Skip to content
Sign inBook a demoStart free trial

Best Proxycurl Alternatives

Proxycurl shut down on July 4, 2025 after LinkedIn's lawsuit. Here are 6 Proxycurl alternatives built on verified, licensed, multi-provider data, from $39/mo. The best replacement →

Start free trialSee pricing

Last updated By Victor Paraschiv

The short answer

Proxycurl permanently shut down on July 4, 2025 after LinkedIn sued its parent company over scraping profiles with fake accounts. Cleanlist AI is our pick to replace it: rather than a single LinkedIn scraper, it enriches through a multi-provider waterfall of licensed and aggregated data with built-in verification (98% emails, 85% phones), available as an app from $49 per seat a month, a REST API on Pro at $89 per seat a month, and an MCP server.

10,000+ users, from founders to full sales teams

  • Switched fromZoomInfo
  • Case study
  • HackerOneSwitched fromApollo
  • Switched fromClay
  • Case study
  • Sumo LogicSwitched fromClay
  • Switched fromApollo
  • Case study
  • Switched fromZoomInfo
  • Switched fromZoomInfo

6 Best Proxycurl Alternatives After the Shutdown (2026)

Cleanlist AI is the Proxycurl replacement we recommend in 2026: a multi-provider waterfall of licensed and aggregated data with verification built in, available as an app from $49 per seat a month, a REST API on Pro at $89 per seat a month, and an MCP server. If you are here because your Proxycurl integration stopped returning data, the reason is that Proxycurl permanently shut down on July 4, 2025 and its APIs are offline.

**What happened to Proxycurl.** In January 2025, LinkedIn (Microsoft) sued Proxycurl's parent company, Nubela, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleged that Nubela created hundreds of thousands of fake LinkedIn accounts to scrape millions of profiles, including non-public data, and resold that data through the Proxycurl API. Rather than fight prolonged litigation as a bootstrapped company, Proxycurl settled and wound the product down on July 4, 2025. LinkedIn's complaint sought destruction of the scraped data.

**Why this matters for your data pipeline.** Proxycurl's differentiator was live LinkedIn profile scraping, which is exactly the mechanism that ended it. Any replacement built on the same approach, scraping LinkedIn through automated or fake accounts, inherits the same single-method legal exposure. Proxycurl's own founder concluded afterward that LinkedIn data is still not safe to build on. The safer path is a provider that does not depend on a single scraping method: licensed and aggregated data from multiple sources, so no single legal or technical shock can take your pipeline offline overnight.

**What a safe Proxycurl replacement looks like.** If you are migrating off Proxycurl, prioritize three things: continuity (a live, funded product that will still be here next quarter), sourcing that does not hinge on scraping LinkedIn through fake accounts, and built-in verification so the contact data you get is actually deliverable. We compared the six alternatives below against those criteria.

How much do Proxycurl alternatives cost?

The entry price of every tool on this list, from each vendor's own pricing page. Cleanlist AI starts at $49 per seat a month, and every seat adds its credits to one balance the whole team shares.

Starting priceVerified Oct 3, 2026 · re-verified monthly
Starting price, free tier, contract and notes for every tool on this list
ToolStarting priceFree tierContractNotes
Cleanlist AI$49/seat/mo (Pro: $89/seat/mo)14-day Pro trial, 250 credits, up to 3 seats; then 50 credits/mo freeMonthlyLicensed + aggregated waterfall; REST API + MCP
ProxycurlShut down (July 2025)NoDiscontinuedAPIs offline since July 4, 2025 after LinkedIn lawsuit
Apollo.io$49/user/mo (annual)YesMonthly or annual-
Clay$185/mo (Launch)Free plan, 100 data credits/moMonthly or annualIncludes 2,500 data credits/mo; $167/mo billed annually
ZoomInfoNo platform price. GTM AI credits from $20ZoomInfo Lite, 10 credits/moAnnual upfront is standard-
RocketReach$27/user/mo (annual)5 free lookupsMonthly or annual-

Which features does each Proxycurl alternative include?

