You have a list of companies to reach, you have tried Hunter.io, and two questions keep coming back. Is it the right tool for the way you prospect? And when the people you write to are in France or elsewhere in Europe, which addresses are you actually allowed to email?
The short answer: Hunter.io is still a very good choice when you already know the company and you are looking for one specific person. A Hunter.io alternative makes sense when you first have to build the list of companies, then collect the addresses those companies publish themselves. Either way, the real cost does not show on the pricing page. It shows in invalid addresses, duplicates and the time spent checking them.
Three things Hunter.io does very well
Before you look elsewhere, it helps to know what you would be leaving. Hunter.io has three real strengths.
Domain search, with sources. You type a company name or website and Hunter.io lists the public addresses on that domain. Each address comes with the web pages where it was found and the date it was discovered. Addresses that have not been verified recently carry a confidence score (Hunter.io, Domain Search page, accessed 27/10/2026).
Transparency on where addresses come from. Hunter.io publicly documents its two pathways. A "collected" address was present on a public web page when its crawler visited. An "inferred" address was generated from the email format observed on the domain, then verified. Inferred addresses carry an "Inferred" label. Anyone can ask for erasure or object, and the address then goes on a suppression list (Hunter.io, How Hunter Sources and Infers Data, May 2026 version). Few vendors go that far.
It fits into the tools you already use. Chrome extension, Google Sheets add-on, API, Zapier connector and native CRM integrations: Hunter.io plugs into your existing workflow.
Found address or guessed address: what the CNIL clarified
On 16 October 2026, the CNIL, France's data protection authority, published a page on reconstructing professional email addresses, meaning working out an address from a person's name and the email format of their employer (CNIL, "Reconstitution d'adresses électroniques professionnelles : dans quel cadre est-ce autorisé ?", 16 October 2026, in French). For anyone emailing people in Europe, it is the first text to read, before any tool comparison.
The CNIL does not ban the practice. It says reconstruction can rely on legitimate interest, under specific conditions:
- the sender has a real interest in contacting the person, for example to grow its business;
- it checks, case by case, whether the person can reasonably expect to be contacted this way;
- someone with no identifiable online presence, or who protects their contact details (a contact form instead of a direct address, restricted access), cannot in principle expect it;
- the CNIL recommends keeping a reconstructed address only if a first contact happens within a reasonable time, and removing anyone who objects straight away.
The CNIL adds that information being available online does not exempt anyone from these rules. These obligations sit with the organisation that sends the email, whichever tool supplied the address.
What French law says about emailing professionals
The core text is article L34-5 of the French Post and Electronic Communications Code. It bans direct marketing by email using the contact details of a natural person who has not given prior consent (Legifrance, article L34-5 CPCE, in French).
For professionals, the CNIL sets out the regime that applies. Prospecting can rely on legitimate interest when the message relates to the person's job. The person must have been told their address may be used, and must be able to object simply and free of charge. Generic addresses such as contact@ or info@, which relate to legal entities, are not subject to these principles (CNIL, commercial prospecting by email, page dated 10 June 2026, in French).
In practice, a firstname.lastname@ address falls under the GDPR and the right to object. A contact@ address that the company publishes on its own website follows a simpler regime.
A Hunter.io alternative that starts from the company
Hunter.io starts from a domain or a person. Outsend starts from a list of companies you build yourself: a business type and an area on Google Maps, or the official Sirene business register for France. That helps when the question is not "what is this person's address" but "which accounting firms are there in Manchester, and how do I reach them".
The process takes three steps:
- Build the list. The Google Maps scraper gives you each business's name, address, phone number and website.
- Collect the published addresses. The Outsend email finder reads each company's website and returns the addresses listed there: personal addresses first when the site shows them, then generic ones. It never makes up an address: when nothing qualifies, the field stays empty.
- Check before you send. Addresses go through syntax, mail server and disposable domain checks. You can also test your email deliverability to see whether your message lands in the main inbox, the Promotions tab or spam.
If you currently combine several tools for these steps, the comparison Phantombuster, Hunter and Lemlist or an all-in-one tool walks through the use cases.
The real cost of an email finder
Most of the market bills by credit. On Hunter.io, the free plan gives you 50 credits per month. A found email costs 1 credit, a verification costs 0.5 credit, and a search with no result costs nothing. Monthly credits do not roll over (Hunter.io, pricing page, accessed 27/10/2026).
The real cost sits elsewhere. Each invalid address you send to hurts your sending domain's reputation. A duplicate means you email the same company twice. A poorly targeted list means paying for addresses you will never use. And every personal address adds an obligation: inform the person, and remove them if they object.
Hunter.io or an alternative: it depends on your use case
| Criterion | Hunter.io | Outsend |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A domain, a company or a person | A business type and an area (Google Maps, or the Sirene register in France) |
| Where addresses come from | Collected on the web, or inferred from the domain format then verified | Published on the company's website |
| Sources shown | Web pages and discovery date | The company's website |
| Verification | Email Verifier | Address checks and deliverability test |
| Integrations | Chrome extension, Google Sheets, API, Zapier, CRM | CSV, JSON and XLSX export, API |
| Access | Free plan, then credit-based subscriptions | Alpha, free account |
Stay with Hunter.io if you prospect companies you already know by name and need to reach a specific role, such as the head of purchasing. Its person search and its integrations are built for that. Switch to a tool that starts from the company if you first need to find who to prospect in a city or a sector. You can also use both: a list built by area, then Hunter.io on the few accounts where you want a named contact. For other comparisons, the guide to prospecting tool alternatives covers the main tools on the market.
To try it on your own case, you can get started for free and run a first list on an area you know.
Frequently asked questions about Hunter.io alternatives
What is the best Hunter.io alternative?
It depends on where you start. If you are looking for one person at a known company, another email finder that works from name and domain does the same job. If you first need to find the companies, pick a tool that builds the list and collects the published addresses.
Is there a free Hunter.io alternative?
Hunter.io itself has a free plan with 50 credits per month. Outsend is in alpha and creating an account is free.
Is an open source Hunter.io alternative a good idea?
Open source scripts test address formats and query the mail server. That is address reconstruction, so the CNIL guidance of 16 October 2026 applies in the same way. You also handle verification and your domain's reputation yourself.
Do you need consent to email a professional in France?
No, if the message relates to their job, they have been informed, and they can object simply. The prior consent rule in article L34-5 covers the general case of private individuals.
Does a contact@ address follow the same rules as a personal address?
No. The CNIL states that generic addresses of legal entities, such as contact@ or info@, are not subject to the information and objection principles that apply to personal addresses.
Can you use Hunter.io and another tool at the same time?
Yes. Many small teams build the list with one tool, then complete a few key accounts with Hunter.io. The thing to watch is deduplication between the two files, so you do not email the same company twice.