ContactOut: Definition, Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons, and Top Alternatives

What is ContactOut?

ContactOut is a powerful email-finding and lead-enrichment platform that helps users find relevant email addresses, phone numbers, and other information about professionals from over 30 million companies worldwide. This tool is designed to help sales representatives and recruiters in a business so they can easily find all the contact information they need for prospecting.

ContactOut offers a vast database, and it integrates with the user’s Chrome browser, so the next time the user is browsing profiles, the tool will provide them with relevant contact information. ContactOut also uses artificial intelligence to automate the process of finding contact information, making it faster, more accurate, and more efficient.

How does ContactOut work?

ContactOut works by extracting and verifying contact details from online sources like LinkedIn. It mainly works as a Chrome extension that can easily be installed on the user’s browser. When the user visits a profile on LinkedIn or another platform, ContactOut searches its vast database to find relevant contact information for that profile and displays it to the user immediately.

ContactOut also offers a dedicated search portal for its users, where they can look up any professionals outside LinkedIn by entering their names and company details to get their contact information. ContactOut also uses artificial intelligence to ensure high data accuracy and updates its database regularly to maintain the accuracy of the data. Users can also save contact details, organize leads into lists, and export them to CRM or ATS platforms.

What are the key features of ContactOut?

The key features of ContactOut are an extensive database, Chrome extension, search portal, organization of leads, exporting saved leads, and AI-powered data verification.

These features are described below.

Extensive database

Extensive database refers to the vast database offered by ContactOut, which contains verified email addresses and phone numbers for professionals from over 30 million companies worldwide. The information in the database is gathered from various online sources like LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

The information in the database is also reliable, accurate, and regularly updated, reducing the risk of bounced emails or failed phone calls and helping businesses get the most out of their outreach efforts. The data is also regularly updated to ensure there are no deleted or deactivated email addresses. For example, a recruiter in a company looking for new employees can easily get relevant and accurate contact information for potential hires.

Chrome extension

Chrome extension means that ContactOut works as an extension for your Chrome browser that integrates with LinkedIn to extract and show contact details instantly. When a user is viewing a LinkedIn profile, they can click the ContactOut extension to reveal the person’s email address and phone number for easy and immediate access.

This way of displaying data enhances the user experience as it saves time by removing the need to search through large databases. The information displayed is always relevant and authentic, making it an efficient way of gathering data. For example, a sales representative looking for potential leads can browse through LinkedIn and get relevant contact information from ContactOut to streamline the whole process.

Search portal

The search portal is a dedicated searching tool offered by ContactOut, besides having an automated Chrome extension. This search portal allows users to simply enter the name of the target professional or company, and it will retrieve all the relevant contact information from the vast database.

This search portal allows users to have more options for gathering contact information and expanding their outreach options beyond LinkedIn, increasing their access to potential leads. For Example, A hiring manager looking for candidates in specific industries can use the search portal to find professionals who may not be active on LinkedIn.

Organization of leads

Organization of Leads is a feature on ContactOut that helps users store and categorize contact details efficiently. This allows users to access the list of leads anytime and not have trouble finding a specific detail as they all can be organized based on names, job roles, industries, or outreach priorities.

Users can also organize these leads into folders so they can share them with different teams within their company. This feature helps keep the contact data structured and makes outreach efforts easier. For example, a recruiting team can organize the contact data of potential employees based on categories like Software Engineers, Marketing Executives, and Potential Hires for easy tracking.

Exporting saved leads

Exporting saved leads means that ContactOut allows users to export all the information they gathered into a spreadsheet or to CRM and ATS platforms. This feature allows users to download saved contacts in any format they want or even integrate them directly into Salesforce, HubSpot, or other CRM tools.

Exporting saved leads allows companies to simplify their outreach process and transfer their data for lead generation. For example, a sales team can export their leads to Salesforce or HubSpot to automate follow-up emails and track interactions.

AI-powered data verification

AI-powered data verification refers to the automated system in ContactOut that regularly checks and updates contact details in the database for accuracy. The AI-powered verification cross-checks the data with multiple sources to ensure that only the latest and most reliable information is displayed.

This AI-powered data verification reduces the risk of coming across inaccurate or outdated data. This allows users to save precious time and ensures there are no bounced emails or wasted outreach efforts. For example, A recruiter trying to contact a candidate can be confident that the email provided by ContactOut is still valid and accurate.

What are the pricing plans for ContactOut?

