The best LinkedIn automation tools in 2026 are Waalaxy for beginners and a free plan, Expandi for cloud-based sequences, HeyReach for agencies running lots of accounts, and La Growth Machine or lemlist if you want LinkedIn and email in one campaign. Dripify, Linked Helper, PhantomBuster and Dux-Soup are solid alternatives.
I've used LinkedIn for business since it was a slightly awkward place full of CVs. It's now where a lot of B2B deals start, and that's why so many people want to automate the boring parts: visiting profiles, sending connection requests and following up with people who never replied.
There are dozens of tools that promise to do this for you. Some are good. Some will get your account restricted in a week. I've put together nine linkedin automation tools that are well established, and I've stuck to what each one says about itself on its own website. Treat this as a shortlist to trial, not a verdict, and read the safety section before you switch anything on.
If you're still deciding whether automation belongs in your LinkedIn plan at all, I wrote about that question in whether LinkedIn automation tools help with outreach. This post is the practical follow-up: which tools, for whom.
What LinkedIn automation tools do
Most of these tools do the same core job. You give them a list of people, usually from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search, and they run a sequence of actions for you. A typical sequence looks like this:
- Visit the person's profile so they see your name.
- Send a connection request, with or without a short note.
- If they accept, send a first message.
- If they don't reply, send a follow-up a few days later.
- Stop as soon as they reply, so a human can take over.
Where the tools differ is in how they run (in the cloud, in your browser or as a desktop app), whether they add email to the mix, how many LinkedIn accounts you can manage, and how careful they are about pacing. Those differences matter far more than the length of the feature list.
LinkedIn automation tools compared
| Tool | Best for | How it runs | Channels | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waalaxy | Beginners and solo users | Cloud with browser extension | LinkedIn and email | Free plan |
| Expandi | Cloud-based sequences | Cloud | LinkedIn and email | Free trial |
| HeyReach | Agencies with many senders | Cloud | Free trial | |
| La Growth Machine | Multichannel B2B outreach | Cloud | LinkedIn, email and voice notes | Free trial |
| lemlist | Email-first teams adding LinkedIn | Cloud | Email, LinkedIn and calls | Free trial |
| Dripify | Simple drip campaigns | Cloud | Free trial | |
| Linked Helper | Hands-on users who want control | Desktop app | Free trial | |
| PhantomBuster | Data extraction and workflows | Cloud | LinkedIn and other platforms | Free trial |
| Dux-Soup | Browser-based prospecting | Browser extension, with a cloud option | Free trial |
Trial lengths and plan limits change often, so check the current terms on each site before you sign up.
The best LinkedIn automation tools
1. Waalaxy
Waalaxy is a prospecting tool built around LinkedIn, with email added on top. You import prospects from a LinkedIn search, pick a ready-made sequence and let it run. It's one of the friendlier tools on this list, and it's popular with people automating LinkedIn for the first time.
Who it suits: freelancers, consultants, founders and small sales teams who want to start small and learn how automation works without a big setup.
What stands out: there's a free plan with no time limit. It's limited to a small number of actions per day, but that's enough to test a sequence and see how people respond. The campaign templates also make it hard to build something reckless by accident.
Watch out for: the free plan is a taster, not a working pipeline. If LinkedIn becomes a real lead source for you, you'll outgrow it quickly.
2. Expandi
Expandi is a cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool. It runs from its own servers rather than your browser, so campaigns keep going when your laptop is shut. It's known for its smart sequences, which branch depending on what the prospect does.
Who it suits: sales teams and experienced marketers who want more control over their sequences and like testing different messages against each other.
What stands out: the sequence builder and A/B testing. You can try two different opening messages and see which one gets more replies, which is the only honest way to improve outreach. It also adds personalisation options, so messages don't all read like a template.
Watch out for: the extra control is only useful if you use it. If you just want to send a connection request and one follow-up, a simpler tool will do the job with less setup.
3. HeyReach
HeyReach is built for running outreach across many LinkedIn accounts at once. Rather than each person running their own campaign, you connect several sender accounts and spread the activity between them, all from one dashboard.
Who it suits: lead generation agencies, outbound teams and anyone managing LinkedIn outreach for several clients or colleagues.
What stands out: the multi-account setup. It has a unified inbox for replies across every connected account, which saves a lot of switching between profiles. Its site talks about agency plans designed around adding senders without the cost climbing per seat.
Watch out for: it's overkill for one person. If you're only running your own profile, you'll pay for scale you don't need.
4. La Growth Machine
La Growth Machine is a French multichannel outreach platform. It combines LinkedIn and email in one sequence, and can add LinkedIn voice messages too. Replies from every channel land in one shared inbox.
Who it suits: B2B companies and agencies whose buyers are reachable on both LinkedIn and email, and who want one sequence to handle both.
What stands out: the multichannel logic. If someone doesn't accept your connection request, the sequence can switch to email instead of stalling. The shared inbox means you're not flicking between Gmail and LinkedIn messages to see who replied.
Watch out for: multichannel sequences take more planning. If your email data is poor, the email steps will bounce and hurt your sending domain, so clean your list first.
5. lemlist
lemlist started as a cold email tool and has grown into a multichannel outreach platform. It now includes LinkedIn steps, such as profile visits, invitations and messages, alongside email and calls in the same campaign. It also has a built-in lead database for finding prospects.
Who it suits: teams whose outreach is mostly email and who want LinkedIn as a supporting channel rather than the main event.
What stands out: having email, LinkedIn and lead finding under one roof. If you're already running cold email, adding a LinkedIn touch in the middle of a sequence is easy and often lifts reply rates.
Watch out for: it's an email tool first. If LinkedIn is your main channel, a LinkedIn-first tool like Expandi or Waalaxy will feel more natural.
