# Hunter API + MCP vs Lusha API + MCP

> Lusha API + MCP has a score of 62.6 (B) against Hunter API + MCP's 56.8 (C). Both do email finder. The largest gap is security & auth, 26 points. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-05

Lusha API + MCP has a score of 62.6 (B) against Hunter API + MCP's 56.8 (C). Both do email finder. The largest gap is security & auth, 26 points.

- Hunter API + MCP: grade C, 56.8/100, rank #299 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hunter.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hunter.json
- Lusha API + MCP: grade B, 62.6/100, rank #215 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lusha.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lusha.json

## Which one, for what

Pick Hunter API + MCP for schema & documentation (+7).

Pick Lusha API + MCP for reliability (+25), security & auth (+26), maintenance & community (+19).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Hunter API + MCP | Lusha API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 50 | 75 | Lusha API + MCP +25 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 83 | Hunter API + MCP +7 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 54 | 51 | Hunter API + MCP +3 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 33 | 59 | Lusha API + MCP +26 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 40 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 82 | Lusha API + MCP +19 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 81 | 84 | Lusha API + MCP +3 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -4 | |
| **Total** | | **56.8 · C** | **62.6 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Hunter API + MCP | Lusha API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Hunter | Lusha |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.hunter.io/v2` | `https://api.lusha.com` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | none |
| Tools exposed | 107 | 50 |
| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |
| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | not listed | `com.lusha.mcp/mcp` |
| Last release | none | 2026-09-23 |
| Popularity | 9 stars | none |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | 3/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Hunter API + MCP.** Returns 451 for people who asked not to be processed. Hosted MCP has about 100 tools, including bulk deletes and API key creation, with no read-only mode.

**Lusha API + MCP.** API key on every plan, including Free with 40 credits a month. At least 1 credit per request even when nothing matches.

## Before you call either

### Hunter API + MCP

1. Treat 451 as final. The person opted out and retrying won't help
2. Back off on 403 with a rate-limit message. 429 means the plan's credits are gone
3. Send the key in `X-API-Key`, never as `?api_key=`
4. Use `test-api-key` to check request shapes without spending credits
5. Use the hosted MCP at mcp.hunter.io/mcp, not the deprecated local npm package

### Lusha API + MCP

1. Batch up to 25 contacts a request. A single bulk request costs 1 credit, not 1 per contact
2. Ask for phones only when needed. A phone is 5 credits against 1 for an email
3. Use the Buying Group endpoint. Decision Makers was retired on 2026-09-04
4. Use `/v3/lookalike/contacts` for contact lookalikes
5. Back off exponentially on 429. Free keys stop at 100 requests a day

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