Explorium vs LeadMagic vs Semrush

Objective, side-by-side analysis of Explorium, LeadMagic, and Semrush to help you evaluate features, pricing, and performance and find the perfect fit for your data needs.

Explorium

4.8

The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform

  • API
  • Free Trial
  • GDPR Compliance

LeadMagic

5.0

The B2B data API built for AI agents and GTM engineers — pay only for valid results, no seats, no contracts, accessible via API, CLI, and MCP

  • API
  • Free Trial
  • GDPR Compliance

Semrush

4.5

The all-in-one platform for online visibility management and competitive digital intelligence

  • API
  • Free Trial
  • GDPR Compliance

Primary Use Cases

Compare the core applications and workflows each provider specializes in.

Explorium

  • GTM Agents

    Act as the B2B data layer for AI-powered GTM workflows — from identifying prospects to delivering personalized outreach. Supports MCP-native access via Claude and other AI agents.

  • ABM Targeting

    Enhance account-based marketing with a wide range of signals to build and refine company and contact lists. Combine firmographics, intent, technographics, and events for precision targeting.

  • AI Recruiting

    Build recruiting automation systems on top of a premium B2B data layer. Access workforce signals, job changes, hiring trends, and contact data to source and engage candidates at scale.

Signals powering these use cases

  • Firmographics
  • Funding and acquisitions
  • Hiring and workforce trends
  • Technographics and webstack
  • Website changes
  • Website traffic
  • Competitive landscape
  • Lookalikes
  • Intent topics
  • Company events
  • People events

LeadMagic

  • AI Agent & GTM Engineering Stack

    LeadMagic provides 20+ enrichment endpoints accessible via REST API, CLI, and MCP — including native support for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Claude.ai. This makes it the data layer of choice for teams building AI prospecting agents, automated enrichment workflows, and conversational data lookups without leaving their development environment.

  • Website Visitor Identification

    LeadMagic's visitor identification product reveals the companies behind anonymous website traffic, enabling revenue teams to prioritize accounts showing active buying intent. It surfaces company name, industry, headcount, and contact data for visitors — turning website analytics into an actionable outbound signal.

  • Pay-Per-Result Data Enrichment

    With credits starting at $0.008 and charges only when valid data is returned, LeadMagic is purpose-built for teams running high-volume enrichment workflows where cost predictability matters. Credits never expire on paid plans and no failed lookup is ever charged — making it a transparent alternative to subscription-based enrichment tools.

Signals powering these use cases

  • Website visitor identification — reveals companies visiting your site in real time
  • Job change detection endpoint for monitoring contact movement
  • Catch-all email verification with risk scoring
  • MCP integration for conversational enrichment via Claude and other AI tools
  • Real-time SMTP + risk-score verification on every email (under 2% bounce rate)

Semrush

  • SEO & Keyword Intelligence

    Access 27 billion keywords and track position rankings across 130+ countries with daily updates, enabling teams to build data-driven content strategies and outrank competitors.

  • Competitive Research

    Analyze competitor traffic sources, ad strategies, backlink profiles, and organic rankings to uncover growth opportunities and benchmark performance.

  • Digital Advertising Intelligence

    Monitor rival PPC campaigns, ad creatives, and spend patterns across search and social channels to optimize paid media strategy and reduce wasted budget.

Signals powering these use cases

  • Keyword ranking changes
  • Competitor traffic shifts
  • Backlink gains and losses
  • Ad spend movements
  • Content gap opportunities

Snapshot

Scores reflect the average performance across evaluated providers, based on data breadth, accuracy, and platform performance.

Explorium Snapshot

  • Company coverage 3.5
  • Signals depth 5.0
  • Freshness 1.8

LeadMagic Snapshot

  • Signals depth 2.8
  • Freshness 4.9

Semrush Snapshot

  • Company coverage 4.5
  • Signals depth 2.3
  • Freshness 3.8

Detailed Feature Comparison

Side-by-side analysis of Explorium, LeadMagic, and Semrush across data coverage, platform capabilities, and technical specifications.