Each row is a tool and each column a capability. We checked every tick and dash against the vendor's own pricing or product page on September 1, 2026. If a vendor doesn't say, the cell reads “Not published”.

Capability check6 tools · 6 capabilities
Which capabilities each tool publishes
ToolEmail dataPhone dataCRM integrationChrome extensionAPI accessFree tier
Cleanlist AIYesYesYesYesYesYes
ClayYesYesYesYesYesYes
Apollo.ioYesYesYesYesYesYes
ZoomInfoYesYesYesYesYesYes
RocketReachYesYesYesYesYesNot published
UpLeadYesYesYesYesYesNo

Published and checkedNot offeredNot published by the vendor

What Cleanlist AI runs for you.

One sentence to Clu builds an agent. Every Monday it finds 500 new people who match your ICP in 1B+ profiles, gets their emails and phone numbers from 25+ providers, verifies them, adds them to your sequence and posts the run to Slack. Every capability below is in the 14-day Pro trial.

Clu and agents

Tell Clu the job. An agent runs it every week and posts the run to Slack.

  • GTM agent you talk to. Clu, in the app (⌘J) and in Slack
  • Agents on a schedule or a CRM trigger. Weekly, daily or the moment a CRM record changes
  • Runs and approvals in Slack. Every run posts to a channel, a DM or your inbox
  • AI research and qualification per lead. Research and Qualification skills, 5 credits a lead
  • ICP scoring. Fit score 0 to 100 with the reasons

Search

Search 1B+ profiles for free. Pay only for the contacts you enrich.

  • People search. 1B+ profiles, and search is free
  • Company search. Industry, headcount, funding stage, location
  • Chrome extension. LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Salesforce and HubSpot

Enrich and verify

25+ providers in one waterfall. A lookup that finds nothing costs nothing.

  • Waterfall enrichment. 25+ providers, stops at the first verified result
  • Verified work emails. 98% on the 500-lead benchmark, 1 credit each
  • Phone numbers. 85% on the same benchmark, 10 credits each
  • Email verification. Syntax, DNS, MX, SMTP and catch-all checks
  • A miss is free. 0 credits when nothing comes back

Sequences

Email from your own inbox and call tasks in one sequence.

  • Email sequences. From your own Gmail or Outlook, on every paid plan
  • Call tasks. Call tasks with an agent-written call script

CRM, MCP and API

Write straight to your CRM, or run Cleanlist AI from Claude and ChatGPT.

  • Two-way CRM sync. HubSpot and Salesforce
  • Push to a sales engagement tool. Salesloft and Lemlist
  • MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT. 30+ tools, from the Starter plan
  • REST API. From the Pro plan

Pricing

Published prices. Every seat adds credits to one shared balance.

  • Free plan. $0, 50 credits a month, up to 3 seats
  • Free trial. 14 days of Pro, 250 credits, up to 3 seats
  • Paid plans from. $49 per seat a month, $37 billed annually
  • Credits shared and rolled over. One team balance, unused credits roll over
Start free trialSee pricing

6 best Proxycurl alternatives in 2026

Compared on data accuracy, price and features.

1. Cleanlist AI: Best for former Proxycurl users who need continuity and a sourcing model

Cleanlist AI: Former Proxycurl users who need continuity and a sourcing model that does not depend on scraping LinkedIn through fake accounts, with verified email and phone returned via API or MCP.

Cleanlist AI replaces Proxycurl's single-scraper model with a multi-provider waterfall of licensed and aggregated data, with verification built in. Because it does not depend on one scraping method, it routes around the kind of single-source shock that took Proxycurl offline. Enriched, verified data is available in a dashboard, through the REST API, or via the MCP server.

