We Tried 5 Best Cleverly Competitors, and Here’s What We Found [In-depth Comparison]
We’ve tested Cleverly and several of Cleverly's strongest competitors to see how they compare, so you wouldn’t have to waste time - and money - doing it yourself.
We’ve tested Cleverly and several of Cleverly's strongest competitors to see how they compare, so you wouldn’t have to waste time - and money - doing it yourself.
If you’re wondering whether Cleverly is the right choice for LinkedIn outreach for you, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve tested Cleverly and several of Cleverly's strongest competitors to see how they compare, so you wouldn’t have to waste time - and money - doing it yourself.
As a result, we’ve compiled a list of top 5 Cleverly alternatives.
And the best part? Each of them has something unique that makes it the best option for a particular use case.
That way, we’ve ensured that anyone can find something fit for their needs here. 👍
When evaluating these tools, we’ve considered a number of key questions, such as:
👉 Is it easy to use - time is money, and you don’t need a tool that’s gonna take you ages to wrap your head around;
👉 Is it safe - since getting banned from LinkedIn is no one’s idea of fun;
👉 Can it personalize your outreach - personalization is the ultimate must-have of outreach and marketing nowadays, so you can’t possibly go without it;
👉 What’s its unique use case - each of these tools has something that makes it perfect for a particular need;
👉 How much does it cost - budget always plays an important role in deciding upon anything business-related;
👉 Can it automate entire campaigns - there’s not much point in paying good money for a tool that’s ultimately going to leave you to your own devices;
👉 Is it compatible with all of LinkedIn’s plans - knowing from the start whether you’ll have to pay extra for a Premium or Sales Navigator subscription can help you make the right decision without overspending.
👉 Can it safely work around LinkedIn limits - options for bypassing LinkedIn’s weekly 100 connection request limit sure can come in handy. In fact, that’s the #1 feature most users look for in a LinkedIn automation tool.
You can skim over all the essentials right here.
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Before we get to the in-depth analysis of top Cleverly alternatives, let’s quickly check out what Cleverly itself has to offer in the first place.
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What makes Cleverly different from other software featured in our list is that it’s not a single tool but a lead generation agency with an overall approach to LinkedIn campaigns and outreach.
As such, it offers solutions for LinkedIn lead generation and LinkedIn advertising, and candidate recruiting. Moreover, Cleverly’s services include a LinkedIn lead gen course and the possibility of white-labeling their product.
Pricing is a major issue with Cleverly.
Again, as it is an agency rather than a single tool, its fees are on the higher end of the range.
Cleverly has separate pricing plans for each of the services it offers. When it comes to services that are LinkedIn-based, the fees are the following:
So if you need to combine several of these features, you’ll have to pay for each of them separately. Moreover, the individual prices themselves are not exactly a bargain, to say the least, so be prepared to spend some serious money if you opt for Cleverly.
Not to mention that Cleverly doesn’t offer a free trial period, so you don’t even have a chance to test it out beforehand.
If you want to get the hang of what it does and how it works, you’ll have to pay upfront. Only after you’ve submitted the payment will you get an onboarding questionnaire, which does give off a pretty fishy vibe…
When deciding whether Cleverly is the right fit for you, ask yourself this:
Do you really need an entire agency to manage your LinkedIn outreach, or would you prefer an outreach tool that can probably do a better job at a lower price?
Although Cleverly does offer a wide range of services to its clients, the question of whether you need all those services remains.
The second thing you should consider is whether your budget can sustain such a strain, as Cleverly is far from cheap, and there are no refunds no matter what goes wrong.
Since it’s not specialized for LinkedIn outreach, Cleverly doesn’t offer as many features for prospecting and lead generation, such as smart message sequences, automating entire campaigns, and bypassing LinkedIn limits.
And that is a major deal-breaker for users who actually need a tool that can perform these actions first and foremost.
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Just a brief disclaimer before we dive in – although Sales Robot is our tool, we were as unbiased and honest in rating it as we were with all the other software on our list. Our goal is to help you find the right tool for you, even when it’s not us.
Sales Robot is an automation software designed explicitly for automating LinkedIn, as it enables users to easily create elaborate campaigns that run on total autopilot.
