Written by Nilansh Gupta, co-founder of Digital Patron, which makes Rumo (one of the free tools discussed). Rumo is not ranked in this list.
How we scored: see the method below.
Is there a free AI tool that finds leads?
Short answer: yes, several. Hunter.io gives 50 credits a month, Lusha 40 credits a month, Kaspr 15 email credits plus 5 phone credits a month, and Clay 100 data credits a month, all on plans that cost $0 and renew monthly according to each vendor's own pricing page. Snov.io, GetProspect, Apollo.io, Skrapp.io and Wiza also have free plans, with smaller or less clearly stated allowances.
What "free" buys you is small. Most free plans cover somewhere between 20 and 100 contact lookups, and most hold back bulk search, bulk export or API access for paid plans. That is enough to test data quality on your own target accounts and find a first handful of leads. It is not enough to run outbound at volume.
Every figure below comes from the vendor's own pricing page, fetched on 3 Nov 2026, and each entry links to that page. Pricing pages change often, so check the link before you sign up. Facts and source URLs are logged in our evidence sheet; nothing was filled in from memory.
How we scored them
Method (checked on 3 Nov 2026). Each tool was scored out of 10 using only what its own pricing page states. If the page did not say something, the tool scored 0 on that line.
- A. Free plan renews (2 points): the page says the free allowance is monthly or has no time limit.
- B. Monthly free volume (3 points): 100+ credits = 3; 50 to 99 = 2; 20 to 49, or only a fair-use ceiling stated = 1; under 20 = 0.
- C. Phone numbers on the free plan (2 points): 2 if phone reveals are included, 1 if only a small trial wallet covers them.
- D. Data you can search (2 points): 2 for a searchable B2B database on the free plan, 1 for single lookups, an extension or enrichment only.
- E. You can act on the data free (1 point): the free plan allows export, CRM integration or sending a sequence.
Ties were broken by monthly free volume, then by total free credits, then by the lower first paid price. Rumo, our own tool, was not scored.
| Rank | Tool | A | B | C | D | E | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter.io | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Lusha | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Kaspr | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Clay | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | Snov.io | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | GetProspect | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | Apollo.io | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Skrapp.io | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Wiza | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
A low score does not mean a weak product. It means the free plan, as described on the pricing page, gives you less to work with, or the page does not spell it out. RocketReach, Seamless.AI, ContactOut and Prospeo were left out because we could not read a free-plan description on their pricing pages that day.
What is the best free lead finder? The comparison table
| Tool | What's free | Free limit | Needs paid for | First paid price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter.io | Email Finder, Verifier, Domain Search, basic Discover database, sequences | 50 credits/month; 500 recipients per sequence; 1 email account | Higher credit volumes | Starter $49/month monthly ($34/month shown for yearly) | hunter.io/pricing |
| Lusha | Email and phone reveals, browser extension, CRM integrations | 40 credits/month (1 per email, 5 per phone) | More credits (Starter: 400/month) | Starter $49.90/month monthly ($37.45/month annual) | lusha.com/pricing |
| Kaspr | B2B emails, phones, direct emails, CSV and integration export | 15 email + 5 phone + 5 direct email credits/month; 100 exportable leads | API, larger exports, rollover | Starter from $49 per user/month (also shows $65) | kaspr.io/pricing |
| Clay | Multi-provider waterfall enrichment, Claygent, bring your own API key | 100 data credits and 500 actions/month; 200 rows per table | More actions and rows | Launch $167/month (FAQ says from $185/month) | clay.com/pricing |
| Snov.io | Free Trial that renews monthly: credits, campaign recipients, warm-up slot | 50 credits, 100 recipients, 25 enrichment tokens/month | Export, bulk search, integrations, API | Starter $29.25/month on plan card ($39 in comparison table) | snov.io/pricing |
| GetProspect | Valid emails, $1 wallet for phones and verification | 50 valid emails/month; 100 searches/day cap | More emails and phones | Starter $49/month | getprospect.com/pricing |
| Apollo.io | Free plan with "a limited contact database" and email campaigns (Gmail only) | Included credits not stated; fair-use ceiling 10,000 credits/month with a verified corporate domain, 100 without | Non-Gmail mailboxes, live onboarding | Basic $49/month (in the page's structured data) | apollo.io/pricing |
| Skrapp.io | Email Finder, Verifier, LinkedIn and Sales Navigator integrations | 50 credits, 1 user (renewal not stated) | More users and credits | Professional $29 or $39/month billed annually | skrapp.io/pricing |
| Wiza | Valid emails and phone numbers | 20 emails, 5 phones (renewal not stated) | More emails and phones | Starter $49 per user/month | wiza.co/pricing |
How done-for-you outbound works
Tap a step
Step 1 of 5
ICP list
Decision-makers who match your ideal customer, pulled from Apollo and LinkedIn Sales Navigator and verified so bounces stay low.
