Is InsightSocial cheaper than PhantomBuster?

For getting social data into a spreadsheet, yes. InsightSocial Pro is $9.99 a month for 10,000 exported rows, with scraping itself unmetered. PhantomBuster starts at $69 a month ($56 billed yearly) for 20 hours of execution time. The comparison is not like for like, though: PhantomBuster's price also buys outreach automation, cloud running and work-email credits, none of which InsightSocial offers.

Can I export people who liked or commented on a LinkedIn post without PhantomBuster?

Yes. Open the post in Chrome and the InsightSocial extension exports the people who reacted and the people who commented, with their names, headlines and profile links, to CSV, Excel or Google Sheets. It runs in your own logged-in session, so there is no account to connect and no Phantom to configure.

Does InsightSocial send LinkedIn connection requests or messages?

No, and it will not. InsightSocial only reads data you can already see; it never clicks, follows, connects or messages on your behalf. Automated outreach is the part of PhantomBuster that carries most of the account risk, and it is the main reason to stay on PhantomBuster if you need it.

Is InsightSocial safer for my account than PhantomBuster?

It works in a lower-risk way, though no scraping method is risk-free. PhantomBuster runs in its cloud and acts through the accounts you connect, so your account is active from servers that are not yours. InsightSocial runs inside your own Chrome, on your own IP and session, at the pace you scroll, and never takes actions on the account. For high volume, a secondary account is still sensible.

What happens when I run out of PhantomBuster execution time?

According to PhantomBuster's pricing page, your automations pause until the execution time resets or you move to a bigger plan, with no automatic overage charge. InsightSocial has no time meter at all: you can keep scraping and browsing results after your export credits run out, and buy a one-time credit pack if you need more rows that month.

Can InsightSocial run while my computer is off?

Through the API, yes: call it from your own cron job, server or n8n workflow and nothing needs to be open. The Chrome extension, scheduled scrapes included, needs Chrome running. If you want unattended cloud runs without writing any code, PhantomBuster does that and InsightSocial does not.

Can I use InsightSocial from an AI assistant or n8n, like PhantomBuster's MCP server?

Yes. InsightSocial has an MCP server (npx -y insightsocial mcp) for Claude, Cursor, Codex and other MCP clients, an n8n community node (n8n-nodes-insightsocial), and a REST API whose public GET /v1/endpoints catalogue lists every path, parameter and price. New accounts get 10 free API calls.

Which platforms does InsightSocial support?

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Threads, YouTube, Reddit and Pinterest, each with a purpose-built extractor. PhantomBuster covers more than 15 platforms and is strongest on LinkedIn, including Sales Navigator; for sources outside social media, such as Google Maps, it is the broader option.

Do I have to give InsightSocial my social media password or cookies?

Never. The extension works alongside the session you are already signed into in Chrome. You sign in to InsightSocial itself with Google, and you never paste a password or session cookie anywhere.

Comparison

InsightSocial vs PhantomBuster

The data half of PhantomBuster, without the cloud login or the $69 entry price. Scrape in your own browser, pay only for the rows you export.

The short answer

PhantomBuster is an outbound automation platform: cloud Phantoms that scrape a list, enrich it with work emails, then send the connection requests and follow-up messages for you, with your browser closed. If you want that whole loop on autopilot, it is the stronger tool and this page will not pretend otherwise. Most people who search for an alternative only need the first step, the data. InsightSocial does that step and nothing else. The Chrome extension exports posts, comments, reactions, followers and profiles from 9 social platforms out of the tab you already have open, on your own logged-in session. Scraping is unlimited on every plan; you spend credits only on the rows you export, 500 a month free and 10,000 on Pro for $9.99.

Add to Chrome - Free See pricing

InsightSocial vs PhantomBuster, feature by feature

A green check marks where each tool genuinely wins. Both columns have them.

Feature	InsightSocial	PhantomBuster
What you pay per month	$0 free (500 exported rows) or $9.99 Pro (10,000)	$69 Start, $159 Grow, $439 Scale ($56 / $128 / $352 billed yearly)
Free plan	Free forever: unlimited scraping, 500 exported rows a month, no credit card	14-day trial: 2 hours of execution time, exports limited to 10 rows
What is metered	Exported rows only. Scraping and browsing results are unmetered	Execution time, automation slots, email credits, AI credits and URL-finder credits, each with its own monthly cap
Where the scrape runs	In your own Chrome, on your own IP and session, at the speed you scroll	On PhantomBuster's cloud servers, acting through your connected accounts
Setup before first export	Install the extension, open the page, click Scrape	Connect your account, pick a Phantom or Workflow, set its inputs, launch
Runs with your browser closed	The API does. Extension scrapes, scheduled ones included, need Chrome open	Yes, fully cloud-hosted
Outreach: connection requests, messages, follow-ups	Not offered, by design. InsightSocial reads data and never acts on your account	Built in, chained with scraping in ready-made Workflows
Work-email finding for B2B leads	Not offered. Pro follows link-in-bio pages for public emails and phones instead	Email credits on every plan (500 to 10,000 a month)
CRM sync	Export to CSV, Excel, JSON or Google Sheets	HubSpot and other CRMs, plus n8n, Zapier and Make
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Reddit and Pinterest	A purpose-built extractor per platform, reading the fields its own app loads	LinkedIn-first; other platforms through individual Phantoms
Private groups and your own feed	Yes, anything you can see by scrolling, in your own session	Public data only, per its own FAQ
Use from an AI assistant or n8n	MCP server, n8n community node and a REST API with published per-endpoint prices	MCP server, n8n, Zapier and Make
Ask questions of your data in plain English	Built-in AI chat over every scrape (Pro)	Not included

Replacing a PhantomBuster actor from code?

