The 7 best Expandi alternatives in 2026, ranked
The best Expandi alternatives in 2026 are ZenMode, Dripify, HeyReach, Waalaxy, Linked Helper, Dux-Soup and Skylead. Dripify, HeyReach, Waalaxy and Skylead run in the cloud, like Expandi. ZenMode, Linked Helper and Dux-Soup (now sold as STACKED) are desktop apps that run on your own computer.
By Jonathan Lis, Founder, ZenMode Ltd · Updated November 2026 (facts checked 24 October 2026)
TL;DR
ZenMode is the best Expandi alternative if you want LinkedIn outreach written and answered in one place for less than $99 per account. ZenMode finds prospects from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search (it imports Sales Navigator search URLs natively), AI writes the messages, you read them before you launch, and every reply lands in one inbox, on one flat plan from $15/month (no-AI Novice, 1 account), with $49 (Practitioner) adding AI message writing and voice notes. The reasons to stay with Expandi are its dynamic image and GIF personalization, which ZenMode doesn't replicate, and a cloud setup that keeps sending with your computer off.
The verdict
Expandi is a polished cloud platform known for smart sequences and dynamic image personalization, priced at $99 per account. ZenMode is the Expandi alternative for people who want the loop handled for less: it finds the people, imports Sales Navigator searches natively, writes the messages, lets you read them before you launch, keeps every reply in one inbox, and covers multiple accounts on one flat monthly plan from $15/mo (no-AI Novice, 1 account), with AI voice notes and AI message writing starting at Practitioner ($49). Pick Expandi if its image and GIF personalization and hosted sequence builder matter more to you, or you want sending to continue with your computer off.
How we compared these tools
We compare on what you can check yourself: where a tool runs, what it costs, what it does and does not do, and what its users say in public. Prices and plan names come from each vendor's own pricing page, read most recently on 24 October 2026. Two needed care. Meet Alfred's returned HTTP 403 on every attempt in our 8 September sweep and opened normally on the later date, so its prices are from that later reading. PhantomBuster's renders euro prices to a UK reader with no currency switch, so we quote PhantomBuster in euros, as shown. Several review sites, G2 among them, refused automated access in that sweep, so the complaints quoted here come from pages that did open, and any review score carried over from an earlier check is older than the prices. We did not run these tools side by side in a lab and we publish no head-to-head acceptance or reply rates, because those depend on your list, your copy and your account rather than on the software. ZenMode is our own product, so treat this as our case for it and check the vendor links yourself.
The 7 best Expandi alternatives in 2026, ranked
We make ZenMode, one of the tools ranked here. Ranked on 8 September 2026 by how each tool runs, its entry price as shown on the vendor's own pricing page that day, and what its help centre says about safety and export.
ZenMode
- Price
- from $15 a month, $49 with AI writingChecked on zen-mode.io/pricing
- Runs
- Desktop app
Best if you want to stop paying Expandi's $99 per account. ZenMode finds prospects from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search, sends a few minutes apart, keeps every reply in one inbox, and covers three accounts for $99 or five for $149; AI message writing and voice notes start at $49. There is no image or GIF personalisation.
Pros
- Finds prospects from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search, and every reply lands in one inbox
- Flat plans that cover several accounts: 3 on Master ($99), 5 on Dojo ($149)
- AI message writing and voice notes (with your own ElevenLabs key) from Practitioner, $49
Cons
- LinkedIn only: no email steps and no built-in lead database
- The $15 Novice plan has no AI and a limit of 3 campaigns
Who it's not for: Anyone who wants email and LinkedIn in one sequence.
Verified
Dripify
- Price
- from $59/user/mo (annual) or $79/user/moChecked on dripify.com/pricing
- Runs
- Cloud
Best if you want to stay in the cloud for less than $99. Dripify's help centre says it 'operates in the cloud' with no download or extension; Pro is $59 and Advanced $79 per user per month on annual billing ($79 and $99 monthly), so only Advanced matches Expandi's price. 7-day trial, no card required.
Compare: Expandi vs Dripify
Pros
- LinkedIn and email steps in one sequence on every plan
- Cloud app, so campaigns keep running with the browser closed and the PC off
- 7-day trial of the Advanced plan with no card
Cons
- The entry plan, Pro, is $79 per user a month ($59 billed annually); team management and A/B testing need Advanced at $99
- Monthly purchases are non-refundable under its terms
Who it's not for: Anyone who wants a LinkedIn plan under $79 a month on monthly billing.
Verified
HeyReach
- Price
- from $63/sender/mo (annual) or $79/sender/moChecked on heyreach.io/pricing
- Runs
- Cloud
Best for agencies running many LinkedIn accounts. HeyReach charges per sender, $79 a month or $63 billed yearly; Agency covers 25 senders for $999 a month. Its safety article says each account gets a dedicated static residential proxy and is frozen at 200 actions a day. Cloud, so campaigns run with your laptop shut.
Compare: Expandi vs HeyReach
Pros
- Priced per LinkedIn sender, with teammates, clients and assistants added free
- Sender rotation and one inbox across many LinkedIn accounts
- 14-day trial for up to 3 accounts with no card
Cons
- Agency and Unlimited plans require you to bring your own proxies
- Fees are non-refundable under its terms, and email runs through partner tools
Who it's not for: A single seller with one LinkedIn account, who would pay for agency tooling they will not use.
Verified
Waalaxy
- Price
- from €19/user/mo billed yearly (300 invitations a month)Checked on waalaxy.com/pricing
- Runs
- Cloud
Best on price if 300 invitations a month is enough. On yearly billing Pro is €19 per user per month for 300 invitations, Advanced €49 for 800 and Business €69, each with a 14-day free trial; on monthly billing a UK visitor was shown £34, £69 and £104 (checked 17 September 2026). Since 1 July 2026 Waalaxy is, in its own words, '100% cloud' with the Chrome extension removed.
Compare: Expandi vs Waalaxy
Pros
- Fully cloud-based since July 2026, so campaigns run with your browser closed
- Business plan puts LinkedIn and cold email in one campaign
- 14-day free trial on every plan
Cons
- The Pro plan allows 300 invitations a month
- Cold email sequences need Business, EUR 69 per user a month billed yearly
- The LinkedIn Inbox is a paid add-on, EUR 20 a month on monthly billing, excluding tax
Who it's not for: Anyone who needs more than 300 invitations a month on the entry plan.
Verified
Linked Helper
- Price
- from $15/mo (local storage) or $8.25/mo on a 12-month planChecked on linkedhelper.com/pricing
- Runs
- Desktop app
Best desktop option on a small budget. Standard is $15 a month, or $8.25 a month on a 12-month plan, with local storage. Its pricing page says it 'runs as desktop software, not as a browser extension'; its homepage adds 'no code injected into the LinkedIn page'. 14-day trial; your machine has to be on.
Pros
- Desktop app for Windows, macOS or Ubuntu
- One licence per LinkedIn account from $15 a month, or $8.25 a month on a 12-month term
- Covers InMail, events, groups, post engagers and a built-in CRM
Cons
- Nothing runs while the computer is off or asleep, even on the cloud-storage version
- Each extra LinkedIn account needs its own licence and about 2GB more free RAM
- No voice notes among its listed features
Who it's not for: Anyone who wants campaigns to keep going with the laptop shut, or who runs many accounts on a small machine.
Verified
Dux-Soup
- Price
- from $55/seat/mo (STACKED local) or $41.25/mo billed annuallyChecked on dux-soup.com/pricing
- Runs
- Desktop app (STACKED cloud edition runs in the cloud)
Another desktop option, priced per seat: Dux-Soup is now sold as STACKED. STACKED local is a desktop app for Mac and Windows at $55 a month, or $41.25 billed annually, with messages personalized with AI, unlimited campaigns and integrations such as Zapier and Make; STACKED cloud, at $99 a month or $74.17 billed annually, runs on Dux-Soup's infrastructure with your computer off.
Pros
- STACKED local is a desktop app for Mac and Windows
- STACKED cloud keeps campaigns running with the computer switched off
- Unlimited concurrent campaigns and messages personalized with AI on both editions
Cons
- The entry edition, STACKED local, is $55 a seat a month
- STACKED local needs your computer on; only the $99 cloud edition runs without it
- Its listed campaign actions are LinkedIn only, with no email step
Who it's not for: Anyone who wants an entry plan under $55 a month, or email and LinkedIn in one campaign.
Verified
Skylead
- Price
- $100/seat/mo, or pay 10 months and get 2 free on annualChecked on skylead.io/pricing
- Runs
- Cloud
Best if you want Expandi's price band with email finding built in. All-in-one is $100 per seat per month, annual billing is pay 10 months and get 2 free, with a 7-day free trial; Agency is $999 a month for 50 seats. Its site describes a cloud-based tool with a dedicated IP per account, like Expandi.
