# Lusha API + MCP vs RocketReach API

> Lusha scores 62.3 (B) to RocketReach's 51.2 (D) for lead search. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lusha-vs-rocketreach
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lusha-vs-rocketreach.md (~2,550 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lusha-vs-rocketreach.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lusha-vs-rocketreach.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Lusha API + MCP scores 62.3 (B) on agent readiness against RocketReach API's 51.2 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. RocketReach API leads on agent ergonomics. Both do lead search.

- Lusha API + MCP: grade B, 62.3/100, rank #435 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lusha.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lusha.json
- RocketReach API: grade D, 51.2/100, rank #755 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/rocketreach.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/rocketreach.json
- Best lead, contact and company data APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/lead-data/index.md
- All 120 leads comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lead-data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Lusha API + MCP (B)

Good for: Sales teams that want contact and company enrichment, signals and prospecting from one vendor, with a free plan to start.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 75 against 64
- Schema & documentation, 83 against 72
- Security & auth, 59 against 34
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 10
- Maintenance & community, 82 against 31
- Transparency & trust, 80 against 58

Watch for: At least 1 credit per request even when nothing matches

### RocketReach API (D)

Good for: Teams that already hold a RocketReach plan and want an agent to search people and companies, reveal emails and phones, and verify single addresses over MCP.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 72 against 51

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where Lusha API + MCP loses 4 points for them

Watch for: The pricing page is drawn by script and was not read, and the docs tell users without a paid plan to email for an API plan


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Lusha API + MCP | RocketReach API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 75 | 64 | Lusha API + MCP +11 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 83 | 72 | Lusha API + MCP +11 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 51 | 72 | RocketReach API +21 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 59 | 34 | Lusha API + MCP +25 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 10 | Lusha API + MCP +30 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 82 | 31 | Lusha API + MCP +51 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 58 | Lusha API + MCP +22 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -4 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **62.3 · B** | **51.2 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Lusha API + MCP | RocketReach API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Lusha | RocketReach, LLC |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.lusha.com` | `https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | Proprietary service under RocketReach's Terms of Service. The Python SDK on GitHub is MIT |
| Tools exposed | 50 | 9 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `com.lusha.mcp/mcp` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-09-23 | none |
| Terms last updated | no date given | 2024-01-31 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-01 | 2026-09-30 |
| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | yes |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**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.

**RocketReach API.** The hosted MCP server has nine documented tools, OAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration and machine-readable error codes, and searches cost no credits. Plan prices were not readable, the docs send API plan requests to email, the terms require a human account holder, and the `account` tool returns the account's API key to the model.

## Before you call either

### 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

### RocketReach API

1. Search first with `person_search` or `company_search`, which cost no credits, then look up only the profile IDs needed
2. Treat `status: "pending"` as normal. Poll `check_person_status` after at least 3 seconds, and polling is free
3. Do not echo the `account` tool's output to users or logs. It includes the account's API key
4. Send the key in the `Api-Key` header. The `api_key` query parameter is deprecated
5. Bulk lookup takes 1 to 100 queries and needs a webhook. Results arrive at the webhook, signed in `X-RocketReach-Signature`
6. Do not loop on `unknown` from `email_verify`, or on `lookup_failed` and `not_found`. The last two are terminal

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Lusha API + MCP or RocketReach API?

Lusha API + MCP scores 62.3 (B) on agent readiness against RocketReach API's 51.2 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. RocketReach API leads on agent ergonomics.

### Do Lusha API + MCP and RocketReach API need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Lusha API + MCP and RocketReach API without installing anything?

Yes. Lusha API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.lusha.com and RocketReach API at https://api.rocketreach.co/api/v2.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lusha-vs-rocketreach.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lusha-vs-rocketreach.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "lusha", "b": "rocketreach"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare lusha rocketreach`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lusha.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/rocketreach.json

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