The 7 Best RocketReach Alternatives (Actual Pricing Compared)
RocketReach is solid for contact discovery, but there are real reasons to look elsewhere. Maybe you're burning through credits on bad data (a common complaint), hitting the $249/month Ultimate plan ceiling, or just want better email verification. Whatever your reason, here are the alternatives worth your time.
I've used most of these tools and pulled current pricing directly from each platform. Let's cut through the marketing fluff and see what actually makes sense for your prospecting workflow.
Quick Comparison: RocketReach vs Top Alternatives
| Tool | Starting Price | Best For | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lusha | $22.45/month | Budget-conscious teams wanting verified data | Yes (70 credits) |
| Apollo.io | $49/month | All-in-one prospecting + outreach | Yes (10k email credits/month) |
| ZoomInfo | ~$1,000+/month | Enterprise teams needing intent data | 14-day trial |
| Hunter.io | $34/month | Email-focused prospecting | Yes (25 searches) |
| UpLead | $74/month | SMBs wanting 95% accuracy guarantee | 7-day trial |
| Cognism | ~$1,000/month | European market prospecting | 25 free leads |
| Seamless.AI | Custom pricing | AI-powered list building | Limited free tier |
Why People Leave RocketReach
Before diving into alternatives, let's address the common frustrations with RocketReach:
- Data accuracy issues: Users report bounce rates of 10%+ and getting charged credits even when contact data is incorrect
- Credit consumption: The platform burns credits even when searches come back empty or with wrong information
- No built-in outreach: RocketReach focuses on contact discovery, meaning you need separate tools for email sequences and sales engagement
- Pricing jump: The gap between tiers can feel steep, especially the $249/month Ultimate plan
Now let's look at what might actually work better for you.
1. Lusha – Best Budget Alternative
Lusha is my top pick for teams that want verified contact data without breaking the bank. It's significantly cheaper than RocketReach while offering comparable (and sometimes better) data quality.
Lusha Pricing
- Free: 70 credits/month for 1 user
- Pro: $22.45/month (billed annually) with 3,000 credits/year
- Premium: $52.45/month (billed annually) with 7,200 credits/year
- Scale: Custom pricing for larger teams
What's Good
- GDPR and CCPA compliant – actually matters if you're doing European outreach
- Chrome extension works smoothly on LinkedIn
- Direct dials are generally reliable
- Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other major CRMs
What's Not
- Credit system can be confusing – emails cost 1 credit, phone numbers cost 10 credits
- Lower-tier plans have limited bulk features
- Database is smaller than some enterprise competitors
Bottom line: If you're a startup or small sales team, Lusha gives you most of what RocketReach offers at a fraction of the cost. The free plan with 70 credits is actually usable for testing.
2. Apollo.io – Best All-in-One Platform
Apollo.io is what happens when you combine a contact database with full email sequencing and CRM functionality. If you're tired of juggling multiple tools, this is worth a serious look.
Apollo.io Pricing
- Free: 10,000 email credits/month (with corporate domain)
- Basic: $49/month (or $59 monthly)
- Professional: $79/month (or $99 monthly)
- Organization: $119/month (or $149 monthly)
What's Good
- Massive database – 275M+ contacts
- Built-in email sequences, A/B testing, and dialer
- The free tier is genuinely generous for startups
- Deep filtering options including technographics and funding data
What's Not
- Credit system can get expensive – mobile numbers cost 8 credits each
- Data accuracy fluctuates (some users report inconsistent results)
- Learning curve is steeper than simpler tools
- Credits expire at end of billing cycle – use them or lose them
Bottom line: Apollo replaces both your data provider AND your sales engagement tool. The value is excellent if you actually use the outreach features. If you just need contact data, you might be paying for features you won't use.
3. ZoomInfo – Enterprise-Grade (Enterprise Pricing)
ZoomInfo is the heavyweight champion of B2B data. Over 35,000 companies use it, and for good reason – the database is massive and the intent data is genuinely useful. But that quality comes at a cost that prices out most SMBs.
ZoomInfo Pricing
ZoomInfo doesn't publish prices openly, but expect to start around $1,000/month for basic access. Enterprise implementations can run $15,000-$40,000+ annually.
What's Good
- Extensive database with 400M+ contacts and 110M+ companies
- Buyer intent data that actually identifies in-market prospects
- Website visitor tracking built in
- 300+ research specialists maintaining data quality
What's Not
- Pricing is prohibitive for small teams
- Annual contracts with limited flexibility
- Overkill if you just need basic contact info
Bottom line: ZoomInfo is excellent if you have the budget. For smaller teams, it's simply not realistic. Look at Lusha or Apollo first.
4. Hunter.io – Best for Email-Only Prospecting
Hunter.io is laser-focused on email addresses. No phone numbers, no fancy intent data – just fast, accurate email finding and verification. Sometimes simple is exactly what you need.
