The Owler Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Owler in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Owler
The Insider’s Guide
Company profiles, competitor maps and news alerts
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among lead and email finders, read from Owler’s own pages.
Made by Meltwater News US Inc. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Owler’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Owler’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 8 of the 49 other lead and email finders we grade
Owler is a company research and tracking service owned by Meltwater. It holds profiles for over 20 million public and private companies, with revenue, headcount, funding, acquisitions and a competitor graph, and sends news alerts on the companies you follow. A free Community account follows up to 5 companies, and Owler Pro removes that limit.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Owler, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You set up which companies to follow and how alerts arrive.
- 1
Best for company news and competitor tracking
No plan prices are on record, and it's company data, not a contact finder.
- 2
There is a free plan
Owler Community is free, needs no credit card and follows up to 5 companies, with company details, competitors and news alerts.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web, with a browser extension too.
- 4
Company profiles
Profiles for 20 million-plus public and private companies, with annual revenue, employee count, location, funding history, acquisitions and recent news.
- 5
Competitor graph
Maps 45 million-plus competitive relationships between companies, which can be used to find rivals of a prospect or to explore a whole sector.
- 6
Advanced search
Filters the company database by annual revenue, sector, location, employee count and public or private status.
- 7
A 2.0 GPA, above 8 of 49
That is against the other lead and email finders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Owler you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Owler at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, Browser extension
- Made by
- Meltwater News US Inc.
- Category
- Lead & Email Finders
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for company news and competitor tracking
Owler gives company profiles, competitor maps and news alerts, with a free Community account that follows 5 companies. No plan prices are on record, and it's company data, not a contact finder.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No plan prices are on record, because the pricing page couldn't be read. Nothing to set against the $49 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | C | The free Community account has no card and follows up to 5 companies. You'll hit that fast. |
| Features | C | Company profiles, a competitor graph, search and news alerts. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller job than finding contacts. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. You set up which companies to follow and how alerts arrive. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web and a browser extension, and the listing names no integrations. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Owler is for
- Fits if you want to follow rivals and get news alerts
- Works for someone who wants a free account to try company profiles
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want contact details, as the pages read centre on company data and news
- Tight if you follow many companies: the free account follows 5
- Watch out: no plan prices are recorded, and the pricing page wouldn't load for us
- Watch out: the home page cites 150M-plus contacts, but the product pages read here don't show them
Good to know
Good for
- Sellers who want a trigger event, such as new funding, before reaching out
- Researchers mapping a company's competitors
- Anyone who wants free alerts on up to 5 companies
Worth knowing
- The pricing page could not be read in this session, so no plan prices are recorded here.
- The free Community account is limited to following 5 companies.
- The home page cites 150M+ verified contacts, but the product pages read here centre on company data and news.
- Owler is now part of Meltwater, according to the site footer.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Owler's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No plan prices are on record, because the pricing page couldn't be read.
We could not confirm Owler’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. owler.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Browser extension
Company profiles, competitor maps and news alerts. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, web clipper, research.
Company profiles, a competitor graph, search and news alerts.
- Company profiles
- Profiles for 20 million-plus public and private companies, with annual revenue, employee count, location, funding history, acquisitions and recent news.
- Competitor graph
- Maps 45 million-plus competitive relationships between companies, which can be used to find rivals of a prospect or to explore a whole sector.
- Advanced search
- Filters the company database by annual revenue, sector, location, employee count and public or private status.
- News alerts and Daily Snapshot
- A daily email and a newsfeed for the companies you follow, plus Instant Insights that tag breaking events such as funding, layoffs and leadership changes.
- Following limits by plan
- Owler Community follows up to 5 companies. Owler Pro follows an unlimited number of companies.
Where it runs
- Web
- Browser extension
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Owler is made by Meltwater News US Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
8/49
Other lead and email finders it is graded above
Owler's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 8 of the 49 other lead and email finders we grade, and level with 6.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 50 lead and email finders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Owler’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 49
- CFree plan and trialAbove 11 of 49
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 49
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 49
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 49
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Owler you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 35 of the 49 other lead and email finders grade higher.
What you could make
- Web clipper: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Owler’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Crunchbase, ZoomInfo, D&B Hoovers, SalesIntel and Apollo.io
The 5 tools Owler is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
Crunchbase
Free trial
Private company data with funding and growth predictions.
- Owler has a free plan. Crunchbase does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Owler lists a browser extension.
- Owler also covers web clipper.
- 2.8GPA
ZoomInfo
Free plan
B2B contact and company data platform with AI sales tools.
- Only ZoomInfo lists an iOS app.
- Owler also covers web clipper and research.
- ZoomInfo also covers workflow automation and AI agents.
- 1.8GPA
D&B Hoovers
Free trial
Sales intelligence from Dun & Bradstreet business data.
- Owler has a free plan. D&B Hoovers does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Owler lists a browser extension.
- Owler also covers web clipper.
- 1.8GPA
SalesIntel
Paid
Human-verified B2B contact data with intent signals and ads.
- Owler has a free plan. SalesIntel does not.
- Owler also covers web clipper and research.
- SalesIntel also covers workflow automation.
- 2.4GPA
Apollo.io
Free plan · from $49/mo
B2B contact database with built-in email sequences and a dialer.
- Owler also covers research.
- Apollo.io also covers sales pipeline and email campaigns.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Owler free?
Owler has a free plan. Owler Community is free, needs no credit card and follows up to 5 companies, with company details, competitors and news alerts.
What platforms does Owler work on?
Owler is available on Web. It also has a browser extension.
Does Owler have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Owler is listed for Web.
Does Owler have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Owler is listed for Web.
Is Owler open source?
Owler is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Who makes Owler?
Owler is made by Meltwater News US Inc.
What are the alternatives to Owler?
The closest alternatives to Owler in our directory are Crunchbase, ZoomInfo, D&B Hoovers, SalesIntel and Apollo.io.
How does Owler compare with other lead and email finders?
Owler's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 8 of the 49 other lead and email finders we grade, and level with 6.
Could I make my own version of Owler?
To replace Owler you would be making a library of papers and sources to search.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Owler’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Owler's own pages on 12 November 2026. The vendor's page would not load for us when we checked, so we carried on from the listing. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Meltwater News US Inc. Prices change, so check owler.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Owler, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/owler
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Owler: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/owler
Know someone choosing between lead and email finders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/owler/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
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- FullEnrich Insider's GuideEmail and phone finder that checks 20+ data providers in turn2.8 GPA
- GetProspect Insider's GuideEmail finder and B2B database with a LinkedIn extension2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Owler’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Owler is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Meltwater News US Inc. Prices and plans change: check owler.com before you buy.