Hunter
- Starting price: Free 50 credits/mo · Starter €34/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes - 50 credits/mo, 500 recipients/sequence
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: Wilmington, DE (US entity) - team distributed (Paris, remote-first)
Updated
Hunter vs LeadIQ vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Hunter vs LeadIQ vs Derrick: Hunter is a email finder, verifier and lightweight cold-email platform, LeadIQ is a enterprise lead intelligence platform with waterfall enrichment and ai message writer. Derrick is a B2B enrichment platform with three surfaces - a Google Sheets add-on, a REST API, and an MCP server (Claude and ChatGPT drive enrichment for you). Hit rates are noticeably higher (more emails + phone numbers returned per query than Hunter or LeadIQ) and pricing is lower - free forever with 100 credits/month, paid plans from €9/month. Most teams pair Derrick for the data layer with Hunter or LeadIQ for outreach.
Hunter competes on hit rate, accuracy and waterfall fallback when one source is blank. The side-by-side comparison below isolates Hunter's per-find cost (email vs mobile vs direct-dial), real-world deliverability of what comes back, and how it fits into Derrick's 10-source waterfall enrichment workflow.
Free plan Yes - 100 credits/mo
Starts at €9/mo
Setup time 30 seconds
Where it lives Google Sheets
✓ Free forever · ✓ No credit card · ✓ Cancel anytime · ✓ Your data stays in your Sheet
Trusted by 31,000+ users worldwide.
CURSOR Quick Facts
Hunter vs LeadIQ vs Derrick at a glance
LeadIQ
- Starting price: Free 50 credits/mo · Pro $150/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes - 50 credits/mo permanently free
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: San Francisco Bay Area, CA (with Singapore engineering)
Derrick
★ Recommended- Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
- Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
- Founded: 2023
- HQ: Marseille, FR
Why Derrick wins 01
02
03
Why teams pick Derrick over Hunter and LeadIQ
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Enrich faster with real-time validation, no CSV exports
Hunter and LeadIQ excel at basic contact discovery, but neither offers real-time validation integrated directly in a 100% native Google Sheets workflow, nor eliminates CSV exports for enrichment. Derrick delivers true in-situ enrichment with real-time validation inside Sheets, avoiding CSV handoffs and export latency. This results in faster, bounce-free outreach and eliminates the need to juggle multiple tools or data refresh delays, saving 5-10 hours per month. With Derrick, you get 50+ enrichment attributes per contact and immediate email verification, all within your familiar Sheets environment.
02 3000+ integrations for flexible automation
Derrick leverages 3000+ integrations via Zapier, Make, and n8n to outpace hunter and LeadIQ when it comes to flexible automation, turning scattered tools into a single, cohesive workflow. Hunter excels at email discovery but falls short on multi-channel enrichment and broad automation, while LeadIQ focuses on contact data with limited roadmap for deep automation. Derrick unifies data flows into Google Sheets and beyond, enabling seamless auto-provisioning, scoring, and segmentation across platforms. Expect measurable time savings and faster go-to-market with modular, credit-efficient automation.
03 Full-funnel enrichment with deeper firmographic context
Hunter and LeadIQ provide strong contact data, but both fall short on multi-dimensional firmographic enrichment and real-time account context needed for full-funnel strategies. Derrick delivers deeper firmographic context within a 100% native Google Sheets workflow, eliminating CSV exports and extra tooling gaps. By unifying company insights, technographics, and AI-driven summaries directly in Sheets, Derrick reduces research hours and improves targeting precision across the funnel (up to 20-30% faster account profiling in practice). A practical use case: enrich a target account with 50+ attributes and real-time validation for immediate multi-channel outreach without leaving Sheets.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Hunter, LeadIQ, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Hunter does better
- Outstanding email accuracy + verification
- No charge if Hunter can't find it
- Strong free tier + simple onboarding
What LeadIQ does better
- Waterfall enrichment from 9 data providers
- Scribe AI message writer for personalization
- Job-change tracking creates warm re-engagement
What Derrick does better
- Free forever - €0/mo with 100 credits permanent in Google Sheets
- 100+ data points per lead - verified emails, phones, LinkedIn, tech stack, SIRET
- Zero LinkedIn ban risk + real-time email verification built in
- Pair with any sequencer - LaGrowthMachine, Smartlead, Lemlist, HeyReach
Real Annual Cost
True cost over 12 months
Headline pricing rarely tells the whole story. Here's the real cost of running each tool for a year.
| Hunter | LeadIQ | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free 50 credits/mo · Starter €34/mo (annual) | Free 50 credits/mo · Pro $150/mo (annual) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€600/yr | ~€600/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes - 50 credits/mo, 500 recipients/sequence | Yes - 50 credits/mo permanently free | ✓ Forever - 100 credits/mo |
| Setup cost | Hours to days | Hours to days | 30 seconds via Marketplace |
| Switching cost | CSV export + retraining | CSV export + retraining | Zero - works alongside any stack |
💡 Most teams pay 2-5x more on add-ons (extra seats, phone credits, integrations) than on the headline base price. Derrick keeps everything in one transparent tier.
