Key takeaways
- check_circleFree tiers split cleanly into two kinds: allowances that refill every month forever, and trials with an expiry. Only the first is something you can build a habit on.
- check_circleMeasured as lookups per month at no cost, Mailsfinder leads at roughly 1,000, then ContactOut at 150, Skrapp at 100 and Apollo at 75 per user.
- check_circleTomba on trial credits, Voila Norbert at 50 and Dropcontact at 50 are one-time allowances, not monthly tiers, however the pricing page frames them.
- check_circleHunter and GetProspect are the only tools here that include API access on the free plan, at 50 lookups a month each.
- check_circleFree almost always excludes something beyond volume: exports, bulk upload, or the API. Check which of the three you actually need before picking on allowance alone.
- check_circleAnymailfinder gives 100 credits but they expire after seven days, which makes it a demo rather than a free tier.
- check_circleIf you need one address right now and do not want an account at all, a no-signup tool beats every free tier on this page.
- check_circleA free lookup is still worth verifying before you email it. Most free tiers return the address without confirming the mailbox accepts mail.
What an email lookup tool does, and what free usually means
Email lookup covers two different jobs that get the same name. The common one is forward lookup: you know a person and a company, and you want their work address. The other is reverse lookup: you have an address and want to know who is behind it. Almost every tool on this page does the first. Reverse lookup is a separate category with different tools and different rules, and we cover it elsewhere.
The forward job works by figuring out the address formats a company uses, generating the candidates for your person, and checking which one the mail server accepts. Some tools shortcut this with a stored database of addresses they have already collected. Both approaches answer the same question, and both fail on the same kind of domain, the catch-all, which accepts mail to any address and so confirms nothing.
Free tiers in this category are generous by software standards, because the marginal cost of a lookup is small and the vendors want you in the habit. The catch is rarely volume alone. Free plans commonly withhold three things: the ability to export what you found, bulk upload so you must work one row at a time, and API access. A plan with 100 free lookups and no export is worth less than one with 50 and a CSV button, depending entirely on what you are doing.
The unit used throughout this page is lookups per month at no cost, which makes a daily allowance and a monthly one comparable. Where a tool counts in credits rather than lookups, the conversion is stated. Where the allowance is one-time, it is called a trial rather than a tier, because a number you can spend once is not a monthly budget.
The tools at a glance
How we evaluated these tools
Every free tier here was checked against the vendor's own pricing page in September 2026 and converted to the same unit, lookups per month. Where a plan counts credits rather than lookups, the conversion is shown. Ratings appear only where our research data carries a verified figure and review count.
Lookups per month, free
A daily allowance and a monthly one only become comparable once both are annualised.
Renews or expires
A tier that refills every month is a workflow. A one-time allowance is a demo with a nicer name.
Export, bulk and API on free
The three things free plans withhold most often, and the ones that decide whether free is usable.
Verified before it reaches you
A free lookup that was never checked against the mail server is a guess with a name attached.
Three kinds of free plan in this category
The number on the pricing page matters less than which of these three you are being offered.
Recurring allowance, forever
Mailsfinder, Skrapp, Hunter, Snov.io and GetProspect refill every month or day with no end date. The only kind you can plan around.
One-time allowance
Tomba, Voila Norbert, Dropcontact and RocketReach give you a block of lookups once. Useful for evaluating a tool, useless as an ongoing plan.
Time-limited trial
Anymailfinder gives 100 credits that expire after seven days. Generous on paper and gone before most people finish testing.
