Updated
Alternatives analysis

Top 10 Closely Alternatives in 2026 : Pricing + Features + Real Trade-Offs

For agencies running 5+ linkedin accounts, Closely is the default linkedin outreach automation answer. But 10 alternatives exist for teams hitting pricing ceilings, geographic gaps, or stack misfit — Derrick App among them as the Sheet-native option at $10/mo flat.

↓ See the comparison read our full Closely review →

Comparison table of Closely alternatives

Entry price, headline strength, ideal profile and overall score. Tools are ranked by curator's overall fit, not by alphabet.

# Tool Best for Starting price Why we recommend it
1
Derrick App Recommended
Native Google Sheets enrichment $10/month The Native Google Sheets Alternative
2
HeyReach
Agencies managing 5+ LinkedIn accounts $44/seat/mo (annual) The agency-favorite LinkedIn automation tool.
3
Dripify
Solo SDRs running structured LinkedIn outbound $39/user/mo (annual) A clean, cloud-based LinkedIn outreach engine that runs 24/7 even with your laptop closed.
4
Expandi
Established agencies + B2B teams running smart LinkedIn sequences $79/mo (Business, annual) · 14-day free trial The OG agency-friendly LinkedIn automation tool.
5
Waalaxy
Solo prospectors testing LinkedIn outbound for the first time €19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo The world's most-used LinkedIn automation tool - 150K+ active users, €10M+ ARR with a 50-person team in Montpellier.
6
Apollo
SMB & mid-market outbound Free / $49/seat/mo All-in-one B2B sales intelligence + outreach platform with 250M+ contact database.
7
AeroLeads
Solo SDRs needing guaranteed phone numbers + email finder bundle Free trial · Take Off $49/mo (2K credits) The veteran India-based email finder.
8
ContactOut
Recruiters needing personal emails from LinkedIn at scale Free 4 emails/day · Email $49/mo (annual) The recruiter-favorite LinkedIn personal-email finder.
9
Dux-Soup
Long-time LinkedIn automation users + budget SDRs $11.25/mo (Pro Dux, annual) One of the oldest LinkedIn automation tools still actively maintained - founded in 2013 by Will van der Sanden in Amsterdam.
10
Emelia
Solo founders + small teams running cold email on a budget $15 for 3 sending accounts · $20/mo entry The cheapest meaningful cold-email tool.
See the full breakdown of Closely alternatives →

Starting price, ranked

Cheapest first. Bars capped at $200/mo so SMB-tier tools stay readable ; tools with diagonal-stripe bars continue beyond the cap. The dashed line marks Closely's own starting price ($29) so cheaper-than-Closely tools are unambiguous.

Derrick App
$10/mo
Dux-Soup
$11.25/mo
Emelia
$20/mo
Waalaxy
€19/user/mo
Dripify
$39/user/mo
HeyReach
$44/seat/mo
Apollo
$49/seat/mo
AeroLeads
$49/mo
ContactOut
$49/mo
Expandi
$79/mo

Head-to-head : Closely vs each competitor

Already shortlisted 2 tools? Jump straight to the side-by-side comparison instead of reading the full listicle.

Closely vs HeyReach

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Closely vs Dripify

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Closely vs Expandi

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Closely is a multi-account LinkedIn outreach platform with cloud-based infrastructure, AI-assisted personalization, and per-sender pricing that gets cheaper as you scale (6+ senders → $17/sender/mo annual). Best for agencies and SDR teams running 5+ LinkedIn accounts; overkill if you only need one account or pure cold email.

Most teams that outgrow Closely cite one of three reasons : solo users pay full freight, tier-pricing surprises, or friction with their existing pipeline tooling. The 10 alternatives below cover the full range of replacement profiles — from cheaper SMB picks to enterprise-tier upgrades.

Featured alternative : Derrick App — the Sheet-native option at $10/mo flat. The 10-option comparison below is structured to let you filter by budget, workflow, or geographic priority in under a minute.

The top 10 Closely alternatives, ranked

Each card shows the tool's positioning, headline features, real pricing and who it's actually for. Click any tool name to read the full review when available.

#1

Derrick App Our pick

★★★★★ 5/5
From $10/month

The Native Google Sheets Alternative

Headline features

  • 28+ modular workflows: LinkedIn scraping, email finder, phone finder, website tech lookup, G2 insights
  • Integrated AI enrichment: GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet for scoring, summaries, automatic classification
  • Background processing: launch your enrichments and receive an email notification when complete
  • Automatic data cleaning: built-in cleaning and deduplication
  • Unlimited credit rollover: your unused credits never expire

Strengths vs Closely

  • Lives in Google Sheets — no platform switching
  • $10/mo flat — no credit caps, no per-seat fees
  • MCP-ready for AI / LLM agent workflows
Best for : Native Google Sheets enrichment
  1. #2

    HeyReach

    ★ 4.2/5

    The agency-favorite LinkedIn automation tool.

