-volume US outbound, need a built-in sender, and care more about row count than per-prospect quality. For most NL and UK SMEs under 50 FTE, the verification gap and missing signal layer cost more than the database size saves.
Simple pricing.
Simple credit system. Every action priced transparently. Switch plans or cancel anytime.
Start
Solo rep. Test and validate your outbound. Self-serve.
Growth
1-2 reps. Full pipeline. Setup call included.
Scale
Small sales team. Volume outbound. Up to 5 reps.
Switching FAQ
Common questions about leaving Apollo.
What if Hooklyne doesn't work for our team?
Try first, contract second. Ten prospects fully built, no card, no commitment. If the output doesn't earn replies you wouldn't have got otherwise, you walk. We'd rather have honest feedback than a customer who isn't a fit.
I already pay for Apollo. Why would I add another tool?
You wouldn't add. Most trials replace Apollo entirely on the small mid-market side, where Apollo's density is weakest and where Hooklyne's research-first model has the most lift. Trials run on ten prospects, free, before any switch.
Is Apollo's data better than Hooklyne's?
Apollo has more rows. Hooklyne has fewer rows, scored harder. For US enterprise, Apollo wins on coverage. For Dutch and UK SMEs, Apollo's verification fail-rate runs roughly 12-25% on cold lists; ours is closer to 3-5% because we waterfall across 21 providers instead of relying on a single database.
Does Hooklyne send the email or just write it?
Hooklyne stops at the drafted message in your inbox. You send from your own sender, your own domain, your own warmed reputation. We don't run the sending layer on purpose - that's where bulk tools chew up your domain.
What about GDPR?
We're built in the Netherlands, no scraping, every claim sourced and citable. Contacts come from public profiles and verified provider data, not behavioural data harvested from logged-in sessions. No dark patterns, no lookalike audiences.
Apollo is cheap per row. Is Hooklyne the same?
No. Apollo is priced for volume, Hooklyne is priced for outcome. One Hooklyne credit produces a fully researched, verified, message-ready prospect. Most teams replace Apollo and a separate ChatGPT or agency line item with one Hooklyne plan and come out lower total cost.
What is Apollo.io and who is it built for?
Apollo is a US-built sales engagement platform with a large contact database and built-in email sequencing. It works best for high-volume outbound with US or enterprise targets. The database is deep in North America and noticeably thinner in Europe - particularly for SME-sized companies in the Netherlands, UK, and DACH. Verification rates on European cold lists run between 12 and 25% bounce, which is high enough to damage a sender domain over time.
Is cold email GDPR-compliant?
B2B cold email is legal under GDPR when you have a legitimate interest, a clear opt-out, and you are emailing someone at a business address in a context relevant to their role. What is not legal is scraping personal data or buying lists of private individuals. Hooklyne uses publicly sourced business contacts, ships every claim with a citable source, and does not rely on scraped or behavioural data.