Every tool, side by side
Rank is a table position, not a promotional order.
| Tool | Free plan type | Free per month | Renews | API on free | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailsfinder | Recurring, forever | ~1,000 finds | Daily | No | New on G2 |
| ContactOut | Recurring, forever | ~150 reveals | Daily | No | 4.4/5 (109) |
| Skrapp.io | Recurring, forever | 100 credits | Monthly | No | 4.5/5 (329) |
| Apollo | Recurring, per user | 75 credits | Monthly | No | 4.7/5 (9,526) |
| Hunter | Recurring, forever | 50 credits | Monthly | Yes | 4.4/5 (634) |
| Snov.io | Recurring, forever | 50 credits | Monthly | No | 4.5/5 (483) |
| GetProspect | Recurring, forever | 50 valid | Monthly | Yes | 4.0/5 (41) |
| Wiza | Recurring, forever | 20 emails | Monthly | No | 4.5/5 (1,155) |
| Tomba | One-time | 75 once | No | No | New on G2 |
| Voila Norbert | One-time | 50 once | No | No | 4.6/5 (91) |
| Dropcontact | One-time | 50 once | No | Yes, on paid | 4.6/5 (49) |
| Anymailfinder | Time-limited trial | 100, expires | No | No | 3.4/5 (5) |
| RocketReach | One-time | 5 once | No | Yes, on paid | 4.4/5 (1,212) |
Free allowances read from vendor pricing pages in September 2026 and converted to lookups per month. Where a tool counts credits, the conversion is noted in its section. Order is largest recurring allowance first, which is a sorting choice, not a ranking.
Cost calculator
What you get free, and what the next step costs
Free allowances converted to lookups per month. The cost column shows the entry paid plan for when you outgrow free, priced per 1,000 found addresses for comparison.
| Tool | Addresses you get | Rate used |
|---|
Paid rates from vendor pricing pages, September 2026. At a spend of zero, use the free allowances in the comparison table above instead, since several tools give more free than a small budget buys elsewhere.
The tools, reviewed
Every tool gets the same card: what it is, four features, three pros, three cons, and an honest read. Same format for ours as for everyone else's.
Mailsfinder
Largest recurring free allowance
Ours, so check the numbers yourself and read the cons first. The free plan gives 100 credits every day and resets them daily with no end date and no card. A find costs 3 credits and a verification 1, so that works out near 1,000 found addresses a month or 3,000 verifications, the largest recurring free allowance in this comparison. Finds are charged only when an address comes back. The honest limits are that free excludes API access, and there is no Chrome extension yet on any plan.
Key features
- check100 credits a day, reset daily no card, no end date, no trial countdown.
- checkRoughly 1,000 finds a month at 3 credits per found address, or 3,000 verifications at 1.
- checkCharged only on a hit a lookup that returns nothing costs nothing.
- checkFree catch-all checker a separate no-signup tool for testing a whole domain.
Pros
- addLargest recurring free allowance here
- addFree tier resets daily, not monthly
- addFinding and verifying from one balance
Cons
- removeNo API access on the free plan
- removeNo Chrome extension on any plan
- removeNewer platform with a thin review record
The honest read
The most generous free tier in the category by a distance, and the one to pick if volume is what you want free. If you need an API or a browser extension, look elsewhere.
ContactOut
Most daily reveals, personal emails
Five email reveals and five phone reveals a day, refreshed daily, which works out near 150 a month and puts it second here on free volume. What makes it distinctive is reach rather than quantity: it surfaces personal addresses that most B2B finders never see, which is why recruiters use it. Exports are also capped at five a day on free, so you can look things up faster than you can take them away. The paid plan's unlimited claim carries a fair-use cap near 2,000 that draws consistent criticism in its reviews.
Key features
- check5 emails and 5 phones a day refreshed daily, roughly 150 a month.
- checkPersonal as well as work addresses rare at any price, rarer on a free plan.
- checkChrome extension on free works directly on LinkedIn profiles.
- check5 exports a day the real constraint on the free plan.
Pros
- addSecond largest recurring free allowance
- addReaches personal emails others miss
- addExtension included on the free plan
Cons
- removeExports capped at 5 a day on free
- removePaid unlimited is capped near 2,000
- removeAPI only on the Team plan
The honest read
The best free plan here for recruiting, because personal addresses are the hard part and this gives you some. The export cap is the thing that will annoy you first.
