The Best Tool to Automate LinkedIn and Lead Generation in 2024
By Ari Vale | AI Research Analyst & Product Strategist at AI Insider Labs
Let’s cut through the noise.
If you’ve ever spent hours digging through LinkedIn, Instagram, or Google Maps to pull emails, research profiles, or send outreach messages—then you already know the pain: it’s slow, manual, and borderline soul-crushing.
Now multiply that frustration by a month.
I’ve been testing AI marketing tools since GPT-2 was experimental code and “automation” meant scraping data with Python scripts half your company couldn’t maintain. Most tools today either overpromise, break often, or demand technical knowledge you don’t have time for.
But one tool—not perfect, but immensely practical—is PhantomBuster.
Today I’m walking you through how PhantomBuster works, what it does brilliantly, who it’s built for, and why it’s one of the best lead gen tools in 2024.
Spoiler: If you run a sales or marketing team, or you’re a solo founder trying to scale outreach without burning out—this one’s worth bookmarking.
What Is PhantomBuster and Why Should Marketers Care?
PhantomBuster is a no-code, cloud-based automation platform that runs bots (called “Phantoms”) to automate tasks like:
- Scraping LinkedIn profiles
- Auto-connecting and messaging leads
- Extracting data from Instagram, Twitter, Google Maps, Facebook, and more
- Enriching contact info by integrating with tools like Dropcontact and Hunter
- Automating entire workflows with multi-step logic using “Flows”
🧠 Now here’s the kicker: These automations run even when your browser is closed. It’s fully cloud-based.
That means outreach while you sleep.
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Unlike other tools that focus solely on LinkedIn or require sketchy browser scraping extensions, PhantomBuster gives you a centralized dashboard where you can build repeatable, multi-touch workflows across multiple platforms without writing a single line of code.
Not bad if you’re managing a sales pipeline or running lead campaigns daily.
Who PhantomBuster Is Actually For
Let’s break this down clearly.
You’ll benefit from PhantomBuster if you are:
- A founder who needs to scale outreach without hiring 3 SDRs
- A sales rep doing 50+ outbound messages per day
- A recruiter sourcing profiles manually off LinkedIn or Facebook
- A marketer scraping niche directories or influencers for outreach
- A digital agency managing multiple clients and campaigns
For context, I’ve set up Flows for a B2B SaaS client that pulled leads from directories, enriched their emails with Dropcontact, and sent personalized LinkedIn messages—all running on PhantomBuster without a dev touching it once.
If that sounds game-changing… that’s because it is.
Core Features That Set PhantomBuster Apart
1. Phantoms: Modular Bots for One-Click Tasks
Each Phantom automates a single task—like scraping a search result or sending a connection request. You can string them together later (we’ll get to that). Some of the most used Phantoms I’ve worked with include:
- LinkedIn Profile Scraper
- Instagram Auto Follower
- Twitter Auto Liker
- Google Maps Scraper
- Facebook Group Extractor
You just plug in a URL, upload a CSV, or connect your session cookie, and it goes to work.
2. Flows: Multi-step Automations Without Code
If Phantoms are individual muscles, Flows are the entire body in motion.
You automate not just a single action, but a full series like:
- Scrape 100 profiles from LinkedIn
- Find their emails via Hunter
- Automatically personalize and send a message
- Log it into your CRM or spreadsheet
All with drag-and-drop ease.
3. Cloud-Based and Schedule-Ready
Phantoms run in the cloud, which means:
- You don’t need to leave a browser tab open
- Your workflows run every day, on autopilot
- You don’t slow down your laptop or risk browser crashes
You can even set triggers by time, day, or based on data changes.
What Does PhantomBuster Actually Capture?
Data is the core engine behind your outreach—and PhantomBuster gets granular.
Here are things you can extract:
- Full LinkedIn profiles with job titles, experience, location, skills
- Instagram bio info and follower counts
- Business names, phone numbers, and review scores from Google Maps
- Emails, domains, industries, and more via tool integrations
With integrations like Google Sheets, Hubspot, Airtable, and more, that pipeline becomes part of your system—not just some downloaded CSV files collecting dust.
PhantomBuster Pricing: What You Get at Each Tier
Let’s be real—nothing’s free forever. But PhantomBuster offers a generous free trial: 14 days with 2h/day usage.
Plans start at just $56/month and range up to $439/month for heavy teams.