Feature-by-Feature
Hunter vs LeadIQ vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| hunter | Derrick App | LeadIQ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works natively in Google Sheets | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Requires LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($100/month) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Sales Navigator 1-click import | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email finder with real-time validation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phone finder from LinkedIn | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Company tech stack lookup | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SimilarWeb & G2 insights integrated | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| AI integration (Claude & ChatGPT) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic AI Lead Scoring | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Data cleaning & normalization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-platform scraping (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Zapier, Make, n8n integrations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public API available | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Native CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Entry price (paid plan) | 49$/mois | 9€/mois | 39$/mois |
| Permanent free plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rollover credits to next month | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Simple and transparent credit system | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Simple setup & onboarding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Complete documentation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pricing in a nutshell Email Finder + Light Outreach derrick
best value for money
Results first.
Discover Derrick →
Enterprise Lead Intelligence + AI Personalization
Hunter vs LeadIQ vs Derrick pricing breakdown
Email Finder + Light Outreach Hunter
Free 50 credits/mo · Starter €34/mo (annual)
Best for: Solo SDRs and small teams doing email-first outbound
Hunter offers pricing with a free tier and paid plans starting at a competitive entry price; details cover email finding and verification tools, plus CRM integrations. For exact tiers, limits, and add-ons, view the complete pricing page for full breakdown.
Results first.
Complexity removed.
Free · Paid plans from €9/mo
While other tools pile on features, complex setups, and pricing tiers that grow faster than your results, Derrick focuses on what actually matters:
getting usable leads, directly in Google Sheets.
No heavy workflows, No endless configuration. No learning curve.
Enterprise Lead Intelligence + AI Personalization LeadIQ
Free 50 credits/mo · Pro $150/mo (annual)
Best for: Enterprise SDR teams running Salesforce/HubSpot motions
LeadIQ offers entry-level pricing with a free tier or starter plans, followed by paid options as needs grow, with a full pricing page detailing all tiers and add-ons. See full pricing breakdown for complete details and to compare plan features.
Migration Guide
How to switch from Hunter to Derrick in 3 steps
Derrick is a Google Workspace app - no formulas to learn, no pipelines to migrate, no engineering work. Add it to Google Sheets and you're enriching in under a minute.
1
~30 sec Install Derrick from Google Workspace Marketplace
Click the install button on our Marketplace listing and grant Google Sheets access. No credit card required - you start with 100 free credits per month.
2
~30 sec Open any Google Sheet → Extensions → Derrick
Open a Sheet with your prospect list (paste a CSV from Hunter, scrape from LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or import from your CRM). Click Extensions → Derrick and the sidebar opens with all enrichment features ready to use.
3
~1 min Enrich your list with one click
Select the column with names, LinkedIn URLs, or company domains. Pick what you want - emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn data, company info, tech stack - and click "Enrich". Derrick fills the columns directly in your Sheet. No exports, no pipelines, no waiting.
Install Derrick free →
100 free credits / month · No credit card · Cancel anytime
Decision in 60 seconds
Which one is right for you?
Pick Hunter if…
- You specifically need solo sdrs and small teams doing email-first outbound
- Outstanding email accuracy + verification
- No charge if Hunter can't find it
- You're already invested in the Hunter ecosystem
Pick LeadIQ if…
- You specifically need enterprise sdr teams running salesforce/hubspot motions
- Waterfall enrichment from 9 data providers
- Scribe AI message writer for personalization
- You're already invested in the LeadIQ ecosystem
Pick Derrick if…
- You want B2B enrichment directly in Google Sheets
- You need a usable free plan (100 credits/mo, no card)
- You don't want long contracts, lock-in, or sales calls
- You need 100+ data points per lead in one tool
What teams say after switching from Hunter vs LeadIQ
See what our customers say about Derrick.
"This app saved me so much time and effort. Great for anyone looking to build a contact list or network at scale quickly. As a start-up it's been invaluable."
Alex Clark
Director | SaaS GTM Leader
"Working pretty nifty compared to Snov.Io. Price wise it does give a fair shake, and IMO better interface since it's google sheets."
David Sire
Mortgage Broker at Zero Point Mortgage
"Derrick is a very simple and user-friendly app to enrich your contacts database. Best thing: you can test it for free. And then the price is so low, it's a no brainer."
Etienne Grange
CEO Form'actions
"Super easy to enrich linkedin urls using this tool. Both personal and company url data can be easily enriched with a click of a button."
Zaid Bilal
RevOps Professional
"Amazing Tool, I would like to advocate this to my colleagues. So that you can get more users. Keep it Up. 5 Stars!"
