--- title: "Getting Started with SmartProspect" description: "Learn how to use SmartProspect - Smartlead’s built-in AI lead finder that helps you discover, verify, and import high-quality B2B leads directly into your campaigns." url: https://helpcenter.smartlead.ai/en/articles/420-getting-started-with-smartprospect collection: "SmartProspect" updated: 2026-11-02 language: en --- # Getting Started with SmartProspect Learn how to use SmartProspect - Smartlead’s built-in AI lead finder that helps you discover, verify, and import high-quality B2B leads directly into your campaigns. We know that paying for data can be a pain. So, we’ve just made data FREE. Smartlead is the only AI-native outbound OS where **you never pay for verified leads**. Start prospecting FREE without paying per lead, right inside Smartlead. SmartProspect helps you discover, verify, and launch campaigns - all in one flow. Access **300M+ verified business profiles** enriched with engagement data and firmographics. Just pay a flat quality upkeep fee of **$59/month** and access **FREE**, **integrated**, **zero-bounce,** and **verified-first leads** based on your **existing Smartlead Plan type**. For example, if you’re on a Custom\_60K leads plan, you can access up to 60,000 leads with SmartProspect with a flat fee of $59/month. If you want more leads, you simply need to upgrade to a Smartlead higher plan. You also receive 2000 credits to explore SmartProspect before committing to the monthly maintenance fee. Let’s take a walkthrough of the feature, from exploring the product to finding verified lead lists and troubleshooting. ## **How SmartProspect Works (in 60 seconds)** ### **1\. Start with Smart Search** From the left hand nav bar, click on **_Engage » Prospect Finder_**. ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/gjLtLwHflPh3yX4D6amGVPoRpa6zJlhONu9UXXJmDcGIwDNXW7SvsGKRWvWD2QDmqGP71cCgbw3.png) You will enter the SmartProspect screen. You’ll see a clean, AI-powered interface to help you search across **300M+ verified business profiles**. ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/u9SqnKqgtEBXJojBU45d7kYbRtWagMsba5XqlnsIoqmqo6BYZHawHViFUAEaaC9xgiEqtFjqxiU.png) ### **2\. Apply Filters to Define Your ICP** Use filters to narrow down your search. You can mix and match **contact attributes** and **company-level parameters** to find your ideal audience. ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/BO2kyN4M4KcCyjxsyp1fjo21YU25ahkkQzO8Kk5gYVIshuV9nktCHSlTyppsKhXJtkhwl0XpMaC.png) For example, you can filter by Industry (image above), company name, domain, industry, keywords, revenue, location, and more. Every filter will refine your search to align with your ICP. ### **3\. Let AI Search Do the Heavy Lifting** ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/DRESFugO6R7xiCTnru1V8cZp36UPTa3v3bPefcW7Kt7WiYj54FBafePcxJeBNQ7V8bwaLYMlObo.png) Once you set filters, SmartProspect’s AI scans millions of verified profiles to find your best matches. Each result is matched against Smartlead’s internal data pool to ensure freshness and accuracy. ### **4\. Review and Unlock Verified Leads** After loading, you’ll see your prospect list: names, titles, LinkedIn links, and company details. You can select the number of leads you want to enrich from here. ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/dLutOt1OkzCC7hwUpGTPlzTpE7LGeRB4JJjDiWFMwKIFwo0bVJ7xwA3OstEKB0w0z9UnUFpnERh.png) Once you selct the leads, click **“Find emails”**. ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/u1s6JsXxBV1MBzvgm6KpTZFjCzbsCHMlgo57TmvDWxEKi4ctu5aVbtBLD3hNfzppdeFFQEcVH6m.png) To get started, you get 2000 SmartProspect credits. You can also buy credits by upgrading your plan. _1 credit = 1 verified contact. Your Smartlead plan decides how many credits you get each month._ _On a 60K lead plan? You access 60,000 verified leads each month._ You can enrich only email IDs: ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/pZl0V65FFlOIQ9u61FAHNf30NYy0Tg90zPiD6kyxaoK6I2d6S5bdTsx4nGiekO3oTY3JfZ0FZBO.png) Or if you want to add calls to as part of your sequence, you can enrich phone numbers too. You can add these leads either in your campaign as part of a sequence or direct dial using SmartDialer. ([Learn More](https://helpcenter.smartlead.ai/en/articles/443-smartdialer-walkthrough-making-your-first-call.md)) ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/4cy6k8S1PflI1tTC5ADQCtxXYzZhRJUENoYV8QT1LYbVrQsgRa7O4M7fY2Y3LEq4lrPtH9bqWuh.png) ### **5\. Understand Your Email Statuses** ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/34HMjklAUxSkSO6PzplO4T2jqOAOAoF8HjWU4bAMkoBx3gX1UoTPctN9W7tjf3U50EigusxDzCL.jpg) Every contact passes through SmartProspect’s **verification waterfall** and gets tagged as: - **Verified:** Safe to send - **Catch-all:** Some risk, use in limited batches - **Hard bounce:** Invalid, auto-blocked - **Unknown:** Retry after 24 hours Once your list is ready, select verified contacts and click **“Push to Campaign.”