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PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?

Short answer
PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ vs Derrick: PhantomBuster is a cloud-based scraping and social automation, LeadIQ is a enterprise lead intelligence platform with waterfall enrichment and ai message writer. Derrick is a B2B enrichment platform with three surfaces - a Google Sheets add-on, a REST API, and an MCP server (Claude and ChatGPT drive enrichment for you). Hit rates are noticeably higher (more emails + phone numbers returned per query than PhantomBuster or LeadIQ) and pricing is lower - free forever with 100 credits/month, paid plans from €9/month. Most teams pair Derrick for the data layer with PhantomBuster or LeadIQ for outreach.

Where PhantomBuster requires you to build pipelines outside your data, Derrick keeps the data and the logic in the same Sheet. The side-by-side comparison below pits PhantomBuster's no-code IDE, learning curve and per-execution pricing against Derrick's =DERRICK() formula that scales with usage.

Free plan Yes - 100 credits/mo
Starts at €9/mo
Setup time 30 seconds
Where it lives Google Sheets

✓ Free forever · ✓ No credit card · ✓ Cancel anytime · ✓ Your data stays in your Sheet

Trusted by 31,000+ users worldwide.

Quick Facts

PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ vs Derrick at a glance

PhantomBuster

  • Starting price: $56/mo (annual)
  • Free plan: No (14-day free trial)
  • Founded: 2016
  • HQ: Paris, France
4.4/5 G2 4.4/5 Capterra

LeadIQ

  • Starting price: Free 50 credits/mo · Pro $150/mo (annual)
  • Free plan: Yes - 50 credits/mo permanently free
  • Founded: 2015
  • HQ: San Francisco Bay Area, CA (with Singapore engineering)
4.2/5 G2 4.4/5 Capterra

Derrick

★ Recommended
  • Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
  • Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
  • Founded: 2023
  • HQ: Marseille, FR
4.8/5 G2 4.8/5 Capterra
Why Derrick wins

Why teams pick Derrick over PhantomBuster and LeadIQ

3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.

01

Real-time verification without data gaps for outreach

Derrick delivers real-time verification for outreach, addressing PhantomBuster’s data gaps and LeadIQ’s occasional verification delays by validating contacts on the fly as you build lists. Unlike PhantomBuster, which excels at extraction but can struggle with ongoing data freshness, Derrick monetizes 100% native Google Sheets workflows to ensure every contact remains current without extra tools. Real-time email validation and multi-attribute enrichment mean you can trust deliverability from the first outreach, reducing bounce risks and saving hours per month. A typical use case: verify and enrich leads during list construction, ensuring every contact is contactable before sending a campaign.

02

Superior data quality through deeper enrichment beyond basic contacts

PhantomBuster and LeadIQ provide basic contact data, but their enrichment often stops at surface-level fields, leaving gaps in firmographic context and actionable insights. Derrick delivers superior data quality through deeper enrichment by layering 50+ attributes per contact and company, plus real-time validation and AI-driven profiling. This results in measurable improvements: up to 20-30% higher match accuracy and 15-25% faster-quality lead readiness for outreach. With Derrick, you get reference-grade intelligence directly in Google Sheets, enabling precise targeting without extra tools.

03

Accelerated setup with 5-minute onboarding for teams

PhantomBuster and LeadIQ often require longer onboarding due to disparate workflows and separate enrichment layers, slowing team ramp-up. Derrick delivers accelerated setup with a 5-minute onboarding by turning Google Sheets into a native, all-in-one prospecting hub, eliminating exports and complex integrations. Teams can realize immediate value: faster start, reduced setup time, and tangible time savings of 5-10 hours per month. A practical use case: new hires begin outbound campaigns within hours, not days, with Derrick’s native Sheets experience.

Honest Comparison

What each tool does better

We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where PhantomBuster, LeadIQ, and Derrick each genuinely win.

What LeadIQ does better

  • Waterfall enrichment from 9 data providers
  • Scribe AI message writer for personalization
  • Job-change tracking creates warm re-engagement
Read full LeadIQ review →
Real Annual Cost

True cost over 12 months

Headline pricing rarely tells the whole story. Here's the real cost of running each tool for a year.

PhantomBuster LeadIQ Derrick
Starting price (monthly) $56/mo (annual) Free 50 credits/mo · Pro $150/mo (annual) €0 (free) · €9/mo paid
Annual cost (base) ~€672/yr ~€600/yr €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid
Free plan? No (14-day free trial) Yes - 50 credits/mo permanently free ✓ Forever - 100 credits/mo
Setup cost Hours to days Hours to days 30 seconds via Marketplace
Switching cost CSV export + retraining CSV export + retraining Zero - works alongside any stack

💡 Most teams pay 2-5x more on add-ons (extra seats, phone credits, integrations) than on the headline base price. Derrick keeps everything in one transparent tier.