Pros
- LinkedIn automation and unlimited email automation on one All-in-one seat
- Cloud-based, so campaigns run with your computer off
- Paid and free InMails, plus native HubSpot, Pipedrive and Salesforce sync
Cons
- Priced per seat, $100 a month on All-in-one
- A card is needed for the 7-day trial, and all payments are final under its terms
Who it's not for: Anyone who wants several LinkedIn accounts without paying per seat.
Verified
Expandi vs ZenMode: Feature Comparison
| Expandi | ZenMode | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ~$99/month per account | Flat monthly: $15 (no AI) / $49 / $99 / $149 (1/1/3/5 accounts), or Custom for more |
| Voice notes | No | Yes (BYOK ElevenLabs) |
| Personalization | Dynamic images/GIFs, variables | AI-written messages (Practitioner $49+) + voice notes |
| Sales Navigator | Supported | Native SN search-URL import |
| Multi-account | Per account, cloud | By plan tier, local |
| Free trial | 7-day | 14-day trial |
Why switch to ZenMode
From the right people to replies in one inbox
ZenMode starts from the people you want to reach: a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search by job title, industry and location, a list you paste or a CSV. From the Practitioner plan ($49) AI writes the connection note and follow-ups, and you can read every message on the campaign before you launch it. Every reply comes back to one inbox with a built-in CRM.
Flat multi-account pricing
Expandi charges per LinkedIn account. ZenMode covers three accounts for $99 and five for $149 on one flat plan, which adds up fast once you manage more than one profile.
Voice notes and native Sales Navigator import
ZenMode sends AI voice notes via your own ElevenLabs key and imports Sales Navigator search URLs directly, turning a saved SN search into a campaign without extra tooling.
Messages written for each prospect
Expandi personalises with variables, images and GIFs. On Practitioner ($49) and up, ZenMode's AI writes each prospect's connection note and follow-ups from their name, role, company and location, and you can read them on the campaign before you launch it.
For the trade-offs between cloud and desktop LinkedIn tools, see cloud vs desktop LinkedIn automation.
What Expandi does well
Dynamic image personalization
Expandi's personalized images and GIFs in connection requests and messages are a genuinely distinctive feature ZenMode doesn't replicate.
Smart sequences
Expandi's conditional, hosted sequence builder is mature and well documented.
Everything on one plan
Expandi sells one plan with every feature switched on, plus an Agency tier from ten seats, so there is no feature ladder to climb before you get the full sequence builder.
Why people leave Expandi
Expandi averages 4.4 / 5 from 235 reviews (Trustpilot, as of 3 November 2026), and 4.4 on Capterra from 31 (read on 8 September 2026). Trustpilot's breakdown shows 19% one-star reviews (as of 3 November 2026); the themes below come from those.
Account restrictions after connecting
The commonest one-star theme on Trustpilot is a LinkedIn restriction soon after connecting an account; Expandi's terms place that risk on the user.
“Within just a few hours of connecting Expandi, my account was frozen.”
Source: Trustpilot, seen
Charges after the trial and seat counts
Reviewers report the $99 charge continuing while unused, and one team says it was billed for more seats than it used; the terms make fees nonrefundable.
“They keep charging 99USD every month even if you do not use the tool”
Source: Capterra, seen
Campaigns stalling
Both sites carry reports of campaigns that stop or pause without a clear cause, and of a slow app.
“Campaigns stop and pause for no reason. Slow and laggy software.”
Source: Trustpilot, seen
Support quality varies
Support is praised in five-star reviews and criticised in one-star ones; the newest one-star review when read was about support.
“UK Customer, awful service, cannot get anyone competent to help.”
Source: Trustpilot, seen
Lost work and cancelling
One Capterra reviewer lost most of a campaign's work with no restore, and Trustpilot reviewers report friction cancelling; Expandi's help centre says a cancelled subscription cannot be re-activated.
“It deleted 60% of my work and there's no way to bring it back”
Source: Capterra, seen
Cheaper Expandi alternatives
Expandi's only plan is $99 per LinkedIn account per month, or $79 on annual billing. If one account at a steady, paced cadence is all you need, two routes cost a fifth of that or less. ZenMode Novice is $15 a month for one account with the core automation, pacing and daily caps but no AI or voice notes; Practitioner at $49 adds both, with a 14-day trial on every plan. Linked Helper's Standard plan is $15 a month, or $10 on a 12-month plan, as a desktop app with local storage. Dux-Soup, now sold as STACKED, is a desktop app from $55 a month, or $41.25 billed annually. Among cloud tools, Waalaxy Pro is the lowest entry price at €19 per user a month billed yearly, or £34 on monthly billing for a UK visitor (checked 17 September 2026), capped at 300 invitations a month. The saving disappears if you need Expandi's image and GIF personalisation or email steps in one sequence.
Switch to ZenMode if…
- You want AI to write your LinkedIn messages and every reply to land in one inbox
- You manage more than one LinkedIn account and per-account pricing hurts
- You want voice notes in your outreach
- You run Sales Navigator searches and want to import them directly
Stay with Expandi if…
- Dynamic image and GIF personalization is core to your campaigns
- You want a fully hosted cloud tool with no machine to leave on
- You're already invested in Expandi's sequence library
Is Expandi safe for your LinkedIn account?
Expandi runs in the cloud: its pricing page lists 'cloud-based software' and a 'dedicated country-based IP-address' as plan features. Expandi is candid about the rest: its homepage calls it the 'safest LinkedIn automation software on the market', its docs describe automatic warm-up from 5 actions a day to 21, its compliance post says LinkedIn's User Agreement 'prohibits third-party automation of the platform outright', and its terms say 'the use of Expandi is solely a risk taken by the user'. No tool, ZenMode included, can promise an account is never reviewed. ZenMode's part is pacing: actions a few minutes apart, daily limits set from each account's LinkedIn tier and age, and on a campaign where the AI writes every message, the chance to read each one before you launch.
What LinkedIn's rules say
Before you pick a tool, know the rule it works under. Every tool ranked on this page automates activity on LinkedIn, ZenMode included, and LinkedIn's own pages say this about that.
LinkedIn Help: Prohibited software and extensions
“we don't permit the use of any third party software, including "crawlers", bots, browser plug-ins, or browser extensions that scrape, modify the appearance of, or automate activity on LinkedIn's website.”
LinkedIn User Agreement: Section 8.2, Don’ts (members agree they will not)
“Use bots or other unauthorized automated methods to access the Services, add or download contacts, send or redirect messages, create, comment on, like, share, or re-share posts, or otherwise drive inauthentic engagement;”
LinkedIn Help: Account restrictions
“Automated inauthentic activity violates the LinkedIn User Agreement and can result in temporary or permanent restriction of your account.”
LinkedIn Help: Automated activity on LinkedIn
“If your account is restricted for automated activity, we ask that you take the following actions: Review and disable the software or extension that automates activities.”
Where a tool runs changes what LinkedIn sees. It does not change these rules, and no tool on this list, ZenMode included, can promise that an account will not be restricted.
Quoted from LinkedIn's pages as they read on .
How to switch from Expandi to ZenMode
- 1Export from Expandi first. Its help centre documents CSV export from My Contacts, Lead lists and Campaigns: select or filter people, choose 'Mail all contacts as CSV' or 'Mail selected contacts as CSV', enter the email address for the file and click Send.
- 2Pause every running Expandi campaign before connecting the same LinkedIn account elsewhere, so two tools never act on one account at once.
- 3Sign in to LinkedIn in the window the ZenMode app opens, import the CSV or paste a Sales Navigator search URL, and rebuild one sequence at conservative limits.
- 4Cancel Expandi under Subscriptions & Payments: three-dot menu, Cancel subscription, pick a reason, Unsubscribe. A cancelled subscription cannot be re-activated and fees are nonrefundable, so do this just before renewal.
Already using Expandi? Bring your contacts over in minutes.
Export your Expandi leads and import them straight into ZenMode, campaign history and notes included, no data left behind.
ZenMode pricing
One flat monthly subscription that covers multiple LinkedIn accounts, from $15/mo (no-AI Novice) up, with a 14-day trial on every plan and about 17% off on annual billing. Expandi is priced at around $99/month per LinkedIn account, billed per account rather than as a flat plan.
Novice
$15
/mo · 1 account · no AI
Practitioner
$49
/mo · 1 account
300 credits a month
Access to high-intent signals
Master
$99
/mo · 3 accounts
600 credits a month
Access to high-intent signals
Dojo
$149
/mo · 5 accounts
900 credits a month
Access to high-intent signals
Custom
Let's talk
Choose how many LinkedIn accounts
300 credits a month + 150 per extra account
Access to high-intent signals
1 credit = 1 person found or 1 lead researched. Your 14-day trial includes 50 credits.
