Phantombuster Review 2026: Features, Pros & Cons, Pricing

What is Phantombuster?

Phantombuster is a cloud-based automation platform for data extraction and social media automation. Sales teams, marketers, recruiters, and growth hackers use it to pull data from platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Google Maps, and more.

The platform offers “Phantoms” (pre-built automation scripts) and “Workflows” (multi-step automation sequences). These let you scrape profile data, send connection requests, extract followers, find email addresses, and automate engagement on social platforms.

Phantombuster launched in 2016 and now serves over 100,000+ users. It’s most popular for LinkedIn Sales Navigator data extraction, lead list building from social platforms, and basic outreach automation.

Phantombuster key features

Phantombuster has a library of over 130 automation “Phantoms” covering everything from data scraping to social media engagement. Here’s what stands out:

LinkedIn automation & data extraction

This is Phantombuster’s strength. The platform offers extensive LinkedIn capabilities:

Profile scraping: Extract detailed information from LinkedIn profiles—job titles, company names, locations, education, skills, and email addresses when available.

Sales Navigator export: Pull search results directly from LinkedIn Sales Navigator into spreadsheets with all profile data intact.

Connection automation: Automatically send personalized connection requests to targeted profiles with custom messages.

LinkedIn messaging: Automate message sending to your connections or prospects, with support for follow-up sequences.

The workflow is simple: provide a LinkedIn search URL or list of profile URLs, configure your Phantom settings, and let it run in the cloud. The extracted data exports to CSV, Google Sheets, or pushes directly to your CRM.

One major strength: Phantombuster runs in the cloud, so you don’t need to keep your browser open. However, you need to be careful about LinkedIn’s rate limits—overuse can trigger account restrictions.

Multi-platform data scraping

Beyond LinkedIn, Phantombuster supports data extraction from Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Google Maps, Yellow Pages, GitHub, YouTube, and more.

For each platform, you can scrape profiles, posts, followers, engagement data, and business information. For example, the Google Maps scraper extracts business names, addresses, phone numbers, and reviews from search results—valuable for local business prospecting.

The platform uses real browser automation (not APIs), which means it accesses publicly available data like a human browsing. This makes it versatile but more vulnerable to platform changes.

Email finder and enrichment

Phantombuster includes email finding capabilities across multiple providers. When you scrape LinkedIn profiles, the tool attempts to find professional email addresses using its “Professional Email Finder” Phantom.

However, Phantombuster doesn’t have its own email database. Instead, it requires you to use external enrichment credits (available as bonuses with paid plans). Accuracy depends on the data sources available for each profile.

AI-powered features

Phantombuster has integrated AI capabilities:

AI LinkedIn Message Writer: Uses GPT to craft personalized outreach messages based on profile data AI LinkedIn Profile Enricher: Structures and enriches scraped data using AI AI LinkedIn Post Responder: Generates comment suggestions for engaging with posts

These AI features use “AI credits” (included with paid plans) and can save time on personalization, though output quality depends heavily on the data you feed them.

Workflows and automation sequences

While individual Phantoms handle single tasks, Workflows let you chain multiple Phantoms together. For example, you could create a workflow that:

1. Extracts profiles from a LinkedIn search
2. Finds their email addresses
3. Sends them to your CRM
4. Initiates a connection request on LinkedIn

Workflows are more advanced and require some technical understanding, but they’re powerful for building complete lead generation pipelines.

Integrations

Phantombuster offers several integration options:

Direct CRM integrations: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive with dedicated Phantoms for syncing data Google Sheets: Direct export and real-time syncing Zapier: Connect to thousands of other apps via Zapier triggers and actions API access: For developers who want to build custom integrations Webhooks: Trigger external actions when Phantoms complete

The HubSpot integration is particularly robust—you can send extracted leads directly to HubSpot, enrich existing contacts, track job changes, and automate LinkedIn outreach tracked in your CRM.

Phantombuster pricing

Phantombuster uses a unique pricing model based on “execution time” rather than number of leads or actions. Instead of paying per lead, you’re paying for how long the automation runs in the cloud.

Here’s the breakdown in Euros (with annual pricing):

Trial: Free for 14 days

• 2 hours execution time
• 1,000 AI credits
• 100 URL finder credits
• 5 Phantom slots
• 50 email credits
• No credit card required

Starter: €56/month (paid annually, €69 monthly)

• 20 hours/month execution time
• 10,000 AI credits/month
• 1,000 URL finder credits/month
• 5 Phantom slots
• 500 email credits/month
• Priority support

Pro: €128/month (paid annually, €159 monthly)

• 80 hours/month execution time
• 30,000 AI credits/month
• 10,000 URL finder credits/month
• 15 Phantom slots
• 2,500 email credits/month
• Priority support

Team: €352/month (paid annually, €439 monthly)

• 300 hours/month execution time
• 90,000 AI credits/month
• 20,000 URL finder credits/month
• 50 Phantom slots
• 10,000 email credits/month
• Priority support

How much execution time do you need? A typical LinkedIn profile scrape takes about 10-20 seconds per profile. If you’re extracting 1,000 profiles, that’s roughly 3-5 hours of execution time. Complex workflows use more time, simpler extractions use less.

The pricing is competitive for basic scraping needs, but can get expensive quickly if you’re running intensive automation at scale. The 5-Phantom slot limit on the Starter plan means you can only run 5 different automations simultaneously, which can be restrictive.