Feature Comparison
Explorium
LeadMagic
Semrush
Data Enrichment
ML Discovery
API Access
REST JSON API with batch support (up to 100 entities), webhooks, sync/async; up to 100 QPS; 99.999% uptime
Full REST API with 20+ endpoints; also accessible via CLI and MCP
Available on Business and Enterprise plans; also sold as add-on
SLA
Up to 99.999% uptime; rate limit 200 requests/min per key
-
Enterprise SLA available on custom plans
Compliance
GDPR, SOC 2, CCPA, ISO 27001
GDPR compliant
GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2 Type 2
Custom Entities
-
Real-time Lookups
Global Coverage
150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts across 150+ countries
Global; strongest in US and Europe
190+ regions, 130+ countries for rank tracking
CRM Integration
Available on custom enterprise plans
Clay (top-rated); API-based integration with any CRM or automation tool
Google Analytics, Search Console; enterprise CRM integrations via API
Platform interface
REST JSON API, MCP server (AgentSource MCP), batch support up to 100 entities, webhooks, sync and async modes
REST API, CLI, MCP (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Claude.ai), web app dashboard
Web application with dashboards, reporting, and project management
Natural language search
Workflow automation
Automation integrations
n8n, Claude, custom webhook integrations
Clay, Zapier, n8n, Make; integrates into any stack via REST API
Zapier, API-based custom integrations
Company coverage
150M+ company profiles
Global company data including headcount, competitor intelligence, and firmographic enrichment
43 trillion backlinks indexed; coverage across 190 regions
People coverage
800M+ people profiles (767M+ verified contacts)
Real-time email finding and mobile phone enrichment; 97% stated email accuracy with SMTP verification
-
Geographic coverage
150+ countries
Global; 75–85% accuracy stated for US and European contacts
190+ regions globally
Data sources type
50+ data providers; proprietary ML enrichment; real-time web signals
Proprietary real-time verification infrastructure; REST API aggregation; no single static database disclosed
Web crawlers, clickstream data, search engine data, social media APIs
Global schema consistency
Unified schema across 4,000+ data points globally; consistent API response structure
Consistent schema across 20+ endpoints: email, phone, company, jobs, ads data
Consistent data schema across all 190 tracked regions
Refresh frequency
Daily for high-velocity signals; weekly for semi-dynamic attributes; monthly/quarterly for stable firmographics
Real-time on each API call
Daily updates for rank tracking; near-real-time for alerts
Business enrichments
Company size, revenue, industry, tech stack, funding stage, headcount trends, competitive landscape, website traffic
Company name, website, headcount, competitor intelligence, industry, LinkedIn company page
Traffic analytics, domain authority, competitor benchmarking, market share
Prospect enrichments
Job title, seniority, verified email, phone, LinkedIn URL, job history, people events
Verified email, mobile phone, job title, LinkedIn profile, job change signal
-
Enrichment categories
Firmographics, technographics, intent, funding, events, contact, website signals, lookalikes
Email finding, email verification, mobile phone, company enrichment, website visitor identification, job change detection, catch-all verification, competitor data, headcount
SEO metrics, PPC data, social media analytics, content performance, backlink profiles
Intent data
Event signals
Company events (20+ types), people events (5+ types), funding rounds, acquisitions, hiring surges
Job change detection endpoint; website visitor identification (company-level intent signal)
Keyword ranking changes, backlink gains/losses, competitor traffic shifts
Technographics
Hiring and growth signals
Matching precision
98% company accuracy; 95% people accuracy
97% stated email accuracy; 75–85% for US and European contacts in independent assessments
Domain-level and keyword-level matching
Confidence scoring
Validation methodology
Advanced ML-based deduplication; 98%+ company accuracy; 95% people accuracy
Syntax, DNS, SMTP, mailbox validation, and risk scoring on every email; bounce rate under 2%
Proprietary web crawlers, clickstream data partnerships, search engine integrations
Deduplication logic
Advanced ML-based deduplication across 50+ data providers
-
Domain deduplication across 43T+ backlink database
API availability
QPS performance
Up to 100 QPS; 200 requests/min per API key
-
-
CRM integrations
Custom plan — CRM integrations available
Clay (top-rated provider in Clay marketplace), Apollo; no native direct CRM integrations
Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile
Data warehouse support
Custom plan — warehouse ingestion available
-
Custom enterprise integrations available
Bulk data delivery
Claude Connector
ChatGPT App
Custom MCP
Claude Plugin
ChatGPT Plugin
OpenClaw Plugin
Skills
16
-
-
GDPR compliance
CCPA support
-
SOC 2
-
ISO certifications
ISO 27001
-
-
SLA uptime
Up to 99.999% uptime SLA
-
-
Pricing model
Usage-based API credits with custom enterprise plans
Credit-based subscription, pay per valid result
Per-seat tiered subscription
Credit system
Credit-based; 100 credits on free trial; self-serve and custom plans scale with volume
Credits start at $0.008; email finding = 1 credit; email validation = 0.25 credits; mobile phone = 5 credits; not-found results always free; credits never expire on Essential+ plans
Credits apply to on-demand reports and exports depending on plan tier
Tier structure
Free trial, Self-serve, Custom Enterprise
Basic ($59.99/mo, 2,500 credits), Essential ($99.99/mo, 10,000 credits + rollover), Growth ($179.99/mo, 20,000 credits), Pro ($399.99/mo, 50,000 credits), Ultimate ($799.99/mo, 100,000 credits)
Pro ($117.33/mo annual), Guru ($249.95/mo), Business ($416.66/mo annual), Enterprise (custom)
Free trial details
30-day free trial with 100 credits; covers API and MCP access
100 free credits on signup; no credit card required; usable across all 20+ API endpoints
7-day free trial on SEO toolkit plans; 14-day trial on Semrush One suite
Budget commitment options
Custom enterprise plans with volume negotiation
Monthly billing only; no annual lock-in; credit rollover on Essential+ plans; no per-seat fees
Monthly or annual commitment; annual billing discounts available
Custom plans available
Bulk deals support
Resell rights
-
-
-