Expandi pricing vs ZenMode pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Business | $99/month per LinkedIn account, or $79/month billed annually (a 20% discount by Expandi's own pricing FAQ) | All features on one tier: cloud-based software, dedicated country-based IP, auto warm-up, sequence builder, image, GIF and video personalisation, integrations. 7-day trial on the first subscription only; fees nonrefundable. |
| Agency | Custom, from 10 seats | Business plus roles and permissions, centralised campaign management, client reports, a dedicated customer success manager and white label. |
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | $15/month | 1 account, core automation with pacing and daily caps, no AI or voice notes. |
| Practitioner | $49/month | 300 credits a month Access to high-intent signals 1 account, AI message writing and voice notes. |
| Master | $99/month | 600 credits a month Access to high-intent signals 3 accounts, everything in Practitioner. |
| Dojo | $149/month | 900 credits a month Access to high-intent signals 5 accounts, everything in Practitioner. |
| Custom | Let's talk | 300 credits a month + 150 per extra account Access to high-intent signals Choose how many LinkedIn accounts, everything in Dojo. |
Prices from Expandi's pricing page, verified 2026-09-08. ZenMode prices are the current monthly plans; Every plan starts with a 14-day trial.
1 credit = 1 person found or 1 lead researched. Your 14-day trial includes 50 credits.
FAQ
Is ZenMode a safer Expandi alternative?
No tool can promise that, ZenMode included: LinkedIn can restrict any account that automates. What ZenMode does is pace the work, with randomized delays a few minutes apart, daily limits set from the account's LinkedIn tier and age, and business-hours scheduling, and you can read every AI-written message before you launch.
What does Expandi cost, and how does ZenMode's pricing compare?
Expandi is priced at about $99/month per LinkedIn account, billed per account. ZenMode is one flat plan from $15/month (no-AI Novice, 1 account), then $49 Practitioner (adds AI message writing + voice notes), $99 for three accounts and $149 for five — so once you run more than one profile, ZenMode's flat pricing pulls ahead. Every plan includes a 14-day trial.
Does ZenMode support Sales Navigator like Expandi?
Yes — ZenMode natively imports Sales Navigator search URLs, so a saved SN search becomes a campaign directly. Contacts are resolved to standard LinkedIn profiles before any action is taken.
What does ZenMode have that Expandi doesn't?
ZenMode adds AI-generated voice notes (via your own ElevenLabs key), AI-written messages you can read before you launch, every reply in one inbox, and flat multi-account pricing instead of per-account billing. Expandi's edge is dynamic image and GIF personalization, which ZenMode doesn't offer.
How much does ZenMode cost and is there a trial?
ZenMode starts at $15/month for the no-AI Novice tier (1 LinkedIn account). With AI message writing and voice notes it's $49 for one account (Practitioner), $99 for three, $149 for five, and a Custom plan for more accounts. Every plan includes a 14-day trial, and annual billing saves about 17%.
How much does Expandi cost?
Expandi costs $99 per LinkedIn account per month on its Business plan, or $79 a month billed annually, which its pricing page calls a 20% discount. There is one feature tier: the FAQ says 'we have one base plan of 99 USD which includes all features'. Agency is custom-priced from 10 seats. The 7-day trial covers only your first subscription and fees are nonrefundable. ZenMode starts at $15 a month. Verified 8 September 2026.
What is the best LinkedIn automation tool?
There is no single best tool; the three architectures suit different people. Cloud platforms such as Expandi, Dripify and HeyReach run from vendor servers on a supplied IP. Browser extensions such as Octopus CRM run inside the LinkedIn tab you keep open. Linked Helper is a desktop program that sends while the computer is on. Review averages are close (Expandi holds 4.4 / 5 from 235 reviews (Trustpilot, as of 3 November 2026)), so choose on how it runs, account count and price.
What is a free alternative to LinkedIn Sales Navigator?
Start with LinkedIn's own free people search. LinkedIn also offers a Sales Navigator free trial to members not on a paid subscription who have not used a trial in the past 365 days; Core itself is US$119.99 a month or US$1,079.88 a year. For free prospect data, Apollo's Free plan is $0 with 900 credits a year and two sequences. ZenMode does not require Sales Navigator: it works from a LinkedIn search, a pasted list or a CSV. Checked 8 September 2026.
What is the biggest competitor to LinkedIn?
By its own figures LinkedIn has no rival of the same kind: its About page says 'more than 1 billion members in more than 200 countries and territories' and calls itself 'the world's largest professional network'. Competition comes by use case: regional networks such as Xing in German-speaking Europe, and contact databases such as Apollo for prospecting data. We could not verify a current member count for either on their own sites on 8 September 2026, so none is given.
Compare ZenMode to other tools
Try ZenMode as your Expandi alternative
Find the right people on LinkedIn, let AI write the messages, read them before you launch, and answer every reply from one inbox. Plans from $15/mo; 14-day trial on every plan.
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