Effective prospecting software is essential for SaaS companies to thrive in today’s competitive market. With B2B buyers often entering the sales process already informed, SaaS teams face long sales cycles, complex decision-making, and the challenge of identifying high-quality leads. Modern tools like Closely, Apollo.io, and Outreach.io address these pain points with AI-driven features, multichannel outreach, and data enrichment.
Here’s a quick summary of the tools covered:
- Closely: Focuses on LinkedIn automation, lead scoring, and data enrichment. Pricing starts at $49/month.
- Apollo.io: Offers extensive lead databases, multichannel outreach, and CRM integration. Free plan available; paid plans start at $49/month.
- Outreach.io: Enterprise-level AI for deal forecasting and sales automation. Pricing is custom, often exceeding $100/month.
Key Takeaways:
- Closely is ideal for LinkedIn-heavy workflows and smaller budgets.
- Apollo.io suits teams needing a large contact database and affordable multichannel tools.
- Outreach.io is best for enterprise teams requiring advanced AI capabilities and deep CRM integration.
Choosing the right tool depends on your team’s goals, budget, and sales complexity.
9 Best B2B Lead Generation Tools in 2025 (Ranked & Compared)
1. Closely
Closely is a prospecting platform designed specifically for SaaS teams, blending AI-driven automation with multichannel outreach tools. It’s built to tackle the complex and often lengthy B2B sales cycles common in the SaaS industry. Let’s take a closer look at how Closely reshapes prospecting for SaaS companies.
AI-powered lead scoring
Closely uses advanced AI to analyze prospect behavior and assign lead scores, enabling sales teams to focus their efforts on the most promising leads. The system evaluates various data points – such as firmographic details, engagement history, and intent signals – to automatically rank leads based on their potential to convert.
This approach has delivered impressive results: SaaS teams report up to a 40% increase in qualified leads and a 25% reduction in manual prospecting time [2]. The AI continuously improves through user interactions and campaign outcomes, ensuring lead prioritization aligns with your ideal customer profile and evolving conversion patterns.
Data enrichment and verification
Closely enhances prospecting by enriching data from a wide range of public and proprietary sources. Its Lead Finder tool streamlines LinkedIn research across various platforms like Search, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter, while also processing CSV uploads. This tool enriches leads with over 30 real-time data points, including job titles and company details [1].
To further ensure accuracy, the platform’s Email Validator checks email addresses, reducing bounce rates and safeguarding sender reputations – a critical feature for SaaS companies that rely heavily on email-based campaigns [1].
By automating these processes, companies using Closely see a 52% boost in LinkedIn engagement rates and save approximately 15 hours per week on manual outreach tasks [1]. The enriched data not only improves targeting but also refines messaging for better results.
LinkedIn and multichannel automation
Closely simplifies LinkedIn outreach by automating tasks like connection requests, follow-ups, and messaging. Its safety features – such as warm-up modes, daily caps, and smart limits – ensure automation mimics human behavior, helping users achieve 40–50% connection acceptance rates and reply rates of over 20% [1].
"LinkedIn’s algorithm learns your natural behavior over time. The more established this pattern is before automation, the more leeway you’ll have later." – Guillaume Portalier, Automation Expert [1]
Beyond LinkedIn, Closely supports email outreach as part of its multichannel strategy, resulting in a 35% increase in response rates [1]. A unified inbox consolidates LinkedIn and email replies, ensuring no leads are missed. Plus, its AI-powered personalization creates tailored, natural-sounding messages, helping SaaS teams achieve 3x more connections with the right prospects [1]. This multichannel approach is particularly effective for navigating the prolonged B2B sales cycles in SaaS.
Integration with US SaaS ecosystems
Closely integrates effortlessly with leading CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and GoHighLevel [1]. This ensures all prospecting activities align seamlessly with broader sales and marketing efforts, keeping data centralized and consistent across the sales stack.
For SaaS teams needing customization, Closely offers webhook capabilities and white-label options, making it easy to tailor workflows or connect with proprietary systems. Starting at $49 per user per month, its pricing model scales with team size and feature needs [2].
With an average rating of 4.7/5 on G2 from over 350 reviews, users frequently highlight its intuitive campaign builder, LinkedIn automation, and excellent customer support [2]. Additionally, Closely complies with major US data privacy regulations like CCPA, giving SaaS companies the confidence to scale their prospecting efforts while staying compliant [2].
2. Apollo.io
Apollo.io is a comprehensive sales intelligence platform that brings together prospecting, engagement, and analytics in one place. With its extensive database, Apollo has become a go-to tool for SaaS sales teams aiming to refine their go-to-market strategies and improve efficiency [3][14].
