Best Phantombuster Alternatives and Competitors in 2025

Phantombuster looks great—until you try to use it.

Then it hits you with a steep learning curve, slow performance, and pricing that feels like a subscription to disappointment.

So you search for alternatives. And boom—way too many tools, half of them useless, and all of them yelling “I’m the best!”

But don’t worry.

I tested the noisy crowd for you and picked the best Phantombuster alternatives that actually deliver. Fast, simple, and not out to drain your wallet.

But before diving into details, let’s have a look at why people are looking for Phantombuster alternatives?

Why you’d need a Phantombuster alternative

Let’s be fair—Phantombuster isn’t useless. It offers three major features that make it popular:

1. Data scraping
2. LinkedIn automation
3. Data enrichment

It basically gives you a nice buffet of no-code automations and lets you chain them into workflows.

But here’s where things fall apart:

1. Pricing
2. Learning curve
3. Dev-unfriendliness
4. Customer support
5. Speed

Let’s start with the pricing.

This was the #1 complaint in most reviews I found. It’s too expensive.

If they’re slow? Or fail? Or give you nothing? Too bad—you still pay. Because apparently, just existing counts as work.

Then comes the learning curve.

People consistently say it’s way too complicated. To run a simple automation task, you often have to connect multiple "Phantoms" or “Flows” together.

Most automations aren’t plug-and-play—you’ll probably need to sit through tutorials or chat with support just to get things working.

So unless you enjoy homework, good luck.

Now for developers—it’s just pain. The API documentation barely exists, and what’s there is vague at best.

No proper API guides, no real support, and zero help if you want to use Phantombuster programmatically.

And if you think customer support will help—bless your optimism.

A lot of users complain that it’s slow, unhelpful, or just plain missing.

Like, you’ll get a response… eventually. Maybe. If Mercury’s in retrograde and the moon is full.

And finally… speed. It’s slow. Painfully slow.

And since it charges based on time, every second wasted feels like a personal insult to your wallet.

That’s why it makes total sense to look for better options—tools that are easier, faster, and actually worth the money.

But how do you choose the right one when every other tool claims to be “the best alternative”?

How I shortlisted the best alternatives

Once I had a clear picture of what Phantombuster does well and where it completely drops the ball, I started looking for better options.

And no, I didn’t just do a lazy Google search and call it “research.” I read way too many “Top 10” lists written by people who clearly hadn’t used a single tool they listed.

I also checked what AI tools were suggesting, dug through community discussions, stalked Reddit and X (formerly Twitter, but forever chaotic).

I looked at what real users were actually recommending—not just what affiliate blogs wanted to sell me.

Then came the real work. I tested every tool that looked even slightly promising.

If something was too slow, too complex, or just plain bad—it didn’t make the cut.

In the end, I picked 6 best tools that actually deliver across 2 main use cases:

1. Best Phantombuster alternatives for web scraping
2. Best Phantombuster alternatives for LinkedIn automation

Let me give you a detailed overview of each tool.

Best Phantombuster alternatives for web scraping

1. Lobstr.io

Capterra rating: 5/5

Full disclosure: Lobstr.io is our product. Yes, I’m shamelessly putting it at the top of the list.

But before you roll your eyes into another dimension, know this — Lobstr.io was built to be better, faster, and easier. And the reasons are too good to skip.

Lobstr.io offers a full stack of no-code and API-powered scraping tools that actually work the way you wish Phantombuster did.

You’ll find ready-to-go scrapers for Sales Navigator, Google, Facebook, X, YouTube, Yellow Pages — basically all the stuff you wanted Phantombuster to be good at.

Features

1. 20+ no-code scrapers ready to launch
2. Built-in scheduling to automate scraping jobs
3. Real-time progress tracking that doesn’t hide behind 18 clicks
4. Easy exports to CSV, Google Sheets, S3, Webhooks, and more
5. Email alerts when things go right (or terribly wrong)
6. Free, fully documented API access that doesn’t make you cry

Pricing

Let’s skip the marketing fluff and get real.

