Our verdict
Choose an agency if you want to hand everything over, phone calls and meeting booking included, without approving anything yourself, and the budget allows it. Choose MeetMagnet if you run a B2B SME that already has customers, your buyers are on LinkedIn, and you want qualified meetings for 2.5 to 8 times less than the entry-level agency packages we found, while keeping control of your messages.
How much does a lead generation agency cost in 2026?
Usually between €1,000 and €3,000 a month, according to our survey; some start lower, like Hacquisition at €790 for one channel. Below are the public prices of five French agencies; rates in other countries vary.
| Agency (France) | Listed price | Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Re-Com | Digital prospecting: from €1,290 a month. Phone: €1,690 a month. Premium multichannel: from €2,490 a month. VAT treatment not stated. | Digital: no commitment. Phone: no commitment after 8 days of calling. Premium multichannel: no commitment from the 3rd month. 15 days’ notice |
| Lalaleads | Full digital: from €1,500 excl. VAT a month. Multichannel: from €2,400 excl. VAT a month. Or €350 excl. VAT per meeting, plus a €990 excl. VAT setup fee (1,000 contacts a month, capped number of meetings). | No commitment |
| Oliverlist | From €1,499 excl. VAT a month, plus a bonus from €250 excl. VAT per meeting attended. | No minimum term |
| Leadactiv | From €1,760 excl. VAT a month, as a tailored engagement that can include LinkedIn. | Not stated on the page we checked |
| Hacquisition | Essentiel: €790 a month (1 channel, 500 prospects). Performance: €1,490 a month (LinkedIn and cold email). VAT treatment not stated. | Not stated on the page we checked |
| MeetMagnet | Self-serve: €149 excl. VAT a month. Assisted: €299 excl. VAT a month, multi-source option. | Assisted: 3 months, then month to month |
Source: each agency’s public pricing page, checked on 26 September 2026. “Excl. VAT” appears where the agency states it; elsewhere, the VAT treatment is not specified.
Over a year, an agency therefore usually comes to €12,000 to €36,000. MeetMagnet Assisted comes to €3,588 excl. VAT. Per meeting, alongside SDRs, cold calling and software, the calculation is on our page cost of a B2B meeting.
Lead generation or appointment setting agency: what is the difference?
A lead generation agency delivers interested contacts, “leads”, sometimes paid for one by one. An appointment setting agency goes further: it contacts, follows up and aims to book the meeting. In practice, many agencies use both terms for the same service: look at what is delivered, not what it is called.
- A lead: someone who has shown interest. On agency marketplaces, agencies that are MeetMagnet customers were paying €90 to €700 per lead.
- A qualified meeting: a conversation booked with a decision-maker who has a need. That is what turns into a sale.
MeetMagnet sells neither leads nor lists: it starts from a buying signal to open a conversation with the decision-maker.
LinkedIn lead generation agency: what it does and what it costs
A LinkedIn lead generation agency targets your prospects on LinkedIn, writes and sends the messages from an account, follows up, then often moves on to email or phone. Public prices (French agencies):
- Hacquisition: €790 a month for one channel and 500 prospects, €1,490 a month for LinkedIn and cold email. It also targets on signals (hiring, fundraising, job changes, technology), with human oversight.
- Lalaleads: from €1,500 excl. VAT a month for the full digital package.
- Leadactiv: from €1,760 excl. VAT a month, as a tailored engagement that can include LinkedIn.
MeetMagnet also works on LinkedIn and then by email, from your account and in your tone, for €299 excl. VAT a month on the Assisted plan. The difference: each decision-maker is contacted at the moment of their signal, with an opener drawn from that signal, with no cap on signals and no credits.