  • Clu and agents that run on a schedule or a CRM trigger
  • People and Company Search over 1B+ profiles at 0 credits
  • Waterfall across 25+ providers with SMTP and catch-all verification
  • Sequences with email and call steps
  • HubSpot and Salesforce sync on Pro and Enterprise
  • MCP server (30+ tools, from Starter) and REST API (from Pro)

Strengths

  • 98% verified work emails and 85% phone numbers on our own 500-lead benchmark
  • Every seat adds its credits to one shared balance, and unused credits roll over
  • Built-in triple email verification eliminates bounces
  • Search, enrichment, verification, scoring and sequences in one workspace

Limitations

  • Newer platform, smaller brand recognition than enterprise incumbents
  • No built-in dialer

2. Clay: Best for technical RevOps teams and growth hackers

Clay: Technical RevOps teams and growth hackers who want maximum flexibility to build custom data workflows.

A data enrichment and workflow automation platform that lets you build custom prospecting workflows by combining 150+ data providers. Think of it as a spreadsheet-meets-automation tool for GTM teams.

  • 150+ data provider integrations
  • AI-powered data cleaning
  • Custom workflow builder
  • Waterfall enrichment (DIY)
  • Claygent AI research agent

Strengths

  • Unmatched flexibility, build any enrichment workflow you can imagine
  • Access to 150+ data providers in one interface
  • AI agent (Claygent) can research prospects automatically

Limitations

  • Steep learning curve, requires technical setup for complex workflows
  • Two meters to budget, actions and data credits
  • Not turnkey, you must build and maintain your own workflows
See detailed Cleanlist AI vs Clay comparison

3. Apollo.io: Best for startups and mid-market teams

Apollo.io: Startups and mid-market teams that want prospecting + outreach in a single tool on a moderate budget.

An all-in-one sales intelligence and engagement platform with a 240M+ contact database, built-in email sequencing, and a free tier. Popular with startups and mid-market teams for combining prospecting and outreach in one tool.

  • 240M+ contact database
  • Built-in email sequencing
  • Chrome extension
  • AI-powered lead scoring
  • CRM integrations

Strengths

  • Large database with decent email coverage for North America
  • All-in-one platform: prospecting, sequencing, and analytics
  • Generous free tier for individual reps

Limitations

  • Waterfall lookups can use credits even when nothing is found, per Apollo's API docs
  • Per-user pricing gets expensive as teams grow
  • UI has become bloated as features accumulate
See detailed Cleanlist AI vs Apollo.io comparison

4. ZoomInfo: Best for enterprise sales orgs with large budgets that need intent data and deep firmographics

ZoomInfo: Enterprise sales orgs with large budgets that need intent data and deep firmographics.

The enterprise leader in B2B contact and company data. ZoomInfo offers the largest proprietary database with intent data, org charts, and advanced filtering. Best suited for large sales orgs with enterprise budgets.

  • 500M+ professional profiles
  • Buyer intent signals
  • Org chart visualization
  • Advanced company filtering
  • AI email generation and intelligent dialing

Strengths

  • Largest B2B database with deep firmographic data
  • Intent data helps prioritize accounts showing buying signals
  • Org charts make it easy to map decision-maker hierarchies

Limitations

  • No published platform price, and most paid plans bill annually upfront
  • Data accuracy can be inconsistent for SMBs and international contacts
  • Per-seat pricing makes it cost-prohibitive for growing teams
See detailed Cleanlist AI vs ZoomInfo comparison

5. RocketReach: Best for individuals and recruiters who need affordable email lookups with decent coverage

RocketReach: Individuals and recruiters who need affordable email lookups with decent coverage.

A contact lookup tool with 700M+ profiles that focuses on email finding and verification. Popular with recruiters and sales teams for individual contact lookups.