1. Lobstr.io’s paid plans start at $56.70/month for 1 million credits.
2. Phantombuster’s basic plan? $69/month for 20 hours of execution time.

Lobstr.io charges you for actual results delivered, not for how long the system feels like taking.

If it’s fast, great. If it’s slow, still great. You only pay based on the real data you get—not the time wasted pretending to work.

Phantombuster, on the other hand, charges you based on time, not results. So I needed to find the actual cost per 1k results for a fair comparison.

Their website says you can scrape 1,000 results in 5 to 10 minutes.

Reality? Good luck with that. When I tested it, scraping often took way longer than their claims.

Even taking their best-case number—5 minutes per 1,000 results—the costs still don’t look great.

When you subscribe to the basic paid plan, Lobstr.io is 5 times cheaper:

1. Lobstr.io costs about $0.06 per 1,000 results.
2. Phantombuster costs about $0.30 per 1,000 results.

And when you scale up:

Lobstr.io drops to about $0.03 per 1,000 results, handling up to 20 million results without needing a custom plan.

Phantombuster costs around $0.12 per 1,000 results, and maxes out at 3.6 million results before you have to beg for enterprise pricing.

Why is it the best alternative?

It’s not just that Lobstr.io is cheaper than Phantombuster. It’s that it’s better across the things that actually matter.

Ease of use:

Lobstr.io’s interface is clean, simple, and easy to navigate.

You can launch a scraper in just a few clicks, without jumping between tabs or feeling like you’re defusing a bomb.

Phantombuster, on the other hand, often buries basic features inside “advanced” settings.

Speed:

In my tests, Lobstr.io scrapers worked around 2.5x faster than Phantombuster.

Data exports:

Lobstr.io lets you automatically export your data to Google Sheets, S3, Webhooks, SFTP, or just email it to yourself, with a quick 2-step setup.

Phantombuster makes you set up Slack webhooks or custom webhooks, which is fine if you like building things the hard way. The only other way is converting CSV to Excel file.

Progress tracking:

Lobstr.io gives you real-time tracking by default.

You can literally watch your scraping job progress live.

Phantombuster also offers real-time tracking—but you have to manually turn it on first (good luck finding the option).

Notifications:

At Lobstr.io, setting up email alerts for job success or failure is a two-click process.

At Phantombuster, it’s buried under "advanced" settings and feels like it was added as an afterthought.

API:

Lobstr.io offers a properly documented, developer-friendly API.

You can integrate it easily with your apps or automation workflows without playing "guess what this endpoint does."

Phantombuster’s API docs, in contrast, are famously vague and often leave developers rage-quitting.

Customer Support:

Lobstr.io’s support team actually responds—and knows what they’re talking about.

Across real user reviews (and my own experience), Phantombuster’s support is consistently described as slow, unhelpful, or both.

What’s missing?

1. No Instagram scraper (yet)
2. Fewer built-in CRM integrations
3. No built-in workflow builder

Lobstr.io doesn’t currently offer Instagram scraping.

For now, in social media category, we only have Facebook and X (Twitter) scrapers.

It doesn’t support CRM integrations like Hubspot and Salesforce.

You get flexible export options like CSV, Google Sheets, and S3, but if you want native CRM push buttons, you’ll have to DIY a little.

Unlike Phantombuster, Lobstr.io doesn’t let you chain scrapers into a multi-step workflow directly inside the dashboard.

Best for

If you want real results without babysitting slow bots, Lobstr.io is for you. It's perfect for anyone who needs faster, cheaper, and easier web scraping without wasting time.

2. Apify

Capterra rating: 4.8/5

If you like having 10 different ways to do the same job, Apify feels like Disneyland.

You’ll find scrapers ("actors") for pretty much everything, from Instagram to Amazon to whatever random site you’re targeting on a Tuesday afternoon.

Features

1. Access to 4500+ scrapers
2. Built-in scheduling to automate scraping jobs
3. Agentic AI support
4. Tons of integrations and flexible export options
5. Fully documented SDK for developers

Pricing

Apify has a pay-as-you-go model, plus prepaid pricing plans starting at $39/month and going up to $999/month.

