Lead generation tools · priced per verified email
Lead generation tools find people who might buy from you, get their work emails and help you contact them. Instantly is our pick for one plan that does all of it, and Smartlead is the cheapest place to start at $39 a month billed monthly.
our pick for you
Our pick
Instantly wins if you want the list, the sender and AI agents, software that writes and sends emails on its own, on one plan. Smartlead wins if you want the lowest price to find and email 1,000 people. AI Ark wins for big lists at a low price, and FullEnrich wins when you need mobile numbers.
- A lead is a person who might buy from you. A verified email is an address a tool has checked so it won’t bounce.
- A credit is the unit a tool spends to find an email or a phone number. Instantly spends 1 credit on a verified email it finds itself and 2 on one from an outside data source, and nothing when it finds none.
- A sequencer is the tool that sends your email steps over several days. Instantly and Smartlead are sequencers. AI Ark, FullEnrich and BetterContact find data and don’t send.
- Instantly Starter is $85 a month billed monthly, or $76.50 a month billed yearly, with 1,500 credits and 5,000 sends a month.
- Smartlead Base is $39 a month billed monthly, or $32 a month billed yearly, with 2,000 verified emails and 6,000 sends a month.
- AI Ark charges 0.5 credit for a valid email, and $49 a month billed monthly buys 5,000 credits.
- Enrichment means adding missing details, like a phone number, to a person you already have. FullEnrich is an enrichment tool, and it charges 1 credit for a work email and 10 for a mobile number. Pro is $55 a month billed monthly for 1,000 credits.
- A seat is one user login. Apollo’s free plan gives 900 credits a seat a year, given out monthly. Basic is $49 a seat a month billed yearly, or $65 a seat a month billed monthly.
Ranked picks
- #1
Instantlytop pickBest for: Teams that want the lead list, the sender and AI agents on one plan.
- Its lead database, sender and AI agents share one plan and one bill.
- It charges no credits when it can’t find a verified email.
- Checking an email you already have costs 0.25 credit.
- #2
Best for: Teams that want the lowest price to find and email their first 1,000 people.
- Base includes 2,000 verified emails a month and 6,000 sends for $39 a month billed monthly.
- Yearly billing brings Base to $32 a month.
- #3
Best for: Teams that build big lists and want the lowest cost per email.
- A valid email costs 0.5 credit, so $49 a month billed monthly covers up to 10,000 emails.
- Unused credits roll over to the next month.
- #4
Best for: Teams that need mobile numbers as well as emails.
- It finds mobile numbers, at 10 credits each.
- Unlimited users share one plan.
- New accounts get 50 free credits, with no card.
- #5
Best for: Teams that want a free plan with a lead database in one login.
- The free plan gives 900 credits a seat a year, given out monthly.
- Basic is $49 a seat a month billed yearly, or $65 a seat a month billed monthly.
- #6
Best for: Teams that want a second pass on the people their first tool missed.
- You pay only when it finds a valid email or number.
- Starter is $15 a month billed monthly for 200 credits.
Compare
| Tool | Price band | Best for | Dealbreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Instantly | Starter is $85 a month… | Teams that want the lead list, the sender and AI agents on one plan. | Every job spends the same credits, so AI agents and other jobs cut the emails you can… |
| #2 Smartlead | Base is $39 billed monthly. | Teams that want the lowest price to find and email their first 1,000 people. | Base holds 2,000 contacts, so a bigger list needs Pro at $94 a month billed monthly. |
| #3 AI ARK | Free: 100 credits a month. | Teams that build big lists and want the lowest cost per email. | It finds data and doesn’t send email, so you need a sequencer too. |
| #4 FullEnrich | Free trial: 50 credits. | Teams that need mobile numbers as well as emails. | It costs more per email than AI Ark, so use it where you need phones. |
| #5 Apollo | Basic from $49/mo yearly. | Teams that want a free plan with a lead database in one login. | Credits don’t roll over, and every seat on an account has to be on the same plan. |
| #6 BetterContact | Starter is $15 a month. | Teams that want a second pass on the people their first tool missed. | It costs more per email than AI Ark, so save it for people other tools missed. |
MethodHow we scored these tools▾
We priced one job on each tool: find 1,000 verified work emails, then email those people. Prices and credit costs are from each tool’s own pages, checked October 21, 2026. Instantly’s credit costs are from its help center. Apollo’s prices are per seat, so multiply them by your team size.