Feature-by-Feature

PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ vs Derrick: full feature comparison

PhantomBuster Derrick App LeadIQ
Works natively in Google Sheets
Requires LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($100/month)
Sales Navigator 1-click import
Email finder with real-time validation
Phone finder from LinkedIn
Company tech stack lookup
SimilarWeb & G2 insights integrated
AI integration (Claude & ChatGPT)
Automatic AI Lead Scoring
Data cleaning & normalization
Multi-platform scraping (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook)
Zapier, Make, n8n integrations
Public API available
Native CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce)
Entry price (paid plan) 69$/mois 9€/mois 39$/mois
Permanent free plan
Rollover credits to next month
Simple and transparent credit system
Simple setup & onboarding
Complete documentation
Pricing in a nutshell

PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ vs Derrick pricing breakdown

Migration Guide

How to switch from PhantomBuster to Derrick in 3 steps

Derrick is a Google Workspace app - no formulas to learn, no pipelines to migrate, no engineering work. Add it to Google Sheets and you're enriching in under a minute.

1
~30 sec

Install Derrick from Google Workspace Marketplace

Click the install button on our Marketplace listing and grant Google Sheets access. No credit card required - you start with 100 free credits per month.

2
~30 sec

Open any Google Sheet → Extensions → Derrick

Open a Sheet with your prospect list (paste a CSV from PhantomBuster, scrape from LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or import from your CRM). Click Extensions → Derrick and the sidebar opens with all enrichment features ready to use.

3
~1 min

Enrich your list with one click

Select the column with names, LinkedIn URLs, or company domains. Pick what you want - emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn data, company info, tech stack - and click "Enrich". Derrick fills the columns directly in your Sheet. No exports, no pipelines, no waiting.

Install Derrick free →

100 free credits / month · No credit card · Cancel anytime

Decision in 60 seconds

Which one is right for you?

Pick PhantomBuster if…

  • You specifically need growth hackers & ops teams
  • 150+ pre-built Phantoms across platforms
  • Best LinkedIn Sales Navigator export
  • You're already invested in the PhantomBuster ecosystem
Read full PhantomBuster review →

Pick LeadIQ if…

  • You specifically need enterprise sdr teams running salesforce/hubspot motions
  • Waterfall enrichment from 9 data providers
  • Scribe AI message writer for personalization
  • You're already invested in the LeadIQ ecosystem
Read full LeadIQ review →

Pick Derrick if…

  • You want B2B enrichment directly in Google Sheets
  • You need a usable free plan (100 credits/mo, no card)
  • You don't want long contracts, lock-in, or sales calls
  • You need 100+ data points per lead in one tool
Try Derrick free →

What teams say after switching from PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ

See what our customers say about Derrick.

"This app saved me so much time and effort. Great for anyone looking to build a contact list or network at scale quickly. As a start-up it's been invaluable."

Alex Clark

Director | SaaS GTM Leader

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"Working pretty nifty compared to Snov.Io. Price wise it does give a fair shake, and IMO better interface since it's google sheets."

David Sire

Mortgage Broker at Zero Point Mortgage

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"Derrick is a very simple and user-friendly app to enrich your contacts database. Best thing: you can test it for free. And then the price is so low, it's a no brainer."

Etienne Grange

CEO Form'actions

Reviewed on Capterra

"Super easy to enrich linkedin urls using this tool. Both personal and company url data can be easily enriched with a click of a button."

Zaid Bilal

RevOps Professional

Reviewed on Capterra

"Amazing Tool, I would like to advocate this to my colleagues. So that you can get more users. Keep it Up. 5 Stars!"

Asif Hanzala

Lead Generation Specialist at IdeaPeel

Reviewed on Capterra

"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."

Dan Hughes

Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"I have been using other expensive apps or freemium like phantombuster, but Derrick has replaced them all. I love the simplicity of the Google sheet add-in, but what is best is the efficiency it delivers."

Julien Walon Cohen

CEO & Co-founder @ Diffly | B2B Sales Advisor

Reviewed on G2

"The LinkedIn scraping and email finder combo is incredibly powerful. I can build a complete prospect list with contact info in under an hour. Absolute must-have for outbound."

Michael Kim

SDR Team Lead at CloudScale

Reviewed on Capterra

"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."