AI-Powered Lead Scoring
Apollo’s AI-driven lead scoring system evaluates thousands of data points to pinpoint prospects who are most likely to convert. It takes into account factors like company size, technology stack, website activity, and previous interactions. By analyzing your team’s historical performance – tracking stages like "Succeeded", "In Progress", or "Not Succeeded" – Apollo creates dynamic scoring models that adapt over time, instead of sticking to rigid rules [4]. Businesses using tools like Apollo report a 54% boost in lead generation [8].
"Having used other scoring solutions, Apollo’s scores are in a league of their own due to their wealth of data. Setting up score models is a breeze, and the results are lightning-fast." – Kaleb Jessee, VP of Sales, Talent Quest [5]
Apollo also allows teams to build custom scoring models by blending their CRM data with Apollo’s insights, which include demographic, firmographic, and behavioral data. With real-time lead scores, sales reps can quickly prioritize prospects and understand why each lead is ranked the way it is [5]. Combined with Apollo’s data enrichment and multichannel outreach, this feature streamlines prospecting even further.
Data Enrichment and Verification
Apollo enriches over 100,000 leads daily, helping SaaS companies keep their prospect data accurate and up to date [10]. It supports enrichment through multiple methods, such as CSV uploads, CRM integrations, and API endpoints for custom workflows. Its Data Health Center flags outdated or incomplete information, like missing email addresses, and gives teams the option to refresh their databases automatically or as needed [9][10].
The platform’s Waterfall Enrichment feature digs through Apollo’s database and third-party sources to fill in missing details, such as verified email addresses and phone numbers. Internal tests show how quickly this feature updates contact data [12]. For SaaS companies dealing with the challenge of data decay – where 70.3% of B2B data becomes outdated each year – this functionality is invaluable. For instance, SuccessCoaching.co, a small B2B SaaS training firm with just eight employees, used Apollo’s enrichment tools to build a $750,000+ sales pipeline and close several six-figure deals [12].
"Apollo enriches everything we have: contacts, leads, accounts…And we don’t really have to touch it, it just works." – Mark Turner, VP of Revenue Operations, Built In [10][11]
LinkedIn and Multichannel Automation
Apollo.io enhances prospecting workflows with automation, seamlessly integrating with LinkedIn and Sales Navigator through its Chrome extension [13]. This extension makes it easy to prospect directly from LinkedIn, whether working with individual profiles or in bulk. Users can add contacts to sequences, send emails, or sync data with their CRM – all without leaving LinkedIn [13].
Its multichannel sequences combine LinkedIn, email, and phone outreach into a single workflow. Apollo’s AI personalizes outreach messages for each channel while maintaining the human touch essential to B2B SaaS sales. Results speak for themselves: Brew Interactive achieved a 60% response rate, and Afriwise saw reply rates jump by 200% in just one week using Apollo’s AI-powered tools [7]. Users report booking five times more meetings and doubling email open rates, while Apollo delivers four times more phone numbers compared to basic prospecting tools [3].
Integration with US SaaS Ecosystems
Apollo connects seamlessly with leading CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, ensuring smooth data flow and efficient workflows [4][8]. High-profile companies such as Stripe, Rippling, DocuSign, and Autodesk use Apollo to power their sales efforts, with roughly half of its revenue coming from US-based businesses [6]. For teams with specific needs, Apollo also provides API endpoints, enabling the creation of custom enrichment workflows [9][10].
With over 9,000 reviews and a 4.7/5 rating, Apollo enjoys strong user satisfaction across its features [3]. Pricing starts with a free plan, which includes 100 CRM enrichments per month, and scales up to the Organization plan at $119 per user per month for enterprise-level features [12].
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3. Outreach.io
Outreach.io is an AI Revenue Workflow Platform designed to streamline sales processes for SaaS companies. By processing over 3 billion signals and analyzing more than 33 million action–outcome pairings each week, the platform provides a strong foundation for AI-driven sales insights [16]. These insights power a range of advanced features that help sales teams prospect and engage more effectively.
AI-Powered Lead Scoring
Outreach uses AI-driven predictive analytics to achieve an impressive 81% accuracy in forecasting deal closures [16]. By analyzing a variety of data – like engagement signals, firmographics, and intent intelligence – the platform segments audiences based on factors such as industry, job title, and real-time buying behavior [15]. It automatically prioritizes prospects, suggests specific actions, and creates tailored content to improve success rates. For example, in 2025, Guild Mortgage adopted Outreach’s AI-powered lead generation tools, enabling its loan officers to quickly identify high-value leads, cut down on manual follow-ups, and personalize outreach across multiple channels. The result? Doubled lead response times and faster deal closures [15].
