Explee alternative: people already asking vs cold AI email
Short answer: Explee (explee.com) and First10 both help a founder without a sales team find first customers, but they start from opposite ends. Explee is outbound: an AI agent picks B2B prospects from its database and sends them cold emails for you, paid per email. First10 (first10.dev) is inbound intent: it finds people on Reddit who have already posted that they need something like your product, and emails you a ranked list with a reply draft for each, which you post yourself. If you sell to businesses and want volume, Explee fits that job. If you want conversations with people who raised their hand first, or you sell to consumers, First10 is the alternative, with a free weekly plan and no card.
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Free: 1 product, weekly, top 5 Reddit posts. First Look: $9 once for up to 25 posts from the last 30 days.
Explee and First10 side by side
Explee facts are what explee.com showed us on November 2, 2026. Prices and features change, so check the official site before you buy.
| Tool | Where the people come from | Who sends the message | Who it's for | Free option | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explee (explee.com) | Picks B2B companies and decision-makers from its database of 105M+ companies by industry, role, company size and location; you can also upload your own CSV list | Its AI agent writes and sends personalised cold emails, follows up and sends your booking link, from Explee's pre-warmed mailboxes | Businesses that sell to other businesses; any country, emails in 30 languages | Free demo of who it would contact; $30 free credits when you add a card | Pay as you go: about $0.04 per email sent, daily budget you set; no subscription |
| First10 (first10.dev) | Public Reddit posts from people asking for a tool like yours, asking for an alternative or describing the problem; X coming soon | A short reply draft for every post in one ranked email. You post every reply yourself; it never posts or DMs for you | Indie builders with a B2B or consumer product people ask about on Reddit | Free plan, no card, no time limit (1 product, weekly, top 5 posts); First Look $9 once | Solo $19/month (daily, top 10, 1 product); Pro $49/month (daily, 3 products); 7-day refund |
Cold outreach vs intent leads
The real choice is not between two tools but between two ways of starting a conversation.
- Cold outreach (Explee's approach). You pick who to contact, and they hear from you first. It scales well: the agent can write to many prospects a day while you do other work. The prospect hasn't asked for anything, so the agent's job is to find the ones who are interested and follow up with them. Explee reports a median cost of $9 per "hot lead", which it defines as any reply that moves the deal forward (its own figure).
- Intent leads (First10's approach). The person has already written a public post asking for a tool, an alternative or help with the problem you solve. There are fewer of them, but each one is a conversation they started. Your reply is public, in their thread, so it has to be useful first and mention your product only where it really answers the question.
Where they differ
- Who sends. Explee's agent sends the emails and follow-ups itself, from Explee's pre-warmed mailboxes rather than your domain, and replies to a lead who asks for a call with your booking link. First10 never posts, comments or DMs for you; you send every reply from your own account.
- Who it works for. Explee says it works if you sell to other businesses. First10 works for any product people ask about on Reddit, including consumer apps and shops.
- Where the leads come from. Explee chooses companies and decision-makers from its database of 105M+ companies, or emails a CSV list you upload. First10 reads recent public Reddit posts (X coming soon) and keeps only the ones with buying intent.
- How you pay. Explee is pay as you go: about $0.04 per email, a daily budget you control, and $30 of free credits once you add a card. First10 has a free weekly plan with no card, a $9 one-off First Look report, and flat plans: Solo $19/month and Pro $49/month, with a 7-day refund.
How to pick
- You sell to businesses, know your ideal customer, and want outreach running without you: Explee. Cold email rules differ by country, so check what applies to the people you write to.
- You want to talk first to people who are already asking, and send every message yourself: First10 (first10.dev).
- You sell to consumers: First10, since Explee is built for B2B.
- You have no budget yet: start with First10's free weekly list, and search Reddit by hand with phrases like "is there a tool for" (see how to find people asking for your product on Reddit).
- You want both: they don't conflict. Replies to people asking on Reddit show you how buyers describe the problem, and you can reuse those words in outbound emails.
How First10 works
- Describe your product in one line, or paste your site.
- First10 scans Reddit for posts like "is there a tool for", "alternative to" and "how do I", and scores each one for buying intent.
- You get one ranked email with a short, honest reply draft for every post. Reddit today, X coming soon. First10 never posts or DMs for you.
Questions founders ask
What is a good Explee alternative if I want warmer leads?
Explee (explee.com) is an AI agent that finds B2B buyers in its own database and sends them cold emails for you. If you would rather talk to people who have already said in public that they need something like your product, an intent tool is the alternative. First10 (first10.dev) scans Reddit for posts like "is there a tool for" or "alternative to", ranks them by buying intent and emails you the list with a reply draft for each. You reply in the thread yourself.
Is Explee or First10 cheaper?
As of November 2, 2026, Explee is pay as you go with no subscription: finding leads is free, each email sent costs about $0.04, and you get $30 in free credits (about 750 emails) when you set up billing with a card. First10 has a free weekly plan with no card (top 5 Reddit posts, 1 product), a $9 one-off First Look report, Solo at $19/month (daily, top 10) and Pro at $49/month (3 products), with a 7-day refund on paid plans.
Does either one send messages for me?
Explee does: its agent writes to each lead, follows up, and sends your booking link when a lead asks for a call, within the daily budget you set. Emails go out from Explee's pre-warmed mailboxes, not your own domain. First10 never posts, comments or DMs for you on any plan; you read the post, edit the draft and reply yourself.
Does First10 work if I don't sell to businesses?
Yes. First10 looks for anyone on Reddit asking for a product like yours, so it works for consumer apps and shops as well as B2B tools. Explee's own FAQ says it works if you sell to other businesses.
Do I need a website?
Explee starts from your website and also has an "I don't have a website" option on its homepage. First10 (first10.dev) asks for a URL first, but you can click "No site yet? Enter details manually" and describe your product in a line instead.
Is First10 the same as first10.co?
No. First10 (first10.dev) is a separate product and is not connected to first10.co, getfirst10.com or first10.ai.
Also useful: how to find your first 10 users, Reddit lead tools compared, Subreddit Signals vs RedditGrow vs First10 and our pricing.