# LeadMagic review (2026): the cheap, accurate first lookup By [Florian Martens](https://pipe0.com/authors/florian-martens) ยท Published Oct 6, 2026 Source: https://pipe0.com/reviews/leadmagic Scoring method: https://pipe0.com/reviews#methodology Disclosure: pipe0 buys data from LeadMagic and uses it in its waterfalls. The scores come from our own benchmark, not from that relationship. > LeadMagic sells work emails, mobile numbers, and B2B profile data through one API at under 2 cents a credit. It answers less often than premium sources, but when it answers, it is usually right. **Verdict: 3.9/5.** One of the cheapest contact data APIs we use, with the most accurate email validation we tested and API, CLI, and MCP on every plan. Its lookup coverage trails premium sources. | Criterion | Score | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Ease of use | 4.0/5 | A web app, a CLI, and a native Clay integration. Most teams call it from another tool rather than use it on its own. | | Data quality | 3.5/5 | Its answers agree with other providers 95% of the time on name and domain lookups. It finds fewer people than premium sources. | | Pricing value | 4.5/5 | Credits from 2 cents down to under 1 cent, an email for 1 credit, misses free, and monthly credits that roll over up to twice. | | API and agent access | 3.5/5 | API, CLI, and an MCP server with 130+ tools on every plan. The MCP server takes OAuth only, and most endpoints stop at 300 a minute. | | **Overall** (mean) | **3.9/5** | | **Best for:** - The first, cheapest step in an email or phone waterfall - High-volume email finding on a budget - Clay users who want a cheaper native provider **Skip it if:** - You need the highest possible coverage from a single provider - You want a free trial before you pay - You need a prospecting app with sequences **Price:** from $83/mo for Essential, billed annually ($99 billed monthly). No free plan. ## LeadMagic at a glance - **Founder:** Jesse Ouellette; bootstrapped, according to LeadMagic ([source](https://leadmagic.io/company/story)) - **Launched:** As an API in February 2024 ([source](https://leadmagic.io/company/story)) - **Company:** Lead Magic Corporation, Needham, Massachusetts ([source](https://leadmagic.io/terms)) - **Customers:** About 2,000 active subscribers, according to LeadMagic ([source](https://leadmagic.io/company/story)) - **Rate limits:** 600 a minute for email finding and validation, 300 for most other endpoints ([source](https://leadmagic.io/docs/v1/introduction)) - **Email validation:** 0.25 credits per valid or invalid verdict; unknown, including catch-all, is free ([source](https://leadmagic.io/docs/v1/reference/email-validation)) - **MCP server:** mcp.leadmagic.io, OAuth, 130+ tools, every plan ([source](https://leadmagic.io/solutions/mcp)) - **Integrations:** Native provider in Clay; also Instantly, Smartlead, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, Make, and n8n ([source](https://leadmagic.io)) ## LeadMagic in our benchmark pipe0 ran the same labelled addresses through every verifier it tests and scored each verdict against the known answer (July and October 2026). | Test | Records | Coverage | Agreement | Median time | Run | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Name and domain to work email (signup emails) | 100 | 50% | 95% | 4.8 s | 20260731T122257Z-f809 | ### Verifier scorecard (run 20261006T204836Z-0576) 100 labelled addresses, 50 known valid and 50 known invalid. Catch-all and unknown count as undetermined, never as wrong. | Verifier | Accuracy | Real confirmed | Fakes caught | Fakes passed as valid | Real called invalid | Undetermined | Median time | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | LeadMagic | 97% | 49/50 | 48/50 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 s | | ZeroBounce | 96% | 47/50 | 49/50 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.3 s | | MixRank | 93% | 47/50 | 46/50 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1.3 s | | MillionVerifier | 66% | 31/50 | 35/50 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 0.7 s | ### How often LeadMagic agrees with other providers Name and domain to work email (run 20260731T122257Z-f809). - Prospeo (low-cost): LeadMagic and Prospeo returned the same work email for 20 of 22 people (91%). - Amplemarket (premium): LeadMagic and Amplemarket returned the same work email for 21 of 22 people (95%). - Name and domain are derived from each signup email, so this test measures finding a person's address format, not finding the company. - LeadMagic's one rejected real address is the one every