CloneICP vs Starnus: Best-in-Class Discovery vs Full Workflow Automation

CloneICP does one thing well: semantic people discovery. Starnus handles the full workflow, from discovery through reply tracking. Think of it as best-in-class for one step vs. good-enough for every step.

Starnus is a newer AI-powered prospecting tool. We tested what's publicly available and compared its approach to CloneICP's semantic search for finding ideal customers.

Last updated: February 2026

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Key Facts

Starnus launched on Product Hunt in late 2024 as an AI-powered prospecting assistant.
CloneICP uses real-time semantic search while Starnus uses an AI-enriched database approach.
CloneICP offers 3 free searches with no signup. Starnus pricing is not publicly available.
Both tools use AI but for different purposes: Starnus for data enrichment, CloneICP for people discovery.

The Core Difference

CloneICP does one thing well: semantic discovery. Finds the right people, then you export and use your existing tools for everything else.

Starnus handles the full workflow, from discovery through reply tracking, in one platform.

Not better or worse. Different approaches for different needs.

What We Know About Starnus (and What We Don't)

Starnus launched on Product Hunt on February 12, 2026 with 108 upvotes.

"Claude for Sales" positioning with 25+ specialized AI agents (per their Product Hunt launch)[1]
~$60/month pricing, 30-60 min per week time investment (from early user reports on Reddit)[2]
"Integrated with many databases" for enrichment (from early user reports on Reddit)[3]

What We Don't Know Yet

What early users report

Official pricing (not publicly published as of February 2026)[1]
Discovery method details: semantic? firmographic? hybrid? Their "lookalike" approach isn't publicly documented[1]
Long-term reliability (3 days old as of this writing)[1]

We'll update this comparison as more information becomes available.

Other things we'd like to test:

Data accuracy compared to other tools
Usage caps or rate limits
Whether they accept imported prospect lists

We'll add these findings as we get more hands-on time with the product.

How Starnus Works

What Starnus Offers (Per Their Marketing)

End-to-end workflow: discovery, enrichment, outreach, reply tracking

Natural language ICP definition and "lookalike" prospect discovery

AI-generated personalized outreach emails

Built-in CRM and reply tracking

Aggregates data from multiple providers

25+ specialized AI agents handling the workflow (per their Product Hunt launch)

Open Questions

Starnus is new (launched February 12, 2026):

Their "lookalike" discovery method isn't publicly documented

Starnus returns

Unclear if discovery is semantic, firmographic, or hybrid
Multi-agent complexity creates potential failure points
Dependent on multiple third-party data provider APIs
Limited user feedback available (3 days old at time of writing)

These aren't criticisms. They're unknowns. Every new product starts here.

We need more time and user reports to evaluate Starnus's actual discovery accuracy and reliability.

How CloneICP Works

Precision Discovery with Semantic AI

Describe who you're looking for in natural language: "VP of Sales who has built outbound teams and writes about their process"

What CloneICP understands

Semantic AI understands meaning, not just keywords. It captures context, synonyms, and related concepts
Returns ranked results (Top Matches + More Matches) based on fit
Export CSV, then use your existing tools for enrichment and outreach

What You Get

Input: Natural language ICP description
Results: 20-50 ranked LinkedIn profiles per search
Speed: ~30-60 seconds
Cost: $1.00 per search (10 credits)
Export: CSV with LinkedIn URLs, names, headlines
Credits: Never expire. No subscription required.

See how CloneICP works for your use case

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature comparison: Starnus vs CloneICP, updated February 2026
Feature	Starnus	CloneICP
Approach	End-to-end automation platform	Precision discovery tool
Core Function	Discovery, enrichment, outreach, tracking	Find who to target (semantic matching)
ICP Input	Natural language (per Product Hunt launch)	Natural language description
Discovery Method	"Lookalike" (method not publicly documented)	Semantic AI (natural language understanding)
Enrichment	Built-in (aggregates multiple data providers, per their marketing)	Export CSV, enrich with your tools
Outreach	AI-generated personalized emails (per Product Hunt launch)	None (integrate with your outreach tool)
Reply Tracking	Built-in (per Product Hunt launch)	None
Pricing	~$60/month (from early user reports, not officially published)	$1/search (10 credits), credits never expire
Stage	Launched February 12, 2026	Established
Best For	Solo founders wanting full workflow automation	Precision targeting, integrate with existing tools

When to Use Each Tool

When Starnus Makes Sense

You want full workflow automation (discovery through reply tracking in one platform)
You're starting from scratch with no existing tool stack
You prioritize automation speed over targeting precision
You're a solo founder with limited time (~$60/month, per early user reports)
You prefer one platform over integrating multiple tools

When CloneICP Makes Sense

You want precision over volume: 50 relevant profiles ranked by fit, not thousands to filter
Semantic AI understands "VP who writes about outbound," not just title + company size
You already have tools you like (Apollo, Instantly, HubSpot) and want discovery that plugs in
Transparent, pay-per-use pricing ($1/search, credits never expire)
3 free searches to start, no signup required

Use Both Together?

CloneICP solves 'who to target' with semantic precision. Other tools solve 'how to reach them' with workflow automation.

01CloneICP: Precision discovery. Find 50 highly relevant profiles
02Export CSV: Hand off your list
03Starnus (or Apollo, or your preferred stack): Enrich, generate outreach, track replies

Caveat: We haven't tested this integration directly. Unclear if Starnus accepts imported lists.

