Hunter Io vs Mailshake: Which Boost Your Cold Emails in 2025

by | Last updated May 11, 2025

Winner
Mailshake logo
9.0
  • AI Email Writer
  • Find Prospects Email
  • LinkedIn Automation
  • Email Deliverability
  • Lead Catcher
  • Free plan available
  • Paid Plans from $49/month
Runner Up
Best section img 6
8.0
  • B2B Lead Database
  • Email Verifier
  • Automated Cold Email Outreach
  • Intent Signal
  • Email Finder
  • Free plan available
  • Paid Plans from $49/month
Hunter Io vs Mailshake

Are you tired of your cold emails landing in the spam folder or, even worse, being ignored entirely? 

That’s where powerful tools like Hunter.io and Mailshake come in.

They can help you find the right people to contact and create emails that actually get opened and read.

But which one is right for you?

In this post, we’ll break down the key differences between Hunter io vs Mailshake so you can choose the best tool to supercharge your cold email campaigns.

Overview

To give you the most accurate comparison, we’ve spent weeks testing both Hunter.io and Mailshake, digging deep into their features, ease of use, and overall value.

This hands-on experience allows us to provide real-world insights and help you make the best choice for your needs.

hunter io CTA

Unlock a world of potential with Hunter.io! Access a database of over 100 million email addresses and find the right contacts to grow your business.

8out of 10

Pricing: Free plan available. The premium plan starts at $49/month.

Key Features:

  • Email Finder
  • Domain Search
  • Email Verifier
Mailshake

Want to automate your outreach and book more meetings? Mailshake helps you send personalized cold emails at scale.

9out of 10

Pricing: Free plan available. Pricing Plan Starts at $49/month.

Key Features:

  • Automated email sequences
  • A/B testing
  • Personalized mail merge

What is Hunter Io?

Ever wished you had a magic tool to find anyone’s email address? That’s Hunter io!

It’s super simple to use. Just type in a person’s name and their company’s website, and boom – you’ve got their email. Pretty cool, right?

But it does way more than just that. Hunter.io also verifies emails to make sure they’re valid.

This means fewer bounces and more emails that actually reach your prospects.

Also, explore our favorite Hunter io alternatives

hunter io CTA
Hunter io
8.0

Unlock a world of leads with Hunter io’s domain search feature. Find all the email addresses associated with any company with a single domain search.

Key Benefits

  • Find email addresses in seconds. No more manual searching!
  • Verify email addresses with 95% accuracy. Avoid those pesky bounces.
  • Find decision-makers with the Author Finder tool. Connect with the right people.
  • Build targeted email lists with Domain Search. Reach your ideal audience.
  • Integrate with your favorite CRM and other tools. Streamline your workflow.

Pricing

Hunter.io offers a variety of plans to suit your needs and budget.

  • Free: $0 Monthly searches 25.
  • Starter: This plan starts at $49/month and offers 500 email credits and more advanced features.
  • Growth: starts at $149/month and gives you 10,000 email credits and even more advanced features, such as campaign automation.
  • Business: starts at $499/month and gives you 100,000 email credits and even more advanced features, such as campaign automation.
hunter io pricing

Pros

  • I love the Chrome extension.
  • It integrates with my CRM.
  • The interface is very intuitive.
  • It has a generous free plan.
  • Finding emails is super fast.

Cons

  • Accuracy can vary by domain.
  • Sometimes, it misses standard emails.
  • Customer support can be slow.
  • Email verification isn’t always perfect.

What is Mailshake?

Want to send cold emails that actually get responses? Mailshake can help!

It’s known for its awesome automated email sequences. This means you can set up a series of emails that go out automatically.

Think of it like a friendly robot that sends emails for you so you don’t have to!

Mailshake also helps you personalize your emails to feel more human and less like spam.

Plus, it tracks your results to see what’s working and what’s not.

Also, explore our favorite Mailshake alternatives

Mailshake
Mailshake
9.0

Want to automate your outreach and book more meetings? Mailshake helps you send personalized cold emails at scale.

Key Benefits

  • AI-powered email writing: Generate high-converting email copy with their AI assistant in seconds. No more writer’s block!
  • Automated follow-ups: Stay top-of-mind with automated email sequences. Never miss a follow-up again.
  • Advanced personalization: Dynamically insert prospect data into your emails. Make every message feel tailor-made.
  • Built-in lead catcher: Capture leads from your website and social media. Grow your audience effortlessly.

Pricing

  • Starter: Starts at $0/month.
  • Email Outreach: $49/month
  • Sales Engagement: Starts at $99/month.
mailshake pricing

Pros

  • Very user-friendly interface.
  • Affordable pricing for startups.
  • Great for personalized outreach.
  • Strong focus on email deliverability.
  • Helpful customer support team.

Cons

  • Fewer features for enterprise users.
  • Reporting could be more in-depth.
  • It can be slow to load at times.
  • Limited customization options.

