Most people leaving a social-selling CRM are really choosing between two kinds of software: a full CRM that tracks deals, or an outreach tool that sends LinkedIn and email sequences. Many teams need one of each. Work out which job you're replacing, then run a real prospecting week in each trial and see where the replies land.
Is it the CRM half you've outgrown, or the outreach half? That's the question to answer before you look at anything else, because Breakcold pitches itself as a CRM that also reaches out across several channels, and very few tools do both. Below are nine alternatives, in no particular order, sorted by the job each one does.
Full CRM or outreach engine: which half are you replacing?
A combined tool hides a split that becomes obvious the moment you leave. One half stores your deals, contacts and notes. The other half sends connection requests, messages and follow-ups. When you move, you'll probably find the best fit for each half comes from a different product.
- If your pipeline's the mess, start with the CRMs and keep your current outreach running while you switch.
- If prospecting's the gap, start with the outreach tools and plug them into whatever CRM you already trust.
- If you mostly need to stay in touch with people you already know, a personal CRM may be all you need.
That last group gets overlooked. Plenty of founders buy a sales CRM when what they wanted was a reminder to message a contact every few months.
Three jobs, three groups of tools
CRMs. Attio, Close, folk, Salesflare and Streak are CRMs. They differ in where they sit. One runs inside Gmail, one is built around calling, email and SMS, and the others are standalone apps for pipelines and accounts. None of them is mainly a LinkedIn automation tool.
A personal relationship CRM. Dex is a personal CRM. It's for keeping track of your own network with reminders, notes and timelines rather than running a sales team's pipeline.
LinkedIn and multichannel outreach. Waalaxy, Meet Alfred and La Growth Machine are outreach tools, not full CRMs. They send LinkedIn steps, and in different mixes they add email, calls or X follow-ups. Most buyers will pair one of them with a CRM rather than use it alone.
Want more on the LinkedIn side? My roundup of CRMs that work well with LinkedIn goes further, and if you're weighing a better-known pipeline tool, see my Pipedrive alternatives.
Nine tools for social sellers, in no particular order
Attio
Best for: Revenue teams wanting a CRM to build pipeline, advance deals and grow accounts, which the vendor describes as working around the clock.
Close
Best for: Inside sales teams who call, email and text from one CRM, with automation and an AI sales agent built in, per the vendor.
Dex
Best for: Founders and consultants who want a personal CRM pulling LinkedIn, email and daily tools together, with reminders, notes and timelines.
folk
Best for: Small teams wanting one AI CRM for prospecting, engaging and closing deals, which the vendor calls a platform for the whole sales motion.
La Growth Machine
Best for: B2B sellers who run LinkedIn, email and call steps in one sequence, with a shared inbox and CRM sync.
Meet Alfred
Best for: Solo sellers and agencies automating LinkedIn outreach with email and X follow-ups from one tool.
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Salesflare
Best for: B2B small businesses wanting a CRM that captures data automatically, which the vendor sums up as the CRM that keeps itself up to date.
Streak
Best for: Gmail-based teams who want deals and relationships managed from the inbox, with the CRM filling itself from inbox activity, according to the vendor.
Waalaxy
Best for: Prospectors who live on LinkedIn and want automated LinkedIn and email campaigns without a complex setup, as the vendor puts it.
Side by side: CRMs, personal CRMs and outreach tools
| Tool | Job it does | Strongest when |
|---|---|---|
| Attio | Revenue CRM | Building pipeline and growing accounts |
| Close | Sales CRM with calling | Teams who follow up by phone, email and SMS |
| Dex | Personal relationship CRM | Keeping in touch with a personal network |
| folk | AI CRM | Prospecting, engaging and closing in one place |
| La Growth Machine | Multichannel outreach | LinkedIn, email and call sequences together |
| Meet Alfred | LinkedIn automation | LinkedIn outreach with email and X follow-ups |
| Salesflare | Small business B2B CRM | B2B teams who hate typing data in |
| Streak | CRM inside Gmail | Running deals from the Gmail inbox |
| Waalaxy | LinkedIn and email outreach | LinkedIn-led prospecting with little setup |
Advice for social sellers before you switch
Don't try to replace an all-in-one tool with another all-in-one tool by default. Pick the CRM you'd be happy to keep for years, because moving deals and notes is the painful part. Then pick outreach separately, because outreach tools are easier to swap if LinkedIn changes its rules or a sequence stops working.
If you're a solo founder, be honest about volume. A personal CRM and a handful of manual messages each week often beat a heavy automation setup. If you run a small sales team, make sure every reply, whether it comes in on LinkedIn or email, ends up attached to the right contact in the CRM. That one test will rule out more tools than any feature list.
A one-week prospecting trial plan
- Pick twenty real prospects you'd contact anyway, and load the same list into each trial.
- Send the same opening message and the same follow-up through each tool.
- Reply to yourself from a test account on LinkedIn and on email, and see where each reply shows up.
- Move one conversation into a deal and check the history comes with it.
- At the end of the week, count how many times you had to copy and paste between tools. Fewer is better.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a LinkedIn automation tool the same as a CRM?
No. Outreach tools send connection requests, messages and follow-ups. A CRM stores your deals, contacts and notes over time. Some outreach tools sync with a CRM, but they don't replace one.
Do I need both a CRM and an outreach tool?
If you prospect on LinkedIn at any volume, usually yes. The outreach tool finds and contacts people, and the CRM keeps track of what happens after they reply.
What's a personal CRM?
It's a lighter tool for keeping in touch with your own network. It reminds you who to contact and keeps notes on each person, without sales pipelines or team reporting.
Is LinkedIn automation allowed?
LinkedIn sets its own rules on automation and they change, so read its current user agreement before you run any automated campaign, and keep volumes sensible.
How do I move deals from one CRM to another?
Export your contacts, companies and deals as files, then import them in that order so the links between them survive. Test with a small batch first and check the notes came across.