Skrapp.io
Free extension, renews monthly
One hundred credits every month with no end date, and the LinkedIn extension included rather than gated behind a paid plan, which is what separates it from most free tiers here. Paid plans bill only for deliverable results, and that policy extends to the free allowance, so invalid addresses do not eat your hundred. With 329 G2 reviews at 4.5 the extension clearly holds up in daily use. API access is reserved for the higher plans, so this is a browser workflow rather than a programmatic one.
Key features
- check100 free credits a month, forever recurring rather than a one-time trial.
- checkExtension included on free LinkedIn and Sales Navigator, not gated.
- checkBilled on deliverable results only invalid results do not consume the allowance.
- check329 G2 reviews at 4.5 a large verified base.
Pros
- addFree tier renews monthly with no end date
- addExtension included at no cost
- addInvalid results do not consume credits
Cons
- removeAPI access only on higher plans
- remove100 a month is modest next to the leaders
- removeLittle use outside a LinkedIn workflow
The honest read
The best free LinkedIn workflow on this page. Many solo users never leave the free plan, which appears to be the point.
Apollo
Platform free tier, per seat
Seventy-five credits per user each month, alongside access to a database, sequencer and light CRM that no other free plan here includes. For someone evaluating a whole sales stack rather than just a finder, that breadth is worth more than a larger lookup allowance. The per-user wording matters both ways: a second team member gets their own 75. The database is the largest in this comparison and also draws the most data-quality criticism, with 503 of its 9,526 G2 reviews citing inaccurate data.
Key features
- check75 credits a month per user recurring, and per seat rather than per account.
- checkDatabase, sequencer and CRM on free far more product than a pure finder offers.
- checkChrome extension included works on LinkedIn and company sites.
- check9,526 G2 reviews at 4.7 the deepest review base in this category.
Pros
- addMost complete product available free
- addAllowance is per user, not per account
- addExtension included on the free plan
Cons
- remove75 a month is modest for lookups alone
- remove503 G2 reviews cite inaccurate data
- removeNo API on the free plan
The honest read
The free plan to pick if you want to evaluate a whole sales platform. For lookup volume alone, several tools here give you more.
Hunter
API on the free plan
Fifty credits a month is a modest allowance next to the leaders here, but it comes with something almost nobody else gives away: API access on the free plan. For anyone prototyping an integration without a budget, that single fact outweighs a larger manual allowance. Domain Search is included too, returning every address Hunter holds for a company, which is the feature people stay for when they have no specific name. Each result carries a confidence score and the sources the address was seen in.
Key features
- checkAPI access on the free plan 50 credits a month, enough to build against.
- checkDomain Search included every address for a company, not just one person.
- checkConfidence score and sources where the address was seen, and when.
- check634 G2 reviews at 4.4 deep, long-standing feedback.
Pros
- addAPI included on the free plan
- addDomain Search available free
- addBest documentation in the category
Cons
- remove50 a month is small next to the leaders
- removeSearches billed whether or not they resolve
- removeVerifier tests below its published claim
The honest read
The free plan to choose if you are writing code rather than clicking. As a manual lookup allowance it is unremarkable.
Snov.io
Free plan that also sends
Fifty credits a month puts it mid-table on volume, but it is the only free plan here that also lets you send: 100 campaign recipients a month are included, so you can find addresses and run a small sequence to them without paying anything. For someone testing whether cold email works at all, that end-to-end path is more useful than a bigger lookup allowance with no way to act on it. Verification runs a seven-stage process, and API access begins on the paid plans.
Key features
- check50 credits and 100 recipients a month find and send on one free plan.
- checkSeven-stage verification included rather than sold separately.
- checkExtension and CRM on free the platform is not gated.
- check483 G2 reviews at 4.5 a solid verified base.
Pros
- addOnly free plan here that also sends campaigns
- addVerification included
- addExtension available free
Cons
- remove50 credits a month is modest
- removeNo API on the free plan
- removeClaimed accuracy sits above reported figures
The honest read
The right free plan for testing a whole outbound motion rather than a lookup tool. On lookups alone it is mid-table.
