# An Apollo alternative? Use Apollo data in Sashimi

Sashimi is less an Apollo alternative than a complement. Apollo provides prospect data; Sashimi is the CRM of record you run from Claude or ChatGPT. Sashimi can use Apollo as an optional data provider on your own Apollo key, and sells no data credits. If outbound from chat is all you need, Apollo's free MCP may be enough.

By Alfonso Trocolí, founder · Updated October 27, 2026

Canonical: https://sashimicrm.com/alternatives/apollo

**Sashimi and Apollo compared (as of October 18, 2026)**

| Criterion | Sashimi | Apollo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Role | CRM of record: leads, companies, deals, tasks, custom fields and sequences | Prospect data and outbound from the chat |
| Contact data | None of its own; uses Apollo as an optional provider, on your own Apollo key | A 275M-contact database |
| MCP access | One connector per workspace, with 140 tools | Official MCP on any plan including free, with no separate charge |
| AI clients | Claude, ChatGPT or another MCP client | Claude connector in beta since 24 Feb 2026; apps for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Cursor |
| Free plan | Free during the private beta; a 14-day trial with no card at launch | Yes, a free plan |
| Data credits | Sells none; import and enrichment spend Apollo credits on your own key | Pooled data credits |
| Several businesses | One isolated workspace per business, several included in one account at launch | Not checked |

## What is Apollo good at?

Data and outbound from the chat. As of 2026-10-18, Apollo's MCP page headline was "Turn your chat into an outbound engine", and it sells to SMB outbound teams and founders. It has a 275M-contact database, an AI Assistant and a free plan.

Its official MCP lets your chat search leads, enrich them, create and update contacts and accounts, build sequences and enrol people in them, manage mailboxes and deliverability, and show analytics and tasks. It is available on any plan, including free, with no separate charge, according to [Apollo's MCP page](https://www.apollo.io/product/mcp). Data credits are pooled; the vendor page shows no numbers.

If your work is finding people and emailing them from Claude, that is available at no extra charge.

## Does Apollo work with Claude and ChatGPT?

Yes. As of 2026-10-18, Apollo's Claude connector has been in beta since 24 February 2026, per [Apollo's announcement](https://www.apollo.io/newsroom/announcements/apollo-delivers-gtm-outbound-execution-to-claude), and Apollo has apps for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Cursor.

Sashimi is a different kind of MCP server. It is a CRM of record built for a model to call, with 140 tools:

- **Bulk writes.** `create_leads`, `create_companies` and `create_deals` take up to 100 rows per call.
- **Idempotent writes.** Every write tool accepts an `idempotencyKey`, so a retry with the same key never writes twice.
- **Who did what.** `list_mcp_activity` shows who called which tool and the result. Members see their own calls; admins see everyone's.
- **One connector per workspace.** Each connection sees one workspace and carries its member's permissions, the same as on the web.

## When does Sashimi fit next to Apollo?

When you need a CRM of record, not only a data source. If all you need is outbound from your chat, Apollo's free MCP may be enough.

Sashimi adds:

- **Several isolated workspaces.** Each business keeps its own leads, deals, stages, custom fields, sequences and members, under one login, with its own connector in your AI.
- **Deals and pipeline.** Your AI lists deals, moves them between stages and reports with `crm_report`.
- **Custom fields and tasks.** Members fill custom fields with `set_custom_fields`; admins create new ones.
- **A log of every AI call**, as above.
- **Sequences from your own Gmail**, in beta while Google reviews Sashimi's access.

And it works with the Apollo data you already pay for. Sashimi uses Apollo as an optional data provider, on each workspace's own Apollo key. It sells no Apollo or data credits.

## What do I give up with Sashimi?

A data source of its own, and a finished product. Sashimi is a small CRM in private beta:

- **Contact data.** Sashimi has none of its own; prospect data comes from your Apollo key.
- **An app to work in.** There is none by default; on-demand screens are coming soon, in beta. A web app remains for sign-in, settings, integration keys and Gmail.
- **Built-in agents.** They are switched off during the beta; your Claude or ChatGPT does the reasoning.
- **Gmail sending is beta.** Sequence emails go out through your own Gmail, in beta while Google reviews Sashimi's access.
- **Calling, meeting capture and an integrations marketplace.** Sashimi offers none of them.
- **A cost on top.** Sashimi is free during the private beta, by invitation only, with nothing to buy today. At launch it is priced per account with seats included, from Solo at $15 a month for 3 workspaces and 1 seat, after a 14-day trial with no card.

## How do I use Apollo and Sashimi together?

Connect your AI to Sashimi, add your Apollo key, then ask. You need a Claude plan with custom connectors (the free plan allows one; on Team and Enterprise an owner adds it) or ChatGPT with developer mode on the web. [How Sashimi connects](https://sashimicrm.com/how-it-works) has the steps.

1. Connect your AI with the [connection guide](https://sashimicrm.com/connect). Your AI app sends you to Sashimi, you choose the workspace and approve.
2. An admin adds the workspace's own Apollo key in Sashimi's settings.
3. Ask: "Find heads of marketing at hotel groups in Spain." Your AI calls `search_prospects`, which spends no credits and writes nothing.
4. Ask: "What would importing these 40 cost?" `integrations_status` estimates the credits before the batch and shows the month's use. Estimates are ranges, not invoices.
5. Ask: "Import them as leads." `import_prospects` unlocks their emails and spends Apollo data credits on your key. It dedupes by email and links or creates the company.
6. Later, `enrich_lead` and `enrich_company` fill empty fields on records you already have, and also spend Apollo credits.

A mobile number is optional. You can request it on import or when enriching a lead. It arrives minutes later on the lead record, not in the reply, and it costs extra Apollo credits.

From there the leads live in Sashimi: deals, tasks, custom fields and sequences. See [Sashimi for agencies](https://sashimicrm.com/use-cases/agencies) if you prospect for several clients. Other comparisons are on the [CRM alternatives](https://sashimicrm.com/alternatives) page.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a good alternative to Apollo?

It depends on the job. If you need prospect data and outbound from your chat, Apollo itself, with its free MCP, may be all you need. If you also want a CRM of record with deals, custom fields and isolated workspaces, Sashimi fits next to Apollo rather than instead of it.

### Can I use Apollo and Sashimi together?

Yes. An admin adds the workspace's own Apollo key in Sashimi. Your AI then searches prospects without spending credits, and imports or enriches them on that key, with a cost estimate first.

### Does Sashimi sell Apollo credits?

No. Sashimi sells no data credits. Import and enrichment spend Apollo's data credits on your own Apollo key, and the estimates Sashimi shows are ranges, not invoices.

### Are there Apollo alternatives that work inside Claude?

Apollo itself works inside Claude: as of 2026-10-18 its Claude connector has been in beta since 24 February 2026. Sashimi also runs from Claude, as a CRM of record rather than a data source.

[Request beta access](https://sashimicrm.com/beta?from=alternatives-apollo)