Agency or MeetMagnet: side by side
| Lead generation agency | MeetMagnet Assisted | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | Usually €1,000 to €3,000 (from €790 for some) | €299 excl. VAT |
| Who gets contacted | Usually a target list; some agencies also target on signals | Decision-makers showing a buying signal on LinkedIn |
| What is capped | The volume set in the package (prospects, days or meetings) | Nothing on signals: unlimited, no credits. LinkedIn sending limits apply, as they do to everyone |
| When | When the campaign is ready | When the signal appears |
| Channels | Often phone, email and LinkedIn | LinkedIn and email |
| First message | Written by the agency’s account manager | An opener drawn from the signal, reviewed by a person, which you approve |
| A real person with you | A dedicated project manager | Onboarding, check-ins on day 7, 30, 60 and 90, then a check-in every month |
| Meeting booking | By the agency | The team follows the replies and helps you book the meeting; you stay in control |
| You stay in control | Not much: the agency speaks on your behalf | Yes: your account, your tone, your decisions |
| Time required | Almost none | About 15 minutes a day |
What an agency does better
- The phone. MeetMagnet works on LinkedIn and by email. If your market is won over the phone, a cold calling agency is a better fit.
- Handing everything over. The agency books the meetings for you. With MeetMagnet, you approve prospects and stay in control of the conversations.
- Flexibility at the start. Several agencies offer packages with no commitment. MeetMagnet’s Assisted plan asks for 3 months, the time it takes to calibrate the target and the messages.
What MeetMagnet does better
- Price. €299 excl. VAT a month, against €790 to €2,490 for the entry-level packages we found: 2.5 to 8 times cheaper than those packages, human support included.
- Timing. Your prospects are contacted when a signal shows they have a reason to reply, not because they are on a list. And signals are unlimited, with no credits.
- The opener. The first message starts from the prospect’s own topic. That is what makes it stand out among the messages a business owner receives.
- Control of your prospecting. Messages go out from your account, in your tone, and you keep your contacts and your conversations.
And the person matters as much as the software. That is the role of human support.
Outsourcing your prospecting without an agency
Many business owners look for an agency or an outsourced SDR because they have no time to prospect. MeetMagnet Assisted meets the same need in a different way:
- Spot: every day, the decision-makers in your target who post or react on a topic linked to your offer.
- Qualify: we rule out the wrong job titles, the wrong company sizes and signals that are too weak.
- Engage: an opener drawn from the signal, sent on LinkedIn and then by email.
- Meet: the team follows the replies and helps you book the meeting; you stay in control.
It is the typical case of SMEs without a salesperson: meetings with decision-makers, without hiring.
Who MeetMagnet is not the right alternative for
- You sell to consumers, or to buyers who are rarely on LinkedIn (local shops, trades, doctors, farmers).
- You want cold calling.
- You do not want to spend any time on your prospecting, not even 15 minutes a day.
- You are starting out with no customers and no validated market.
Are you a lead generation agency?
MeetMagnet is also available under white label: an agency account lets you run several clients under your own brand. It is quoted on request: see white-label prospecting for agencies.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a lead generation agency cost?
According to our survey of public prices on 26 September 2026 (French market), a B2B lead generation or appointment setting agency usually costs €1,000 to €3,000 a month. The entry-level packages we found range from €790 a month (Hacquisition, one channel) to €1,760 excl. VAT (Leadactiv). Some add a bonus per meeting attended (from €250 excl. VAT at Oliverlist); others charge per meeting instead of a monthly fee (€350 excl. VAT at Lalaleads, plus a €990 excl. VAT setup fee).
Can you outsource your prospecting without an agency?
Yes. An assisted service such as MeetMagnet Assisted (€299 excl. VAT a month) takes care of targeting, messages and sending, A real person follows you: onboarding, check-ins on day 7, 30, 60 and 90, then a check-in every month. You approve the prospects and run the meetings.
Does MeetMagnet book meetings for me?
On Self-serve, you reply to interested prospects and book the meeting, in about 15 minutes a day. On Assisted, the team follows the replies and helps you book the meeting; you stay in control.
Does MeetMagnet guarantee meetings?
No. No honest service can guarantee a number of meetings without knowing your market. On the Assisted plan, MeetMagnet commits to a follow-up: onboarding, check-ins on day 7, 30, 60 and 90, then a check-in every month. The target changes if nothing comes in.
What is an outsourced SDR?
A salesperson from an agency, or a freelancer, who prospects on your behalf, often part-time. It is the model lead generation agencies sell. MeetMagnet offers the opposite: the prospecting stays yours, in your tone, and a real person supports you on targeting and messages.