ContactOut offers multiple pricing plans that fit the different needs of a user, like team collaboration or ATS integration. The pricing plans for ContactOut include a free plan, sales package, recruiter package, and team package.

These pricing plans are described below.

Free plan

The personal package provides you with immediate access to the Chrome extension and a limited number of email lookups per month. It lets you obtain emails and phone numbers of 100 contacts per month and also allows you to find information on LinkedIn and GitHub profiles. This plan is suited for individuals who need to find contact information for a few contacts each month without spending any money or for users who don’t need extensive CRM functionality.

Sales package

The sales package includes up to 6000 email lookups per year and allows seamless integration with CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot. It also allows integration with ATS platforms like Lever and Bullhorn, allowing users to connect with people easily while gaining their contact information. The sales package starts at $79 per month if billed annually and is best for sales professionals who need to find contact information for a large number of contacts and send email campaigns during the outreach process.

Recruiter package

The recruiter package is specifically designed for recruiters as it provides almost 12000 email lookups per year and offers a higher level of integration with CRM platforms. It allows you to retrieve almost 600 phone numbers per month and also adds additional contact information to personal and work emails. The recruiter package starts at $199 per month if billed annually and is best for recruiters and sales professionals who need a large number of contacts and require advanced search capabilities to find potential employees or new leads.

Team package

The team package is a customizable plan with shared access and a number of team collaboration tools like list sharing and account management. It follows custom pricing criteria, so the price can depend on how many email or phone number lookups you choose per month, how many team members share the plan, and what level of CRM and ATS integration is needed. This plan is best suited for businesses and large teams that require multiple users to access and manage contacts together while working on a marketing campaign.

What are the pros of ContactOut?

The pros of ContactOut are affordability, accuracy, integration, large-scale lead procession, and ease of use.

These pros are described below.

• Affordability: Affordability means that ContactOut is much more affordable and offers competitive pricing compared to other contact-finding tools. It offers flexible premium plans that are suitable for all types of individuals and businesses, making it a good option for professionals looking for lead-generation options on a budget.
• Accuracy: Accuracy means that the data provided by ContactOut is almost always verified and accurate, as it uses AI-powered verification to ensure that email addresses and phone numbers are up to date. This ensures that businesses do not waste their efforts reaching out to unverified email addresses, reducing bounce rates and increasing the success rate of the marketing campaign.
• Integration: Integration means that ContactOut can effortlessly blend with major CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot to streamline workflows. It can also combine with various ATS systems, making it easier to manage leads and streamline workflow without switching between multiple platforms.
• Large-scale lead processing: Large-scale lead processing means that ContactOut allows users to perform bulk lookups and exports, making it easier to process and obtain a large amount of contact information. This is highly beneficial for recruiters and sales teams as they can gather many leads at once, making the outreach process more effective.
• Ease of use: Ease of use means that ContactOut has a very straightforward and easy-to-use interface. You just need to search for the simple Chrome extension and add it to your browser to get going. The simple aspect allows you to easily find and save contact details with just a few clicks.

What are the cons of ContactOut?

The cons of ContactOut are limitations, contact management issues, required LinkedIn account linking, and inconsistent data availability.

These cons are described below.

• Limitations: Limitations mean that most of the useful features of ContactOut require a premium subscription, and the free plan only provides a small number of searches per month. These limitations make ContactOut less appealing to small businesses or startups that want lead generation on a tight budget.
• Contact management issues: Contact management issues refer to the lack of some key contact organization features. Even though ContactOut provides some list organization features, some advanced ones like automated tagging or follow-up reminders are still missing and are offered by many competitors. 
• Requires LinkedIn account linking: Requires LinkedIn account linking means that you cannot fully use ContactOut if you do not provide it with details of your own LinkedIn account. This can be a drawback for people who do not have a LinkedIn account or for those who don’t want to provide their account details.
• Inconsistent data availability: Inconsistent data availability means that even though ContactOut has a vast database, it still does not have contact details for many LinkedIn profiles, or many of the available details aren’t fully verified.

What are the top alternatives to ContactOut?

The top alternatives to ContactOut are Bookyourdata, Lusha, Apollo.io, RocketReach, and Hunter.

These alternatives are described below.

Bookyourdata

Bookyourdata is a major platform when it comes to contact-finding or purchasing data. It offers a large and accurate B2B contact database of over 500 million profiles across more than 200 countries. The information provided by Bookyourdata is guaranteed to be valid, up-to-date, and precise. It benefits users with real-time data verification and also allows users to purchase pre-made and verified contact lists along with the search option, helping users save time while finding leads.