Hunter.io Pricing
- Free: 25 searches + 50 verifications/month
- Starter: $34/month (annual) – 1,000 unified credits
- Growth: $99/month (annual) – 5,000 unified credits
- Scale: $209/month (annual) – 25,000 credits
What's Good
- Domain search is incredibly useful – find anyone at a company
- Email verification is reliable
- Built-in campaign sending (cold email from the same tool)
- Unlimited team members on all plans
- Only charges credits when it actually finds something
What's Not
- Email-only – no phone numbers at all
- Weaker coverage outside US/Europe
- Limited company data compared to full sales intelligence platforms
Bottom line: If your outreach is 100% email and you're not doing cold calling, Hunter is efficient and affordable. For multi-channel sales teams, look elsewhere.
5. UpLead – Best Data Accuracy Guarantee
UpLead's main selling point is their 95% data accuracy guarantee. They verify emails in real-time before you download them, which addresses one of the biggest complaints about RocketReach (burning credits on bad data).
UpLead Pricing
- Free Trial: 5 credits over 7 days
- Essentials: $99/month (or $74 annual) – 170 credits
- Plus: $199/month (or $149 annual) – 400 credits
- Professional: Custom pricing – includes intent data and API
What's Good
- 95% accuracy guarantee – credits back for invalid data
- Real-time email verification before download
- Simple 1 credit = 1 contact model (email AND phone included)
- Integrates with 15+ CRMs and sales tools
- Technographic data included (search by tech stack)
What's Not
- Smaller database than Apollo or ZoomInfo
- Credits expire monthly (no rollover)
- Single user on lower plans – team access requires Professional tier
- Additional credits are expensive ($0.50-0.60 each)
Bottom line: UpLead is great for teams that can't afford bounced emails. The accuracy guarantee gives peace of mind, especially for smaller budgets where every contact matters.
6. Cognism – Best for European Markets
If you're targeting EMEA, Cognism should be on your radar. They specialize in GDPR-compliant data with phone-verified mobile numbers – something RocketReach doesn't guarantee.
Cognism Pricing
Cognism doesn't publish pricing, but plans typically start around $1,000/month for teams. They customize based on your workflow and company goals.
What's Good
- Phone-verified "Diamond Data" contacts with 87% accuracy on mobile numbers
- Strong EMEA coverage – best in class for European prospecting
- 14K+ intent data topics (vs RocketReach's 7K)
- GDPR and CCPA compliant by design
What's Not
- Premium pricing not suitable for small teams
- Requires sales call to get started
- US database isn't as strong as competitors
Bottom line: For European expansion, Cognism's compliance and data quality are hard to beat. For US-focused teams, there are cheaper options.
7. Seamless.AI – AI-Powered List Building
Seamless.AI uses artificial intelligence to continuously refresh its contact database. The pitch is that you're always getting fresh data rather than pulling from a static database.
Seamless.AI Pricing
Seamless.AI requires contacting sales for pricing, but expect mid-range costs similar to Apollo's paid tiers. They offer a limited free version to test.
What's Good
- AI-driven data that refreshes constantly
- Chrome extension works across LinkedIn and company websites
- Pitch intelligence features for personalization
What's Not
- Opaque pricing requires sales conversations
- Data quality can be inconsistent
- Some users report aggressive sales tactics
Bottom line: Worth testing if you want AI-powered prospecting, but the lack of transparent pricing is frustrating.
Which Alternative Should You Choose?
Here's my take based on different scenarios:
- Budget-conscious startup: Start with Lusha's free plan or Apollo's generous free tier. Both give you enough to test without spending money.
- Need all-in-one solution: Apollo.io combines database + outreach. One subscription instead of three.
- Email-only outreach: Hunter.io is purpose-built for email finding and keeps things simple.
- Data accuracy is critical: UpLead's 95% guarantee protects your credits (and deliverability).
- Enterprise budget, complex needs: ZoomInfo if you need the full suite of intent data, org charts, and account intelligence.
- European market focus: Cognism for GDPR compliance and verified European mobile numbers.
A Note on Data Enrichment Tools
If you're running high-volume outreach, you might also want to look at data enrichment tools that work alongside your contact database. Tools like Clay let you waterfall enrich contacts across multiple data sources, often getting better coverage than any single provider.
Final Thoughts
RocketReach works fine for basic contact discovery, but it's not the only option. For most small to mid-sized teams, Lusha or Apollo will deliver better value. The free tiers on both are genuinely useful – not just demos.
If you've got enterprise budget and needs, ZoomInfo remains the gold standard. But you'll pay accordingly.
Whatever you choose, start with a free trial or free plan before committing. Data quality varies by industry and region, so what works for one team might not work for yours.
Related reading: Check out our RocketReach pricing breakdown if you want to compare these alternatives against what you're currently paying, or see our guide to the best CRM software to pair with your new prospecting tool.