Quick answer: Yes, Apollo.io runs its own official MCP server at https://mcp.apollo.io/mcp. It lets Claude, ChatGPT and other AI assistants search Apollo’s people and company data, enrich records, build lists and sequences, and even send one off emails, using your own Apollo login and plan.
Before you connect: it works on any Apollo plan, including Free with a business email, with no separate MCP fee. Searches and enrichment still use your credits, and some tools can send email, so set credit using actions to approval first.
This page is part of our guide to MCP servers for recruiters. It covers what the Apollo server can do, how to connect it, what it costs, and how recruiters and agency owners use it for both candidates and clients.
What is the Apollo MCP server?
An MCP server is a bridge that lets an AI assistant use another product’s data and actions. Apollo’s server lets your assistant work with your Apollo account: search its database, pull contact details, and update your lists and sequences.
One naming note. This is Apollo.io, the sales data and outreach platform. It is not Apollo GraphQL, a developer tool that also has an MCP server. If you search “apollo mcp server” and land on GraphQL docs, you are in the wrong place.
According to Apollo’s MCP docs (updated October 5, 2026), the server lives at https://mcp.apollo.io/mcp and signs you in with OAuth 2.0, so you log in with your normal Apollo account.
Which AI assistants work with Apollo’s MCP server?
Apollo is available as a built in connector in several assistants and can be added by hand in others.
| Assistant | How you connect | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Built in connector from the directory | Beta since February 24, 2026 |
| ChatGPT | Built in Apollo app | Beta since April 29, 2026 |
| Perplexity, Replit, Cursor | Built in connector | Listed by Apollo |
| Claude Code, Claude Desktop, VS Code with Copilot, Antigravity | Manual setup with the server URL | Listed by Apollo |
Apollo announced its ChatGPT app launch on April 29, 2026. The Claude listing is in Claude’s connector directory. Both are still called beta, so expect changes.
The full list of supported clients is in Apollo’s MCP docs.
What can the Apollo MCP server do?
More than most recruiting connectors. It reads a wide range of Apollo data and can also write, including sending email. Here is the split according to Apollo’s docs.
| Read and search | Create, update and send |
|---|---|
| Search people and organizations | Create, bulk create and update contacts and accounts |
| Saved contacts, lists and deals | Create deals |
| Sequences, email campaigns, tasks and conversations | Create and update lists |
| Person and company enrichment, single and bulk | Create and update sequences, add or remove contacts |
| Company job postings | Send one off emails |
| Analytics, API usage and credit stats | Tasks, labels, imports, buying sending domains and email accounts |
There is no bulk delete tool. The Claude directory listing also shows a smaller set of 13 tools than the full server, so what you see in Claude may not match the whole list above.
The write tools are the part to take seriously. An assistant that can add contacts to a sequence or send an email can make a mistake at scale. Keep those actions on approval, which we cover below.
How much does the Apollo MCP server cost?
There is no separate fee for the MCP server. It runs on your existing Apollo plan. Our Apollo listing shows a free tier and paid plans from about $49 a month (checked September 7, 2026; confirm on Apollo’s site).
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which plans can use it? | Any plan, including Free with a business email |
| Free plan on a personal email? | Cannot search or enrich |
| Separate MCP fee? | No |
| What uses credits? | Company search, enrichment and job postings |
| What is free to call? | The other tools |
| Limits | Follow your plan and your role in Apollo |
Credit use is where costs can surprise you. Asking an assistant to “enrich this list of 200 people” is one sentence for you and 200 enrichments for Apollo. Check your credit balance before bulk requests. The server can report credit stats, so you can ask the assistant to check first.
How do I connect Apollo to Claude or ChatGPT?
For most recruiters, the built in connector is the easiest path. Here are the general steps. The exact screens may change while the connectors are in beta.
1. Check your Apollo account
Make sure you sign in to Apollo with a business email. Apollo says free accounts on a personal email cannot search or enrich.
2. Set approval rules in Apollo first
If you are an Apollo admin, Apollo recommends setting credit using actions to “Approval required” before anyone connects. Do this before step 3.
3. Add the connector
In Claude, open the connector directory and add Apollo. In ChatGPT, add the Apollo app. Sign in with your Apollo login when asked.
4. Keep send and write tools on approval
In your assistant’s connector settings, set Apollo’s write tools, especially email sending and sequence changes, to ask before acting. Read the action every time before you approve it.
5. Test with a small, read only request
Start with something like “show my saved lists” before you try search or enrichment.