Since it has plenty of options for automating various activities, Sales Robot’s a perfect LinkedIn automation tool for a wide range of users, from lead generation agencies to start-ups, sales teams, recruitment agencies, and individual small business owners.
By doing that, Sales Robot enables you to work around the LinkedIn 100 weekly limit in a way that’s both effective and completely safe, given that they’re not against LinkedIn policies.
As a result, not only will you make the most of LinkedIn’s vast prospect pool, but you’ll also grow your professional network on LinkedIn in no time;
Get more sales on LinkedIn. Start a free 14-day trial today.
You can also set up triggers, delete pending invites, blacklist individuals and companies, skip duplicates, etc.
As Sales Robot’s interface is very intuitive, you will have no problem creating your own campaigns in no time. And as an added help, there are ready-made campaign templates to help you start and learn the ropes on the go;
In addition, Sales Robot’s cloud-based, which makes it practically undetectable by LinkedIn.
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There’s also a Safe mode that’s available no matter what pricing plan you opt for;
The tool uses that data for drafting a message so human-like that your leads will feel like they’re talking to an actual person rather than a software.
And if you decide to write your messages, rather than use the pre-made fully customizable templates, Sales Robot will calculate the probable response rate of those messages.
Given its intuitive interface, though, chances are it won’t take you long to get onboarded and make the most of its many features in the best way possible;
Moreover, Sales Robot’s team intends to include another plan at $99 per month in the near future to add some more versatility.
At the time being, Sales Robot has one pricing plan:
Even though there’s only one plan, it includes everything you may ever need from a LinkedIn automation tool and more.
Better yet - it’s perfect for teams of all sizes, as it allows easy integration and team collaboration.
And as it comes with a 14-day free trial, Sales Robot provides plenty of time to try everything out and decide for yourself whether Sales Robot’s the way to go.
What’s more, the folks at Sales Robot will include another pricing plan at $99 per month sometime soon, so make sure you stay tuned. 😎
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Things are pretty straightforward - if you’re looking for an automation tool that’s 100% fine-tuned for LinkedIn sales and outreach, the choice will naturally be Sales Robot.
Unlike Cleverly, Sales Robot can bypass LinkedIn limits in as many as three different ways and, at the same time, makes sure you stay safe at all times while doing it.
In addition, it can automate smart sequences, create elaborate outreach campaigns, and personalize your messages to the highest possible extent.
By doing that, Sales Robot makes sure that your LinkedIn outreach strategy will result in a steady stream of SQLs and higher conversion rates.
Sales Robot is also compatible with all LinkedIn plans and includes a data enrichment option to leverage your outreach campaigns further.
So, if you’re keen on getting a personalized LinkedIn outreach that works on total autopilot, and can safely bypass LinkedIn’s limits, then Sales Robot is the best Cleverly alternative for you.
Zopto is a LinkedIn automation tool that promises its users lots of hot new leads – or job candidates if you're a recruiter.
However, the truth is that Zopto offers no more than the features that most decent LinkedIn automation tools have by default while at the same time grossly overpricing its services, as we’ll shortly see.
The only thing that differentiates it from other similar tools is that you get some extra help with LinkedIn outreach in the form of a dedicated Customer Success Manager - if you opt for a pricier plan, that is.
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What’s more, there have been reports of Zopto refusing to cancel subscriptions, which only adds insult to injury.
Zopto offers 3 pricing plans, and the one thing they all have in common is that they all cost a fortune, as they are only slightly less expensive than Cleverly.
Those plans are as follows:
If you want to add more accounts, you have to pay extra. The more accounts you add, the cost per account will be lower.
There’s also a discount if you pay quarterly.
To make matters more interesting, the only real difference between these plans is that you get a dedicated Customer Success Manager if you choose one of the two more expensive plans.
The question of whether you need such a feature immediately arises, as most agencies and sales teams already have their own experts and managers in-house.
On the other hand, if you’re a small business owner or a start-up, you probably won’t be too happy about spending a huge chunk of your budget on an automation tool, with or without a dedicated manager included in the plan.
And to top it all off, Zopto doesn’t even offer its prospective users a free trial, which means there’s no way you can check whether the tool is the right fit for you in advance. You’d have to pay for at least a month’s subscription to try it out, which isn’t the most economical of options.