GetProspect
Free API, counts valid emails
The free plan counts in valid emails rather than credits, so fifty means fifty addresses that actually resolved rather than fifty attempts, which is a meaningfully better deal than the number suggests. It also includes API access, one of only two tools here to do so, plus 100 verifications a month. The caveats are the review record, 4.0 across 41 G2 reviews and the lowest verified rating in this comparison, and user tests reporting accuracy between 60 and 84 percent against a 95 percent claim.
Key features
- check50 valid emails a month counted as results, not attempts.
- checkAPI access on the free plan one of only two tools here.
- check100 verifications included alongside the 50 finds.
- checkLinkedIn extension and light CRM included on the free plan.
Pros
- addFree plan includes API access
- addCounts results rather than attempts
- addVerifications bundled with finds
Cons
- remove4.0 on G2, lowest verified rating here
- removeUser tests report accuracy far below its claim
- remove50 a month is modest volume
The honest read
A genuinely good free plan on paper, undercut by the weakest accuracy record in this comparison. Test it on rows you can check.
Wiza
Small free tier, phones included
Twenty emails and five phone numbers a month is the smallest recurring allowance here, but it includes phone reveals, which most free plans do not offer at any volume. Wiza exists to turn a Sales Navigator search into a clean CSV, and the quality claims are the strongest in its category: 95 percent accuracy and under 1 percent bounce reported, backed by 1,155 G2 reviews at 4.5. The free plan is really a sample of that rather than a working allowance.
Key features
- check20 emails and 5 phones a month phone reveals on a free plan are unusual.
- checkSales Navigator export the core workflow, sampled on free.
- checkReal-time verification reported under 1 percent bounce.
- check1,155 G2 reviews at 4.5 a deep verified base.
Pros
- addIncludes phone reveals on the free plan
- addStrongest reported bounce rate in its category
- addLarge verified review base
Cons
- removeSmallest recurring free allowance here
- removePaid plans are expensive per address
- removeOnly useful inside a Sales Navigator workflow
The honest read
A sample rather than a free tier, aimed at getting you onto a paid plan quickly. The quality reputation is real if you get there.
Tomba
Best one-time evaluation allowance
Seventy-five lookups once, which is not a monthly tier however it is presented, but it is the most useful one-time allowance here because it spans six endpoints: finder, domain search, verifier, author finder, phone finder and validator. That breadth makes it a genuine evaluation rather than a taste, and the author finder in particular has no equivalent elsewhere. If the evaluation goes well the paid step is $29 a month for 2,500 credits, the lowest conventional finder rate in this comparison.
Key features
- check75 lookups across six endpoints a real evaluation rather than a taste.
- checkAuthor Finder included resolves the writer behind a URL.
- checkDomain search on the free allowance not gated to paid.
- check$29 for 2,500 credits after the cheapest conventional step up here.
Pros
- addMost capable one-time allowance here
- addCovers six different endpoints
- addCheap first paid tier if you continue
Cons
- removeOne-time, not a recurring tier
- removeNo verified G2 rating to judge it by
- removeCoverage claims are vendor-measured
The honest read
Treat it as a free evaluation, not a free plan. For that job it is the best on this page.
Voila Norbert
One-time, simple product
Fifty leads once, framed on the pricing page as a free plan and functionally a trial. The product itself is one of the oldest here and does the core job without a platform attached: name and company in, address out, with a bulk uploader and optional verification. With 91 G2 reviews at 4.6 the people who buy it tend to stay, and the Zapier and WordPress integrations suit anyone who would rather not touch an API.
Key features
- check50 leads on signup one-time rather than recurring.
- checkBulk uploader available CSV rather than one row at a time.
- checkZapier and WordPress integrations for workflows without a developer.
- check4.6 on G2 across 91 reviews steady feedback over many years.
Pros
- addSimple product with nothing to learn
- addWell rated over a long period
- addBulk upload available
Cons
- remove50 leads is one-time, not monthly
- removeAround $49 per 1,000 once you pay
- removeFewer features than newer rivals
The honest read
A trial rather than a free tier. Fine for checking coverage on your own rows, not something to build a workflow on.
