Updated 2026

Cleanlist vs Hunter.io

Compare Cleanlist and Hunter.io for email finding and verification. See how Cleanlist's 15+ provider waterfall enrichment delivers better coverage than Hunter's domain search.

The Quick Verdict

Hunter.io is a clean, simple email finder with built-in cold email campaigns. Cleanlist offers deeper enrichment through 15+ provider waterfall, phone finding, and advanced data cleaning that Hunter's domain-based search can't match.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

How Cleanlist and Hunter.io stack up across key capabilities.

FeatureHunter.ioCleanlist
Email finding method
Domain-based search + pattern matching
15+ provider waterfall enrichment
Email verification
Yes (<1% bounce for verified)
98% (triple verification + catch-all)
Phone number finding
Cold email campaigns
Built-in sequences
Waterfall enrichment
Catch-all email detection
Basic confidence scoring
Advanced detection + scoring
LinkedIn Sales Nav scraping
Native bulk extraction
Bulk CSV enrichment
Yes (uses credits)
Unlimited bulk CSV
ICP scoring
Custom rule-based scoring
Source transparency
Shows where email was found
Multi-source waterfall with best match
Starting paid price
$34/mo (annual)
$29/mo

Pricing Comparison

See how plans and pricing compare between the two platforms.

Hunter.io Pricing

Free$0/mo
  • -25 searches/mo
  • -50 verifications/mo
  • -500 recipients/campaign
  • -1 email account
Starter$34/mo/mo (annual)
  • -500 searches/mo
  • -1,000 verifications/mo
  • -2,500 recipients/campaign
  • -3 email accounts
Growth$104/mo/mo (annual)
  • -5,000 searches/mo
  • -10,000 verifications/mo
  • -5,000 recipients/campaign
  • -10 email accounts
Business$244/mo/mo (annual)
  • -30,000 searches/mo
  • -60,000 verifications/mo
  • -10,000 recipients/campaign
  • -20 email accounts
No per-user pricing

Cleanlist Pricing

Free$0/mo
  • 30 email credits/mo
  • 3 phone credits/mo
  • Waterfall enrichment
  • LinkedIn integration
Starter$29/mo/mo
  • 500 email credits/mo
  • 50 phone credits/mo
  • CSV import + CRM sync
  • All enrichment features
Pro$99/mo/mo
  • 2,000 email credits/mo
  • 200 phone credits/mo
  • Smart Agents + ICP Scoring
  • Priority support
Enterprise$449/mo/mo
  • 10,000 email credits/mo
  • 1,000 phone credits/mo
  • Dedicated success manager
  • Custom integrations

Honest Strengths

Where Hunter.io Wins

  • Clean, simple interface — zero training required
  • Source transparency shows where each email was found
  • Built-in cold email campaigns with sequences
  • Top-tier verification accuracy (<1% bounce for verified emails)
  • Free tier available (25 searches/mo)
  • Google Sheets add-on for inline enrichment

Where Cleanlist Wins

  • 15+ provider waterfall vs Hunter's domain-based search
  • Phone number enrichment (Hunter is email-only)
  • Higher coverage from multiple data sources
  • Native LinkedIn Sales Navigator bulk extraction
  • ICP scoring and AI-powered Smart Agents
  • Better for bulk enrichment at scale
  • Catch-all detection goes beyond Hunter's basic scoring

Who Should Use Which?

The right tool depends on your workflow and priorities.

Choose Hunter.io if you...

  • Individuals needing simple email lookup by company domain
  • Teams wanting built-in cold email campaigns
  • Link builders finding editor/writer contacts
  • Freelancers with modest outreach volumes

Choose Cleanlist if you...

  • Teams needing phone numbers alongside emails
  • Companies wanting deeper data from 15+ providers
  • Sales teams needing LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration
  • RevOps teams enriching and cleaning CRM data at scale
  • Anyone needing more than domain-based email search

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Hunter.io find more emails than Cleanlist?

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No. Hunter uses domain-based search and pattern matching from its own database. Cleanlist's waterfall enrichment checks 15+ data providers, resulting in higher coverage and more verified contacts found per search.

Does Cleanlist have cold email campaigns like Hunter?

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No. Cleanlist focuses on data quality — finding, enriching, and verifying contacts. For cold email campaigns, pair Cleanlist with a dedicated tool like Lemlist, Instantly, or Salesloft.

Is Cleanlist better than Hunter for phone numbers?

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Yes. Hunter.io is email-only and doesn't provide phone numbers. Cleanlist includes phone number enrichment across all plans.

Ready to see the difference?

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