Let me tell you something that took me way too long to figure out. Most LinkedIn automation tools are basically the same thing wearing different outfits. Fancy dashboards, pretty graphs, same old sequences underneath. I spent months jumping between tools before I realized this.
So when someone asks me about PhantomBuster vs Sbl.so, I get it. You want the real deal, not another fluff comparison that reads like both companies paid for it. Here’s what I actually learned after running campaigns on both LinkedIn tools.
What Are We Actually Comparing Here?
PhantomBuster has been around forever in the LinkedIn automation space. It’s the Swiss Army knife approach. You get these things called “Phantoms” that can scrape, extract, visit profiles, send messages, do basically anything on LinkedIn. They’ve got 2M+ users for a reason.
Sbl.so is the newer kid that came out of nowhere around 2023. But here’s what caught my attention. They built something different. Not another sequence tool, but an actual AI that handles your LinkedIn chats. Like, the whole conversation. Including objections.
Big difference in philosophy there.
PhantomBuster: The Power User’s Playground
PhantomBuster is great if you love building systems. And I mean LOVE it. Coz you’re gonna spend time here.
What PhantomBuster Does Well:
- Export leads from Sales Navigator like a boss. Their Evaboot-style extraction is solid
- Chain multiple automations together. Visit profile, then like post, then connect, then message
- Cloud-based so nothing runs on your browser
- That 2026 AI safety scorer they added? Actually helps avoid bans. 99% compliance they claim
- ChatGPT integration for personalized icebreakers now
The pricing runs from $59 to $899 monthly depending on how many “phantom minutes” you need. For serious lead gen, you’re looking at $299+ realistically.
But here’s my problem with PhantomBuster. You still do ALL the work. Set up the phantom, configure the sequence, write the templates, monitor everything, and when someone replies… you’re handling that manually. Or hiring someone to handle it.
That’s not automation. That’s task management with extra steps.
Sbl.so: The “Just Book Me Calls” Approach
I’m gonna be upfront. Sbl.so takes a completely different approach to LinkedIn tools. Instead of giving you 100 features and saying “figure it out,” they built one thing really well. AI chat automation.
Think about it. Where do most LinkedIn automation tools stop? At sending the message. What happens when your prospect replies? You jump back in manually. Or you hire SDRs. Or you just… don’t reply fast enough and lose the lead.
Sbl.so’s persuasion chat model actually handles the conversation. Not with if-else rules. Real conversation handling. Objections, follow-ups, qualifying questions, pushing toward booking a call.
What makes Sbl.so different:
- AI takes over after someone replies. Actually chats with them
- Sends PDFs, images, even voice messages that clone your actual voice
- Unified inbox for unlimited LinkedIn accounts in one dashboard
- 40,000+ reach-outs per month possible. That’s email-level scalability on LinkedIn
- When AI gets stuck, it flags “Human Intervention Required” instead of saying something dumb
Pricing starts at $99/month with $20 per additional sender account. Way simpler math than PhantomBuster’s credit system.
The Real Question: What Do You Actually Need?
Here’s where most comparison articles fail you. They list features but don’t help you decide. Let me break it down based on what you’re trying to do.
Choose PhantomBuster if:
- You need to scrape and export massive lead lists
- You’re building complex multi-step automations for different scenarios
- You have a team or SDRs who handle replies anyway
- You enjoy tinkering with systems and have time for setup
- You need specific Phantoms for niche tasks nobody else offers
Choose Sbl.so if:
- You want calls booked without hiring an SDR team
- Your bottleneck is handling replies, not sending messages
- You need to scale across multiple LinkedIn accounts easily
- You want AI that actually sells, not just sequences messages
- You’re tired of tools that require hours of setup before anything happens
Can LinkedIn Outreach Be Scaled Without Getting Banned?
This is the question everyone asks but few answer honestly. Both LinkedIn tools approach safety differently.
PhantomBuster runs cloud-based with their new AI safety scorer. They analyze your actions and tell you if you’re about to get flagged. Smart approach. But you’re still responsible for staying within limits.
Sbl.so takes it further with automatic account rotation. When one profile hits LinkedIn’s daily limit, the next one takes over. They claim up to 75 new connections per day and 200 messages to first degree connections. That’s pushing boundaries, but the rotation keeps it safe.
Both can get you banned if you’re dumb about it. But Sbl.so’s built-in limit management feels more automated.
LinkedIn’s 2025 API crackdowns continue into 2026. The tools that survive are the ones mimicking human behavior. Random delays, varied messaging, natural patterns. Both platforms adapted here.
Does PhantomBuster Have AI Chat Features?
Kinda. Not really. Let me explain.
PhantomBuster added ChatGPT integration for generating personalized icebreakers. Cool for writing the first message. But that’s where it stops. When someone replies, you’re back to manual mode.
Some people chain PhantomBuster with other tools to create pseudo-chat flows. But it’s hacky. You’re building Frankenstein systems instead of having something purpose-built.
Sbl.so was literally built for the chat part. Their team spent years studying how people actually respond to sales messages. What makes someone say yes to a call. How to handle “not interested” without being pushy.
It’s like comparing a screwdriver to a power drill. Both work on screws. One’s just built for the job.
What About Lead Generation?
PhantomBuster crushes it here. Their Sales Navigator extraction, LinkedIn search scraping, and profile data pulling is top tier. Been doing it for years.
Sbl.so has a Lead Generation Agent that finds prospects based on your ideal customer profile. Works fine. But it’s not their main thing. They’re focused on what happens AFTER you have leads.
Honestly? You could use PhantomBuster to generate leads and Sbl.so to engage them. Some people do exactly this. Not a bad strategy if budgets allow.
For most teams though, you pick one. PhantomBuster for lead extraction power. Sbl.so for conversation automation.
How Much Setup Time Are We Talking?
PhantomBuster: Plan for a learning curve. Their phantom library is huge but figuring out which ones to chain together takes trial and error. I’d say 5-10 hours before you’re running campaigns that actually work well. Then ongoing tweaking.
Sbl.so: They claim 15 minutes to launch a campaign. That’s slightly optimistic but not by much. Tell it who you want to reach, what your goal is, and it handles the flow. Maybe an hour if you’re being thorough with your AI training.
For small teams without dedicated ops people, that time difference matters. A lot.
What About Multi-Channel Outreach?
Both tools recognize LinkedIn alone isn’t enough in 2026. You need to follow prospects across channels.
PhantomBuster integrates with tons of other tools via Zapier and their API. So you CAN build multi-channel flows. Email, LinkedIn, whatever. But again, you’re the architect.
Sbl.so supports LinkedIn and WhatsApp natively. Email coming soon they say. Same lead, same context, different channel. Without rebuilding everything.
The trend in 2026 is clear. Multi-channel isn’t optional anymore. Prospects ignore single-channel outreach. The question is whether you want to build that integration yourself or have it built-in.
What Features Does Sbl.so Have That PhantomBuster Doesn’t?
Let me be specific about the stuff that only Sbl.so does:
Voice Cloning: Upload a 10-30 second audio sample. Sbl.so creates voice notes that sound like you. Send thousands of personalized voice messages without recording once. PhantomBuster can’t touch this.
Fractional SDR Network: Don’t have enough LinkedIn accounts? Sbl.so has a community of verified users who can run outreach on your behalf. Starting at $35/month per profile. Weird concept but smart for scaling fast.
Comment to DM Automation: Those posts that say “comment XYZ and I’ll DM you”? Sbl.so automates the entire flow. Paste post URL, set trigger keywords or even intent matching like “positive comments”, and it handles the rest. Works on competitor posts too.
Deep Chat Analytics: Not just open rates and reply rates. Actual sentiment analysis, buying intent signals, what’s working in your pitch, what’s not. Qualitative insights from every conversation.
What Features Does PhantomBuster Have That Sbl.so Doesn’t?
Fair is fair. PhantomBuster wins in some areas:
Phantom Library Depth: Hundreds of pre-built automations for super specific tasks. Scrape event attendees, extract group members, auto-comment on competitor posts, whatever weird thing you need.
Non-LinkedIn Platforms: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Google Maps, Reddit… PhantomBuster has Phantoms for all of them. Sbl.so is LinkedIn and WhatsApp focused.
Data Export Power: If your goal is pure lead extraction without necessarily engaging those leads, PhantomBuster’s export capabilities are more robust.
API Flexibility: Developers love PhantomBuster’s API. Build completely custom workflows. Sbl.so is more opinionated about how you should use it.
Pricing Breakdown That Actually Makes Sense
PhantomBuster:
- Starter: $59/month. 20 hours of phantom time. Enough for testing
- Pro: $139/month. 80 hours. Most individual users
- Team: $399/month. 300 hours. Small teams
- Enterprise: $899/month. Unlimited basically
The credit system is confusing until you use it. Different phantoms consume time differently. You’ll probably overshoot your first month.
Sbl.so:
- Free trial exists for testing
- Paid plans start at $99/month
Simpler math. Add accounts, multiply. No phantom minutes or credit calculations.
For running 10 LinkedIn accounts at scale, PhantomBuster costs roughly $399+ monthly. Sbl.so: starts $99 / mo base. Not a huge difference but Sbl.so includes the AI chat handling.
What Are People Actually Asking About LinkedIn Tools in 2026?
Based on what’s popping up in forums and Reddit lately:
“Which LinkedIn automation tools are safest after the 2025 bans?”
Expandi and Dux-Soup get mentioned most for IP protection. PhantomBuster’s cloud-based approach helps. Sbl.so’s account rotation keeps individual accounts under limits. All viable if you’re not being stupid about it.
“Is AI personalization actually worth paying for?”
92% of marketers say yes according to HubSpot’s 2026 data. The catch is most “AI” features are just mail merge with extra steps. Real AI like what Sbl.so offers for chat handling… different story. Real impact on reply rates.
“Can I do LinkedIn automation on mobile?”
Neither PhantomBuster nor Sbl.so are mobile-first. Check Kaspr or Octopus CRM if that’s critical for you.
“How long until I see ROI?”
2-4 weeks for 20-50% lead growth if your targeting is right. Seen faster with Sbl.so specifically coz you’re not losing leads to slow reply times.
The Honest Truth About Both LinkedIn Tools
PhantomBuster is a powerful extraction and automation Swiss Army knife that requires you to be the brain. You design everything, you manage everything, you handle replies.
Sbl.so is an opinionated tool built around one big idea: what if AI actually handled your LinkedIn conversations from start to call-booked? Less flexible, more focused.
If you asked me which one “wins”… wrong question. They solve different problems.
Need massive lead extraction and complex automations across multiple platforms? PhantomBuster.
Want an AI SDR that actually chats with prospects and books calls without you? Sbl.so.
The 2026 LinkedIn automation landscape is wild. Zero-click content getting favored, AI tools everywhere claiming to be smart, compliance getting tighter. Both these tools adapted. Both work.
Pick based on what you actually need, not what sounds cooler. And maybe… test both? Free tiers exist for a reason.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | PhantomBuster | Sbl.so |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Strength | Lead extraction & multi-automation | AI chat & conversation handling |
| Starting Price | $59/month | $99/month |
| AI Chat Replies | No (manual) | Yes (fully automated) |
| Setup Time | 5-10 hours | 15-60 minutes |
| Multi-Channel | Via integrations | Built-in (LinkedIn + WhatsApp) |
| Voice Messages | No | Yes (voice cloning) |
| Account Rotation | Manual | Automatic |
| Best For | Power users, lead gen teams | Founders, small teams, agencies |
Whatever you choose, remember the point isn’t having the fanciest LinkedIn tool. It’s booking calls. Getting meetings. Closing deals. Everything else is just noise.