Asif Hanzala
Lead Generation Specialist at IdeaPeel
"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."
Dan Hughes
Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO
"I have been using other expensive apps or freemium like phantombuster, but Derrick has replaced them all. I love the simplicity of the Google sheet add-in, but what is best is the efficiency it delivers."
Julien Walon Cohen
CEO & Co-founder @ Diffly | B2B Sales Advisor
"The LinkedIn scraping and email finder combo is incredibly powerful. I can build a complete prospect list with contact info in under an hour. Absolute must-have for outbound."
Michael Kim
SDR Team Lead at CloudScale
"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."
AJ Alexander
Opportunity Prospector
Frequently Asked Questions
Derrick vs hunter: which is the better option for prospection?
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Derrick and Hunter serve different prospecting needs. Hunter excels as a specialized email finder with strong verification accuracy and simple usability, making it ideal for teams focused purely on email discovery. However, Derrick offers a more comprehensive solution operating natively within Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and manual data entry workflows. Derrick provides 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, real-time email validation, and rollover credits at a lower cost. For teams seeking unified prospecting without leaving their spreadsheet, Derrick delivers greater efficiency and flexibility than Hunter's email-only approach.
Is Derrick a viable alternative to hunter for email accuracy?
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Yes, Derrick is a highly viable alternative to Hunter for email accuracy. While Hunter specializes exclusively in email discovery, Derrick delivers real-time email validation alongside 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, giving you verified emails plus comprehensive prospect context in one platform. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets without requiring exports or complex setup, saving teams significant time compared to Hunter's standalone approach. Additionally, Derrick's rollover credits and no credit card requirement for the free tier offer greater flexibility, making it a more cost-effective solution for teams seeking accurate email data combined with broader enrichment capabilities.
Derrick vs hunter: who offers better pricing and features?
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Derrick offers more flexible pricing with rollover credits and no credit card required for the free tier, starting at just $9 monthly for 4,000 credits. Hunter excels at email verification accuracy but lacks broader enrichment data and charges separately for volume access. Derrick differentiates by being 100% native to Google Sheets with 50+ enrichment attributes, integrated AI scoring, and real-time email validation-eliminating the need for external tools or CSV exports. For teams seeking comprehensive prospecting without subscription stacking, Derrick delivers superior value compared to Hunter's email-focused approach.
How does Derrick compare with LeadIQ for data enrichment?
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Derrick compares favorably to LeadIQ for data enrichment by offering a broader, native enrichment toolkit directly within Google Sheets plus extensive attributes per contact and company profiles (50+ fields), real-time email validation for deliverability, and AI-driven scoring, segmentation, and summaries. While LeadIQ excels at accurate contact data, real-time verification, and CRM integrations for fast lead discovery, Derrick goes further for holistic enrichment, multi-attribute profiling, and seamless automation across 3,000+ integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n. For teams needing deeper prospect intelligence alongside outreach workflow, Derrick provides more comprehensive data enrichment while maintaining ease of use without leaving Sheets.
Derrick vs LeadIQ: which is the better choice for teams?
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Choosing between Derrick and LeadIQ depends on your team's priorities. LeadIQ excels at real-time contact verification and CRM integration for volume-based prospecting, making it solid for teams focused purely on lead discovery. However, Derrick offers broader value for teams seeking comprehensive enrichment without platform switching. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and manual data entry while providing 50+ enrichment attributes, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, and rollover credits. For teams wanting a unified prospecting hub with deeper enrichment capabilities and workflow automation built directly into their existing tools, Derrick delivers greater efficiency and flexibility than LeadIQ's contact-focused approach.
Can Derrick replace both hunter and LeadIQ for full prospecting?
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Yes, Derrick can replace parts of both Hunter and LeadIQ for full prospecting, but with caveats. Derrick excels as a 100% native Google Sheets enrichment and prospecting hub, offering real-time email validation, 50+ enrichment attributes, AI scoring and segmentation, and seamless integration via 3000+ connectors, all within a familiar spreadsheet workflow. Hunter specializes in email discovery and verification, while LeadIQ focuses on real-time contact data and basic enrichment. Derrick consolidates these capabilities and adds deeper enrichment, intent-ready insights, and scalable outreach within Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and costly external tools. However, for teams needing ultra-deep account intelligence or advanced multi-channel engagement out of the box, using Derrick alongside targeted tools may still be optimal. Overall, Derrick can cover major prospecting needs, with the advantage of cost-efficiency, flexibility, and a unified data stack.
One-on-one
hunter vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how hunter compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → One-on-oneLeadIQ vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how LeadIQ compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → Curated stackAll B2B sales tools we reviewed in depth
Step back from the duel - see our hand-picked sales-tool selection and how every category fits together.
See the full curation → Keep Exploring