  • 700M+ professional profiles
  • Email and phone finder
  • Chrome extension
  • Bulk lookup via CSV
  • API access

Strengths

  • Large database with good email coverage
  • Affordable entry-level pricing for individuals
  • API available for custom integrations

Limitations

  • Phone number accuracy is significantly lower than email
  • No enrichment waterfall, single-source data
  • Limited company-level data and firmographics
See the best RocketReach alternatives

6. UpLead: Best for mid-market teams that prioritize data accuracy and want technographic targeting

UpLead: Mid-market teams that prioritize data accuracy and want technographic targeting without enterprise pricing.

A B2B prospecting platform focused on data accuracy with 95%+ email verification guarantee. UpLead offers technographic data and real-time email verification at search time.

  • 95%+ data accuracy guarantee
  • Real-time email verification
  • Technographic data (16K+ technologies)
  • Intent data
  • CRM integrations

Strengths

  • Strong accuracy guarantee, credits refunded for bounces
  • Good technographic data for targeting by tech stack
  • Transparent, no-contract pricing

Limitations

  • Smaller database than ZoomInfo or Apollo
  • Phone number coverage is limited
  • Credits can run out quickly on lower plans
See the best UpLead alternatives

Hunter.io: Cleanlist AI treats it as a supplier to its waterfall, so it is credited here and left out of the ranking above. Cleanlist AI is not scored against it.

What does Cleanlist AI cost compared with a raw profile-scraping API?

Cleanlist AI charges per returned record across a 25+ provider waterfall. Starter is $49 per seat a month with 750 credits per seat, Pro is $89 per seat with 1,500 credits per seat and REST API v2 with about 30 endpoints, and every seat adds its credits to one shared balance. One credit buys a verified work email, 10 buys a phone number, 11 buys both, and nothing is charged when a lookup comes back empty. People Search and Company Search run at 0 credits with no export meter. Cleanlist AI measured 98% verified work emails and 85% phone numbers across 500 stratified B2B leads in its 500-Lead Enrichment Benchmark, 2026. Annual billing takes 25% off every seat.

Which Proxycurl alternative should you pick?

One pick per use case. Where another tool is the better choice, it gets the pick.

  1. Best for continuity and compliant enrichment via API

    A licensed and aggregated multi-provider waterfall with verification, available as an app from $49 per seat a month, a REST API on Pro at $89 per seat a month, and an MCP server. Not dependent on a single LinkedIn scraper, so it will not vanish overnight.

    Cleanlist AI

  2. Best for all-in-one prospecting with a database

    Apollo bundles a large contact database with sequencing at a low entry price. A practical landing spot for teams that also want outreach.

    Apollo.io

  3. Best for spreadsheet-style enrichment with many providers

    Clay lets you wire multiple providers into a table. More control, but you bring provider keys and the bill scales with usage.

    Clay

  4. Best for enterprise database and intent

    If you need the largest licensed database plus org charts and intent, ZoomInfo is the enterprise-grade option, at enterprise pricing and annual contracts.

    ZoomInfo

Why Proxycurl Shut Down, and What It Means for Your Pipeline

Proxycurl's product was a LinkedIn profile data API: send a profile URL or a name and company, and it returned structured JSON scraped from LinkedIn. That live-scrape capability was its differentiator, and it was also its single point of failure. In January 2025, LinkedIn sued Proxycurl's parent company, Nubela, alleging it used hundreds of thousands of fake LinkedIn accounts to scrape millions of profiles, including non-public data. Rather than fight a multi-year case against Microsoft as a bootstrapped company, Proxycurl settled and shut down the API on July 4, 2025. LinkedIn's complaint sought destruction of the scraped data.

The lesson for anyone building a data pipeline is about architecture more than any one vendor. A provider whose entire product depends on a single scraping method can be taken offline by a single lawsuit or a single change to a website's defenses. When that happens, every integration built on it breaks at once, with no fallback. Proxycurl's own founder wrote afterward that LinkedIn data is still not safe to build on, and that legal does not mean safe.