Pricing Comparison

Starnus Pricing

Subscription~$60/month

Discovery + enrichment + outreach + tracking
Full workflow automation in one platform
Official pricing not publicly available as of February 2026

Pricing based on early user reports on Reddit, not officially published. May change.

CloneICP Pricing

Pay-Per-Use (No subscription)

100 credits$10 ($0.10/credit)

500 credits$45 ($0.09/credit)

2,000 credits$160 ($0.08/credit)

10 credits per search = $1.00 per search
3 free searches to start (no signup)
Credits never expire
All features included (no tiers)
CSV export included

Different Models

CloneICP charges per discovery. Starnus charges a subscription for full workflow automation.

At low volume (under 10 searches/month), CloneICP is cheaper ($10 vs. ~$60/month).

At high volume with full workflow needs, Starnus's subscription may offer more value per dollar since it includes enrichment and outreach. Direct cost comparison depends on usage volume.

The Honest Trade-Offs

What Starnus Does That CloneICP Doesn't

Full workflow automation

Starnus handles discovery through reply tracking in one platform. CloneICP is discovery only. You export CSV and use your own tools for enrichment and outreach.

All-in-one simplicity

One platform to learn, not three. For solo founders starting from scratch, this is a real advantage.

Built-in enrichment and outreach

Starnus aggregates data from multiple providers and generates outreach emails. CloneICP provides the targeting list. You bring your own enrichment and outreach tools.

What CloneICP Does That Starnus Doesn't

Semantic precision

CloneICP's semantic AI understands the meaning of your ICP description: context, synonyms, and related concepts. Starnus's "lookalike" discovery method isn't publicly documented.

Integrates with your existing stack

If you already use Apollo, Instantly, and HubSpot, CloneICP adds precision discovery without replacing anything. Starnus is designed as a replacement for your existing tools.

Pay-per-use pricing

CloneICP charges per search ($1.00). Credits never expire. No monthly subscription. Starnus is ~$60/month (per early user reports) regardless of usage.

Use Case Scenarios

Sales Team with Existing Tools

5-person sales team, high ACV ($50K+), already using Apollo + Instantly + HubSpot
Precision targeting (50 relevant profiles vs. thousands to filter)
Pay-per-discovery (no additional subscription)

Solo Founder Starting From Zero

All-in-one simplicity: one tool to learn (Starnus may be the better fit)
Alternative: CloneICP ($10-45/month for discovery) + Apollo free tier + Gmail
Budget, existing tools, and workflow preferences determine the best choice

When CloneICP is not the right choice

You want full workflow automation (discovery through outreach) in one platform
You don't have existing tools and don't want to integrate multiple services
You prioritize automation convenience over targeting precision
You need built-in enrichment and outreach (not just discovery)

Frequently Asked Questions: Starnus vs CloneICP

How is CloneICP different from Starnus?

Different approaches to the same problem. CloneICP focuses exclusively on precision discovery: finding the right people through semantic AI. Starnus tries to handle the full workflow (discovery through reply tracking) in one platform. Think of it as best-in-class for one step vs. good-enough for every step.

Can I use both together?

In theory, yes: use CloneICP for precision discovery, export your list, then use Starnus (or any other tool) for enrichment and outreach. We haven't tested this workflow directly yet.

Which is more accurate for finding prospects?

CloneICP uses semantic AI that understands the meaning of your ICP description, not just keywords. Starnus's "lookalike" discovery method isn't publicly documented. Unclear if it's semantic, firmographic, or a hybrid approach. We'd need to run a side-by-side test to compare directly.

Which is cheaper?

Depends on volume. At low volume (under 10 searches/month), CloneICP is cheaper ($10 vs. ~$60/month). At high volume with full workflow needs, Starnus's subscription may offer more value per dollar since it includes enrichment and outreach.

Does CloneICP have outreach automation?

No. CloneICP is precision discovery only. Export CSV, then use your preferred tools for enrichment (Apollo, ZoomInfo) and outreach (Instantly, Lemlist, Woodpecker). This is intentional. We focus on doing discovery well rather than doing everything adequately.

Is Starnus reliable?

Too early to say. Starnus launched February 12, 2026 (3 days before this comparison was written). Limited user feedback available. We'll update this section as the product matures and more reviews appear.

Try CloneICP

3 free searches, no signup required

01Go to cloneicp.com
02Describe who you're looking for in natural language
03Get ranked results in ~60 seconds

No credit card|No signup required

What to test

"VP of Sales who writes about outbound strategies"
"Engineering leader who scaled teams from 10 to 100+"
"Product manager with PLG experience at B2B SaaS companies"

Sources & Citations

[1]Starnus Product Hunt Launch - February 12, 2026, 108 upvotes
[2]Reddit: SaaS Marketing Plan Discussion - User reports ~$60/month, 30-60 min/week
[3]Reddit: ZoomInfo vs Apollo vs PDL - User mentions Starnus integration with multiple databases
[4]CloneICP Pricing Page - Verified February 2026

About this comparison: I'm Tom Meredith, Founder of CloneICP. This comparison is based on Starnus's public marketing, Product Hunt launch, and early user reports on Reddit. All Starnus claims are sourced. All CloneICP claims are from our product and pricing page. We update comparison pages regularly as competitors evolve.