B2B contact database plus sales engagement and AI prospecting platform.
Hunter.io vs Reply.io
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Hunter.io is best for finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns, while Reply.io is best for sales teams wanting multichannel sequences plus an optional autonomous AI SDR. Only Reply.io offers email warm-up, linkedIn steps and dialer / calling. Hunter.io has a low learning curve, compared with medium for Reply.io. Hunter.io has a free plan, while Reply.io offers a free trial.
Which should you choose?
Choose Hunter.io if…
- You need finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns
- You're one of: marketers and link builders, recruiters, sdrs running low-volume targeted outreach
- You want a free plan (Reply.io only has a trial)
- You want something quicker to learn
Choose Reply.io if…
- You need sales teams wanting multichannel sequences plus an optional autonomous AI SDR
- Email warm-up matters to you
- LinkedIn steps matters to you
- Dialer / calling matters to you
- You're one of: sdr and bdr teams, sales agencies, companies testing ai sdr automation
At a glance
| Hunter.io | Reply.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns | Sales teams wanting multichannel sequences plus an optional autonomous AI SDR |
| Free plan | Yes | Trial only |
| Starting price | From $34/mo | From $49 |
| Learning curve | Low | Medium |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome extension, API | Web, Chrome extension, API |
| Ideal for | Marketers and link builders, Recruiters, SDRs running low-volume targeted outreach | SDR and BDR teams, Sales agencies, Companies testing AI SDR automation |
Feature comparison
| Hunter.io | Reply.io | |
|---|---|---|
| B2B contact database | Yes | 1B+ contacts |
| Email sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Email warm-up | No | Yes |
| Unlimited sending accounts | No | AI SDR plans |
| LinkedIn steps | No | Yes |
| Built-in CRM | Lead lists only | — |
| AI personalization | Yes | Yes |
| Dialer / calling | No | Yes |
| Email verification | Yes | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Hunter.io | Reply.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | — | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | — | — |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | Type I |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | EU (default) | — |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | — | — |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Hunter.io
Hunter.io is an email finding and verification tool that searches by domain or person and returns addresses with confidence scores. It also includes a B2B lead database (Discover), lead lists, and Campaigns for sending sequences from Gmail, Outlook or SMTP accounts. It is used by marketers, recruiters, SDRs and link builders.
Key features- Domain Search and Email Finder
- Email Verifier with bulk verification
- Discover B2B lead database with intent signals
- Campaigns with automated follow-ups from connected inboxes
- AI Writing Assistant for cold emails
- Chrome extension and Google Sheets add-on
Reply.io
Reply.io is a sales engagement platform with sequences across email, LinkedIn, calls, SMS and WhatsApp, an embedded B2B contact database, and deliverability tools. Its Jason AI SDR agent can prospect, personalize, follow up and handle replies. It is used by SDR teams and agencies that want outreach and AI automation in one subscription.
Key features- Multichannel sequences: email, LinkedIn, calls, SMS and WhatsApp
- Reply Data B2B database with 1B+ contacts
- Jason AI SDR for prospecting, follow-ups and replies
- Email warm-up for connected mailboxes
- Built-in calling from sequences
- Two-way sync with Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive
Pricing
Hunter.io
Free plan (50 credits/mo); paid from $34/mo billed yearly ($49 monthly) Starter
Reply.io
Free trial; paid from ~$49-59/user/mo annual (Email Volume); AI SDR from $500/mo
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Hunter.io
Strengths- Accurate email finding and verification
- Free plan with monthly credits
- Unlimited team members on all plans
- Simple to learn
- No email warm-up or inbox rotation
- No phone numbers and no LinkedIn steps
- Connected email accounts capped per plan
- Campaign features are basic compared with dedicated senders
Not ideal for: Teams running multichannel or high-volume cold outreach should look at lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead.
Reply.io
Strengths- Covers many channels in one sequence
- Large contact database built in
- AI SDR option for teams wanting more automation
- Deep two-way CRM integrations
- Per-user pricing adds up for larger teams
- AI SDR plans are sold separately and cost much more
- Interface has more settings to learn than simple senders
- No free plan, only a trial
Not ideal for: Solo founders sending only cold email may get a simpler, cheaper setup from Instantly or Smartlead.
Integrations
Hunter.io
Reply.io
FAQ
What is the main difference between Hunter.io and Reply.io?
Hunter.io is built for finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns; Reply.io is built for sales teams wanting multichannel sequences plus an optional autonomous AI SDR. Key differences: Reply.io offers email warm-up, linkedIn steps and dialer / calling.
Is Hunter.io or Reply.io cheaper?
Hunter.io starts from $34/mo and Reply.io starts from $49 (as of September 2026). On entry price, Hunter.io is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Hunter.io and Reply.io have free plans?
Hunter.io has a free plan, while Reply.io offers a free trial.
Which is easier to use, Hunter.io or Reply.io?
Hunter.io is generally quicker to learn (Hunter.io: low, Reply.io: medium learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Hunter.io and Reply.io?
Other sales & outreach tools worth comparing include Apollo.io, Instantly.ai and HubSpot.
