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PhantomBuster

Founder-Friendly
LinkedIn ToolsData ProvidersGTM Ops & Workflow

The Swiss Army knife of web scraping and automation — extract data from any platform, automate any workflow, and hope you don't get banned

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GTM Pipeline Position

Prospect
Enrich
Sequence
Deliver
Engage
Analyze
Close

The Verdict

PhantomBuster is the go-to tool for no-code social media automation and LinkedIn scraping. It's incredibly versatile with 100+ Phantoms, but users should be aware of platform TOS risks and the learning curve for complex workflows.

Best For

Growth hackers and sales ops teams who need to extract data from LinkedIn, Google Maps, or any website without coding

Not Great For

Risk-averse teams — LinkedIn scraping carries real account ban risk, and PhantomBuster's approach isn't subtle

Overview

PhantomBuster is a cloud-based automation platform that provides pre-built 'Phantoms' (automation scripts) for LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms to scrape data, automate outreach, and build lead lists without coding.

Target Users

Growth hackers, SDRs, recruiters, marketers, outbound agencies

Team Size

1-50

Capabilities

Key Features

  • 100+ pre-built automation Phantoms
  • LinkedIn profile scraping
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator scraping
  • Auto LinkedIn connection & messaging
  • Email finder from LinkedIn profiles
  • Twitter/Instagram automation
  • Chain multiple Phantoms into workflows
  • Cloud-based (no browser needed)
  • CSV export and integrations

Benefits

  • Automate repetitive social media and lead gen tasks
  • No coding required — use pre-built Phantoms
  • Cloud-based execution so your computer doesn't need to run
  • Chain Phantoms together for complex multi-step workflows
Ease of Use
Moderate — pre-built Phantoms are easy but chaining workflows requires learning

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • +100+ pre-built automations covering LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and more
  • +Cloud-based — no need to keep browser open
  • +Can chain Phantoms into complex workflows
  • +Strong community and documentation
  • +Works with Clay and other data tools

Cons

  • -LinkedIn scraping may violate LinkedIn TOS
  • -Execution time limits can be restrictive
  • -Website renders poorly for web scrapers (JS-heavy)
  • -No built-in CRM or sequencing
  • -Can be complex for non-technical users

Outbound Use Cases

LinkedIn lead scrapingAutomated connection requestsEmail finding from social profilesMulti-platform data collectionLead list building

Financials & Scale

Pricing Model
Subscription (tiered by execution time and slots)
Starting Price
$69/month
Cost at Scale
$159-439/month
Total Funding
$2M
Last Round
Seed
Free Trial
Yes
PlanPriceLimitsFeatures
Starter$69/month10h execution time/month, 5 Phantom slots5 Phantom slots, 10h execution time, Community support
Pro$159/month20h execution time/month, 15 Phantom slots15 Phantom slots, 20h execution time, Priority support
Team$439/month80h execution time/month, 50 Phantom slots50 Phantom slots, 80h execution time, Team collaboration, Dedicated support
Free Tier Limits
14-day free trial
Credit Model
Execution time (hours/month) + Phantom slots
Pricing Comparison Note

PhantomBuster runs $69-439/mo depending on usage. Clay is $149-800/mo. Apify starts at $49/mo. Browser Use is free (open-source). PhantomBuster's pre-built 'Phantoms' for LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and Google Maps scraping are its moat — no setup required.

The Reddit Pulse

Sentiment: mixed_positive

Community Pros

  • +Well-known and frequently mentioned for LinkedIn automation/scraping
  • +Good for exporting Sales Navigator search results
  • +Wide range of 'phantoms' (pre-built automations) for various platforms
  • +Users appreciate the no-code approach to web scraping

Community Cons

  • -LinkedIn account ban risk is a common concern
  • -Pricing considered high for what is essentially scraping
  • -Data extraction can be unreliable when platforms change their DOM
  • -Some users prefer cheaper alternatives like Evaboot or Captain Data

Reddit Questions

  • ? Is PhantomBuster good for exporting Sales Nav results?
  • ? What are alternatives with API access?
  • ? Will PhantomBuster get my LinkedIn account banned?
  • ? Is it worth paying more for a good scraping tool?

Thinking of Switching?

Clay
More GTM-focused enrichment without the general-purpose scraping
Apify
Bigger scraping marketplace with more pre-built actors
Browser Use
Open-source alternative for developers who want full control
Captain Data
Similar no-code automation for sales workflows
Bardeen
Browser automation for less technical users

Competitive Landscape

WaalaxyDux-SoupExpandiApifyClay

Technical Stack

API Access
Compliance
GDPR compliant
Clay Integration
Platforms
Web (cloud-based)

Integrations

HubSpotSalesforceGoogle SheetsZapierWebhooks
CRM Integrations
HubSpotSalesforce
Zapier / Make / n8n
ZapierMake
Data Export
CSV, Google Sheets, CRM sync

Data Intelligence

Data Specialty
LinkedIn profile dataSocial media dataEmail data
Data Freshness
Real-time scraping

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Company Intel

Headquarters
Paris, France
Founded
2016
Leadership
Guillaume Cabane
Employees
51-100

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Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Links

Support Channels
EmailCommunityPriority support (Pro+)
#linkedin-scraping#automation-platform#lead-generation#phantoms#data-scraping#linkedin-outreach#no-code-automation#social-selling#sales-navigator