    From $44/seat/mo (annual)
    Best for Agencies managing 5+ LinkedIn accounts
  2. #3

    Dripify

    ★ 3.7/5

    A clean, cloud-based LinkedIn outreach engine that runs 24/7 even with your laptop closed.

    From $39/user/mo (annual)
    Best for Solo SDRs running structured LinkedIn outbound
  3. #4

    Expandi

    ★ 3.8/5

    The OG agency-friendly LinkedIn automation tool.

    From $79/mo (Business, annual) · 14-day free trial
    Best for Established agencies + B2B teams running smart LinkedIn sequences
  4. #5

    Waalaxy

    ★ 3.7/5

    The world's most-used LinkedIn automation tool - 150K+ active users, €10M+ ARR with a 50-person team in Montpellier.

    From €19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo
    Best for Solo prospectors testing LinkedIn outbound for the first time
  5. #6

    Apollo

    ★ 4/5

    All-in-one B2B sales intelligence + outreach platform with 250M+ contact database.

    From Free / $49/seat/mo
    Best for SMB & mid-market outbound
  6. #7

    AeroLeads

    ★ 3.5/5

    The veteran India-based email finder.

    From Free trial · Take Off $49/mo (2K credits)
    Best for Solo SDRs needing guaranteed phone numbers + email finder bundle
  7. #8

    ContactOut

    ★ 3.4/5

    The recruiter-favorite LinkedIn personal-email finder.

    From Free 4 emails/day · Email $49/mo (annual)
    Best for Recruiters needing personal emails from LinkedIn at scale
  8. #9

    Dux-Soup

    ★ 3.6/5

    One of the oldest LinkedIn automation tools still actively maintained - founded in 2013 by Will van der Sanden in Amsterdam.

    From $11.25/mo (Pro Dux, annual)
    Best for Long-time LinkedIn automation users + budget SDRs
  9. #10

    Emelia

    ★ 3.8/5

    The cheapest meaningful cold-email tool.

    From $15 for 3 sending accounts · $20/mo entry
    Best for Solo founders + small teams running cold email on a budget

Advantages and disadvantages of leaving Closely

What you actually gain (and what you might lose) when switching off Closely to one of the alternatives above.

Why teams leave Closely

  • Solo users pay full freight
  • Cloud execution = slightly higher LinkedIn detection
  • Database is broad but shallow

What you might lose

Cheapest per-sender at scale
Above 6 senders, Closely drops to $17-29/sender/month — significantly under Heyreach ($79), SuperGrow ($69), Expandi ($79). For agencies managing 10-50 client accounts, the savings are real.
Cloud-based — sequences run when your laptop's off
Unlike Dripify or Waalaxy (Chrome extension on your machine), Closely runs entirely in their cloud. Sequences keep running on weekends, holidays, and during device migrations. For agencies, this also …
Bundled AI icebreakers actually work
Most "AI personalization" features are gimmicky — generic templates with name-insertion. Closely's icebreakers pull from recent profile activity, posts, and company news, and reviewers consistently re…

HeyReach

  • Best multi-account architecture in the category
  • Strong account-safety record

Dripify

  • Easiest LinkedIn automation to set up
  • Cloud-based - no need to keep your laptop open

Expandi

  • Smart conditional sequences (best in the cloud category)
  • Cloud-based with dedicated country IPs

Waalaxy

  • Most generous free tier in LinkedIn automation
  • Best ease of use in the category

How to choose your Closely alternative

Two filters : a per-profile pick (cards below) and a granular criteria matrix (budget / workflow / use case / team size).

Freelancers & SMBs (<50 employees)

Derrick App

Derrick App offers the best price-to-features ratio at $10/month flat. Sheet-native, no per-seat fees, no credit caps.

See full profile ↓
Solo SDR on a budget

Dux-Soup

Dux-Soup starts at $11.25/mo (Pro Dux, annual) — the lowest paid entry in this competitive set with workable feature surface for solo workflows.

See full profile ↓
Mid-market sales teams (50-500 employees)

HeyReach

HeyReach balances feature depth + mid-market pricing ($44/seat/mo (annual)) — good fit for teams with dedicated SDR + RevOps headcount.

