Manual prospecting is dead. In 2025, the fastest-growing sales teams are leveraging AI and automation to find leads, enrich data, and launch outreach — without lifting a finger.
If you’re scaling outbound, the right tool can help you 10x your prospecting efforts with no-code workflows, CRM syncing, and smart LinkedIn scraping.
In this guide, we compare Clay, Surfe, and PhantomBuster — three leading sales automation platforms — across enrichment power, integrations, flexibility, and pricing.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Clay | Surfe | PhantomBuster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Data enrichment + AI logic | CRM + LinkedIn connector | Web scraping + automations |
| LinkedIn Integration | ✅ Yes (deep scrape) | ✅ Native Chrome extension | ✅ Yes (via agents) |
| CRM Sync | ✅ HubSpot, Salesforce | ✅ HubSpot, Salesforce | ⚠️ Manual/API-based |
| Enrichment Sources | 50+ APIs (Apollo, Clearbit) | Native + CRM sync | 20+ site integrations |
| Workflow Automation | ✅ Yes (AI + filters) | ❌ Manual syncing only | ✅ Yes (multi-step sequences) |
| AI Enrichment & Filtering | ✅ Smart blocks | ❌ Basic only | ⚠️ Via scripts/logic |
| Email Finder | ✅ Yes (Apollo, Hunter, etc.) | ❌ (use with CRM) | ✅ Via agents |
| Pricing Starts At | $149/month | €23/month/user | $69/month |
1. Clay
Overview:
Clay is a powerful prospecting and enrichment engine for modern outbound teams. It combines 50+ data sources with custom filters, enrichment blocks, and AI logic — all without code.
Best For:
Sales teams, lead gen agencies, B2B startups using data-rich outreach.
Key Features:
- Connect 50+ data sources (LinkedIn, Apollo, Hunter, etc.)
- AI filters: job change, funding, tech stack, keywords
- Dynamic columns, deduplication, scoring
- Zapier, Make, and API integrations
- Works with Google Sheets, CRMs, and email tools
Pros:
✔ Best-in-class enrichment logic
✔ Visual no-code workflows
✔ Extremely scalable for SDRs & growth hackers
✔ Helps build laser-targeted lead lists
Cons:
✖ Learning curve
✖ Requires strong data strategy
✖ High starting price
Pricing:
- Starts at $149/month
- Free trial available (with limited enrichment)
2. Surfe
Overview:
Surfe is a LinkedIn-to-CRM connector that lives in your browser and lets you push prospects directly into your CRM — without copy-pasting anything.
Best For:
Sales reps, founders, and SDRs manually working from LinkedIn.
Key Features:
- Push LinkedIn profiles directly to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive
- Enrich contacts with email & phone (via integrations)
- Track messages and touchpoints
- Chrome extension overlay
- Syncs LinkedIn activity to CRM
Pros:
✔ Super easy to use
✔ Real-time CRM updates from LinkedIn
✔ Saves hours of manual entry
✔ GDPR compliant
Cons:
✖ No built-in enrichment engine
✖ No automation or scraping
✖ More of a connector than a full stack tool
Pricing:
- Free plan available
- Paid plans from €23/month/user
3. PhantomBuster
Overview:
PhantomBuster is a powerful web automation and data scraping tool with 100+ prebuilt workflows (“Phantoms”) that automate everything from LinkedIn scraping to lead gen.
Best For:
Scrapers, automation geeks, and outbound marketers.
Key Features:
- 100+ automation Phantoms
- LinkedIn search export + enrichment
- Multi-step workflows (e.g., find → verify → outreach)
- API access + browser scheduling
- Export to CSV, Google Sheets, or webhook
Pros:
✔ Powerful scraping automation
✔ Great for non-API lead sources
✔ Customizable multi-step flows
✔ Ideal for cold outreach campaigns
Cons:
✖ Not beginner-friendly
✖ No visual UI like Clay
✖ Needs proxy rotation for scale
Pricing:
- Free tier (limited executions)
- Paid starts at $69/month
Use Case Recommendations
| Use Case | Best Tool |
|---|---|
| AI-powered prospecting workflows | Clay |
| Add LinkedIn leads to CRM easily | Surfe |
| Scrape + automate multi-channel | PhantomBuster |
| Team collaboration + filtering | Clay |
| Solo sales reps on LinkedIn | Surfe |
| Cold outreach campaigns at scale | PhantomBuster |
Final Verdict
- Choose Clay if you want to combine AI + enrichment to build highly targeted lead lists with real-time data.
- Use Surfe if your team is on LinkedIn and needs to sync directly with your CRM in one click.
- Go with PhantomBuster if you’re comfortable with scraping, and want to build custom outreach automations at scale.
