PhantomBuster has been a go-to automation tool for LinkedIn scraping, but it's not the perfect solution for everyone. High costs, account ban risks, complex workflows, and slow performance have many developers and businesses searching for better alternatives.
If you're wondering "what's the best unofficial LinkedIn API?" or looking for a reliable LinkedIn scraper that won't get your account banned, you're in the right place. This comprehensive guide compares the top 11 PhantomBuster alternatives, with honest pros and cons for each.
Spoiler alert: We'll reveal why developers are rapidly switching to API-based solutions that eliminate account risks entirely—and which one stands out as the clear winner.
Why Look for PhantomBuster Alternatives?
Before diving into alternatives, let's understand why so many users are moving away from PhantomBuster:
⚠️ The PhantomBuster Problems
1. Account Ban Risk
PhantomBuster requires using your LinkedIn account, putting your professional network at constant risk. One wrong move—too many requests, suspicious patterns, or LinkedIn's algorithm having a bad day—and your account is permanently banned.
2. High Cost for Limited Value
- $56/month minimum (annual billing)
- Execution time limits (20 hours/month on starter plan)
- Additional costs for proxy services
- Paying for features you don't need (multi-platform support when you only need LinkedIn)
3. Complexity Overload
- "Phantoms" and "Flows" require steep learning curve
- Managing spreadsheets for data input/output
- Constant cookie management
- Manual configuration for each workflow
4. Slow Execution
- Browser-based scraping is inherently slow
- 15-30 seconds per profile
- Execution time caps limit scalability
- Can't run truly concurrent operations
5. Maintenance Nightmare
- Breaks when LinkedIn updates its interface
- Requires constant monitoring and fixes
- Session management headaches
- CAPTCHA interruptions
6. Limited Data Access
- Some LinkedIn data points are hard to extract
- Incomplete profile information
- Missing engagement metrics
- No access to certain endpoints
The Solution: API-Based Alternatives
Smart developers are shifting from browser automation tools to unofficial LinkedIn APIs. Here's why:
✅ No account needed - Zero ban risk
✅ 10-50x faster - Direct API calls vs browser automation
✅ More reliable - No interface changes to break
✅ Complete data - Access to all public LinkedIn data
✅ Scalable - Handle thousands of requests concurrently
✅ Developer-friendly - Clean JSON responses, SDKs, documentation
Now, let's compare the best alternatives available in 2025.
1. LinkdAPI - Best Overall LinkedIn API (⭐ Our Top Pick)
Best for: Developers, agencies, startups, enterprises needing reliable LinkedIn data at scale
What is it?
LinkdAPI is the most comprehensive unofficial LinkedIn API, providing direct access to LinkedIn's mobile and web endpoints—the same APIs that power LinkedIn's official apps. It's purpose-built for developers who need reliable, fast, and complete LinkedIn data without account risks.
✅ What LinkdAPI Excels At
Complete Data Coverage
LinkdAPI offers the most extensive LinkedIn data access available:
Profile Endpoints:
- Profile overview (basic info, headline, location, followers)
- Profile details (full about section, featured posts)
- Contact information (email, phone, websites)
- Full work experience (all positions with descriptions)
- Complete education history
- Skills with endorsement counts
- Certifications and licenses
- Professional recommendations (given and received)
- Social matrix (connections, followers)
- Similar profiles
Posts & Content Endpoints:
- Featured posts (pinned content)
- All posts with pagination
- Post details (complete text, media, engagement)
- Post comments with full threads
- Post likes (users who reacted)
- Engagement breakdown by reaction type
Company Endpoints:
- Company profiles (full details)
- Company employees (complete lists)
- Similar companies
- Company posts and updates
Search Endpoints:
- People search with advanced filters
- Company search
- Job search with detailed filters
Job Endpoints:
- Job listings by company
- Job details (full descriptions, requirements)
- Job search results
- Application data
Articles Endpoints:
- Article content extraction
- Author information
- Article engagement metrics
🚀 Performance Benchmarks
Speed Comparison:
- PhantomBuster: 15-30 seconds per profile
- LinkdAPI: 300-800ms per profile
- Result: 20-40x faster
Scalability:
- PhantomBuster: ~240 profiles/hour (execution time limited)
- LinkdAPI: 7,200+ profiles/hour (concurrent async requests)
- Result: 30x more scalable
💻 Developer Experience
Python SDK (Async - Recommended):
1import asyncio
2from linkdapi import AsyncLinkdAPI
3
4async def extract_profile():
5 """Lightning-fast profile extraction"""
6 client = AsyncLinkdAPI("your_api_key")
7
8 # Get profile overview
9 profile = await client.get_profile_overview("ryanroslansky")
10
11 print(f"Name: {profile['firstName']} {profile['lastName']}")
12 print(f"Headline: {profile['headline']}")
13 print(f"Connections: {profile['connectionsCount']}")
14 print(f"Followers: {profile['followerCount']}")
15
16 return profile
17
18# Extract 100 profiles concurrently in seconds
19async def bulk_extract(usernames):
20 client = AsyncLinkdAPI("your_api_key")
21 tasks = [client.get_profile_overview(u) for u in usernames]
22 results = await asyncio.gather(*tasks)
23 return results
24
25asyncio.run(bulk_extract(["user1", "user2", "user3", "..."]))Key Features:
- Async/await support for maximum performance
- Clean, structured JSON responses
- Comprehensive error handling
- Automatic retry logic
- Built-in rate limiting
- Full TypeScript types
📊 Pricing
Free Tier:
- 100 API credits free (no credit card required)
- Full API access
- All endpoints available
- Perfect for testing
Paid Plans:
- Pay-as-you-go option
- Monthly subscriptions starting at competitive rates
- Enterprise plans with custom limits
- Transparent pricing (no hidden fees)
- Volume discounts available
✅ Pros
- ✅ Zero account risk - No LinkedIn account needed
- ✅ Fastest performance - 20-40x faster than PhantomBuster
- ✅ Most comprehensive data - 40+ endpoints covering all LinkedIn data
- ✅ Production-ready - 99.9% uptime SLA
- ✅ Developer-friendly - Async SDK, great docs, code examples
- ✅ No CAPTCHA issues - Built-in handling
- ✅ Truly scalable - Handle millions of requests
- ✅ No maintenance - API doesn't break with LinkedIn UI changes
⚠️ Cons
- ⚠️ Unofficial API (not endorsed by LinkedIn)
- ⚠️ Requires basic programming knowledge (but SDK makes it easy)
🎯 Best Use Cases
- Building LinkedIn-powered SaaS products
- Large-scale lead generation (10,000+ profiles)
- Recruitment automation
- Competitive intelligence platforms
- Data enrichment services
- LinkedIn content analytics
- Market research applications
- Sales prospecting at scale
💡 Why LinkdAPI is the Best Choice
For Developers:
- Clean, modern API design
- Async Python SDK with full type hints
- Comprehensive documentation
- Code examples for every endpoint
- Active GitHub repository
- Responsive support team
For Businesses:
- Predictable, transparent pricing
- No account ban risks
- Scales to enterprise needs
- Production-ready reliability
- Fast time to market
For Agencies:
- Build multiple client solutions
- White-label friendly
- Volume pricing available
- Multi-account support
- Comprehensive data access
🔗 Get Started
- Website: linkdapi.com
- Docs: linkdapi.com/docs
- GitHub: github.com/linkdAPI/linkdapi-SDK
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) - Best overall solution for serious LinkedIn data extraction
2. Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper
Best for: Large enterprises with big budgets and need for turnkey solutions
What is it?
Bright Data is an enterprise-grade web scraping infrastructure provider with dedicated LinkedIn scrapers.
✅ Pros
- Enterprise-level reliability
- Turnkey solution with no-code options
- White-glove support
- Compliance-focused approach
- Ready-made datasets available
❌ Cons
- ❌ Very expensive ($500-2,000+/month)
- ❌ Still slower than API solutions
- ❌ Overkill for most projects
- ❌ Complex pricing structure
- ❌ Long-term contracts often required
💰 Pricing
- Custom enterprise pricing
- Typically $500-2,000+/month
- Additional costs for data delivery
- Volume-based pricing tiers
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) - Good for enterprises, too expensive for most
3. Evaboot
Best for: LinkedIn Sales Navigator-only users on a budget
What is it?
Evaboot specializes exclusively in LinkedIn Sales Navigator data extraction via Chrome extension.
✅ Pros
- Affordable ($29-49/month)
- Simple Chrome extension
- Good data cleaning
- Fast Sales Navigator exports
- Email finding included
❌ Cons
- ❌ Sales Navigator only (can't scrape regular LinkedIn)
- ❌ Uses your LinkedIn account (ban risk)
- ❌ Limited to 2,000 leads/month on entry plan
- ❌ No API access
- ❌ Manual export process
- ❌ Chrome extension dependency
💰 Pricing
- Extract Only: $29/month (2,000 leads)
- Extract + Emails: $49/month (2,000 leads)
- Higher tiers available
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) - Good for Sales Nav users, limited scope
4. Apify LinkedIn Actors
Best for: No-code users needing occasional scraping
What is it?
Apify is a cloud-based web scraping platform with pre-built LinkedIn "actors" (scrapers).
✅ Pros
- No coding required
- Cloud-based (runs in background)
- Multiple LinkedIn scrapers available
- Visual workflow builder
- Free tier available
❌ Cons
- ❌ Uses LinkedIn accounts (ban risk)
- ❌ Slower than APIs (browser-based)
- ❌ Frequent breaking when LinkedIn updates
- ❌ Complex actor configuration
- ❌ Limited customization
- ❌ Still requires technical knowledge
💰 Pricing
- Free: $0/month (limited usage)
- Starter: $49/month
- Scale: $499/month
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) - Decent for beginners, limited at scale
5. Captain Data
Best for: Data enrichment workflows with multiple integrations
What is it?
Captain Data is a data automation platform that integrates with LinkedIn and external data providers.
✅ Pros
- Multi-platform automation
- Data enrichment integrations
- Workflow templates
- Team collaboration features
- Smart limits (prevents bans)
❌ Cons
- ❌ Uses LinkedIn accounts (ban risk despite "smart limits")
- ❌ Expensive for LinkedIn-only needs
- ❌ Learning curve for workflows
- ❌ Slower execution
- ❌ Requires third-party enrichment tools for best results
💰 Pricing
- Starter: $99/month
- Growth: $299/month
- Custom enterprise plans
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5) - Good for enrichment, pricey for scraping alone
6. Waalaxy
Best for: LinkedIn outreach automation with built-in messaging
What is it?
Waalaxy combines LinkedIn scraping with automated outreach campaigns and messaging sequences.
✅ Pros
- Outreach automation included
- Message sequencing
- Easy campaign setup
- CRM integrations
- Inbox management
❌ Cons
Start building with 100 free credits
Access profiles, companies, jobs, and more through our reliable, high-performance API. No credit card required.
- ❌ Uses your LinkedIn account (HIGH ban risk due to automation)
- ❌ Email credits are expensive
- ❌ Limited to LinkedIn (no other platforms)
- ❌ Not built for pure data extraction
- ❌ Daily limits are restrictive
💰 Pricing
- Essential: $45/month
- Advanced: $75/month
- Business: $120/month
Verdict: ⭐⭐ (2/5) - High ban risk, better alternatives exist