Step 2 of 5
Warmed domains
Separate sending domains and mailboxes with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, warmed up before volume, so your main domain is never at risk.
Step 3 of 5
Personal sequence
3 to 5 emails per persona, with a LinkedIn touch to the same person. You approve every draft before anything is sent.
Step 4 of 5
Replies handled
Interested, not now and objections are sorted and answered the same day. Unsubscribes are honoured straight away.
Step 5 of 5
Meeting booked
The prospect gets a calendar invite with the context of the conversation, and you take the call.
The list: 9 free lead generation tools, ranked
1. Hunter.io: is Hunter free?
Yes. Hunter's $0 plan, which it describes as "the easiest way to try Hunter", includes 50 credits a month shared across Email Finder, Email Verifier and Domain Search (a verification costs half a credit). It also includes basic filters in Discover, Hunter's B2B database, with 30 AI searches a month. You can connect one email account and send sequences of up to 500 recipients, and team members are unlimited. Paid plans start with Starter at $49 a month billed monthly. Source: Hunter pricing.
Fits: founders who know which companies they want and need verified work emails for them.
2. Lusha: is Lusha free?
Yes. Lusha's pricing page says "the Free plan provides you with up to 40 credits per month", along with the browser extension and CRM integrations. A verified email reveal costs 1 credit and a phone number costs 5, so 40 credits buys about 40 emails, 8 phone numbers, or a mix. Starter is $49.90 a month billed monthly, or $37.45 a month billed annually. Source: Lusha pricing.
Fits: sellers who want a phone number as well as an email for a few key accounts.
3. Kaspr: is Kaspr free?
Yes. Kaspr's free plan is $0 per user per month and includes 15 B2B email credits, 5 phone credits and 5 direct email credits a month. You can export up to 100 leads via CSV or integrations, with 3 CSV launches a month of 25 rows each. API access and credit rollover are not included. Starter is listed from $49 per user per month in USD (the page also shows $65 alongside). Source: Kaspr pricing.
Fits: building a small list with phones that you can export to a CSV or your CRM.
4. Clay: is Clay free?
Yes. Clay's free plan includes 100 data credits and 500 actions a month, up to 200 rows per table, unlimited seats and tables, multi-provider waterfall enrichment and Claygent. You can also bring your own API key. Clay is an enrichment and workflow tool, so you bring the list and Clay fills in the data. Launch is listed at $167 a month on the plan card, though the FAQ on the same page says "starting at $185/mo". Source: Clay pricing.
Fits: technical users who want to build enrichment workflows before paying.
5. Snov.io: is Snov.io free?
Snov.io calls it a Free Trial, but its page says it "doesn't end, but renews every month". Each month you get 50 credits, 100 recipients, 25 enrichment tokens and 1 email warm-up slot. Export, bulk search, bulk verification, integrations, A/B testing and API access are not available on the trial. Starter shows $29.25 a month on the plan card and $39 in the comparison table. Source: Snov.io pricing.
Fits: trying a find-and-send workflow in one place at small volume.
6. GetProspect: is GetProspect free?
Yes. The free plan gives 50 valid emails a month and $1 in a wallet to try phone numbers and verifications. Searches and enrichments are each capped at 100 a day. Starter is $49 a month. Source: GetProspect pricing.
Fits: a steady trickle of verified emails without a paid seat.
7. Apollo.io: is Apollo free?
Yes. Apollo's pricing page describes a Free plan for "exploring Apollo or very light usage", good "for founders and early-stage teams", and says the free Starter plan "stays free with no time limit". Its structured data describes "basic access to sales engagement tools and a limited contact database". The page did not state how many credits the free plan includes. It states only a fair-use ceiling: 10,000 credits a month for accounts with a verified corporate email domain, and 100 without one. Free plans can connect Gmail only. The Basic plan is listed at $49 a month in the page's structured data. Source: Apollo pricing.