Here’s how it works:

1. You’re charged based on resource usage (called Compute Units or CUs).
2. 1 CU = 1 GB RAM per hour, and costs about $0.40.
3. Some scrapers (actors) also charge per result or monthly rental fees.
4. Proxy usage adds another layer of costs.

That’s why finding an estimated cost per result was difficult for me. Each scraper’s cost is different from other.

For example, using Apify’s Instagram scraper, you might pay around $2.30 per 1,000 results.

(For context, Phantombuster would charge you closer to $6 for the same job.)

Why is it a good alternative?

Apify is a good alternative to Phantombuster for users who want more control over their scraping setup and can handle a bit of technical complexity.

First, the scraper marketplace:

Apify offers access to 4500+ scrapers, compared to Phantombuster’s smaller library.

If you need a wide variety of ready-made tools, Apify clearly wins on volume.

More control and customization:

Apify lets you customize key technical aspects like resource usage, output formats, proxy settings, and execution environments without touching code.

If you’re technical, you can go even deeper using their SDK and build or modify scrapers as needed — something Phantombuster doesn’t really support.

Agentic AI integration:

While Phantombuster has started dabbling in AI, Apify’s Agentic AI system is much more advanced.

You can integrate with platforms like Haystack, Crew, and Mastra, run agents through MCP servers, and access hundreds of templates.

What’s missing?

1. No built-in workflow chaining
2. Steep learning curve
3. Poor cost transparency
4. Community scraper maintenance risk

Apify doesn’t let you directly connect multiple scrapers (actors) into a single automated workflow inside its platform.

You can technically hack it with AI agents if you know what you’re doing, or use external workflow automation tools like Make, Zapier, or n8n.

Apify doesn’t have a User-friendly interface. Running basic scrapers can feel complicated due to its cluttered, nerdy UI.

Plus, understanding how pricing, Compute Units, proxy settings, and resource management work takes time, even for moderately technical users.

Apify doesn’t clearly show estimated run costs upfront.

Even after you understand their pricing model, you still have to mentally calculate what a job might cost every time you set one up.

Apify clearly marks which scrapers are "platform-maintained" versus "community-maintained."

If you use a community scraper and it breaks, you’re stuck waiting for the external developer to fix it—or hunting for a replacement in the marketplace.

Best for

Apify is best for developers, technical marketers, and growth hackers who want full control, huge flexibility, and cheaper large-scale scraping.

If you’re comfortable dealing with some setup complexity to save money and scale smarter, Apify is a strong upgrade over Phantombuster.

3. Captain Data

Capterra rating: 5/5

If you want something that plugs directly into your SaaS stack and doesn’t hold your hand, Captain Data is built for you.

Features

1. Extracts data from LinkedIn, Google, and job boards
2. APIs to collect profile data, intent signals, and automate engagement
3. Workflow automation to chain scraping, enrichment, and outreach steps
4. A cool interface to build workflows without coding hassle
5. Integrates with major outreach and enrichment tools like CRMs

Pricing

Captain Data offers a single monthly plan: $400/month for 10,000 credits. The other plan is billed annually.

Here’s how the credits work:

1. 1 credit means result from 1 step of a workflow
2. If there are 2 steps in a workflow and each gives 10 results, you’ve consumed 20 credits.
3. Credits burn pretty fast because every step counts individually.

Another complicated pricing model right?

Well, I did the math for this one too. Including the add-on credits, Captain Data costs you $19.9 per 1000 results.

What makes it a good alternative?

Captain Data is truly API-focused:

You can run everything via API calls, but if you prefer using the UI, it also offers a proper workflow builder that's way cleaner and easier than Phantombuster’s clunky setup.

Intent-first data collection:

Along with profile scraping, Captain Data lets you pull intent signals like job changes, hiring activity, or other public signals.

Crazy good integrations:

You can link scrapers directly to your CRM, enrichment services, outreach tools, and more.

It's like having multiple apps inside one platform, where scraping, enriching, and outreach tasks can happen automatically without jumping between services.