AJ Alexander

Opportunity Prospector

Reviewed on Capterra

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Derrick better than PhantomBuster for automation tasks?

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It depends on your specific automation needs. PhantomBuster excels at large-scale web scraping and workflow automation with pre-built templates, making it ideal for teams focused purely on data extraction. However, Derrick offers a more integrated approach by combining automation with native Google Sheets enrichment, eliminating CSV exports and manual data handling. Derrick's real-time email validation, 50+ enrichment attributes, and built-in AI scoring provide deeper data quality without requiring external tools. For teams wanting seamless automation within their existing spreadsheet workflow while maintaining data accuracy, Derrick delivers superior efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared to PhantomBuster's extraction-focused model.

Which is Derrick vs LeadIQ in pricing and features?

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Derrick operates entirely within Google Sheets, eliminating the need for external platforms or CSV exports, while LeadIQ requires browser extensions and separate integrations. LeadIQ excels at real-time contact verification and CRM synchronization, starting around $99 monthly, making it ideal for sales teams prioritizing data accuracy. Derrick's pricing starts at just $9 monthly with rollover credits and includes integrated AI tools using Claude and ChatGPT for enrichment and scoring. For budget-conscious teams seeking native spreadsheet automation without LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscriptions, Derrick offers significantly lower cost of ownership while LeadIQ targets enterprises willing to invest more for specialized contact verification and account-based selling features.

How does Derrick compare to PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ overall?

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Derrick operates as a native Google Sheets platform, eliminating the need for CSV exports or external tools that PhantomBuster and LeadIQ require. While PhantomBuster excels at web automation and LeadIQ specializes in contact verification, Derrick combines enrichment, email validation, and integrated AI scoring within your spreadsheet workflow. Derrick's rollover credits, no credit card requirement for free tier, and fifty-plus enrichment attributes per contact make it more cost-effective and flexible for teams prioritizing simplicity and data quality without complex integrations or steep learning curves.

PhantomBuster vs LeadIQ: which offers better data enrichment?

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PhantomBuster and LeadIQ excel at different facets of data enrichment. PhantomBuster is strong for broad data extraction and automation across social platforms, but its enrichment depth can be inconsistent and often benefits from external validation tools. LeadIQ delivers higher accuracy for contact data with real-time verification, but its enrichment scope is narrower regarding deep firmographics or behavioral signals. Derrick sits between these: it provides 50+ enrichment attributes natively in Google Sheets, real-time email validation, and AI-powered scoring/segmentation, plus easy integration and cost flexibility with credits that roll over. For teams prioritizing deep, reliable contact data and seamless CRM-ready outputs, LeadIQ wins on enrichment quality; for broad automation and rapid extraction, PhantomBuster offers speed. Derrick offers a strong, native enrichment layer integrated directly into Sheets, reducing manual work and boosting overall data reliability without switching tools.

Is Derrick a strong alternative to PhantomBuster for scraping?

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Derrick serves as a strong alternative to PhantomBuster, particularly if your team prioritizes simplicity and cost-efficiency. While PhantomBuster excels at large-scale web automation and bulk data extraction, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating complex setup and CSV exports. Derrick offers real-time email validation, fifty-plus enrichment attributes, and integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT. Unlike PhantomBuster's aggressive pricing scaling, Derrick's credits roll over monthly with no card required for the free tier, making it more flexible for variable prospecting volumes. For teams seeking streamlined B2B enrichment without automation complexity, Derrick delivers comparable data quality at significantly lower operational overhead.

Can Derrick replace both PhantomBuster and LeadIQ?

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Short answer: Derrick cannot fully replace both PhantomBuster and LeadIQ in every scenario, but it can cover the core needs they serve for many B2B teams-and often more efficiently. PhantomBuster specializes in web automation and data scraping with ready-made templates, which Derrick does not replicate as a scraping engine. Derrick, however, is 100% native to Google Sheets and excels at enrichment, validation, AI-driven scoring, and multi-tool workflow integration, reducing setup time and reliance on external tools. LeadIQ focuses on real-time contact verification and streamlined prospecting, while Derrick delivers comprehensive enrichment across 50+ attributes, real-time email validation, and seamless CRM-like workflows inside Sheets, plus monthly credit rollovers and Zapier/Make/n8n connections. For teams needing deep contact data and automated outreach inside Sheets, Derrick often replaces or supplements both, but if your primary need is large-scale web scraping or advanced account-level intelligence, you may still rely on PhantomBuster or LeadIQ alongside Derrick.
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