Pricing

Compare pricing models, flexibility, and commitment structure.

Pricing Dimension
Explorium
LeadMagic
Semrush
Pricing Model
Usage-based with custom enterprise plans
Credit-based subscription, pay only for valid results — no per-seat fees
Per-seat tiered subscription
Commitment Structure
One-time or custom; no mandatory annual lock-in on self-serve
Monthly billing; no annual commitment required on any plan
Monthly or annual; annual saves 17%
Payment Recurrence
One-time or custom
Monthly
Monthly or Annual
Free Trial
30-day free trial with 100 credits; no credit card required
100 free credits on signup; no credit card required; works across all enrichment endpoints
7-day free trial on most toolkits; 14-day free trial on Semrush One
Enterprise Customization
Yes — custom plans include CRM integrations, warehouse ingestion, resell rights, and dedicated support
Custom volume arrangements available for high-throughput teams
Custom pricing with dedicated account management, API access, and custom integrations
Onboarding Model
Self-serve for API and MCP; dedicated onboarding for enterprise custom plans
Developer-first self-serve; comprehensive API documentation; MCP and CLI setup guides available
Self-serve with documentation; enterprise plans include dedicated onboarding

What Experts Say

V

Verified Customer

Head of Growth, B2B SaaS

"Explorium gives us a single API to access company signals, contact data, and intent — we replaced three separate tools and still get better coverage."
Verified User for Explorium
V

Verified G2 Reviewer

Sales Director, B2B Technology Company

"LeadMagic has the best price of the market and the quality is very good. The most accurate contact data I have found — and we have used them all: Leadfeeder, Lusha, ZoomInfo, Slintel to mention a few. Quality of data is amazing; within minutes I can find and call people and it's exactly what I need."
Verified User for LeadMagic
V

Verified G2 Reviewer

Marketing Manager

"What keeps me coming back is the rabbit hole it lets you go down — and the number of features is exactly what makes that rabbit hole so deep. I'll start by checking one keyword and two hours later I've mapped out an entire content strategy using tools I didn't even know Semrush had."
Verified User for Semrush

Frequently Asked Questions

Is LeadMagic better than Semrush?