Support actually works:

Captain Data has responsive live chat support. It's pretty fast and they answer questions, especially technical ones in a very helpful manner.

What’s missing?

1. Not beginner-friendly
2. Limited scraper library
3. Expensive entry point
4. Credit usage feels fast

The UI is good but very cluttered, and there’s a small learning curve even to launch basic scrapers. I won't recommend it if you're just getting started.

You’re mostly limited to LinkedIn, Google, Maps, and Indeed. Rest of them are just 3rd party tool integrations like data enrichment tools and email sequencers.

There’s no starter plan.

It’s $400/month or nothing, which puts it out of reach for freelancers, solo founders, and most small businesses.

Because credits are counted per workflow step, even simple processes can burn through credits quicker than you expect.

It’s manageable once you plan carefully—but don’t go in blind.

Best for

If you’re small business, non-technical, or looking for casual scraping, Captain Data will likely feel expensive and overbuilt for your needs.

It’s a good product for SaaS Startups and users who need an API-focused solution to integrate in their own applications.

4. Evaboot

Capterra rating: 4.6/5

Features

1. Sales Navigator leads extractor
2. Lead filter matching to clean and validate scraped leads
3. 20+ data points collected per lead
4. Email enrichment with verified results
5. Fast scraping speed

Pricing

Evaboot keeps it simple: you pay a monthly price based on the number of credits.

Plans start at $9/month and go up to $1699/month, depending on your volume.

1. Without emails: Cost starts at about $24.75 per 1,000 results, and drops to $8.50 per 1,000 results at scale.
2. With emails: Double that cost, because each email enrichment costs an extra credit (only if an email is found and verified).

It’s beginner-friendly pricing for small users, and fairly affordable at scale if you know exactly what you're pulling.

Why is it a good alternative?

Super clean UI:

Evaboot’s interface is ridiculously simple. All vital features are just a click away. No messy dashboards.

Fast scraping:

Speed is one of Evaboot’s biggest wins.

During tests, it ran way faster than Phantombuster’s Sales Navigator scrapers—which frankly feel like jogging through wet cement in comparison.

Automatic cleaning and validation:

Evaboot doesn’t just dump raw scraped data into a CSV.

It cleans names, companies, removes unsupported characters, and checks whether leads match your filters (like job title or company).

This saves you hours of manual cleanup work.

Built-in email enrichment:

Evaboot automatically finds and verifies professional emails for your scraped leads.

What’s missing?

1. Lobstr.io beats it
2. Limited export options
3. No API or developer access
4. Mid-tier plans are expensive

While Evaboot is great at what it does, Lobstr.io offers all the same Sales Navigator scraping features—plus a lot more.

Lobstr.io gives you similar (or faster) speeds, real-time tracking, easier exports, API access, more scraper options beyond LinkedIn, and way better scaling for bigger projects.

You can only export to CSV. There’s no direct sync to Google Sheets, no CRM push, no S3 buckets, nothing fancy.

Evaboot is built purely for no-code users. If you want to programmatically automate scraping and enrichment, you’re out of luck.

While entry pricing is friendly, scaling up your volume will quickly push you into expensive territory compared to more flexible alternatives like Lobstr.io.

Best for

Evaboot is good for SDRs, marketers, and sales reps who need a simple, fast, and no-fuss way to extract clean, enriched leads from LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

If you want broader scraping abilities, programmatic access, or faster scaling across multiple platforms, try an alternative.

Best Phantombuster alternatives for LinkedIn automation

1. TexAu

Capterra rating: 4/5

Features

1. Workflow automation builder
2. Data scrapers
3. Auto-engagement and LinkedIn outreach tools
4. 3rd party integrations
5. API access for developers

Pricing

TexAu’s plans start at $79/month and go up to $459/month. Just like Phantombuster, it uses an hours-of-execution model.

Cost comparison:

1. TextAu’s starting hourly cost is around $2.60/hour.
2. Phantombuster’s starting cost is higher at $3.45/hour.

At the entry level, TextAu is cheaper.