** ## **Quick FAQs** 1. **Why is there a $59 maintenance fee if leads are “free”?** The $59/month flat fee isn’t a charge for data — it’s a **quality maintenance cost** that covers continuous verification, scoring, and AI-driven enrichment to keep your data accurate and compliant. Think of it as a **guarantee of freshness and accuracy**, not a data purchase. 2. **How do we maintain free lead data for all?** SmartProspect’s data model isn’t about selling leads. It’s focused on helping you send verified emails directly through Smartlead. SmartProspect saves cost by verifying data **only when you unlock it**, not by bulk-scraping everything upfront. 3. **How many leads do I get each month?** With SmartProspect, you only pay a **flat $59/month quality upkeep fee** — no per-lead or per-seat costs. You’ll get access to **free, verified, zero-bounce leads** that match your existing **Smartlead plan’s lead limit**. For example, if your plan allows **60,000 active leads**, SmartProspect gives you **up to 60,000 verified leads** each month for the same flat fee. Need more? Simply upgrade your Smartlead plan. You also receive 2000 credits to explore SmartProspect before committing to the monthly maintenance fee. 4. **Can I test SmartProspect before upgrading?** Absolutely. You get **2,000 free credits** to explore SmartProspect and test lead quality before committing to the $59 maintenance plan. 5. **Is SmartProspect included in my Smartlead plan?** SmartProspect is available as an **add-on** to any Smartlead plan. You can activate it from your dashboard anytime — no separate setup needed. 6. **What happens when I reach my SmartProspect credit limit?** When you’re close to your monthly limit, you’ll see a **“Nearing Limit”** banner in yellow. Once you exceed your limit, the **Unlock** button will turn grey and new lead fetches will pause. You can either: - **Wait for your credits to reset** at the start of your next billing cycle, or - **Click “Upgrade Plan”** to instantly increase your lead allowance and continue fetching verified leads. If you’re on a free trial, you can **activate the $59/month maintenance plan** along with your Smartlead plan of choice anytime to unlock full SmartProspect access and higher limits. 7. **Is the data verified?** Yes. SmartProspect runs multi-layer verification before every unlock. All verification happens through a **multi-step Waterfall System**, minimizing bounce rates and keeping your domain reputation intact. 8. **How can Smartlead offer verified leads for free?** Because Smartlead has been around for 3+ years and built **deep relationships with multiple data vendors**, we get **priority pricing and faster refresh rates** at scale. We’re not reselling data — we’re **leveraging our scale and partnerships** to make verified data accessible to everyone, with just a small maintenance fee to sustain quality. 9. **How is this business model sustainable?** The sustainability comes from **scale and efficiency**. With tens of thousands of active users, Smartlead operates at a volume where data costs drop dramatically. It’s the same logic we applied when we made **mailboxes free from $59 as compared to competitors** — scale lets us keep prices minimal without compromising performance or quality. 10. **How does this compare to buying leads externally?** Most tools charge **$1,000–$6,000/month** for the same volume and verification level. However, SmartProspect provides a **zero-bounce, double-verified leads FREE right inside Smartlead**. 11. **Will it affect my domain reputation?** No. Risky emails are flagged automatically, protecting your sender health. 12. **How often is data refreshed?** Weekly, or when you trigger a re-check manually.