Dropcontact
One-time, GDPR-first
Fifty credits once, with no ongoing free plan, which is a deliberate choice rather than an oversight: there is no stored contact database here at all, and every address is reconstructed and verified when you ask. That architecture costs more per lookup and is the basis of the GDPR position that puts it on European shortlists ahead of cheaper tools. Enrichment goes beyond the address to job title and company data, and the API is on every paid plan including an MCP server.
Key features
- check50 credits on signup one-time trial, no ongoing free plan.
- checkNo stored contact database addresses rebuilt per request.
- checkEnriches beyond the address job titles and company data in the same call.
- checkAPI on all paid plans including an MCP server.
Pros
- addStrongest data-protection position here
- addEnriches more than the email address
- addVerified at the moment of lookup
Cons
- removeNo ongoing free plan at all
- removeAround EUR 58 per 1,000 once you pay
- removeEuro pricing adds FX noise for US teams
The honest read
The trial exists to prove the approach rather than to be generous. Worth it if a GDPR review sits between you and a purchase.
Anymailfinder
100 credits, expires in 7 days
One hundred credits looks like one of the larger allowances here until you read the expiry: they are gone after seven days whether you use them or not. That makes it a countdown rather than a free tier, and it is a shame because the billing model underneath is the fairest in the category, charging only when a verified address comes back. The paid entry tier is $14 a month for 50 credits, which is the lowest monthly commitment here and roughly $280 per 1,000, the highest unit cost.
Key features
- check100 credits on signup and a seven-day clock on them.
- checkCharged on verified results only misses cost nothing, on free and paid.
- checkDecision-maker search finds a role when you have no name.
- checkSimple, readable API docs one page, no SDK needed.
Pros
- addLargest headline trial allowance here
- addPay only for verified results
- addLowest monthly commitment if you continue
Cons
- removeCredits expire after seven days
- removeOnly 5 G2 reviews to judge by
- removeRoughly $280 per 1,000 on the entry plan
The honest read
A good billing model wrapped in a countdown. Start it the day you actually have time to test, not the day you find the page.
RocketReach
Smallest allowance, deepest recordsFive lookups once is the smallest allowance in this comparison and barely enough to form a view, which is a deliberate choice for a product priced per record rather than per lookup. What those five buy you is reach into contact records the pure finders do not hold, including personal emails and phone numbers across a very large graph, backed by 1,212 G2 reviews at 4.4. The Trustpilot picture is considerably less flattering and is worth reading before any commitment.
Key features
- check3 free lookups one-time, enough for a spot check only.
- checkVery large contact graph reaches records pure finders do not hold.
- checkPersonal emails and phone numbers alongside work addresses.
- check1,212 G2 reviews at 4.4 a deep review base.
Pros
- addReaches records other tools miss
- addPhone numbers alongside email
- addAnnual billing halves the monthly rate
Cons
- removeOnly 3 free lookups, one time
- removeAround $690 per 1,000 at the entry tier
- removeTrustpilot sentiment well below its G2 score
The honest read
Not a free tool in any meaningful sense. Use the five lookups to check whether it reaches a record nobody else does, then decide.
Which one fits your situation
Pick by what you are actually trying to do without paying.
| If this is you | Start here |
|---|---|
| You want the largest free allowance, full stop | Mailsfinder gives 100 credits a day that reset daily, which is roughly 1,000 found addresses a month at 3 credits each, or 3,000 verifications at 1 credit. |
| You want to prototype against an API without paying | Hunter and GetProspect are the only tools here with API access on the free plan, both at 50 a month. |
| You prospect on LinkedIn and want a free extension | Skrapp includes the extension on its free plan, which grants 50 credits once, and ContactOut gives 5 reveals a day. |
| You need one address right now, with no account | Skip the free tiers. A no-signup lookup tool answers immediately without an email address or a password, and ours allows 5 checks a day. |
| You are evaluating tools rather than using them | The one-time allowances are fine here. Tomba at 75 and Dropcontact at 50 are enough to judge coverage on your own rows. |
| You need to export what you find | Check before you start. Several free plans let you look up addresses and not download them, which turns a 100-lookup allowance into 100 copy-paste operations. |
Five things free email lookup tools do not tell you
None of these are hidden exactly, but none of them are on the pricing page either.