Who it's for
buy if
- Use this page if you sell to businesses and want to find people and email them.
- Use this page if you want to know what 1,000 verified emails cost on each tool.
skip if
- Skip this page if you collect leads from forms on your own website. These tools find people you don’t know yet.
The short answer
Pick Instantly if you want the lead list, the sender and AI agents on one plan. Starter is $85 a month billed monthly.
Pick Smartlead if you want the lowest price to find and email your first 1,000 people. Base is $39 a month billed monthly, and Smartlead is cheaper than Instantly to start.
Pick AI Ark plus a sender if you build big lists. A valid email costs half a credit.
Pick FullEnrich if you need mobile numbers. It finds them at 10 credits each.
What lead generation means on this page
B2B means business to business: you sell to companies. Outbound means you contact people first.
On this page, lead generation means outbound B2B. You find people at companies you want to sell to, get their work emails and send them cold email, which is email to people who don’t know you yet.
What 1,000 verified emails cost, sent
The math: on October 21, 2026 prices, to find 1,000 verified work emails and email those people:
- Smartlead Base: 2,000 verified emails a month are included, so $39 a month billed monthly covers it, sends included.
- Instantly Starter: 1,000 credits if Instantly finds every email itself, and up to 1,000 × 2 = 2,000 if they all come from outside sources. Starter’s 1,500 credits cover the first case and fall short in the second. Sends are included in the $85 a month billed monthly.
- AI Ark plus Smartlead: 1,000 × 0.5 = 500 credits, inside the $49 a month plan billed monthly. Add Smartlead Base to send: $49 + $39 = $88 a month. At 0.5 credit each, the 5,000 credits cover up to 5,000 ÷ 0.5 = 10,000 emails.
- FullEnrich plus Smartlead: 1,000 credits = the $55 a month plan billed monthly. Add Smartlead Base to send: $55 + $39 = $94 a month.
If the same list needs 100 mobile numbers, FullEnrich charges 100 × 10 = 1,000 more credits.
Three tools charge nothing when they find nothing
Instantly charges no credits when it finds no verified email. FullEnrich charges nothing for a miss. BetterContact charges only for valid results.
Ask any other tool the same question before you buy: do I pay for a search that finds nothing?
Credits you don’t use may carry over
Rollover means unused credits move to the next month.
AI Ark rolls unused credits over. FullEnrich keeps them 3 months on monthly billing and 12 months on yearly billing.
Apollo’s credits don’t roll over, and every seat on an account has to be on the same plan.
Common questions
What is the best lead generation tool for B2B?▾
Instantly, if you want the list, the sender and AI agents on one plan. Smartlead is cheaper to start, at $39 a month billed monthly.
Are there free lead generation tools?▾
Apollo has a free plan with 900 credits a seat a year, given out monthly. AI Ark has a free plan with 100 credits a month. FullEnrich gives new accounts 50 free credits, with no card.
What’s the cheapest way to get verified emails?▾
AI Ark charges 0.5 credit per valid email, and $49 a month billed monthly buys 5,000 credits. Smartlead Base includes 2,000 verified emails a month for $39 billed monthly, with sends.
Do I need a separate tool to send?▾
With Instantly or Smartlead, no. With AI Ark, FullEnrich or BetterContact, yes. They find data and don’t send email.
Which tool finds phone numbers?▾
FullEnrich. A mobile number is 10 credits, and it charges nothing when it finds nothing.
what to do next
What to do next
Decide if you need mobile numbers. If you don’t, start with Smartlead Base for the cheapest send, or Instantly if you want AI agents on the same plan. For big lists, pull emails from AI Ark. For mobiles, run the list through FullEnrich. For the people both miss, try BetterContact. For a free start, try Apollo. Prices are from Instantly plans, Instantly’s credit guide, Smartlead pricing, AI Ark pricing, FullEnrich pricing, BetterContact pricing and Apollo pricing, all checked October 21, 2026. Try Instantly Try Smartlead Next · Email finders compares more finders · Waterfall enrichment tools covers tools that try several providers in order.