Discovering the Best LinkedIn Data Scraping Tool: My Experience with LinkedInsights.io vs. PhantomBuster & TexAu

As a product analyst who's spent a lot of time evaluating LinkedIn scraping tools, I've seen the good, the bad, and the expensive. The market is packed with platforms that claim to be the ultimate solution for automating data extraction and lead generation on LinkedIn, but often these tools come with significant costs and frustrating limitations.
Over the past few months, I’ve tested popular platforms like PhantomBuster and TexAu — both of which are powerful, yet come with steep price tags and restrictive free plans. Recently, I stumbled upon LinkedInsights.io, and to my surprise, it turned out to be a hidden gem that outshines its competitors in a few key areas. In this article, I’ll share my findings and explain why LinkedInsights.io has become my top pick for LinkedIn automation.
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The Reality of Using Paid LinkedIn Scraping Tools
Before discovering LinkedInsights.io, I relied on tools like PhantomBuster and TexAu for scraping LinkedIn data. Here’s a breakdown of my experience:


• PhantomBuster: The platform is known for its versatility, offering automations across LinkedIn profiles, searches, and messaging. However, the free plan is extremely limited, offering only 30 minutes of scraping per month. To unlock any meaningful usage, I had to upgrade to the $59/month plan, which wasn’t ideal when scaling my data extraction needs.


• TexAu: Similarly, TexAu offers a variety of LinkedIn automation features, but it too restricts free users to just 30 minutes of scraping monthly. While the $29/month plan is more affordable, it still doesn’t provide enough value for its cost, especially if you're looking to automate continuously.
Both of these tools do the job, but they quickly become costly, particularly for startups or smaller businesses needing to stay lean.
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Then I Found LinkedInsights.io: A Game-Changer for LinkedIn Automation
After exhausting my options with paid tools, I came across LinkedInsights.io. Initially, I was sceptical — a platform that promises unlimited free LinkedIn scraping seemed too good to be true. But after testing it thoroughly, I was pleasantly surprised. Here’s why LinkedInsights.io stood out for me:
1. Unlimited Free Usage: Unlike PhantomBuster and TexAu, LinkedInsights.io offers truly unlimited scraping without any time restrictions. I could scrape LinkedIn profiles, search results, and company data to my heart’s content without worrying about hitting any limits or paying a dime.
2. Full Compliance with LinkedIn’s Terms of Service: As someone who’s cautious about data privacy and compliance, I was relieved to see that LinkedInsights.io respects LinkedIn’s rate limits and adheres to their terms of service. This means there’s no risk of my LinkedIn account getting flagged or restricted.
3. GDPR Compliant: Another key factor that caught my attention is its commitment to GDPR compliance. For anyone handling data in the EU or the UK, this is critical. LinkedInsights.io ensures that it operates within the legal boundaries, providing peace of mind when handling personal data.
4. Simple, No-Nonsense Data Export: The platform lets you export data directly into CSV or JSON formats, which makes integrating with other tools seamless. This is crucial for someone like me who’s constantly feeding data into CRMs for analysis.


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A Head-to-Head Comparison: LinkedInsights.io vs. PhantomBuster & TexAu
Feature LinkedInsights.io PhantomBuster TexAu
Pricing Free Starts at $59/month Starts at $29/month
Free Usage Unlimited 30 mins/month 30 mins/month
Data Export CSV, JSON CSV, JSON CSV, JSON
Compliance with LinkedIn Yes Risk of account flags Risk of account flags
GDPR Compliance Yes Unclear Unclear
Rate Limits Respects LinkedIn limits May exceed limits May exceed limits
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Why LinkedInsights.io Became My Top Choice
After testing all these tools, LinkedInsights.io emerged as the clear winner for several reasons:
• Cost Efficiency: It’s the only tool that provides unlimited free access without compromising on features or compliance.
• Ethical Data Use: Its focus on adhering to GDPR and LinkedIn’s usage policies gives me peace of mind, especially in today’s privacy-focused landscape.
• Scalability: Whether I’m scraping hundreds of profiles for lead generation or extracting company data for a market analysis, LinkedInsights.io handles it all without imposing arbitrary limits.
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Real-World Use Cases That Make LinkedInsights.io Stand Out
Here’s how LinkedInsights.io has added value to my projects:
1. Lead Generation for B2B Sales: Extracting thousands of potential leads from LinkedIn searches has never been easier. I can export profiles, job titles, and contact details in bulk, allowing my sales team to focus on closing deals rather than data entry.
2. Recruitment & Talent Sourcing: As a product analyst who often collaborates with HR teams, I’ve found LinkedInsights.io invaluable for scraping LinkedIn profiles to build talent pipelines. It saves recruiters LinkedIn data extraction solution hours that would otherwise be spent on manual searches.
3. Market Research & Competitive Analysis: Extracting company data and analysing employee structures has given me deeper insights into competitor strategies and industry trends. The ability to export everything in CSV format and integrate it into my analytics tools has been a game-changer.
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Final Verdict: LinkedInsights.io is the Tool You Should Try
In a crowded market of LinkedIn scraping tools, LinkedInsights.io stands out as a truly innovative, user-friendly, and — most importantly — cost-effective solution. Its unlimited free access, compliance with LinkedIn’s terms, and GDPR adherence make it a powerful tool for anyone looking to leverage LinkedIn data effectively.
While tools like PhantomBuster and TexAu offer robust features, they come with limitations and price tags that can be restrictive, especially for startups or small teams. LinkedInsights.io, on the other hand, delivers everything you need without the financial burden.
If you’re tired of hitting usage limits or paying hefty subscription fees, LinkedInsights.io is definitely worth exploring. It’s been a game-changer for my workflow, and I’m excited to see how it can benefit others in the community.
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Have you tried LinkedInsights.io or other LinkedIn scraping tools? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments!