Updated

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

Short answer
PhantomBuster vs Waalaxy vs Derrick: PhantomBuster is a cloud-based scraping and social automation, Waalaxy is a beginner-friendly linkedin automation chrome extension for solo prospectors. 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 Waalaxy) 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 Waalaxy 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 Waalaxy 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

Waalaxy

  • Starting price: €19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo
  • Free plan: Yes - 80 invitations/mo permanently free
  • Founded: 2019 (originally as ProspectIn)
  • HQ: Montpellier, France
4.5/5 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 Waalaxy

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

01

Save time with native Google Sheets enrichment, no CSV exports

PhantomBuster and Waalaxy require CSV exports or external steps to enrich data, which breaks the “native Google Sheets” workflow Derrick guarantees. Derrick delivers 100% native Google Sheets enrichment, eliminating CSV handoffs and complex setup. This directly saves 5-10 hours per month by keeping data processing, validation, and enrichment inside Sheets, with up to 50+ attributes per contact. A practical use case: run enrichment and real-time email validation without leaving Sheets, ready for immediate outreach.

02

Real-time data accuracy for faster decision making

PhantomBuster and Waalaxy excel at automation and data extraction, but real-time data accuracy can lag due to source variability and delayed validation, hindering immediate decisions. Derrick delivers real-time data accuracy by validating and enriching in-Sheet, with 100% native Google Sheets workflow and live email validation to preserve data quality as you work. This translates to faster decision making and measurable time savings, reducing decision latency by up to hours per week for active campaigns. For rapid, reliable insights, Derrick keeps every contact and company record current as you act.

03

Real-time, multi-source data quality for decision confidence

PhantomBuster and Waalaxy often deliver automated data collection, but their multi-source data quality can be inconsistent, undermining decision confidence. Derrick differs by delivering real-time, 100% native Google Sheets enrichment that unifies multiple sources without exports or complex setups. This leads to measurable gains, such as improved data accuracy and faster decision cycles, with the potential to reduce data cleaning time by up to 20-30% per month. For quick, cross-source validation, Derrick’s real-time validation and AI-assisted scoring keep your insights trustworthy.

Honest Comparison

What each tool does better

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

What Waalaxy does better

  • Most generous free tier in LinkedIn automation
  • Best ease of use in the category
  • Massive user base + active product roadmap
Read full Waalaxy 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 Waalaxy Derrick
Starting price (monthly) $56/mo (annual) €19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo €0 (free) · €9/mo paid
Annual cost (base) ~€672/yr ~€228/yr €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid
Free plan? No (14-day free trial) Yes - 80 invitations/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 Waalaxy vs Derrick: full feature comparison

PhantomBuster Derrick App Waalaxy
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 21€/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 Waalaxy vs Derrick pricing breakdown

LinkedIn Automation (Solo + Small Teams)

Waalaxy

€19/user/mo (Pro) · Free 80 invites/mo

Best for: Solo prospectors testing LinkedIn outbound for the first time

Waalaxy offers scalable plans with an entry-level tier and paid options that unlock multi-channel outreach, starting at a clearly defined monthly price; full pricing details are available on the dedicated pricing page. See full pricing breakdown for all plan levels and usage.

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 Waalaxy if…

  • You specifically need solo prospectors testing linkedin outbound for the first time
  • Most generous free tier in LinkedIn automation
  • Best ease of use in the category
  • You're already invested in the Waalaxy ecosystem
Read full Waalaxy 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 Waalaxy

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

How does Derrick compare to PhantomBuster in features and pricing?

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Derrick operates as a native Google Sheets enrichment platform, eliminating the CSV exports and complex setup required by PhantomBuster's automation workflows. While PhantomBuster excels at large-scale data extraction and scraping, Derrick focuses on streamlined enrichment directly within Sheets with 50+ attributes per contact. Pricing-wise, Derrick starts at zero dollars with two hundred credits and offers rollover credits monthly, whereas PhantomBuster's costs scale aggressively with volume. Derrick also includes integrated AI with Claude and ChatGPT for scoring and segmentation, providing data quality validation that complements extraction-focused tools like PhantomBuster for teams seeking a complete prospecting solution.

Is Derrick a good alternative to PhantomBuster for automation?

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Yes, Derrick is an excellent alternative to PhantomBuster for automation, especially if you prioritize simplicity and cost efficiency. While PhantomBuster excels at large-scale web scraping and workflow automation, Derrick offers a more streamlined approach by operating natively within Google Sheets without requiring complex setup or CSV exports. Derrick provides real-time email validation, 50+ enrichment attributes, and integrated AI capabilities with Claude and ChatGPT for intelligent segmentation and scoring. Unlike PhantomBuster's steep learning curve for advanced workflows, Derrick requires minimal technical knowledge. Additionally, Derrick's monthly rollover credits and no credit card requirement for the free tier make it more cost-effective for teams with variable automation needs, while PhantomBuster's pricing scales aggressively with volume.

Which is better Derrick or Waalaxy for LinkedIn prospecting and data?

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Derrick and Waalaxy serve different prospecting needs. Waalaxy excels at LinkedIn automation and outreach sequencing, making it ideal for teams focused on connection requests and message campaigns. However, Derrick outperforms for data enrichment and prospect intelligence, offering 50+ attributes per contact with real-time email validation directly in Google Sheets. Derrick requires no LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription, saving teams $1,200 annually, while providing integrated AI scoring and seamless CRM syncing through 3,000+ app integrations. For comprehensive prospecting combining enrichment with outreach, Derrick delivers superior data depth and cost efficiency without complex setup.

What’s the Derrick vs PhantomBuster vs Waalaxy difference for use cases?

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For use cases, Derrick shines as a native Google Sheets enrichment and prospecting hub, while PhantomBuster excels at automated data extraction and broad workflow automation, and Waalaxy focuses on LinkedIn-driven outreach and multi-channel prospecting. Derrick offers 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, AI-powered scoring and segmentation, and seamless 3,000+ integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n, all without exporting to CSV or using LinkedIn Navigator. PhantomBuster is strong for large-scale scraping and template-driven automation but may require external enrichment for deeper insights. Waalaxy delivers fast LinkedIn-centric outreach and CRM integration but can lack depth in data enrichment. If your priority is deep, scalable prospect intelligence directly in Sheets with zero CSV exports and flexible credits, Derrick provides a measurable edge.

Does PhantomBuster offer better pricing than Derrick or Waalaxy?

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PhantomBuster's pricing structure scales aggressively with volume, making per-record enrichment expensive for high-frequency campaigns, particularly when running large-scale operations simultaneously. Waalaxy similarly charges based on usage, with costs rising quickly for teams managing multiple outreach sequences. Derrick offers a more transparent, credit-based pricing model starting at just nine dollars monthly for four thousand credits with rollover flexibility, meaning unused credits carry forward. Unlike PhantomBuster and Waalaxy which require separate tools for enrichment depth, Derrick combines data enrichment with fifty plus contact attributes directly within Google Sheets, eliminating costly third-party integrations and reducing your overall prospecting stack expenses.

Can Derrick replace both PhantomBuster and Waalaxy for data enrichment?

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Yes, Derrick can replace some of PhantomBuster and Waalaxy for data enrichment, but with nuances. Derrick is 100% native to Google Sheets, enabling rich enrichment across 50+ attributes per contact or company and real-time email validation, all without scraping or LinkedIn dependencies. PhantomBuster excels at large-scale automation and data extraction, while Waalaxy focuses on LinkedIn-based outreach. Derrick complements or supersedes basic enrichment and data quality within a practical, sheet-driven workflow, especially for teams valuing seamless integrations, AI scoring, and cost efficiency. However, for heavy multi-source scraping or advanced LinkedIn automation, you may still need specialized tools.
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