Phantombuster Pros and Cons

Before deciding, let’s look at what real users are saying:

User Ratings:

• G2: 4.2/5 (based on 60+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (based on 64 reviews)

Pros ✅

Extensive platform coverage: With 130+ Phantoms across 15+ platforms, Phantombuster covers more data sources than most competitors. If you need to scrape data from niche platforms like GitHub, Slack, or Yellow Pages, it’s one of the few tools that can do it.

No browser needed: Cloud-based execution means you can set automations to run and close your laptop. The automation continues running in the background, which saves time.

Powerful for LinkedIn data extraction: Multiple users specifically praise Phantombuster’s LinkedIn capabilities, especially for Sales Navigator exports and profile scraping. The data extraction is thorough and accurate.

Generous free trial: The 14-day free trial with no credit card required gives you genuine hands-on experience before committing.

Regular updates and new Phantoms: Users note that the team consistently adds new features and automations, keeping the platform current with platform changes.

Cons ❌

Steep learning curve: Many reviewers mention that Phantombuster isn’t beginner-friendly. Setting up Phantoms requires understanding of cookies, session IDs, and technical configurations. One user noted it took “sometime to configure certain tasks that required certain knowledge of a person who has understanding in setting up software.”

Execution time limits can be restrictive: The pricing model based on execution time can be confusing and limiting. Users report having to carefully manage which Phantoms run to avoid burning through their monthly allocation too quickly.

Limited outreach functionality: While Phantombuster excels at data extraction, it’s not built as a complete outreach solution. You still need separate tools for email campaigns, follow-up sequences, and multichannel prospecting.

Frequent errors and maintenance: Several users report that “Phantoms fall into breakdown often” and error logs don’t provide much detail, requiring time to reconfigure everything.

LinkedIn account risk: Multiple reviewers warn about the risk of getting LinkedIn accounts flagged or restricted when using Phantombuster. One user stated: “I had an account get flagged using it.” You need to be very careful with rate limits and automation frequency.

Expensive for intensive use: While the entry price seems reasonable, users consistently mention that the cost becomes “extremely expensive” when you need more execution time, slots, and credits for serious prospecting operations.

Considering alternatives?

If you’re looking at Phantombuster specifically for B2B sales prospecting and lead generation, there’s an important consideration: Phantombuster is fundamentally a data extraction tool, not a complete sales automation platform.

Here’s what Phantombuster does well: scraping profile data, extracting lists, and basic social media automation.

Here’s what Phantombuster doesn’t do: True multichannel prospecting that combines LinkedIn, email, and X in coordinated sequences. Email deliverability optimization. Conversation management across channels. Advanced lead enrichment with waterfall logic. Intent data integration.

That’s where La Growth Machine takes a different approach—from finding leads to managing conversations—not just data extraction.

What makes La Growth Machine different:

True multichannel sequences: Create campaigns that automatically switch between LinkedIn, email, X, calls, and even voice messages based on prospect behavior. If someone doesn’t respond to a LinkedIn connection request, LGM automatically tries email. If they engage on one channel, the sequence adapts.

Built-in email enrichment: LGM uses waterfall enrichment across 9 providers with double validation and scoring. You don’t need to manage separate email credits or configure external tools—it’s all included and optimized for deliverability.

LinkedIn intent data: Import people who liked or commented on specific LinkedIn posts (yours or competitors’), signed up for events, or follow your company page. Reach prospects at the exact moment they’ve shown interest.

Lookalike Search: Give LGM your best client companies, and it continuously finds similar opportunities. For every positive reply you get, LGM automatically generates a new list of similar companies to target—your pipeline stays full automatically.

Unified multichannel inbox: Every conversation—whether it started on LinkedIn, email, or X—appears in one thread. No switching between platforms, no lost context. Your team can collaborate on responses with shared templates and lead qualification.

Voice message automation: Send personalized LinkedIn voice messages (proven to double reply rates) and even clone your voice to personalize messages at scale.

Real Chat Mode: Make automated LinkedIn outreach feel like natural conversation with short, spaced-out messages that drive authentic engagement.

Focus on deliverability: Built-in email rotation, warm-up support, and infrastructure designed to protect sender reputation and maximize inbox placement.

Simpler pricing: Straightforward plans starting at €50/month per identity with no execution time tracking, credit calculations, or slot limits to manage.

The fundamental difference: Phantombuster helps you extract data and export it elsewhere. La Growth Machine handles the entire prospecting process from list building through conversation management in one platform.

If you’re looking to build a predictable, scalable B2B prospecting engine—not just collect data—La Growth Machine offers a more complete solution that replaces multiple tools (including Phantombuster, DropContact, Lemlist, and others) with one integrated platform.

Conclusion

Phantombuster is a powerful data extraction and automation tool that excels at scraping data from 15+ platforms. Its extensive library of 130+ Phantoms makes it versatile for various data collection needs, and the cloud-based approach means you can set it and forget it.

However, it comes with trade-offs: a steep learning curve, potential LinkedIn account risks, execution time management complexity, and the reality that it’s just one piece of the sales prospecting puzzle.

Phantombuster is best suited for:

• Data analysts and growth hackers who need multi-platform data extraction
• Teams with technical resources to configure and maintain automations
• Users focused primarily on data collection rather than outreach execution
• Projects requiring scraping from niche platforms beyond LinkedIn and email

Consider alternatives if you’re:

• A sales team looking for complete multichannel prospecting automation
• Someone who needs built-in email finding and deliverability optimization
• Looking for a beginner-friendly solution with minimal technical setup
• Wanting to manage outreach conversations across channels in one inbox

If your goal is B2B prospecting that goes beyond data extraction to include intelligent multichannel outreach, email enrichment, and conversation management, La Growth Machine offers a more comprehensive solution designed specifically for sales and growth teams who want results, not just data exports.