Fits: founders who want a searchable database and email campaigns in one free account. Sign up with your work email.
8. Skrapp.io: is Skrapp free?
Skrapp's $0 plan gives 50 credits and 1 user, with Email Finder, Email Verifier and integrations for LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, LinkedIn Recruiter and company websites. The page does not say whether the 50 credits renew, and credits do not roll over. Professional is listed at $29 or $39 a month billed annually, with 2,000 credits a month. Source: Skrapp pricing.
Fits: finding emails from LinkedIn profiles you already have open.
9. Wiza: is Wiza free?
Wiza's free plan, "great for occasional prospecting", includes 20 valid emails and 5 phone numbers. The page does not state whether these renew. Starter is $49 per month, per user. Source: Wiza pricing.
Fits: a one-off check of a few contacts, including phones.
Do these tools have India data?
None of the nine pricing pages states India-specific coverage, so we make no claim either way. If you sell into India, spend your free credits on 10 to 20 Indian companies you already know and check how many correct work emails and phone numbers come back. All prices above are in US dollars, except that Kaspr also lists euro and pound prices.
Interactive
Is $800 a month for outbound worth it for you?
Move the sliders to your own numbers. These are your assumptions, not a forecast or a promise of results.
- Deals a month
- 0.8
- Return on fee
- 2.5x
- Deals to break even
- 0.32
Comfortably worth it on these numbers.
Digital Patron's plans start at $800 a month. Every other number here is your own assumption; we don't publish meeting counts or guarantees. All plans are on the pricing page.
Free tool vs paid tool vs done-for-you
| Option | What you get | What you still do yourself | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan of a lead finder | 20 to 100 lookups a month, usually without bulk export or API | Define the ICP, search, verify, write and send | You are testing data quality or need your first few leads |
| Paid lead finder | Hundreds to thousands of credits, export, integrations | Targeting, copy, sending infrastructure, follow-up | You have someone in-house to run outbound |
| Done-for-you outbound | A team that builds the list, writes and sends the campaigns | Taking the meetings | You want pipeline without hiring an SDR |
Free credits run out quickly once you move past testing. The bigger cost of free and paid tools alike is the time spent deciding who to target, searching and cleaning the list. For the done-for-you option, Digital Patron's done-for-you cold email starts at $800/month (see pricing).
About the publisher: Rumo (not ranked)
Rumo is Digital Patron's free AI SDR agent. We left it out of the ranking because we make it. You enter your website and confirm who you sell to, and Rumo researches and delivers your first 20 B2B leads within 6 hours. No card is needed, and it is one run per company.
The difference from the tools above is in who does the searching. Hunter, Lusha, Apollo and the rest give you a database or a lookup tool, and you search it yourself. Rumo builds a researched list from your ICP. If you want an always-on version of that, see our AI SDR service.
FAQ
Is there a free AI tool that finds my first leads?
Yes. Hunter.io, Lusha, Kaspr, Clay, Snov.io and GetProspect all have $0 plans with monthly credits, according to their pricing pages on 3 Nov 2026. Rumo, made by Digital Patron, takes your website and ICP and delivers 20 researched B2B leads within 6 hours, with no card required.
What is the best free lead finder in 2026?
On our published rubric, Hunter.io scored highest: 50 credits a month, a searchable B2B database and sequences on the free plan. Lusha and Kaspr tied on score and are stronger for phone numbers. Clay offers the most free credits (100 a month) but works best when you already have a list to enrich.
Is Apollo free?
Yes. Apollo's pricing page describes a free plan with no time limit and a limited contact database. It did not state the included credit amount on 3 Nov 2026, only a fair-use ceiling of 10,000 credits a month for verified corporate domains and 100 otherwise. Free plans can connect Gmail only.
Which free lead generation tool gives phone numbers?
Lusha's 40 monthly credits can reveal phones at 5 credits each. Kaspr includes 5 phone credits a month, and Wiza lists 5 phone numbers on its free plan. GetProspect gives a $1 wallet to try phones. Hunter, Clay, Snov.io, Apollo and Skrapp did not list free phone reveals on their pricing pages.
Do free lead finders work for India?
None of the pricing pages we checked states India-specific data coverage. The practical test is to run your free credits against 10 to 20 Indian companies you already know and count how many correct work emails and phones come back. Pick the tool that returns the most usable contacts.