Pricing, side by side

Published list prices, checked on 5 October 2026.

InsightSocial

Free: $0/mo
Pro monthly: $9.99/mo
Pro yearly: $7.99/mo

PhantomBuster

Trial: $0 for 14 days
Start: $69/mo
Grow: $159/mo
Scale: $439/mo

PhantomBuster's plans are allowances of execution time: the minutes its cloud spends running your Phantoms, whether or not a run returns rows. Slow pages and rate limits consume it the same as productive runs. When the month's time runs out, automations pause until it resets or you move up a plan; PhantomBuster does not bill overage automatically. Email, AI and URL-finder credits are separate allowances on top. InsightSocial meters one thing, rows you export, and shows the count before you spend anything; one-time credit packs cover a month that runs over.

Check PhantomBuster’s current pricing

Execution time is billed for running, not for results

A PhantomBuster plan is a monthly budget of cloud running time. A Phantom spends it from the moment it launches, so a run that crawls slowly, waits out a rate limit or retries a blocked page spends the same hours as one that returns a full list. Two people running the same scrape can use very different amounts, and neither knows how much until it is done.

Start includes 20 hours a month, Grow 80, Scale 300
Slots cap how many Phantoms run at once: 5, 15 or 50
Email, AI and URL-finder credits are separate monthly caps
Run out of time and automations pause until the month resets
InsightSocial has no time meter: a slow scrape costs the same as a fast one, nothing until you export

Your account, someone else's servers

Phantoms run in PhantomBuster's cloud and act through the social accounts you connect to it, which is how they keep running after you close the laptop. It also means your LinkedIn or Instagram account is active from servers that are not yours. The InsightSocial extension works the other way round: it reads the data the page has already loaded in your own Chrome, so the requests come from your IP, with your session, at the speed you scroll. No scraping method is free of risk, but this is the conservative end.

Nothing to connect: the extension uses the session you are already signed into
No password or cookie is ever sent to InsightSocial
No auto-connect or auto-message, which is the step that carries most of the account risk
Private groups and your own feed are reachable, because you can already see them

If you only need the data half

Many PhantomBuster workflows start with an extraction, then hand the list to outreach. If you do the outreach yourself, or in a tool you already use, the extraction is all you need, and InsightSocial covers it on 9 platforms.

LinkedIn: people who liked or commented on a post, profiles, companies and posts
Instagram: followers, following, hashtag posts, comments and profiles, plus bio-link emails on Pro
Facebook: group, page and profile posts with comments and reactions
TikTok, Threads and X/Twitter: posts, comments and profiles; plus YouTube comments, Reddit posts and comments, and Pinterest search
Export to CSV, Excel, JSON or straight to Google Sheets

If you want it to run unattended

The extension's scheduled scrapes fire from your browser, so Chrome has to be open. For jobs that must run with the laptop closed, the InsightSocial API returns the same kinds of public data from a plain GET request: call it from your own cron, an n8n workflow or an AI agent. It runs on the same credit balance as exports.

One API key for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Threads, YouTube, Reddit and Pinterest
Every endpoint has a published price you can read before calling it
Calls that fail or find nothing cost nothing
MCP server for Claude, Cursor and Codex, and an n8n community node

When PhantomBuster is the better choice

PhantomBuster does things InsightSocial deliberately does not. Pick PhantomBuster when:

You want connection requests, messages and follow-ups sent for you, not just a list
You want scrape, enrich and outreach chained in one ready-made Workflow
You need B2B work emails found for LinkedIn leads
You want everything to run in the cloud with no code and your browser closed
You want leads pushed straight into HubSpot or another CRM
Your sources go beyond social platforms, such as Sales Navigator searches or Google Maps

Visit PhantomBuster→

Why teams switch from PhantomBuster

What you get when the scrape runs in your own browser

Unlimited scraping

Collect and browse as much as you like on every plan. Credits are spent only on rows you export, and you see the count first.

Your browser, your session

Nothing runs in someone else's cloud as you. The scrape happens in the Chrome tab you already have open.

No Phantom to configure

Open a post, profile, group or hashtag and click Scrape. There are no inputs to fill and no workflow to chain.

No execution clock

A slow page or a long scroll costs nothing extra. There is no monthly time budget to watch.

Exports that open in Excel

CSV, Excel, JSON, or push straight into Google Sheets.

Ask your data

On Pro, ask any scrape questions in plain English: top posts by engagement, most active commenters, common hashtags.

Frequently Asked Questions

For social media data, InsightSocial's free plan is the most usable: unlimited scraping and 500 exported rows every month, permanently, with no credit card. PhantomBuster has no free plan, only a 14-day trial with 2 hours of execution time and exports limited to 10 rows. If you need automated outreach rather than data, there is no free equivalent of PhantomBuster here; InsightSocial does not send messages or connection requests.