Feature Comparison

Now, let’s dive into the heart of the matter and compare Hunter.io and Mailshake feature by feature.

This detailed breakdown will help you make an informed decision about which tool is the best fit for your specific needs.

1. Email Finding

Hunter.io: This is where Hunter.io truly shines. It’s an excellent email finder tool. Simply enter a company name or website, and Hunter.io will generate a list of possible email addresses. You can then use Hunter.io’s email verification feature to ensure the addresses are valid and reduce your bounce rate.

Mailshake: Mailshake doesn’t have a built-in email finder. If you’re looking to use Mailshake for cold outreach campaigns, you’ll need to use a separate tool like Hunter.io to find and verify email addresses.

2. Email Verification

Hunter.io: Hunter.io provides robust email verification to ensure your emails land in the right inboxes. This helps improve your email deliverability and sender reputation.

Mailshake: While Mailshake doesn’t offer a dedicated email verification feature, it does check email addresses for basic validity. For more thorough verification, you might consider using a tool like Hunter.io in conjunction with Mailshake.

Mailshake homepage

3. Email Sending and Automation

Hunter.io: Hunter.io primarily focuses on finding and verifying email addresses. While it offers some basic email sending capabilities, it’s not as robust as Mailshake in this area.

Mailshake: Mailshake excels at email automation. It allows you to create automated email sequences, personalize each email, and track your results. This makes it a powerful tool for cold email outreach and sales engagement.

4. Cold Email and LinkedIn Outreach

Hunter.io: Hunter.io is primarily focused on cold email. However, you can use it to find email addresses for people on LinkedIn, allowing you to combine cold email and LinkedIn outreach strategies.

Mailshake: Mailshake primarily focuses on cold email, but their Sales Engagement plan includes features for LinkedIn outreach, allowing you to connect with prospects on multiple platforms.

5. AI Email Writing and Multi-Channel Prospecting

Hunter.io: Hunter.io doesn’t currently offer AI email writing or multi-channel prospecting features. You’ll need to rely on your own email writing skills or use other tools for these functionalities.

Mailshake: Mailshake provides AI email writing assistance to help you create compelling email content. They also offer multi-channel prospecting features, enabling you to reach out to prospects through email, phone, and social media.

6. Integrations

Hunter.io: Hunter.io integrates with a wide range of popular tools, including CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot and email marketing platforms like Mailchimp. This makes it easy to incorporate Hunter.io into your existing workflow.

Mailshake: Mailshake also offers a variety of integrations, including popular CRM and marketing automation platforms. This ensures seamless data flow and efficient campaign management.

hunter io api key

What to Look for When Choosing a Cold Email Tool?

  • Ease of Use: How intuitive is the platform? Can you easily navigate and understand its features?
  • Deliverability: Does the tool have a good reputation for email deliverability? Look for features like email verification and spam testing.
  • Integrations: Does it integrate with your other tools, like your CRM or email marketing platform?
  • Scalability: Can the tool grow with your needs? Consider whether it offers features like team collaboration and increased email-sending limits.
  • Support: What kind of customer support does the company offer? Look for options like live chat, email support, and helpful documentation.
  • Pricing: Does the pricing fit your budget and needs? Consider the features offered at each price point and choose the plan that provides the best value for your business.

Final Verdict

So, which tool comes out on top in the Mailshake vs Hunter battle?

It’s a close call, but for overall value and features, we recommend Mailshake.

Its powerful automation and personalization features make it a winner for boosting your cold email success.

Its detailed analytics help you track your progress and improve your campaigns over time.

That said, Hunter.io is still a fantastic tool, especially if your main focus is finding accurate email addresses.

Its email finder is super accurate and easy to use. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your specific needs and budget.

Looking for other options? Check out Lemlist and Followup, two other popular cold email tools worth exploring.

No matter which tool you choose, remember that consistent effort and a strong strategy are key to cold email success. Now go out there and start landing those clients!

More of Hunter IO

Here’s a comparison of Hunter IO with its alternatives, highlighting their unique strengths:

