Compare · Qualisend vs Hunter
Qualisend vs Hunter.
Both verify email addresses down to a real SMTP conversation. Hunter fits outbound prospecting - finding addresses and campaigns first, with verification as one feature of the suite. Qualisend fits list hygiene for your own subscribers, where verification is the whole product rather than a feature. Everything below is sourced and dated - where we haven't verified a Hunter capability, we say so instead of guessing.
Choose Qualisend if
You're cleaning your own subscriber lists and want verification as the whole product - per-address evidence, honest catch-all verdicts, and pay-as-you-go pricing rather than a monthly finder subscription.
Choose Hunter if
Your job is outbound prospecting - you want a domain search, email finder and campaigns, and you'll use the built-in verification on what you find.
Side by side
Eight criteria buyers actually decide on - not every feature either product has. Hunter facts come from their public pricing and docs, captured 2026-07; recheck before relying on them.
| Criterion | Qualisend | Hunter |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $6 / 1,000 pay-as-you-go, no minimum plan | €49 / month (Starter) - finder-led subscriptionsource: hunter.io/pricing · 2026-07 |
| Free tier | 100 credits, never expire | 50 credits / month (~100 checks)source: pricing page · 2026-07 |
| Catch-all handling | Reported as catch-all, with the SMTP evidence shown - never rounded up to "valid" | Returned as an accept-all statussource: API docs · 2026-07 |
| Per-address evidence | MX record, inferred provider, SMTP reason code on every result | 0-100 confidence scoresource: API docs · 2026-07 |
| Bulk cleaning | CSV or paste up to 1M addresses, live progress, duplicates charged once | Upload a list, download resultssource: product pages · 2026-07 |
| Developer API | REST, scoped keys, per-key rate limits | REST APIsource: API docs · 2026-07 |
| Adjacent tools | None - verification only, by design | Email finder, domain search and campaigns - verification is one featuresource: product pages · 2026-07 |
| EU data processing | All processing on EU infrastructure (Ireland) | EU servers (Belgium)source: docs · 2026-07 |
Pricing at real volumes
One example bracket each. Both providers get cheaper at volume - the difference is at the entry point and in the subscription model.
Qualisend
$6
per 1,000 verifications, pay-as-you-go
- Credits never expire
- Pro subscription: any volume 1k-1M at 20% below pay-as-you-go
- Duplicates in a list charged once
Hunter
€49
per month, Starter plan · captured 2026-07
- 50 free credits/mo (~100 checks)
- Verification bundled with the finder
- Higher tiers unlock more volume
The real difference: what a verdict means
Feature tables hide the philosophical gap. These two are why teams switch to us.
We don't round catch-all up
When a domain accepts every address, no vendor can truly confirm the mailbox - so we say exactly that, show the probe evidence, and let you decide your risk tolerance. Verdicts that quietly upgrade "unverifiable" to "valid" look better in a demo and cost you bounces in production.
Every result shows its work
Each address carries its MX record, inferred provider, and the raw SMTP reason. When a result surprises you, you can see why instead of trusting a black box - which also means you can defend the clean to a client or a deliverability auditor.
Common questions
Other comparisons
Weighing more options? Read our roundup of Hunter alternatives →
Run the same list through both.
100 free credits, no card. Verify a sample in Qualisend, compare the verdicts and the evidence against what Hunter told you, and keep whichever you trust more.