See full profile ↓
Enterprise (500+ employees)

Expandi

Expandi delivers the deepest feature surface + enterprise procurement maturity in this set. Premium positioning at $79/mo (Business, annual) · 14-day free trial.

See full profile ↓

By budget

  • < $50 / month Derrick App HeyReach Dripify Waalaxy Apollo AeroLeads ContactOut Dux-Soup Emelia
  • $50-$200 / month Expandi

By workflow

  • Sheet-native Derrick App
  • Cloud platform / web app HeyReach Dripify Expandi Waalaxy Apollo AeroLeads Dux-Soup Emelia
  • Chrome extension first ContactOut

By use case

  • Data enrichment Derrick App Apollo
  • Cold outreach HeyReach Dripify Expandi Waalaxy AeroLeads ContactOut Dux-Soup Emelia

By team size

  • Solo / freelance Derrick App Dripify Waalaxy AeroLeads Emelia
  • Mid-market (10-100) HeyReach Expandi Apollo ContactOut Dux-Soup

Verdict : which Closely alternative to pick

Final recommendation by profile : Closely's alternatives fall into 4 clear buckets depending on what you optimise for.

  • For Sheet-native enrichment : Derrick App remains the lowest-friction fit at $10/mo flat — no credit caps, no per-seat fees, no platform onboarding.
  • For the lowest entry price : Dux-Soup starts at $11.25/mo (Pro Dux, annual) — fits tight budgets with workable feature surface for long-time linkedin automation users + budget sdrs.
  • For closest head-to-head match : HeyReach is the most direct comparable to Closely on positioning + price ($44/seat/mo (annual)).
  • For enterprise depth : the top of the price tier (Cognism, ZoomInfo, 6sense, or category-specific enterprise platforms) delivers proprietary data + procurement maturity.

Closely works well for its core ICP. The alternatives matter only when your specific stack misfit, pricing ceiling, or geographic gap pushes you out. Spend a fortnight testing 2-3 shortlist candidates on real prospect lists.

Key terms glossary

To understand LinkedIn automation + multi-account orchestration concepts, see our glossary of B2B sales terms. Key concepts referenced throughout this guide : Sales Navigator scraping, connection-request limits, account warm-up, multi-account orchestration.

FAQ - Common questions about Closely alternatives

What is the best Closely alternative in 2026?
The best alternative depends on your use case. For Sheets-native enrichment, Derrick App ($10/mo flat). For linkedin outreach automation similar to Closely, HeyReach is the closest comparable on positioning + price. For the cheapest entry point, Dux-Soup starts at $11.25/mo (Pro Dux, annual).

Is there a free Closely alternative?
Several alternatives offer free tiers : Derrick App (14-day trial), Apollo (Free forever with 10K credits), and Hunter (limited free tier). For perpetual free-tier evaluation, Apollo's free tier is the most generous in the broader linkedin outreach automation category. Most paid alternatives start in the $10-50/month range for solo use.

How does Closely pricing compare to its alternatives?
Closely starts at $49/sender/month. Comparable alternatives range from $11.25/mo (Pro Dux, annual) (cheapest) to enterprise custom contracts ($1K-10K+/year) at the high end. The right comparison isn't just headline price — factor in credit caps, seat fees, and bundled features per tier. Derrick App's $10/mo flat is unique in offering unlimited rows enriched directly in Google Sheets.

Can I switch from Closely to a Sheets-native tool?
Yes — Derrick App is built specifically for this migration. Export your data from Closely as CSV, paste into Google Sheets, and use Derrick's formulas (=DERRICK_EMAIL, =DERRICK_PHONE) for enrichment. No platform onboarding, no Zapier integration to maintain. Most teams complete the switch in under 30 minutes.

Which Closely alternative is best for linkedin outreach automation?
For pure linkedin outreach automation use cases, HeyReach is the closest like-for-like alternative. For broader feature coverage including linkedin outreach automation + adjacent workflows, Apollo or Reply.io bundle more in one platform. For Sheets-native data workflows, Derrick App at $10/mo replaces the data layer of any linkedin outreach automation tool.

Keep researching Closely

Head-to-head Closely vs Derrick Side-by-side on features, pricing and data accuracy — Closely against the only Google Sheets-native enrichment app. Free forever, no contract. Open the comparison →
In-depth review

Read our full Closely review

Features, accuracy, integrations - everything beyond pricing and alternatives.

Open the review → Pricing breakdown

Closely pricing analysis

Real per-credit cost, hidden fees, calculator, plan comparison.

Open the pricing page → Curated stack

All B2B sales tools, ranked

Our hand-picked shortlist across categories.

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