Hunter vs Lead Gibbon (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Hunter: it is first in our ranking of lead and email finders, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hunter grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hunter
Email finder and verifier with cold email sequences built in
Lead Gibbon
Email finder and B2B lead database that charges per verified email
Which one is for you
Pick Hunter if
- Fits if your team needs work emails, not phone numbers
- Works for teams where lots of people need lookups, since team members are unlimited on every plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you cold call, as there are no phone number lookups
- Tight if you pay monthly, since unused credits reset each month and don't roll over
- Pricey if you send from lots of inboxes, with extra connected accounts from $10 a month each
- Tight if you're staying free, as 50 credits a month won't last a working week
- Watch out: API-only access is a separate product, the Data Platform, with its own bulk credits
Pick Lead Gibbon if
- Fits if you are a small team that wants to pay only for emails that verify
- Works for people who want a no-contract monthly plan
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for 15 credits a week, if you do more than a few lookups
- Not for you if you need phone numbers or an API, as the pages list neither
- Skip it if you want to send at volume, as sending uses your Gmail and its limits
- Watch out: team discounts are by email request, and no annual plan is shown
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHunterGood | 2.0GPALead GibbonFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AStarter is $34 a month billed yearly for the whole team, about $6.80 a head for five, under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter ($34). That buys 2,000 credits a month, shared: an email found costs 1, a check 0.5. | C$39 a month for 1,000 verified emails is just above the $33.25 the cheaper quarter charges. Pro is $99 for 10,000. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan with 50 credits a month that reset, basic filters, 1 email account and unlimited team members. Fine for a taste, but 50 lookups won't last a working week. | C15 free credits a week with no card, which runs out quickly if you do any real volume. |
| Features | CDomain search, an email finder and verifier, a lead database, cold email sequences, an API and an MCP server. It does the email job fully, but that's a smaller job: the pricing page lists no phone lookups. | CA lead database with 10 search filters, an email enricher and Gmail sending. The pages list no phone numbers or public API. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record, and there's nothing to set up: type a company domain and the addresses come up, or click the extension on the site you're on. | CNo store rating on record. You connect a Gmail account to send, and import a CSV to enrich. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Chrome and Firefox extensions and a Google Sheets add-on, with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Zapier and Clay, plus an API. No desktop or phone apps. | CWeb only, with no API or integrations listed. |
| Best for | work emails for a whole team on one bill | a cheap pay-per-verified-email finder |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hunter and Lead Gibbon. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hunter starts at $34 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Lead Gibbon starts at $39 a month and scores 2.0.
Hunter scores higher and starts $5 a month lower. Of the other lead and email finders on the chart, none scores higher than Hunter for less, and 19 score higher than Lead Gibbon for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Hunter also covers web clipper and email campaigns.
- Lead Gibbon also covers sales pipeline, workflow automation and email verification.
At a glance
| Hunter | Lead Gibbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $34 per month for 2,000 credits, billed annually | $39 per month for 1,000 verified emails |
| Free plan | 50 credits a month (an email found costs 1, a verification 0.5), basic Discover filters, 1 connected email account and 500 recipients per sequence. | 15 free credits every week with no credit card; paid plans add monthly credits. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Hunter Web Services, Inc. | LeadGibbon |
| Price read from | hunter.io | leadgibbon.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hunter
- Hunter finds email addresses only; the pricing page lists no phone number lookups.
- Credits reset monthly and do not roll over on monthly billing; yearly billing grants the whole year's credits upfront.
- Extra connected email accounts cost from $10 a month each on Starter and Growth.
- API-only access is sold separately as the Data Platform, with bulk credits usable for 12 months.
Lead Gibbon
- Email sending uses your connected Gmail account, so Gmail sending limits still apply.
- Free credits are 15 a week; you need a subscription once they run out.
- Pages do not list phone numbers or a public API.
- Team discounts are by email request; the page shows no annual plan.
Key features
Hunter
- Domain Search and Email Finder
- List the addresses Hunter has for a company domain, or look up one person by name and company. Each email found costs 1 credit.
- Email Verifier
- Checks whether an address is deliverable for half a credit. Paid plans verify found addresses automatically.
- Discover lead database
- Search companies and people with filters and an AI assistant; paid plans add advanced filters and weekly suggestions of new leads.
- Sequences
- Send cold email from connected Gmail, Outlook or SMTP accounts with tracking, A/B testing and an AI writing assistant on paid plans.
- Browser extension and Sheets add-on
- Extensions for Chrome and Firefox find addresses on the site being viewed, and a Google Sheets add-on finds and verifies in a sheet.
- API and MCP server
- An API and an MCP server give Claude, ChatGPT and other tools access to Hunter's data; an API-only Data Platform is sold separately.
Lead Gibbon
- Lead Database
- Search by position, industry and other filters (10 search parameters), then reveal contact emails.
- Email Enricher
- Upload a CSV with names and domains and get validated email addresses back.
- Pay per verified email
- Credits are used only for verified emails; unverified results are free and credits roll over each month.
- Built-in sending
- Send emails from a connected Gmail account, within Gmail's own limits.
- Same features on every plan
- Email verification, data enhancement, duplicate detection and unlimited saved searches come with every plan.
Plans
Hunter
Free$0
50 credits a month that reset and do not roll over, basic filters, 1 email account and unlimited team members.
Starter$34
per month for 2,000 credits, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
Auto-verification, lead enrichment, advanced filters, AI Writing Assistant, 3 email accounts and 2,500 recipients per sequence.
Growth$104
per month for 10,000 credits, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
10 email accounts, 5,000 recipients per sequence, 450 AI searches a month and 10 million saved leads.
Scale$209
per month for 25,000 credits, billed annually ($299 billed monthly)
20 email accounts, 15,000 recipients per sequence, unlimited signals and an account manager.
EnterpriseCustom
A custom number of credits and connected email accounts, through sales.
Lead Gibbon
Free$0
15 free credits per week, no credit card required.
Basic$39
per month for 1,000 verified emails, billed monthly
1,000 verified emails and 5,000 email sends a month.
Pro$99
per month for 10,000 verified emails, billed monthly
10,000 verified emails and 25,000 email sends a month.
Business$299
per month for 30,000 verified emails, billed monthly
30,000 verified emails and 75,000 email sends a month.
Ways to pay less
Hunter
- Annual discount
About 30% off with yearly billing
Hunter's pricing page marks yearly billing -30%: Starter is $34 a month billed yearly against $49 billed monthly.
Lead Gibbon
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hunter or Lead Gibbon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hunter is cheaper to start with: $34 a month, against $39 a month for Lead Gibbon. Hunter starts at $34 per month for 2,000 credits, billed annually, and Lead Gibbon starts at $39 per month for 1,000 verified emails.
Which has a free plan, Hunter or Lead Gibbon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Hunter and Lead Gibbon have a free plan.
Which platforms do Hunter and Lead Gibbon run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Hunter lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.