The thing that most users find striking from the start – just as we did – is Zopto’s price. Their plans make you wonder what is so special about this particular tool to make up for the cost.
However, even though its price tag is very similar to Cleverly’s, Zopto has a slight edge over it since it includes at least some basic automation functionalities.
And when we say basic, we mean it, so don’t expect anything mind-blowing from Zopto when it comes to automation, and that way, you won’t be disappointed.
Its most significant advantage by far is that it’s cloud-based and not a Chrome extension, which makes it more difficult for LinkedIn to discover it and ban you as a result.
However, this doesn’t really make Zopto better than any other cloud-based tool on our list, as all of them are at least as equally safe - if not even safer.
Getting a dedicated Customer Success Manager - provided you pay extra, of course - is also something a number of users may find appealing since having additional guidance can help manage your LinkedIn outreach.
So if you’d like to automate your outreach and need an extra hand to master it - but an entire agency would be a bit too much for you - and provided you have a budget that allows the splurge, Zopto might just be the right Cleverly alternative for you.
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Linked Helper is one of the LinkedIn automation tools that’s been around for quite some time. In fact, Linked Helper has only recently been updated as Linked Helper 2.
Whereas Linked Helper was a Chrome extension, Linked Helper 2 is an app you have to download and install on your device.
LinkedIn Helper 2 can be used by sales reps, marketers, and recruiters, as it works with all LinkedIn platforms, from basic to Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter.
Namely, one of the ways Linked Helper surpasses the limits is using an “undocumented LinkedIn feature”. That feature comes with a disclaimer in one of the Linked Helper User manual articles that warns the user that opting for this method could get them banned in a blink of an eye. So much for taking care of their users’ safety.
Linked Helper offers two pricing plans:
If you pay for 3, 6, or 12 months in advance, there are additional discounts.
Linked Helper also offers a 14-day free trial, so prospective users can take it for a test drive before deciding to buy.
Although the Standard plan is quite a steal if you want the whole deal – that is, all of its features – it would be wiser to go for Pro.
This plan provides users with many more options, especially when it comes to data export, CRM integration, lead generation, and bulk engagement.
Linked Helper definitely has some pros, as it offers almost all the automation options an average LinkedIn user might need.
However, it’s Linked Helper’s cost that makes it stand out. This tool is one of the cheapest on the market, but that comes with a price of its own.
Namely, safety is the one area where Linked Helper is significantly lacking compared to both Cleverly and other cloud-based tools on our list, as it is an app you have to download and install on your device.
That makes it all the more likely for LinkedIn to detect the use of automation, and it also requires your device to stay on all the time if you want your campaigns to keep running.
Not to mention the “undocumented LinkedIn feature” for bypassing LinkedIn limits, which sounds particularly dubious.
When you compare it to Cleverly, one thing is obvious – you’ll save a lot of money if you decide for Linked Helper, but you’ll risk being banned by LinkedIn and having to struggle with an app that can be glitchy and slow down your device.
So, if you want a tool that offers all the basic automation functionalities at a bargain price - and are comfortable with not being as safe as you would be by opting for a cloud-based tool - then Linked Helper is the suitable Cleverly alternative for you.
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Octopus CRM is a LinkedIn automation software that can be used for very elementary LinkedIn automation.
It is compatible with Basic, Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter LinkedIn plans.
If you’re a more advanced user, Octopus CRM will leave you with much to be desired, precisely due to its lack of more intricate features.
It comes with as many as four pricing plans, including an option for creating a custom plan for agencies.
Moreover, since it’s connected to your browser, your device will have to stay on the entire time your campaigns are running.
Besides that, Octopus CRM offers some automatic safety limits and warnings only if you subscribe to the Unlimited plan. If you go for one of the cheaper plans, you’re pretty much on your own – Octopus CRM will take no liability for your being banned by LinkedIn for using it.
You also have to manually extract all the symbols and emojis from your prospects’ names. Should you overlook this, the tool will send out connection request messages that include all the titles, symbols, and emoticons, making it evident that they’ve been sent by a machine and not a reasonable human being.
However, there’s a catch to this as well. You get this feature only if you go for the most expensive plan, and even then, you get only 500 email finder credits.