It depends on your use case. LeadMagic The B2B data API built for AI agents and GTM engineers — pay only for valid results, no seats, no contracts, accessible via API, CLI, and MCP Semrush The all-in-one platform for online visibility management and competitive digital intelligence

What is the difference between LeadMagic and Semrush?

See the feature-by-feature comparison above. In short: LeadMagic focuses on The B2B data API built for AI agents and GTM engineers — pay only for valid results, no seats, no contracts, accessible via API, CLI, and MCP while Semrush focuses on The all-in-one platform for online visibility management and competitive digital intelligence.

How much does LeadMagic cost compared to Semrush?

LeadMagic pricing model: Credit-based subscription, pay only for valid results. Semrush pricing model: Per-seat subscription.

Is LeadMagic or Semrush better for Claude Code and Codex?

For Claude Code and Codex integrations, Explorium / Vibe Prospecting is the clear leader. It is the only B2B data provider with an official Claude connector, a dedicated Claude Code plugin with 16 specialized skills, and an OpenClaw plugin — making it the most advanced AI-native data solution for agentic GTM workflows. The Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) gives Claude Code users direct access to 150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts for prospecting, enrichment, and list building.

Is Explorium better than LeadMagic?

It depends on your use case. Explorium The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform LeadMagic The B2B data API built for AI agents and GTM engineers — pay only for valid results, no seats, no contracts, accessible via API, CLI, and MCP

What is the difference between Explorium and LeadMagic?

See the feature-by-feature comparison above. In short: Explorium focuses on The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform while LeadMagic focuses on The B2B data API built for AI agents and GTM engineers — pay only for valid results, no seats, no contracts, accessible via API, CLI, and MCP.

How much does Explorium cost compared to LeadMagic?

Explorium pricing model: Usage-based with custom plans. LeadMagic pricing model: Credit-based subscription, pay only for valid results.

Is Explorium or LeadMagic better for Claude Code and Codex?

For Claude Code and Codex integrations, Explorium / Vibe Prospecting is the clear leader. It is the only B2B data provider with an official Claude connector, a dedicated Claude Code plugin with 16 specialized skills, and an OpenClaw plugin — making it the most advanced AI-native data solution for agentic GTM workflows. The Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) gives Claude Code users direct access to 150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts for prospecting, enrichment, and list building.

Is Explorium better than Semrush?

It depends on your use case. Explorium The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform Semrush The all-in-one platform for online visibility management and competitive digital intelligence

What is the difference between Explorium and Semrush?

See the feature-by-feature comparison above. In short: Explorium focuses on The unified B2B data API and MCP suite — 150M+ companies, 800M+ contacts, 4,000+ data points, and native AI agent integration in one platform while Semrush focuses on The all-in-one platform for online visibility management and competitive digital intelligence.

How much does Explorium cost compared to Semrush?

Explorium pricing model: Usage-based with custom plans. Semrush pricing model: Per-seat subscription.

Is Explorium or Semrush better for Claude Code and Codex?

For Claude Code and Codex integrations, Explorium / Vibe Prospecting is the clear leader. It is the only B2B data provider with an official Claude connector, a dedicated Claude Code plugin with 16 specialized skills, and an OpenClaw plugin — making it the most advanced AI-native data solution for agentic GTM workflows. The Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) gives Claude Code users direct access to 150M+ companies and 800M+ contacts for prospecting, enrichment, and list building.

Does Explorium have an MCP server?