verifier rejected, most likely a labelling error, so it confirmed every other real address. - Its two undetermined verdicts were unknown, which LeadMagic does not charge for, on fake addresses at salesforce.com and atlassian.com. - Samples are small, 100 records per test, so treat a few points of difference as noise. - Known-valid addresses are pipe0 users with a live Google sign-in in the last 45 days; known-invalid addresses are synthetic, with no person behind them. - Catch-all, unknown, and risky verdicts count as undetermined, never as wrong. Only a fake passed as valid or a real address called invalid is an error. - The signup set is real pipe0 signup emails with no vendor involved in choosing them, a harder and more realistic population than the profile set. - Agreement is the share of results that match what other providers returned for the same person. It is a proxy for accuracy, not ground truth. ## What is LeadMagic? [#what-is-leadmagic] LeadMagic is a contact data API. Jesse Ouellette launched it in February 2024 after years of building data workflows for clients, and runs it without venture money from Needham, Massachusetts. One key covers work and personal emails, mobile numbers, LinkedIn profile enrichment, job change detection, company funding, technographics, and ad library search. It has about 2,000 active subscribers, and many of them never need its web app: they call it from Clay, where it is a native provider, from n8n or Make, from their own code, or from an agent over MCP. ## Where it fits [#where-it-fits] LeadMagic's data has a clear shape: when it answers, it is usually right, and it answers less often than the premium sources. In our name and domain test on 100 real pipe0 signups, it found a work email for half of them, and those addresses matched other providers 95% of the time. Against Amplemarket, a premium source, it agreed on 21 of 22 people. That shape is exactly what the first slot of a waterfall needs. A waterfall stops at the first answer, so the first provider decides accuracy for every person it answers, and its price is paid on every lookup. A cheap provider that is right when it answers leaves only the remaining people for the expensive providers behind it. ## What it costs [#what-it-costs] LeadMagic is among the cheapest contact data we buy. Credits cost about 2 cents on the smallest plan and 0.7 cents on the largest, a work email is 1 credit, and an empty lookup is free. Monthly plans let unused credits pile up to twice the monthly amount. Professional and Ultimate also make the search API free of credits. There is no free trial; the smallest plan is $83 a month billed annually. One billing detail to watch: the job change detector costs 3 credits per person checked, even when nothing changed. ## Email validation [#email-validation] LeadMagic also validates addresses, and that turned out to be its strongest product in our tests. We ran 100 labelled addresses through it: 50 real mailboxes of pipe0 users and 50 fakes, from random Gmail mailboxes to addresses at domains that don't exist. It got 97 right, ahead of ZeroBounce at 96, MixRank at 93, and MillionVerifier at 66. It confirmed 49 of the 50 real addresses, and the one it rejected was rejected by every verifier, so that label is probably wrong. It passed no fake as valid. Where it couldn't tell, on two made-up addresses at salesforce.com and atlassian.com, it said unknown instead of guessing. Validation costs a quarter credit per valid or invalid verdict, between 0.18 and 0.5 cents depending on the plan, and unknown results, including catch-all domains, are free. At about 2 seconds per check, it was the slowest of the four, so it suits batches better than a signup form. The full comparison is in [our verification benchmark](/blog/leadmagic-email-validation-benchmark). ## LeadMagic for agents [#leadmagic-for-agents] Every plan includes the API, a command-line tool, and an MCP server with more than 130 tools, which works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, and about a dozen other clients over OAuth. Email finding allows 600 requests a minute, which is plenty for an agent and enough for most batch jobs. ## LeadMagic and pipe0 [#leadmagic-and-pipe0] We buy data from LeadMagic, and it runs first in several pipe0 waterfalls, including name and domain to work email and email to LinkedIn profile. We put it there for the reasons above: low price and answers that agree with premium sources. The providers behind it pick up the people it doesn't find. ## Who should buy LeadMagic [#who-should-buy-leadmagic] Buy LeadMagic if you enrich at volume, care about cost per result, and can put a second provider behind it for the people it misses. Look elsewhere if you want the most coverage from a single provider. For work emails from names and domains, [Hunter](/reviews/hunter) found more in our benchmark; for mobile numbers, [Surfe](/reviews/surfe) did. ## LeadMagic pros and cons ### Pros - **Low prices at every volume.