Overview
Email tracking shows you when a prospect opens an email, clicks a link, or replies, so you can see what's resonating and adjust your outreach. Apollo tracks all three signals automatically, and it also flags likely bot activity so you can decide whether to count it in your engagement numbers.
Open and click tracking are available on some Apollo plans. If you need either one, upgrade your plan, or talk with the sales team if you have questions.
Because tracking data shapes decisions across your team, use it selectively: lean on reply tracking for the clearest signal, use click tracking when a link is the real call to action, and treat opens as directional rather than definitive once you factor in bot activity.
Check out the following sections to learn how email tracking works in Apollo.
How It Works
Apollo captures each signal differently:
- Open tracking: Apollo embeds a one-pixel image in each email, and loading that image registers as an open.
- Click tracking: Apollo rewrites links in your email to route through its servers first, then forwards the prospect to the original destination.
- Reply tracking: Apollo watches your connected mailbox for a response in the same thread and logs it automatically.
Because every click requires a link to load first, click tracking also registers an open, so you'll often see more clicks than opens on the same email.
Apollo also runs bot detection on top of these signals, since security scanners and mailbox providers often open, click, and prefetch email content automatically. Apollo flags likely-bot activity and lets you include or exclude it from your reports, so your filtered numbers show the minimum likely engagement and your unfiltered numbers show the maximum.
Regulators in France and Italy issued guidance in 2026 on the use of tracking pixels in email marketing (see the French guidance and the Italian guidance). If you market by email to residents of France or Italy, you may need prior consent for some kinds of email tracking. Review your practices, and use Apollo's GDPR settings to block tracking on emails sent to people in the European Union if you need to.
Tracking data is only as reliable as your sending reputation, so follow email deliverability best practices to keep your numbers accurate.
Apollo tracks opens, clicks, and replies the same way whether you send from a sequence, a one-off email, or the Apollo Chrome extension for Gmail.
What You Can Do
Match your goal to the best way to act on your tracking data.
| Your Goal | Best Action |
|---|---|
| See who's replying to your sequences. | Report on your sequences to see reply rates alongside opens and clicks for each step. |
| Get an accurate read on engagement. | Use analytics reports and filter out bot-flagged opens and clicks before you draw conclusions. |
| Compare performance across campaigns. | Use analytics dashboards to see open, click, and reply rates side by side across sequences. |
| Find out which messaging performs best. | A/B test a sequence step and use open, click, and reply data to pick a winner. |
Get Started
Follow this path to get tracking up and running correctly from the first email you send.
| Link your mailbox | Link the mailbox you send from. Apollo needs this before it can track opens, clicks, or replies. |
|---|---|
| Set up a tracking subdomain | Protect your sending reputation by setting up a custom tracking subdomain before you turn tracking on. If you skip this step, turn off both open and click tracking. |
| Turn on open tracking | Turn on open tracking in your settings to see when a prospect opens your email. Admins can manage tracking for the whole team from mailbox settings; otherwise, each person turns it on individually. |
| Turn on click tracking | Turn on click tracking to see when a prospect clicks a link in your email. You can turn on open and click tracking independently, depending on what you want to measure. |
FAQs
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Frequently asked questions |
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| Why do I see more clicks than opens? | How does bot filtering affect my open and click rates? | Why might Apollo flag a real open as a bot? |
| How long does it take for a reply to show up in Apollo? | Can I track emails I send from Gmail? | Why does Apollo recommend a tracking subdomain? |
Why do I see more clicks than opens?
Click tracking requires loading a link, which also registers as an open, but some mail clients and security scanners click links without actually loading the open-tracking image. That gap can make your click count look higher than your open count for the same email.
How does bot filtering affect my open and click rates?
Apollo's filtered numbers exclude activity it flags as likely bot behavior, so they show the minimum engagement you can count on. Your unfiltered numbers include that flagged activity, so they show the maximum. Your real engagement falls somewhere between the two.
Why might Apollo flag a real open as a bot?
Apollo weighs signals like IP address, user agent, timing, and engagement patterns to detect bots, and no detection system catches every case correctly. A real open can occasionally share enough of those patterns with automated activity to get flagged.
How long does it take for a reply to show up in Apollo?
Most replies appear in Apollo within 15-30 minutes of landing in your connected mailbox.
Can I track emails I send from Gmail?
Yes. Apollo tracks opens, clicks, and replies the same way whether you send through a sequence, a one-off email, or the Apollo Chrome extension for Gmail.
Why does Apollo recommend a tracking subdomain?
A custom tracking subdomain keeps tracked links branded to your own domain instead of a shared one, which protects your sending reputation and helps your emails avoid spam filters.
Learn More
Go beyond the basics to get more out of your tracking data.
| Email Deliverability Best Practices | Learn how sending reputation, authentication, and send volume affect whether your emails land in the inbox, and ultimately whether tracking data reflects real engagement. |
| Sequences Overview | See how sequences use open, click, and reply tracking together to automate and measure multi-step outreach. |
| The Apollo Chrome Extension for Gmail | Learn how to send and track emails directly from Gmail using the same tracking signals as Apollo's built-in sending tools. |