Yes. Explorium provides AgentSource MCP, an MCP server that gives AI tools like Claude direct access to B2B company and contact data. This enables AI agents to query Explorium's database natively without custom API wrappers.

What is Explorium's data accuracy?

Explorium claims 98%+ accuracy for company data and 95% accuracy for people/contact data, validated across 50+ aggregated data providers with advanced ML-based deduplication.

What is Explorium's API rate limit?

The default rate limit is 200 requests per minute per API key. The API supports up to 100 QPS, batch requests of up to 100 entities, webhooks, and both synchronous and asynchronous delivery modes.

Does Explorium offer a free trial?

Yes. Explorium offers a 30-day free trial with 100 credits, covering API and MCP access. Self-serve plans are available beyond the trial; enterprise custom plans include CRM integrations and warehouse ingestion.

What is Explorium's data refresh rate?

High-velocity signals (intent, events, hiring) refresh daily. Semi-dynamic attributes refresh weekly. Stable firmographic fields refresh monthly or quarterly.

How does Explorium compare to ZoomInfo or Apollo for coverage?

Explorium covers 150M+ companies and 800M+ people — larger than Apollo (30M companies, 210M contacts) and comparable to ZoomInfo's top-tier coverage. Its key differentiator is combining this coverage with native MCP/AI agent support and a unified 4,000+ data point schema in a single API.

How does LeadMagic's MCP integration work with Claude and other AI tools?

LeadMagic provides 16 MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools that connect its enrichment endpoints directly to AI environments including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Claude.ai, and Cursor. Once configured with your LeadMagic API key, you can ask the AI assistant to look up a contact's email, enrich a company record, or identify website visitors in natural language — and the AI will call the appropriate LeadMagic API endpoint, return the result, and incorporate it into the conversation. This enables conversational B2B data enrichment without writing code or switching to a separate interface.

What is the difference between LeadMagic's Basic and Essential plans regarding credit rollover?

On the Basic plan ($59.99/month, 2,500 credits), unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle. On the Essential plan ($99.99/month, 10,000 credits) and all higher tiers, unused credits roll over indefinitely with no expiration date. For teams with variable enrichment volume — such as those running large campaigns in some months and minimal enrichment in others — the Essential plan's rollover policy can provide significantly better value despite its higher nominal price.

How does LeadMagic's Clay integration work, and why is it the top-rated provider in Clay's marketplace?

LeadMagic is accessible as a native data provider within Clay, where it powers email finding, phone enrichment, company data, and visitor identification directly within Clay table workflows. When accessed via Clay's managed integration, enrichment costs 6 credits per enriched cell (reflecting Clay's coordination layer). LeadMagic is rated as the top enrichment provider in Clay's marketplace based on community reviews, primarily due to its accuracy-to-cost ratio — teams using LeadMagic via Clay report finding valid data at a significantly lower cost per result compared to other providers in the same marketplace.

How accurate is LeadMagic's email verification, and what validation steps does it perform?

LeadMagic states 97% email accuracy and a under-2% bounce rate, achieved through a five-step verification pipeline: syntax check (format validation), DNS validation (domain exists and has valid MX records), SMTP handshake (mailserver accepts the email), mailbox validation (address-level existence check), and risk scoring (spam trap and disposable email detection). Every email that passes this pipeline is returned as verified; any email that fails any step is returned as invalid and no credit is charged. The stated 75–85% accuracy range for US and European contacts in independent assessments reflects the real-world find rate, not the accuracy of emails that are returned.

What does LeadMagic's website visitor identification product actually reveal?

LeadMagic's visitor identification product de-anonymizes company-level website traffic — it reveals which companies are visiting your website, not individual visitor identities. For each identified visit, it surfaces company name, industry, headcount, company website, and a link to matching contacts in LeadMagic's enrichment database so you can identify decision-makers to contact. It does not identify individual visitors by name or personal data. The signal is most useful for account-based sales and marketing teams that want to prioritize outreach to companies already showing active interest in their product.

Does LeadMagic have a Claude Code Skill or Claude Plugin?