  • Hunter IO vs Instantly: Hunter IO excels in finding and verifying email addresses. Instantly focuses on maximizing email deliverability with warm-up and advanced campaign features.
  • Hunter IO vs Snov IO: Hunter IO specializes in email finding and verification. Snov IO offers a broader sales automation suite, including email campaigns and a CRM.
  • Hunter IO vs Apollo: Hunter IO primarily focuses on email finding and verification. Apollo provides a comprehensive sales intelligence platform with a large B2B database and outreach tools.
  • Hunter IO vs Reply IO: Hunter IO is adept at email discovery and validation. Reply IO offers a full sales engagement platform with multi-channel outreach and automation.
  • Hunter IO vs UpLead: Hunter IO is a direct email finder and verifier. UpLead provides a vast database of verified B2B contacts and emphasizes data accuracy.
  • Hunter IO vs Lemlist: Hunter IO excels at email finding and verification. Lemlist offers advanced personalization, multi-channel outreach, and email warm-up features
  • Hunter IO vs Woodpecker: Hunter IO efficiently finds and verifies emails. Woodpecker is a dedicated cold email tool with automation, follow-ups, and warm-up features.
  • Hunter IO vs Smartlead: Hunter IO is focused on email finding. Smartlead is a robust cold email outreach platform with unlimited warm-ups and deliverability features.
  • Hunter IO vs Saleshandy: Hunter IO provides email finding and basic campaigns. Saleshandy offers more advanced email automation and deliverability features for outreach.
  • Hunter IO vs Klenty: Hunter IO focuses on discovering and verifying emails. Klenty is a sales engagement platform for managing multi-channel outreach sequences and CRM integration.
  • Hunter IO vs Warmbox: Hunter IO helps find and verify emails for outreach. Warmbox is a specialized tool solely focused on warming up email accounts to improve deliverability.
  • Hunter IO vs Maildoso: Hunter IO offers email finding and basic campaign sending. Maildoso provides high-volume email sending with advanced deliverability features and warm-up.
  • Hunter IO vs Manyreach: Hunter IO is for email finding and verification. Manyreach is an AI-powered cold email platform focused on scalable outreach and deliverability.
  • Hunter IO vs Warmy: Hunter IO helps locate and validate emails. Warmy is a dedicated email warm-up tool designed to boost sender reputation and inbox placement.

More of Mailshake

Here’s a comparison of Mailshake with its alternatives:

  • Mailshake vs Instantly: Mailshake offers more customization and comprehensive analytics for email campaigns. Instantly excels in automation, engagement, and rapid campaign setup.
  • Mailshake vs Snov IO: Mailshake focuses on streamlined email outreach and AI-powered writing. Snov IO is stronger in email finding, verification, and a broader sales suite
  • Mailshake vs Apollo: Mailshake provides user-friendly personalized email outreach. Apollo offers a vast B2B contact database and comprehensive sales intelligence.
  • Mailshake vs Reply IO: Mailshake focuses on efficient email automation and A/B testing. Reply IO provides robust multi-channel outreach, including LinkedIn and calls.
  • Mailshake vs UpLead: Mailshake optimizes email outreach automation and deliverability. UpLead is a powerful source for high-quality, verified B2B lead data.
  • Mailshake vs Lemlist: Mailshake offers straightforward, affordable email campaigns. Lemlist excels in hyper-personalization with rich media and advanced multi-channel features.
  • Mailshake vs Woodpecker: Mailshake leads with AI-driven email and personalization. Woodpecker focuses on human-like sending patterns and strong email deliverability.
  • Mailshake vs Smartlead: Mailshake simplifies personalized email campaigns. Smartlead offers unlimited mailboxes, advanced AI warm-ups, and multi-channel scaling.
  • Mailshake vs Saleshandy: Mailshake handles varied outreach channels with automation. Saleshandy specializes in cold emailing with deliverability features and a lead finder.
  • Mailshake vs Klenty: Mailshake is user-friendly for email automation beginners. Klenty provides a comprehensive sales engagement platform with deeper CRM integration.
  • Mailshake vs Warmbox: Mailshake includes email warm-up within its outreach platform. Warmbox is a dedicated, specialized tool for robust email warm-up and deliverability.
  • Mailshake vs Maildoso: Mailshake provides integrated email warm-up and campaign management, while Maildoso offers a robust multi-channel experience and email hosting services.
  • Mailshake vs Manyreach: Mailshake focuses on personalized cold email automation. Manyreach offers cost-effective scalability with unlimited prospects and a unified inbox.
  • Mailshake vs Warmy: Mailshake includes email warm-up as part of its outreach. Warmy is a dedicated email deliverability tool, specializing in advanced warm-up processes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free email database I can use with Mailshake?

No, Mailshake does not provide a free email database. You’ll need to use a separate data finder tool like Hunter.io to build your email list. However, Mailshake lets you easily import and manage your contact lists.

What’s the best Mailshake alternative if I’m on a tight budget?

Lemlist is a great alternative to Mailshake and is often more affordable. It offers similar functionality, including automated email sequences and personalization, starting at $59 monthly.

How many emails can I send with Mailshake?

The number of emails you can send with Mailshake depends on your plan. Their basic plan starts at 1,000 emails per month. You can upgrade to higher plans if you need to send more cold emails or LinkedIn messages.

Can I use Hunter for cold emailing, or is it just for finding emails?

While Hunter is primarily an email finder, you can use it for cold emailing by exporting your leads to a dedicated cold email software like Mailshake or Lemlist. Using multiple tools can be a powerful way to optimize your outreach.

Do Mailshake and Hunter offer a monthly billing option?

Yes, both Mailshake and Hunter offer monthly billing options. This gives you flexibility and allows you to adjust your plan as needed. You can also usually save money by opting for an annual subscription.