A multi-provider waterfall is a fundamentally different architecture. Cleanlist AI enriches through 25+ licensed and aggregated data providers, so no single source, and no single sourcing method, is a point of failure. If one provider changes terms or goes away, the waterfall routes around it. That is the structural reason a licensed, aggregated model is the safer replacement for a single scraper. See the waterfall enrichment page for how the cascade works, and the API and MCP server for how to wire it into what you had built on Proxycurl.

Migrating Off Proxycurl: A Practical Path

Most Proxycurl usage was programmatic, so the migration is mostly an API swap. Where Proxycurl took a LinkedIn URL and returned a scraped profile, Cleanlist AI's REST API v2 takes an email, a LinkedIn URL, or a name plus company and returns an enriched, verified record through the waterfall. People and company search is available via POST /search/people and POST /search/companies, and enrichment via POST /enrichment/person and POST /enrichment/company. For teams that had automated Proxycurl through scripts or agents, the Cleanlist AI MCP server exposes the same endpoints as tools that connect to Claude in one click.

The other half of the migration is verification. Proxycurl returned whatever it scraped; Cleanlist AI verifies every email for deliverability before returning it, so you are not paying to send to addresses that bounce. If you were post-processing Proxycurl output through a separate verification tool, you can retire that step. For a broader comparison of replacement providers, see our best B2B data enrichment APIs guide.

Frequently asked questions

What teams ask before they move off Proxycurl.

Did Proxycurl shut down?

Yes. Proxycurl permanently shut down on July 4, 2025, and all of its APIs are offline. The shutdown followed a lawsuit LinkedIn (Microsoft) filed against Proxycurl's parent company, Nubela, in January 2025. Any integration built on Proxycurl is now broken and needs to migrate to another provider.

Why did Proxycurl shut down?

LinkedIn sued Proxycurl's parent company, Nubela, in the Northern District of California in January 2025. The complaint alleged that the company created hundreds of thousands of fake LinkedIn accounts to scrape millions of profiles, including non-public data, and resold it through the API. As a bootstrapped company, Proxycurl settled and wound down rather than fight prolonged litigation with Microsoft.

Is the Proxycurl API still working?

No. The Proxycurl API has been fully offline since July 4, 2025. Existing integrations return errors and must be migrated. If you are relying on Proxycurl for LinkedIn profile or contact data, you need a replacement provider now.

What is the best Proxycurl alternative in 2026?

Cleanlist AI is our pick as the best Proxycurl alternative. Instead of scraping LinkedIn through a single method, it enriches contacts through a multi-provider waterfall of licensed and aggregated data with built-in verification (98% verified emails, 85% phone numbers), and it is available as an app from $49 per seat a month, a REST API on Pro at $89 per seat a month, and an MCP server. Because it does not depend on one scraping approach, it is not exposed to the single legal shock that took Proxycurl offline.

Is scraping LinkedIn legal now?

It is contested and risky. Following the hiQ v. LinkedIn litigation, scraping data from public web pages is not automatically a Computer Fraud and Abuse Act violation, but that does not make LinkedIn data safe to build a business on. Proxycurl's own founder concluded afterward that LinkedIn data is still not safe to build on, and using fake accounts to reach non-public data is what draws lawsuits. A provider built on licensed and aggregated data avoids that single-method exposure.

What should former Proxycurl users switch to?

Migration options split into two camps. Scraping successors replicate Proxycurl's approach and inherit the same legal exposure. Licensed and aggregated providers source data differently and are the safer path for continuity and compliance. Cleanlist AI is in the second camp: a multi-provider waterfall with verification, available via app, REST API, and MCP, so both your developers and your non-technical teammates have a usable path off Proxycurl.

Head-to-head comparisons

Run the shortlist on your own list.

Every workspace starts with 14 days of Pro: 250 credits, up to 3 seats and every Pro feature.

Start free trialBook a demo

14 days of Pro, free.