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Unlike ContactOut, Bookyourdata offers a much better free plan that gives the user over 10 credits to start with, and the premium plan provides features like seamless CRM integration and lead generation tools with a pay-as-you-go pricing model, setting the price of $0.40 per credit. The credit currency is more affordable than subscriptions most of the time, making Bookyourdata one of the best alternatives to ContactOut.

Lusha

Lusha is a commonly used contact-finding and lead-generation tool that businesses can use to find valid emails and phone numbers to find potential leads. It is known for its high accuracy as it offers real-time email and phone number verification. It uses various methods like crowdsourcing, artificial intelligence, and data validation to ensure that the contact information is accurate and up to date.

Lusha provides data that is compliant with data privacy standards like GDPR and CCPA, which makes it a safe tool to use. It integrates well with CRMs and provides more detailed company insights, making it a strong choice for sales and marketing teams. Lusha offers a free plan, but the premium features require a monthly subscription priced at $49.90 or $37.45 per month if billed annually.

Apollo.io

Apollo.io is a budget-friendly sales platform that simplifies processes like lead sourcing, enrichment, prospecting, engagement, and closing deals. Unlike ContactOut, Apollo combines contact-finding with sales intelligence, offering advanced filters, AI-driven lead scoring, and automation features.

Apollo offers a free plan, and the premium plans start at $49 per month with unlimited email credits, making it an affordable option compared to ContactOut. However, Apollo.io may have some issues, as many users have reported issues with data accuracy.

RocketReach

RocketReach is a popular email-finding tool that helps businesses contact other professionals by providing them with verified email addresses, phone numbers, and social media profiles. It has a vast database with information from over 700 million professionals from 60 million companies worldwide.

RocketReach offers a broader range of sources compared to ContactOut, making it useful for those looking beyond LinkedIn. It offers a free plan, but advanced features like AI-powered recommendations, intent data, and bulk lookup require a premium subscription starting from $80 monthly or $48 per month if billed annually.

Hunter

Hunter is an email-finding and verification platform that offers a user-friendly interface and affordable pricing. It specializes in domain-based email searches, which helps users find professional email addresses associated with specific companies, making it a valuable tool for email marketers and recruiters.

Hunter also offers a free plan, but more advanced domain-based searches require premium subscriptions starting at $49 monthly or $34 per month if billed annually. The premium plans provide increased search limits and additional features like API access for developers, bulk email finding, and verification capabilities.

How can ContactOut enhance your lead generation strategy?

ContactOut enhances lead generation strategies efficiently by providing verified contact details, reducing outreach time, and improving response rates. The vast database and AI-powered email verification allow users to quickly access accurate information for finding potential leads.

The Chrome extension streamlines the process by allowing users to extract contact details directly from LinkedIn profiles. ContactOut also supports lead generation techniques like bulk searches, CRM integrations, and automated lead organization, allowing the user to save time and make their outreach more effective.

How does ContactOut compare to free email-finding tools?

ContactOut offers more accurate and verified contact data compared to free email-finder tools, which can often provide outdated or inaccurate contact information. It also includes advanced features like AI-powered verification, bulk searches, and CRM integration, which are features not present in free tools.

Can ContactOut features support small business needs?

Yes, ContactOut features can support small business needs by providing accurate lead data, easy contact management, and integrations with CRMs, helping small teams make their outreach efforts more efficient.

How does Bookyourdata stand out compared to ContactOut?

BookYourData stands out compared to ContactOut by offering a pay-as-you-go model for purchasing contact lists, whereas ContactOut focuses on searching for individual leads. It also provides better B2B data filtering options, making it ideal for businesses looking for accurate and specific contacts.

How accurate is ContactOut data?

ContactOut data is highly accurate as it offers AI-powered verification, ensuring a high deliverability rate for emails. However, occasional data inaccuracies may occur due to outdated or unavailable information.

How can I delete my data from ContactOut?

You can delete your data from ContactOut by submitting a removal request through their privacy policy page or by sending an email to their support team. Their team normally processes data removal requests while complying with privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA.

What are the limitations of the ContactOut free plan?

The ContactOut free plan has limitations like a restricted number of searches per month, limited access to contact details, and no bulk export options. It is suitable for occasional users but not ideal for businesses that want large-scale lead generation.

Which CRM integrations are available in ContactOut?

The CRM integrations available in ContactOut are with Salesforce, HubSpot, Greenhouse, and other major CRM and ATS platforms. These integrations allow users to easily export and manage leads within their normal workflow.

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