Home / Alternatives / Hunter alternative

Hunter alternative: when ContactLint fits and when it does not

Facts checked October 18, 2026

Hunter and ContactLint answer different questions. Hunter checks whether a mailbox exists. ContactLint checks whether an address is worth saving: is the syntax right, does the domain accept mail, is it a throwaway or role inbox, and is it a typo of a big provider. That smaller check is why it costs less.

The short answer

Stay with Hunter if you also need to find email addresses, search a domain for contacts or run outreach sequences, and want verification bundled with those tools.
Choose ContactLint if you only need to check addresses people give you, at a signup form, in a CRM import or inside an AI agent, without a monthly plan.

Hunter sells monthly plans: a free plan with 50 credits a month and Starter at $49 a month billed monthly for 2,000 credits, where one verification costs 0.5 credit and credits are shared with its finder tools. ContactLint sells one-time packs (5,000 checks for $9) and every key gets 100 free checks a month. Hunter checks the SMTP server and accept-all status; ContactLint does not.

Side by side

	ContactLint	Hunter
Confirms the mailbox exists (SMTP)	No. Syntax, DNS/MX, disposable, role and typo checks only; no SMTP connection, no catch-all detection	Yes: format, domain, SMTP server response and accept-all checks (source)
Smallest purchase	5,000 checks for $9	Starter plan, $49 a month billed monthly ($34 a month billed yearly), 2,000 credits a month (source)
5,000 checks	$9	Not listed
25,000 checks	$35	Not listed
100,000 checks	$99	Not listed
Free to start	100 checks every month, no card	Free plan with 50 credits a month (source)
Unknown results	Not charged: any check whose DNS lookup fails is given back	Not charged when Hunter fails to verify (status Unknown) (source)
Credits expire?	No expiry in our terms; unused credits refundable within 14 days	Plan credits reset each month (source)
Typo suggestions	Yes, did_you_mean for major providers (gmial.com to gmail.com)	Not listed
MCP server for AI agents	Hosted remote server at /mcp, nothing to install	Official MCP server (source)
Phone validation	Yes, same key and same credits	Not listed

Competitor facts read from each vendor's public pages on October 18, 2026 and linked in each cell. Prices change; follow the links for current terms. "Not listed" means the page we read did not state it, not that the vendor lacks it.

What switching looks like

Create a free key at /signup.
Replace one HTTP call: POST /v1/email/validate with {"email": "..."}, or /v1/email/validate/batch for up to 50 addresses.
Map verdicts: invalid reject, risky ask the user or review (show did_you_mean when set), valid accept, unknown accept or retry later.

curl -X POST https://contactlint.com/v1/email/validate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"jane@gmial.com"}'

Guides: server-side check on form submit, drop-in typo widget, email validation for AI agents.

Questions

Is ContactLint a full replacement for Hunter?

Only if you do not need mailbox verification. Hunter tests whether the mailbox exists; ContactLint checks syntax, DNS/MX, disposable domains, role addresses and typos, and never connects to mail servers.

Can I use ContactLint and Hunter together?

Yes. A common split is ContactLint at the signup form or inside an AI agent, where volume is steady and a fast cheap check is enough, and a mailbox verifier for occasional deep cleans of an old list.

How do I try ContactLint?

Create a free key at contactlint.com/signup (100 checks per month, no card), or run a live check on the home page without a key.

How we made this page

Written by the ContactLint team. Hunter facts were read from its public pages on October 18, 2026 and are linked in each table cell; we did not test its API. ContactLint facts come from our pricing and API spec. Spot something out of date? Email support@contactlint.com and we will fix it.

Get a free API key. 100 checks per month, no card required. Or try a live check first.