# Lead generation

> “Find more customers for my business”. Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

Lead generation software does two jobs: it finds the right people and then helps you contact them. Apollo bundles a contact database with email sequences on a free plan, while Hunter focuses on finding and verifying one address at a time. lemlist adds LinkedIn and phone steps to follow-ups, and Clay builds tightly targeted lists from many data sources but takes time to learn. Start with one finder and one sender, then add enrichment once you know which prospects buy.

Last checked: 2026-10-06

## Ranking

1. **[Apollo](https://suiteintent.com/t/apollo?m=GB)**: B2B contact database with email outreach. · Best for finding and emailing leads · Free plan · 50% ([Deals](https://suiteintent.com/deals/apollo))
2. **[HubSpot](https://suiteintent.com/t/hubspot?m=GB)**: CRM with marketing, sales and service hubs. · Best to manage what you win · Free plan · 90% ([Deals](https://suiteintent.com/deals/hubspot))
3. **[Hunter](https://suiteintent.com/t/hunter?m=GB)**: Finds and verifies work email addresses. · Best for finding emails · Free plan
4. **[lemlist](https://suiteintent.com/t/lemlist?m=GB)**: Personalised cold email and outreach. · Best for personalised outreach · Pricing on request · 14 days ([Deals](https://suiteintent.com/deals/lemlist))
5. **[Clay](https://suiteintent.com/t/clay?m=GB)**: Lead enrichment and research in a spreadsheet. · Best for very targeted lists · Free plan

## Side by side

| Tool | Price | Ease of use (1-5) | Team size |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Apollo | Free plan, 50% off for a year for startups | 4 | solo, small team, growing team |
| HubSpot | Free plan, 90% off year one for startups | 4 | small team, growing team, large team |
| Hunter | Pricing on request | 5 | solo, small team, growing team |
| lemlist | Pricing on request, 14-day free trial | 4 | solo, small team, growing team |
| Clay | Pricing on request | 2 | small team, growing team |

## Why these picks

- Independent reviews: [Zapier](https://zapier.com/blog/best-cold-email-software/), [EmailToolTester](https://www.emailtooltester.com/en/blog/best-email-outreach-tools/) (Last checked: 2026-10-02)
- Prices last checked: 2026-10-06
- Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

## Head to head

- [Apollo vs Clay: which fills your sales pipeline](https://suiteintent.com/compare/apollo-vs-clay)
- [Apollo vs Hunter: tools to find new customers](https://suiteintent.com/compare/apollo-vs-hunter)
- [Clay vs Dropcontact: enrich your lead lists](https://suiteintent.com/compare/clay-vs-dropcontact)
- [HubSpot vs Salesforce: a CRM your AI can use](https://suiteintent.com/compare/hubspot-vs-salesforce)
- [Hunter vs Dropcontact: find and verify work emails](https://suiteintent.com/compare/hunter-vs-dropcontact)
- [lemlist vs Instantly: cold email for new customers](https://suiteintent.com/compare/lemlist-vs-instantly)
- [Pipedrive vs HubSpot: which CRM for a small team](https://suiteintent.com/compare/pipedrive-vs-hubspot)

## MCP setups

- [Connect AI to HubSpot](https://suiteintent.com/mcp/claude-read-update-crm)

## Questions

### Should I start with a contact database or an email finder?

A database such as Apollo suits you if you have no list yet and need to search by job title, industry and company size. An email finder such as Hunter fits better when you already know the companies and want the right address at each one. Hunter also checks that addresses deliver, which protects your sender reputation. Many small teams use a finder first and move to a database once outreach becomes a weekly habit.

### Can I find leads without paying anything?

Apollo, Hunter, HubSpot and Clay all list a free plan, so you can test a full prospecting routine at no cost. Hunter's free plan runs on monthly credits, which caps how many addresses you can look up. Apollo's free tier is generous enough that it often becomes a team's first sales tool. lemlist has no free plan, so budget for it once you send sequences at volume.

### Do I need a separate outreach tool if I already have HubSpot?

HubSpot keeps contacts, deals and emails on one customer record, and its free CRM is a good home for leads once they reply. Dedicated outreach tools add things HubSpot's free plan does not focus on, such as multichannel sequences in lemlist or bulk enrichment in Clay. A common setup is to prospect in Apollo or lemlist and log warm replies in HubSpot. That keeps your CRM clean of cold contacts who did not reply.

### Is cold email to businesses legal under GDPR?

Some EU countries, such as France, let you email business contacts without prior consent, as long as the message is relevant to their role. You must say where you got their data, offer an easy opt-out and delete details when someone asks. Germany, Spain and Italy generally expect prior consent for promotional email, even to businesses, so check local rules before you prospect there. Keep your lists small and targeted, which also helps deliverability.

### How many tools does a two-person sales team need?

Two is usually enough: one to find and enrich contacts, and one CRM to track replies and deals. Apollo can cover both finding and sending at the start, with HubSpot's free CRM as the record. Clay pays off later, when you run outbound at scale and need custom research on each account. Adding more tools early mostly adds logins and duplicate contacts.