Hunter.io vs RocketReach – Which is The Better Email Tool?

Oh, prospecting.

It’s a tough and tedious game sometimes, isn’t it?

You have to play a constant game of cat and mouse while finding prospects, reaching out to them, and delivering personalized messages.

That’s why 61% of marketers say generating leads is their top challenge.

I’m a firm believer in working smarter, not harder.

You could be cutting out half the needed steps in lead gen processes by using Hunter.io or RocketReach.

These are two of the most powerful email prospecting tools on the market.

And, I’ve used both.

Keep reading to see my comparison of these tools to make an informed purchasing decision.

Hunter.io vs RocketReach overview

Hunter.io

Hunter is the most popular email hunting tool on the market. Make sure to read my Hunter.io review to get the full scoop on its capabilities.

It’s an easy-to-use platform that finds the contact information of any lead instantly.

Hunter.io features

These are main features of Hunter you’ll gain access to when using their software.

Bulk searches

Imagine having to manually search each domain or person one by one.

You’d be there for years.

Luckily, Hunter offers a bulk search tool that will save you hours of time.

Sign up for a free account and click “Bulks” from the navigation.

You can bulk search domains, individuals, or email verification.

Enter the list of prospects on the next page manually or via a CSV file.

Click the “Upload” button and enjoy your new list!

Hunter delivers several quality variations depending on if you want to see everything or only the highest quality leads.

All in all, a few clicks saves you mountains of time. 💪

Next, let’s talk about a brand new feature.

Automated outreach campaigns

I was at a mastermind group recently when my friend Dalton brought up that Hunter now offers automated outreach campaigns.

“Wait… what?” I thought.

You’re telling me it now replaces other tools and CRMs?

I had to see for myself. He wasn’t lying.

Click “Campaigns” and connect a Gmail or G Suite account.

You can then create email campaigns that send targeted messages with automatic follow-ups.

It’s included within Hunter’s plans which is a huge time and money saver.

Let me explain.

I used to use HubSpot and a variety of other tools to pull off profitable cold email campaigns.

It was great.

However, I had to pay for several platforms and juggle them like a clown.

Having them in one central location like Hunter does now is HUGE. It’s convenient and saves on expenses.

That brings me to my next point.

CRM

Unless you live in the stone age and manage leads through an Excel sheet, you need a CRM.

This becomes extremely important as you scale lead generation and outbound sales.

Luckily, Hunter offers a built-in CRM available through the “Leads” tab.

Contacts can be imported from a CSV file, Hunter scrape, and sent directly to automated campaigns.

Additionally, you can connect other CRMs and save leads to them.

Hunter.io pricing

Let’s talk about how much you need to pay for this bad boy.

They currently offer five plans to choose from. Check them out there.

They include:

1. Free: 50 monthly requests but no premium features.
2. Starter ($49/month): 1,000 monthly searches and premium features.
3. Growth ($99/month): 5,000 monthly searches and premium features.
4. Pro ($199/month): 20,000 monthly searches and premium features.
5. Enterprise ($399/month): 50,000 monthly searches and premium features.

I recommend that you start with the free plan and decide to upgrade if you enjoy it.

Keep in mind that if you use one of the paid plans to generate leads, it will have an incredible ROI.

I’ll give you an illustration.

I’ve used the Starter plan ($49/month) to land clients I billed four figures monthly.

That’s a solid return. 🙂

Additionally, Hunter brought it up to my attention that they offer team plans.

Simply invite anyone via email through the account settings page and they will share your monthly quota.

Feel free to contact Hunter if you require a custom plan, as well. This is perfect if your data or limit needs are very specific.

RocketReach

Okay. On to Hunter’s competitor now!

RocketReach is a publicly sourced database of contact information that is used to improve outbound sales and lead generation campaigns.

It has a lot of the same features as Hunter, so let me explain how it squares up.

RocketReach features

These are some of the main features of RocketReach that will skyrocket your lead gen efforts:

Search

Sign up for a free account and click “Search” under the “Products” tab.

This will take you to the following page:

Search by a name, company, or LinkedIn URL to find a specific person.

This is very similar to Hunter’s individual search tool.

The results provide more in-depth data, however.

I find that with Hunter, I often only get an email, let alone several phone numbers, social accounts, etc.

The data is much better on RocketReach.

Bulk lookups

You don’t want to look up every prospect individually as I mentioned before.

That’s a surefire way to get arthritis.

Avoid that and click “Bulk Lookups” and you will be prompted to upload a CSV or paste a list.

Watch their demo to learn more about this process:

Team plans

Do you have a sales department or several reps prospecting?

Then you’ll greatly benefit from RocketReach’s team plans.

This shares contacts and data with a team to keep them on the same page.

Lookups and credits can be shared with team members in the click of a button, too.

Every user you invite receives 20 free lookups which are a great incentive.

However, you receive far less searches than Hunter.

RocketReach’s most basic plan offers 125 lookups/month which is tiny compared to Hunter’s 1,000.

RocketReach pricing

So, how much does RocketReach cost?

Here are their available plans:

Keep in mind that Hunter has five plans and they only have three.

So, Hunter is cheaper and has more options.

However, you will receive a 33% discount if annual billing is selected.

Furthermore, if you need phone results that will increase the monthly pricing.

Wrapping up Hunter.io vs RocketReach

Hunter and RocketReach are two insanely effective sales tools.

But, they are key differences to be aware of before you take our your credit card.

Firstly, Hunter has much more affordable pricing. They also don’t use a credit or coin system which can add to costs like its competitor.

Hunter’s CRM is more robust, as well.

RocketReach, however, collects more data on prospects.

I suggest that you try the free plan of each to make a final decision, but all-in-all, Hunter is ideal for bootstrapping companies and simpler needs.

RocketReach is suitable for larger budgets and those who require detailed contact information like phone numbers or fewer monthly searches.

Happy prospecting. 🙂