Developers connecting a headless client (with no browser sign in) can use an Apollo master API key in the X-Api-Key header instead of OAuth. Apollo’s docs say scoped keys get a 403 error. API keys act as the workspace’s longest standing active admin, so treat that key like an admin password.
How do recruiters actually use Apollo through MCP?
Apollo’s database is built for sales, so its best recruiting use is often on the business development side of an agency. It also helps with candidate research, with a caveat.
| Task | What you ask the assistant | Apollo tools used |
|---|---|---|
| Find hiring clients | Which companies in my niche have open roles for X? | Organization search, job postings |
| Find the hiring manager | Who leads engineering at these 10 companies? | People search, enrichment |
| Build a BD list | Save these contacts to a list called Q4 targets | Create contacts, create list |
| Start outreach | Add this list to my intro sequence | Sequence add contacts (on approval) |
| Candidate research | Find people with this title at these companies | People search (coverage may be thinner) |
On the candidate side, set your expectations. Apollo’s data is aimed at sales buyers, so candidate coverage for some roles may be thinner than what you see on LinkedIn. Treat it as one source, not your only one. Our listing notes that data quality varies by segment.
For client development, see our guide to finding clients with Claude. For candidate work, see sourcing with Claude.
Claude prompt: find hiring clients in Apollo
Using Apollo, find up to 15 companies in [INDUSTRY] in [LOCATION] with [EMPLOYEE RANGE] employees that have open job postings for [ROLE TYPE]. For each company, show the company name, the open roles, and the most senior person in [DEPARTMENT]. Before you run any search or enrichment that uses credits, tell me how many credits it will use and wait for my OK. Do not add anyone to a sequence or send any email.
Can I use Apollo MCP alongside LinkedIn?
Apollo does not connect you to LinkedIn, and you should not try to make it. LinkedIn does not publish an MCP server, and the third party ones that run on your LinkedIn login put your account at risk. Our LinkedIn MCP guide explains what is safe.
A practical split: use Apollo through your assistant for company research, contact data and email outreach, and do your LinkedIn searching and InMail yourself inside LinkedIn. If you push Apollo contacts into a CRM, our HubSpot and Salesforce guide covers those servers.
What safety settings should agency owners turn on?
Apollo’s server can spend credits and send email, so a few settings matter more here than with read only connectors.
- Approval on credit actions. Set credit using actions to “Approval required” in Apollo, as Apollo recommends.
- Approval on every send. Keep email sending and sequence changes on “ask first” in Claude or ChatGPT.
- Roles still apply. Each user’s limits follow their Apollo plan and role, so give recruiters the role they need, not admin.
- Guard API keys. A master key acts as your longest standing admin. Only developers should use one.
- Know how to cut access. Revoke a connection in Apollo’s OAuth settings, or regenerate the API key.
- Candidate data care. Use team or business AI plans for candidate work, and follow your local rules on contacting people. Our AI hiring law checker is a starting point.
What are the alternatives to Apollo with an MCP server?
Several contact data tools in our directory run their own MCP servers. Our Apollo listing names these as the closest alternatives.
- ZoomInfo for org charts and intent, if sales already pays for it.
- Hunter for a simpler email finder and verifier.
- Clay for enrichment across many data sources.
- Instantly for heavier email sending.
See every recruiting tool with its own server in our Claude connectors list and the live MCP tracker.
Quick answers
Does Apollo have an official MCP server?
Yes. Apollo.io runs one at https://mcp.apollo.io/mcp with OAuth sign in.
Is the Apollo MCP server free?
There is no separate fee and it works on the Free plan with a business email. Searches, enrichment and job postings still use credits.
Can Apollo MCP send emails?
Yes, it can send one off emails and manage sequences. Keep those actions on approval.
Is Apollo in Claude and ChatGPT out of beta?
Both launched as betas: the Claude connector in February 2026 and the ChatGPT app in April 2026. Check Apollo’s newsroom for a general availability announcement.
Is Apollo good for finding candidates?
It helps, but its database is built for sales, so candidate coverage for some roles may be thinner than LinkedIn.
The bottom line
Apollo’s official MCP server covers a lot of ground: search, enrichment, lists, sequences and email, from inside Claude or ChatGPT, on any plan with no extra fee. It is strongest for agency business development. Set credit actions and sends to approval before anyone connects, and watch credit use on bulk requests. Compare it with other options in our MCP servers for recruiters guide, or connect our free Work Insiders MCP server to research tools from your assistant.
Sources: Apollo MCP docs, Apollo ChatGPT launch, Apollo Claude listing, Work Insiders Apollo listing.
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