What you’re paying for is not just hours of automation. You’re buying back your time—and expanding your reach.
Here’s what’s included on most plans:
- Phantoms Execution Time (20 to 300 hrs/month)
- 10,000 to 90,000 AI credits
- Email & contact enrichment credits (up to 10,000/month)
- Up to 50 concurrent task slots for scale
If you’re unsure, start with the Starter plan, see your ROI, then scale up.
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My Experience Automating LinkedIn with PhantomBuster
Let’s humanize this.
One of the earliest use cases I tested PhantomBuster on was for a fintech client targeting heads of growth in New York and SF.
Here’s how I set it up:
- Used the LinkedIn Search Phantom to scrape 1,500 profiles over 3 days.
- Ran email enrichment using Hunter’s API integration.
- Set up a Flow that added the leads to a Google Sheet, then synced with the client’s Hubspot CRM.
- Connected with each lead via the LinkedIn Auto Connector, sending a personalized message referencing their company.
Open rate? 43%. That’s not a typo.
Response rate on that campaign was 12%. Purely organic, with under $100 in tool costs.
These kinds of results aren’t magic. They’re systems happening at pace and scale.
Pros and Cons (No BS)
Here’s the raw truth based on my config and client deployment:
Pros:
- ✅ No-code interface is intuitive
- ✅ Phantoms work across LinkedIn, Google, Instagram, Twitter, and more
- ✅ Cloud-based = no install headaches
- ✅ Flows are powerful, modular, and scalable
- ✅ Integrates seamlessly with CRMs and email tools
- ✅ Flexible pricing tiers + generous free trial
Cons:
- ❌ Pricing tied to execution hours—easy to overspend if you go wild
- ❌ Can feel “buggy” during beta feature rollouts
- ❌ Requires learning curve for cookie/session setup on some platforms
- ❌ Over-automation can trigger LinkedIn limits if not throttled properly
Still, for 90% of use cases, the value outweighs the pain.
Is PhantomBuster Safe to Use on LinkedIn?
Short answer: Yes—with limits.
The platform simulates human behavior and lets you throttle speeds, randomize delays, and rotate tasks over time.
Pro tip: Never run more than 100 connections/day per LinkedIn account. Use the platform’s safety recommendations and you’ll stay below LinkedIn’s radar.
LinkedIn’s terms of service are strict, so always proceed with caution. But PhantomBuster has built-in features to help you minimize risk.
And remember—automation is only as ethical as the intent behind it.
Integrations That Make PhantomBuster a Stack Superpower
Here’s where things get really fun.
Out of the box, PhantomBuster plays well with:
- Google Sheets (live sync your leads)
- CRMs like Hubspot and Salesforce
- Email finders like Hunter and Dropcontact
- No-code tools like Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat)
- Airtable, Slack, Notion, and Webhooks
Earth to growth teams: This is your operations backbone in one dashboard.
How PhantomBuster Compares to TexAu and SalesRobot
You might be wondering: Why not TexAu or SalesRobot?
I’ve tested both.
TexAu offers more credits and limits, but it leans technical and can overwhelm beginners.
SalesRobot is ideal if you’re focused strictly on LinkedIn outreach, especially for account safety. Great UI, but lacks PhantomBuster’s flexibility across platforms.
PhantomBuster balances ease, flexibility, stability, and multichannel power better than anything I’ve used for lead gen in 2024.
Final Verdict: Should You Use PhantomBuster in 2024?
Here’s my take as someone who’s evaluated 70+ AI tools in the last year:
PhantomBuster is a must-use if you value your time and want to scale meaningful outreach.
It’s not a gimmick. It’s a workhorse.
Perfect for:
- Marketers who need clean pipelines
- SDRs wanting smart outreach without reinventing the wheel
- Agencies looking to automate client operations
- Founders scraping their way toward product-market fit
It won’t replace your brain. But it will replace dozens of hours of clicking.
And that’s where the real leverage lives.
One Last Word on Automation
We’re entering an era where the gap between winners and the exhausted isn’t just money or ideas—it’s automation.
Tools like PhantomBuster aren’t about being slick or spammy.
They’re about spending less time on what you shouldn’t be doing and more time where it counts: insight, strategy, and real human connection.
Automate wisely. Lead strategically. Operate beyond scale.
And if you’re ready to reclaim your time?
See you on the other side of automation.
—Ari Vale, AI Insider Labs