Octopus CRM has four pricing plans and an option for creating custom plans for agencies that want to automate several LinkedIn profiles with the software.
The plans are as follows:
If you opt for annual billing, you’ll get a 35% discount on these prices.
Even though the plans are cheap, they come with a catch. If you want all the vital options for LinkedIn outreach automation, you will have to choose the Unlimited plan.
The most expensive plan is the only one that includes the feature of inviting prospects by email and the options for integration with other apps, and some safety limits.
The cheapest, Starter plan, really leaves you with next to nothing, as you’ll only get the option for auto invite and a stats dashboard.
There’s a 7-day free trial no matter what plan you choose, which isn’t that much time to see whether the tool is a fit for you.
There isn’t that much to say if you have high standards and expectations of your automation tool regarding Octopus CRM.
On the other hand, provided that you have relatively modest needs for LinkedIn outreach, the fact that Octopus has a minimal number of features could be an advantage, as you won’t need too much time to wrap your head around it.
So, if you need a tool that won’t put your LinkedIn outreach on total autopilot but leave you with much space for doing lots of things manually, and you’re okay with not being as safe as you could be, then Octopus CRM could be the right Cleverly alternative for you, especially if you consider that it is one of the cheapest tools on the market.
Don’t expect to get an in-app CRM system, though, as that’s something Octopus CRM does not deliver to its users.
To be straightforward from the start - Phantombuster is not an automation tool created exclusively for LinkedIn. It covers many different social media and platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Craigslist, Medium, etc.
Phantombuster enables you to automate practically any web action you would perform manually: from following profiles, liking and commenting on posts, and accepting requests to sending customized messages.
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Phantombuster offers several pricing plans that include different features:
The pricier plans also include priority support and a dedicated expert in some instances.
Phantombuster also offers a 14-day free trial that comes with 5 slots and only 2h of activity per month, which is nowhere near enough time to actually test the product thoroughly.
Although Phantombuster isn’t a tool devised for LinkedIn outreach alone, its LinkedIn automation options by far outride Cleverly in that field, as this tool provides you with an impressive number of automation features.
If you want to achieve optimal results in LinkedIn sales, you’ll have to opt for some of the more expensive plans that provide you with more Phantom slots and more working time.
On the other hand, Phantombuster can scrape practically any data found on the web, so you won’t have to pay extra for an additional app for data scraping.
Moreover, Phantombuster allows you to create smart sequences and multi-step campaigns on LinkedIn and other platforms. Hence, you practically get an all-in-one tool that can automate virtually any web-based activity.
Essentially, if you’re keen on automating several web activities at once rather than focusing on LinkedIn alone, and would like plenty of different automation options, then Phantombuster may very well be the optimal Cleverly alternative for you.
Here’s a brief reminder of all the essential takeaways of our extensive comparison that will come in handy when deciding on which tool is the best fit for you:
💥 If you need a Cleverly alternative that’s similar to Cleverly when it comes to the cost, but has more automation options and comes with a dedicated manager rather than a whole team of people, then Zopto is the way to go;
💥 When you’re on the lookout for a Cleverly alternative that’s very affordable and has lots of automation options, and you’re okay with risking your safety somewhat, then Linked Helper is the tool for you;
💥 When you’re intent on finding a Cleverly alternative that’s super easy to use, and you’re not an advanced user who needs more than just a few essential automation options, then Octopus CRM will be a match;
💥 If you’d like a Cleverly alternative that has numerous automation options designed for LinkedIn and other web platforms as well, although it doesn’t have features to enable you to bypass LinkedIn limits, then Phantombuster will do the trick;
💥 Finally, if you want a Cleverly alternative that delivers a hyper-personalized and safe LinkedIn outreach that’s compatible with all LinkedIn plans and has a good value-for-money ratio, you don’t need to look any further than Sales Robot.
We sparked your interest yet? Sign up for a free 14-day trial with Sales Robot right now and see for yourself whether we’re a match. You don’t even have to provide your credit card information – just buckle up and enjoy the ride. 🚀
Disclaimer: Please note that the featured information is correct as of 05.06.2022. Sales Robot has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided on this website. However, the information is provided “as is” without a warranty of any kind. Sales Robot does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained on this website.
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