6. Dripify
Dripify is a LinkedIn automation tool built around drip campaigns. You build a sequence visually, step by step, and it runs in the cloud. Its help pages say it works with all LinkedIn account types, including free accounts.
Who it suits: small businesses and sales people who want a clear, visual way to set up follow-ups without learning a complicated system.
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What stands out: the visual campaign builder is simple to follow, and there's team management if you want a manager to see what each person is running.
Watch out for: there's no free plan, only a short free trial, so plan your test before you start the clock.
7. Linked Helper
Linked Helper is a desktop application rather than a cloud service. It runs on your own computer and works through LinkedIn in a built-in browser. It's been around for a long time and has a loyal following among hands-on users.
Who it suits: people who like to see exactly what the tool is doing and prefer to keep things on their own machine.
What stands out: the range of actions and the amount of control. It includes a simple built-in CRM for tracking prospects, and you can run fairly complex campaigns once you know your way around.
Watch out for: because it runs on your computer, your computer needs to be on for campaigns to run. The interface also takes some getting used to.
8. PhantomBuster
PhantomBuster is a broader automation platform. It uses ready-made automations it calls Phantoms to pull data from LinkedIn and other platforms, and to run actions such as auto-connecting or messaging. You can chain them into workflows.
Who it suits: growth marketers and technical users who want to build lead lists and enrich data, not just send messages.
What stands out: the flexibility. You can scrape a list of event attendees, enrich it, then send it to your CRM or another tool. It covers more than LinkedIn, so one account can handle several jobs.
Watch out for: it's a toolbox, not a guided outreach tool. If you want a simple connect-and-follow-up sequence, you'll find it less direct than the others. Scraping also carries its own risk on LinkedIn, so go gently.
9. Dux-Soup
Dux-Soup is one of the longest-running LinkedIn automation tools. It started as a browser extension that works while you're on LinkedIn, and now also offers a cloud option so campaigns can run without your browser open.
Who it suits: solo users and small teams who want something straightforward and like the idea of a tool that sits in the browser they already use.
What stands out: it's simple to get going, and it can visit profiles, send connection requests and follow-up messages, and export prospect data to a CSV or CRM.
Watch out for: the browser-based version only works while your browser is running on LinkedIn. If you want campaigns running around the clock, check which version you're signing up for.
How to choose a LinkedIn automation tool
Start with how you'll use it, not the feature list. Here's how I'd narrow it down:
- You're new to automation: Waalaxy. The free plan lets you test the idea before you pay for anything.
- You want LinkedIn to be your main channel: Expandi or Dripify.
- You run outreach for several people or clients: HeyReach.
- Your buyers read email as much as LinkedIn: La Growth Machine or lemlist.
- You like control and don't mind a learning curve: Linked Helper or PhantomBuster.
- You want something simple in your browser: Dux-Soup.
Whatever you pick, the tool matters less than the list and the message. A perfect sequence sent to the wrong people is still spam. Spend more time on who you target and what you say than on which buttons the software has.
It also helps to have a profile and a feed worth landing on. When someone accepts your request, the first thing they do is look at your profile and recent posts. My guide on how to grow on LinkedIn as a B2B founder covers that side, and if writing posts is the bottleneck, try my ChatGPT prompts for LinkedIn posts. If you need a wider pipeline than LinkedIn alone, have a look at my list of the best lead generation tools for marketing agencies.
Using LinkedIn automation without losing your account
Here's the part most roundups skip. LinkedIn's own user agreement doesn't allow third-party software that automates activity on the site. Every tool on this list works around that, and LinkedIn does restrict accounts it thinks are automated. That doesn't mean you can't use these tools, but you should go in with your eyes open.
- Go slowly. Start with a handful of connection requests a day and build up over weeks. Sudden spikes are what get noticed.
- Keep your acceptance rate healthy. Lots of ignored or declined requests is a warning sign. Target people who have a reason to connect with you.
- Don't pitch in the first message. Say why you're connecting. Save the offer until there's a conversation.
- Stop the sequence when someone replies. Every tool here can do it. Make sure it's switched on.
- Stay active yourself. A profile that only sends automated messages looks like a bot. Post, comment and reply like a human.
- Never automate on an account you can't afford to lose. If your personal profile is your business, be extra careful.
My rule is simple: automate the admin, never the relationship. Let the tool send the follow-up. Write the conversation yourself.
Building a tool in this space? Here's how tools get considered for my roundups.
For the rest of the series, see the LinkedIn Help: 28 Guides to Profile Views, Impressions, Algorithm and Account Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Is LinkedIn automation allowed?
LinkedIn's user agreement doesn't permit third-party software that automates activity on the platform, and it can restrict accounts it thinks are breaking that rule. Many businesses still use these tools. If you do, keep your activity slow and human, and accept that there's a risk.
Is there a free LinkedIn automation tool?
Waalaxy has a free plan with no time limit, though it only allows a small number of actions a day. Most of the others on this list offer a free trial rather than a free plan, so you can test them before paying.
Which is safer, cloud-based or browser-based automation?
Neither is completely safe. Cloud tools run campaigns from their own servers, which keeps things going when your computer is off. Browser and desktop tools run from your own machine. What keeps your account safer is pacing and message quality, not where the tool runs.
Do I need Sales Navigator to use these tools?
No. Several tools, including Dripify, say they work with free LinkedIn accounts. Sales Navigator does give you better search filters, which makes your lists more accurate, so it's worth considering if LinkedIn is a big channel for you.
Can I run LinkedIn and email outreach from one tool?
Yes. La Growth Machine and lemlist are built for that, and Waalaxy and Expandi add email steps too. A multichannel sequence can switch to email when someone doesn't accept your connection request.
