# Hunter API + MCP vs Prospeo API + MCP

> Hunter API + MCP has a score of 56.8 (C) against Prospeo API + MCP's 51.1 (D). Both do email finder. The largest gap is transparency & trust, 36 points. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-05

Hunter API + MCP has a score of 56.8 (C) against Prospeo API + MCP's 51.1 (D). Both do email finder. The largest gap is transparency & trust, 36 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
- Prospeo API + MCP: grade D, 51.1/100, rank #356 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/prospeo.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/prospeo.json

## Which one, for what

Pick Hunter API + MCP for reliability (+15), schema & documentation (+29), maintenance & community (+29), transparency & trust (+36).

Pick Prospeo API + MCP for agent ergonomics (+25), security & auth (+21).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Hunter API + MCP | Prospeo API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 50 | 35 | Hunter API + MCP +15 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 61 | Hunter API + MCP +29 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 54 | 79 | Prospeo API + MCP +25 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 33 | 54 | Prospeo API + MCP +21 |
| 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 | 34 | Hunter API + MCP +29 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 81 | 45 | Hunter API + MCP +36 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **56.8 · C** | **51.1 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Hunter API + MCP | Prospeo API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Hunter | Prospeo |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.hunter.io/v2` | `https://api.prospeo.io` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | MIT |
| Tools exposed | 107 | 8 |
| 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 | no |
| MCP registry | not listed | `io.prospeo/prospeo-mcp-server` |
| Last release | none | 2026-06-01 |
| Popularity | 9 stars | 0 stars, 641 npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | 3.5/5 (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.

**Prospeo API + MCP.** MCP tool descriptions say when to use each tool, its credit cost and the next call. No status page, SLA or changelog.

## 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

### Prospeo API + MCP

1. Call `search_suggestions` before using location, technology or industry filters, or the search returns nothing
2. Pass `person_id` values from search into `bulk_enrich_person`, 25 at a time
3. Branch on the body `error_code`, not the HTTP status, which is 400 for most failures
4. Set `enrich_mobile` only when needed. A mobile costs 10 credits against 1 for an email
5. Use Enrich Person. The old Email Finder endpoint was removed in March 2026

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