** Credits cost from 2 cents down to 0.7 cents depending on the plan. A work email is 1 credit, a mobile number 5, and an empty result is free. - **Right when it answers.** On name and domain lookups, LeadMagic's addresses matched Amplemarket on 21 of 22 people and Prospeo on 20 of 22. - **The most accurate email validation we tested.** On 100 labelled addresses, LeadMagic's validation got 97 right, ahead of ZeroBounce, MixRank, and MillionVerifier. It passed no fake as valid, and its unknowns are free. - **One API for many jobs.** Emails, personal emails, mobiles, profile enrichment, job changes, company funding, technographics, and ads search, all on one key. - **Agent-ready on every plan.** The MCP server works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, and a dozen other clients, with OAuth and more than 130 tools. ### Cons - **Lower coverage than premium sources.** From LinkedIn profiles in particular, LeadMagic finds fewer emails and phone numbers than premium providers. Pair it with one. - **No free trial.** New accounts pick a paid plan at signup. The smallest is $83 a month billed annually. - **Some lookups bill on no news.** The job change detector costs 3 credits per request, even when the person hasn't changed jobs. ## LeadMagic pricing | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Essential | $83/mo annual, $99 monthly | 5,000 credits a month, 3 seats. | | Growth | $208/mo annual, $249 monthly | 20,000 credits a month, 5 seats. | | Professional | $416/mo annual, $499 monthly | 50,000 credits a month, 10 seats, search API without credits. | | Ultimate | $708/mo annual, $849 monthly | 100,000 credits a month, 20 seats, search API without credits. | | Enterprise | From $2,490 a quarter | Custom credits and seats. | - A credit costs from about 2 cents on Essential to 0.7 cents on Ultimate. - A work email costs 1 credit, a personal email 2, a mobile number 5, an email from a LinkedIn profile 5, and validation a quarter credit. - Empty lookups are free. The job change detector is the exception, at 3 credits per request. - Monthly plans bank up to twice the monthly credits. Annual plans don't roll over. Prices as of Oct 6, 2026, from https://leadmagic.io/pricing. ## LeadMagic alternatives - [pipe0](https://pipe0.com/enrichment-api): You want LeadMagic as the cheap first step of a waterfall, with premium providers behind it for the people it misses. - [Hunter](https://pipe0.com/reviews/hunter): You find emails from names and domains and want the highest coverage on that lookup. - [Surfe](https://pipe0.com/reviews/surfe): Mobile coverage matters more than price. - [Fiber AI](https://pipe0.com/reviews/fiber): You start from email addresses and need LinkedIn profiles. ## FAQ ### Is LeadMagic accurate? When it finds an answer, usually yes. On name and domain lookups in our benchmark, its addresses matched other providers 95% of the time. It finds fewer people than premium providers, so most teams use it as the first step of a waterfall. ### Is LeadMagic's email validation accurate? In our test it was the most accurate of four verifiers: 97 of 100 labelled addresses right, 49 of 50 real addresses confirmed, and no fake address passed as valid. ZeroBounce got 96, MixRank 93, and MillionVerifier 66. ### How much does LeadMagic cost? Plans start at $83 a month billed annually, or $99 monthly, for 5,000 credits. A credit costs from about 2 cents down to 0.7 cents on larger plans. A work email is 1 credit and a mobile number 5. There is no free trial. ### Does LeadMagic charge for failed lookups? No. Empty or failed lookups are free, and an unknown validation result costs nothing. The exception is the job change detector, which costs 3 credits per request whether or not the person changed jobs. ### Does LeadMagic have an MCP server? Yes, at mcp.leadmagic.io, on every plan. It signs in with OAuth, exposes more than 130 tools, and works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, and other clients. ### LeadMagic or Hunter: which should I choose? For finding work emails from names and domains, Hunter found more in our benchmark. Choose LeadMagic if you also need mobile numbers and profile data from the same API, at a lower price per credit.