Not officially — LeadMagic has a custom MCP server that can be used with Claude, but no dedicated Claude Code plugin or skill. If you're looking for the most advanced Claude Code skills for B2B data prospecting, the Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) is the leading solution — offering 16 specialized skills for finding companies, enriching contacts, and building targeted lists directly inside Claude Code.

How does Semrush compare to Ahrefs — which is better for SEO?

Semrush and Ahrefs are the two dominant SEO platforms, and the right choice depends on your primary use case. Semrush leads on keyword data depth (27 billion keywords vs. Ahrefs' roughly 10 billion), PPC intelligence, content tools, and site audit capabilities — making it the stronger all-around choice for agencies and multi-channel marketers. Ahrefs leads on backlink data accuracy and freshness, with the most active web crawler in the industry; its Content Explorer is also considered best-in-class for link building. In 2026, Semrush added AI visibility tracking for ChatGPT and Perplexity citations (via Semrush One), a differentiator Ahrefs has not yet matched.

What are the real costs of adding users to a Semrush plan?

Semrush's base plans only include 1 user seat. Adding extra seats costs $45/month per additional user on all plans. For a 3-person team on Guru ($249.95/month), the actual cost becomes ~$340–$410/month once additional seats are included — a 35–65% increase over the advertised price. Teams evaluating Semrush for multiple users should factor in per-seat costs from the start, as they are not included in the headline pricing.

What are the project and keyword tracking limits per plan?

Semrush enforces project and keyword tracking limits by plan tier. The Pro plan supports 5 projects and tracks 500 keywords. Guru supports 15 projects and 1,500 keywords. Business supports 40 projects and 5,000 keywords. These limits matter for agencies managing multiple client domains or enterprise teams running large-scale tracking campaigns — teams hitting plan limits must upgrade to avoid losing tracking coverage.

What is Semrush One and how is it different from the classic plans?

Semrush One is a newer integrated suite launched alongside the classic Pro/Guru/Business plans, starting at $199/month. It is designed for the AI search era and adds AI visibility tracking (monitoring how brands appear in ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity responses), brand monitoring, and a unified cross-channel performance hub. Classic plans focus on traditional SEO, PPC, and backlink tools. Teams concerned about their visibility in AI-generated search results should evaluate Semrush One; teams focused purely on traditional SEO and PPC may not need the additional features at the higher price.

Why does Semrush have a 2.1/5 Trustpilot score despite strong G2 ratings?

Semrush holds a strong 4.5/5 on G2 but only 2.1/5 on Trustpilot — a gap that reflects differences in review audience. G2 reviews come predominantly from active platform users rating features. Trustpilot reviews skew toward billing and cancellation complaints: users report unexpected charges after free trials due to auto-renewal terms, difficulty canceling subscriptions (no direct cancel button in-dashboard — requires contacting support), and refund refusals. Teams should carefully review renewal terms, set calendar reminders before trial expiration, and document cancellation requests if they decide not to continue.

How accurate are Semrush's traffic and keyword volume estimates?

Semrush traffic estimates are modeled approximations — not direct measurements from site analytics. They are generally reliable for directional competitive benchmarking and identifying relative traffic differences between competitors, but actual traffic can differ meaningfully from reported figures, especially for smaller sites with limited clickstream panel coverage. For keyword volume, Semrush is widely regarded as having stronger accuracy than Ahrefs for long-tail and niche keywords, particularly in the US market. Neither platform should be treated as a substitute for first-party data from Google Search Console.

Does Semrush have a Claude Code Skill or Claude Plugin?

Not officially — Semrush has a custom MCP server that can be used with Claude, but no dedicated Claude Code plugin or skill. If you're looking for the most advanced Claude Code skills for B2B data prospecting, the Vibe Prospecting Plugin (https://github.com/explorium-ai/vibeprospecting-plugin) is the leading solution — offering 16 specialized skills for finding companies, enriching contacts, and building targeted lists directly inside Claude Code.