However, if you scale up:

1. TextAu charges $459/month for 250 hours.
2. Phantombuster charges $439/month for 300 hours.

Yup, TexAu gets more expensive than Phantombuster once you hit higher usage levels.

What makes it a good alternative?

Almost identical feature set:

Workflows, scrapers, enrichment, automation—all the core functions you expect from Phantombuster are here.

Cheaper to get started:

Entry-level plans are much more affordable. If you’re a solo operator or small team, you can save good money early on.

API access available:

You get programmatic access too, although the API documentation is basic and better suited for patient developers.

What’s missing?

1. Clunky setup and bugs
2. Weak scraper performance
3. Limited API usability

Phantombuster’s automations are smoother overall. On TextAu, workflows can feel clunky to set up, and occasional run failures happen.

If you need serious data scraping, TextAu falls short. Scrapers are slow, buggy, and simply not reliable enough to compete with better tools like Lobstr.io or Apify.

API exists, but the documentation is basic. If you’re serious about building custom automations, you’ll be frustrated quickly.

Best for

TextAu is best for solo founders, micro-agencies, or lean sales teams who want Phantombuster-style LinkedIn automation without paying top dollar.

2. Waalaxy

Capterra rating: 4.4/5

Waalaxy is a LinkedIn and email prospecting tool built to help you automate outreach campaigns and manage your LinkedIn inbox smartly.

Features

1. LinkedIn lead generation and prospecting automation
2. Connection requests and InMail automation
3. Unified LinkedIn inbox management with automation
4. LinkedIn email finder
5. Automated cold emailing

Pricing

Waalaxy’s pro plans starts at $44.40/month and goes up to $558/month.

But fair warning:

1. Pricing structure is confusing.
2. Charges are based on the number of invitations sent (up to 800 per month).
3. There’s no clear per-result or per-hour pricing model.

Data scraping and enrichment tasks are bundled into plans but without obvious breakdowns. So I was unable to estimate real costs.

What makes it a good alternative?

Focused on LinkedIn prospecting:

Unlike Phantombuster’s jack-of-all-trades approach, Waalaxy is laser-focused on LinkedIn automation.

You get all the tools you need to automate your LinkedIn outreach.

Inbox management is a game-changer:

The unified LinkedIn inbox lets you manage conversations, set up auto-replies, and track messaging sequences—all inside one dashboard.

Way more organized (and less panic-inducing) than bouncing through LinkedIn's clunky native inbox.

Automated multi-touch outreach:

You can build LinkedIn connection + follow-up campaigns, mix in cold emails, and trigger smart sequences—all without juggling five different tools.

Built-in integrations:

Waalaxy hooks into email sequencers and outreach tools easily, helping you turn scraped leads into actual conversations.

What’s Missing?

1. Expensive email enrichment
2. Not a full scraping platform
3. Slight learning curve

If you want emails for your leads, be ready to pay up. Waalaxy's email credits are limited and expensive.

Compared to TextAu, Waalaxy isn't built for mass data extraction or cross-platform automation.

It purely specializes in LinkedIn outreach, that’s why there are no web scraping tools in its library.

It can be a little complicated for new users. Setting up campaigns, triggers, and sequences can get tricky if you’re new.

Best for

Waalaxy is ideal for sales teams and founders who want hands-free LinkedIn prospecting with messaging automation baked in.

Which Phantombuster alternative is perfect for my needs?

Choosing the right alternative depends on what you're trying to pull off.

Here’s the no-fluff guide:

Best for Data Scraping:

✅ Lobstr.io — it has everything Phantombuster offers, but it's faster, cheaper, and way easier to scale. No confusing pricing games. No babysitting required.

And yes, it comes with a real, developer-friendly API—something Phantombuster still treats like it’s a classified government document.

Best for LinkedIn Automation:

✅ TexAu — perfect if you want Phantombuster’s automation capabilities without paying premium prices.

Same key features, smoother experience for solo operators and small teams.

Conclusion

That’s a wrap on best Phantombuster alternatives and competitors to scrape data and automate LinkedIn repetitive tasks.

I’ll test it and add it to the list if it deserves a mention.