A trial counted as a tier
Tomba's 75 lookups, Voila Norbert's 50 and Dropcontact's 50 are one-time. Anymailfinder's 100 expire in seven days. Only the recurring allowances are something you can rely on next month.
Free without export
Several plans let you look an address up and not download it. On a 100-lookup allowance that means 100 manual copies, which quietly makes a smaller allowance with a CSV button the better deal.
Unverified results presented as found
Most free tiers return the address without confirming the mailbox accepts mail. On a catch-all domain nothing can be confirmed at all. Verify before you send, or expect bounces from a list that looked clean.
Per-seat free tiers
Apollo's 75 credits are per user, so a two-person team gets 150 between them by creating two accounts. That is fine, and it is also not what the pricing page appears to say.
Free tiers that need a work email
Several vendors block consumer domains at signup, so a Gmail address will not get you in. Worth knowing before you plan an evaluation around a tool you cannot register for.
Category picks
Largest recurring free allowance
Mailsfinder gives 100 credits a day forever, roughly 1,000 found addresses a month, with no card required.
Most reveals per day
ContactOut allows 5 emails and 5 phones a day on the free plan, which is about 150 a month and includes personal addresses.
Free API access
Hunter puts the API on the free plan at 50 credits a month, alongside Domain Search and a confidence score.
Free LinkedIn extension
Skrapp.io renews 100 credits every month forever with the extension included rather than gated.
Most generous platform free tier
Apollo gives 75 credits per user each month alongside a database, sequencer and light CRM.
Best one-time evaluation allowance
Tomba gives 75 lookups across six endpoints, enough to judge coverage properly before deciding.
What you actually pay
What each free tier gives you, and what the first paid step costs when you outgrow it. The paid figures are there for context; the full pricing comparison for small teams is linked at the foot of this page.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry price | What free includes | Free per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailsfinder | 100 credits a day, forever | $9.99/mo Starter | 75,000 credits a month | ~1,000/mo |
| ContactOut | 5 emails, 5 phones, 5 exports a day | $25/mo Email plan | Unlimited reveals, 300 exports a month | ~150/mo |
| Skrapp.io | 50 credits, one time | $39/mo, $29 annual | 2,000 credits a month, 2 users | 100/mo |
| Apollo | 75 credits a month per user | $49/user/mo annual | 2,500 credits a user a month | 75/mo |
| Hunter | 50 credits a month, API included | $49/mo, $34 annual | 2,000 searches a month | 50/mo |
| Snov.io | 50 credits and 100 recipients a month | $39/mo, $29.25 annual | 1,000 credits plus 5,000 recipients | 50/mo |
| GetProspect | 50 valid emails and 100 verifications a month, API included | $49/mo, $34 annual | 1,000 valid emails plus 2,000 verifications | 50/mo |
| Wiza | 20 emails and 5 phones a month | $83/mo Email, billed $990 a year | Unlimited email reveals, 2,500 exports a month | 20/mo |
| Tomba | Trial credits on signup | $89/mo Growth | 10,000 credits, finder plus verification | 75 once |
| Voila Norbert | 50 leads, one time | $49/mo Valet, $39 annual | 1,000 credits a month | 50 once |
| Dropcontact | 50 credits, one-time trial | EUR 29/mo Starter | 500 credits a month | 50 once |
| Anymailfinder | 100 credits, 7-day trial | Tiers from 400 credits a month | 400 credits a month at the smallest tier | 100 in 7 days |
| RocketReach | 3 lookups, one time | $69/mo, $33 annual | 100 lookups a month | 5 once |