"Now that our people are using Outreach, they’re contributing even more data to our system. This helps further optimize our sales workflows, which helps win more deals, which makes them want to use Outreach more, and so on." – Gemma Currier, Senior Vice President of Retail Sales Operations [16]
Data Enrichment and Verification
Outreach’s Smart Data Enrichment Service connects seamlessly with leading data providers like ZoomInfo and SalesIntel, breaking down data silos and ensuring smooth integration. It also offers Data Enrichment for Snowflake, which uses first-party signals to go beyond standard CRM data [20]. These features allow SaaS companies to enhance prospect records, craft more personalized emails, and identify new prospects that align with their Ideal Customer Profile. In August 2025, Outreach expanded its offerings to include data sharing with both Snowflake and Databricks, enabling the creation of custom dashboards with pre-processed data tables [21].
LinkedIn and Multichannel Automation
The platform simplifies LinkedIn prospecting by integrating activities like profile views, post interactions, InMail messages, and connection requests into a unified task list. Outreach also provides templated LinkedIn messages with automatic personalization and combines LinkedIn and email outreach into a single workflow [18][21]. In March 2025, Outreach further enhanced its multichannel capabilities by integrating with Zoom Mail. This new feature allows teams to sync calendars, send emails directly from Outreach via Zoom, and coordinate meetings more efficiently [22].
Integration with US SaaS Ecosystems
Outreach seamlessly integrates with major US SaaS CRMs like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics, offering real-time, bi-directional data synchronization [17][19][20][21]. Activities such as calls and emails are automatically logged in Salesforce, ensuring smooth conflict resolution. By May 2025, the Microsoft Dynamics integration included full forecasting capabilities, and by August 2025, tools like the Scenario Planner and Pipeline Movement Report were fully supported. The platform also connects with data warehousing solutions like Snowflake and Databricks and offers an embedded experience in SAP Sales Cloud, allowing sellers to manage prospecting tasks without leaving their current environment.
"Revenue teams need a unified platform that simplifies workflows and helps them win consistently. In many cases, they’re forced to juggle multiple disconnected tools that only slow them down. That’s why we’re excited to team up with Outreach to help sellers get more done with less effort across the revenue cycle." – Brendan Ittelson, Chief Ecosystem Officer, Zoom [22]
Advantages and Disadvantages
Choosing the right tool for SaaS sales efficiency requires a clear understanding of each solution’s strengths and limitations. The decision will depend on factors like your team’s size, budget, and specific prospecting requirements.
| Software | Key Advantages | Primary Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Closely | • AI-driven personalization with LinkedIn and email automation • Transparent, credit-based pricing starting at $49/month • White-label options • 24/7 chat support with a dedicated success manager |
– |
| Apollo.io | • Extensive contact database with over 275 million entries and 95% accuracy • Free plan with robust features • High G2 rating of 4.8/5 • Affordable pricing |
• Limited LinkedIn automation requiring manual input • Lack of clarity around AI credit usage • Interface can overwhelm new users |
| Outreach.io | • Enterprise-level AI processing 33 million action-outcome pairings weekly • 81% deal closure prediction accuracy • Broad CRM integration options |
• Custom pricing often exceeding $100/month • CRM sync issues that can hinder productivity • Steep learning curve and slow product updates |
These features and limitations also impact compliance and integration, particularly in the U.S. market.
US-Specific Compliance and Integration Benefits
With 19 different privacy laws set to take effect in the U.S. by 2025, data compliance has never been more critical. In 2024 alone, non-compliance fines reached $1 billion, underscoring the importance of robust systems to handle Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) for 130 million consumers [25].
Apollo.io stands out as a cost-effective option for growing teams. A user on Capterra shared their experience:
"Easy to use tool that has a lot of built-in functionality for automating outreach. I checked the database against some information that we had about our prospects, and it seemed pretty accurate." – Aryan, S. on Capterra [23].
Operational Impact on Sales Teams
While Outreach.io’s enterprise focus delivers advanced AI capabilities, it can also create operational hurdles. For example, CRM syncing issues have been reported:
"The HubSpot ↔ Outreach sync breaks every two weeks … it’s affecting BDR productivity." – Vamsi C., RevOps Manager [26].
Additionally, dialing features have caused frustrations for some users:
"Dialing features are not great … we show as spam 15-20% of the time." – Ethan R., SDR [26].
Learning curves also vary between platforms. Apollo.io, while generally intuitive, can overwhelm users with its extensive features. Outreach.io, on the other hand, demands a significant onboarding investment. One user noted:
"Onboarding takes time, and our account manager changed 3 times in 4 months." – Greg D., CRO [26].
ROI and Performance Considerations
Outreach.io has shown impressive results, including a 45% improvement in forecast accuracy, a 30% reduction in sales cycles, and a 9% average revenue increase – while reducing costs compared to managing multiple tools [24].
Apollo.io also shines in multichannel outreach. Research shows that adding one extra touchpoint can boost the chance of booking a meeting by 14%, with additional touchpoints increasing meeting rates by up to 24% [24]. However, its AI capabilities may lag behind platforms specifically designed with AI at their core [27].
Support and Scalability Factors
Customer support quality varies significantly among these platforms, which can directly affect sales prospecting continuity. While some Apollo.io users have praised its features, others have criticized the support:
"Cool tool, but complicated UI and terrible support." – Tyler S. [27]
Closely stands out with 24/7 chat support and a dedicated customer success manager, offering immediate assistance. Outreach.io, despite its extensive support resources, sometimes struggles with high account manager turnover, which can disrupt service.
For teams needing quick responses, Closely and Apollo.io provide accessible support during U.S. business hours. Outreach.io, however, may require scheduling for more complex issues. The right choice will depend on whether your team values real-time support or can manage within a structured framework.
Final Recommendations
When choosing prospecting software for your SaaS company, it’s essential to find a solution that aligns with your specific needs, budget, and growth goals. Here’s a breakdown of some top recommendations tailored to different priorities:
For AI-driven personalization and LinkedIn automation, Closely is a strong contender. At $49/month, it offers transparent, credit-based pricing, white-label options, and 24/7 support, making it a dependable choice for teams focused on advanced automation.
If your team is budget-conscious but needs robust features, Apollo.io provides excellent value. With access to a vast database of over 275 million contacts and multichannel capabilities, it starts at just $49/month. This combination of affordability and functionality is ideal for growing teams that want effective prospecting without breaking the bank.
For teams targeting newly funded prospects, Fundraise Insider can be a game-changer. A Head of Sales at an Enterprise SaaS company shared:
"Fundraise Insider was a game changer for our SaaS sales, we’re hitting companies right when they have fresh capital and growth mandates. Our conversion rate increased 180% when we started timing outreach around funding announcements" [28].
Priced at a one-time fee of $59, it’s a cost-effective tool for timing outreach to maximize impact.
If simplicity and ease of use are your priorities, HubSpot Sales Hub is a standout option. A Sales Manager at a Growing SaaS company noted:
"HubSpot’s free tier was perfect for getting started, and the marketing sales alignment features helped us improve lead conversion by 35%" [28].
With plans starting at $18/month, HubSpot offers a seamless CRM integration that’s perfect for teams seeking an intuitive platform without unnecessary complexity.
For small businesses with tight budgets, consider Pipedrive at $9/month or Hunter.io at $35/month. These tools focus on essential features, offering straightforward interfaces that avoid the complications of larger enterprise systems.
Given that sales professionals spend 6–8 hours per week on prospecting – and 40% consider it their biggest challenge – these tools can significantly boost efficiency, improving productivity by up to 300%. Additionally, with bad data costing B2B companies an average of $611 per contact record [28], choosing a platform with reliable data verification and regular updates is critical to maintaining high-quality leads.
FAQs
How does Closely’s AI-powered lead scoring help SaaS sales teams work more efficiently?
Closely’s AI-driven lead scoring tool takes the guesswork out of SaaS sales by analyzing and ranking leads based on their likelihood to convert. This means sales teams can concentrate their energy on the most promising opportunities, saving time and getting more done.
Using advanced AI insights, the system pinpoints important patterns and behaviors, helping teams prioritize leads with greater accuracy. The result? Higher response rates, improved efficiency, and the ability to close deals faster and with more confidence.
What are the key benefits of using Closely for LinkedIn and multichannel outreach in B2B sales?
Using Closely for LinkedIn and multichannel outreach in B2B sales brings a range of benefits to the table. It seamlessly integrates LinkedIn and email outreach into unified campaigns, which can lead to better response rates and stronger engagement with potential clients. By automating personalized messages across multiple platforms, Closely not only simplifies the prospecting process but also saves you valuable time.
What’s more, Closely offers detailed analytics through a single dashboard. This feature allows you to monitor campaign performance and make data-driven adjustments with ease. With its all-in-one setup, Closely enhances lead generation, simplifies follow-ups, and boosts overall sales efficiency, making it a powerful tool for B2B sales teams.
How does Closely maintain accurate data and comply with US data privacy laws?
Closely places a strong emphasis on maintaining data accuracy and adhering to US data privacy laws. It achieves this through regular security audits, clear processes for obtaining user consent, and a straightforward, transparent privacy policy. These steps ensure that all data is managed responsibly and in line with legal requirements.
On top of that, Closely enforces strict protocols to safeguard user information, staying aligned with the most current privacy regulations. This dedication not only protects sensitive data but also helps foster trust with its users.