PhantomBuster Alternatives — 9 Simpler Web Automation Tools

PhantomBuster Alternatives: 9 Simpler Web Automation Tools for 2026

If you've spent time setting up PhantomBuster "Phantoms" only to watch them fail mid-execution, you're not alone. PhantomBuster's execution-hour pricing model eats budgets fast, and the platform's heavy focus on LinkedIn automation puts accounts at real risk. Teams that need reliable web automation without the complexity — or the account bans — are looking elsewhere.

This list covers the best PhantomBuster alternatives, from no-code platforms to developer-first APIs. Whether you need lead generation, data extraction, or workflow automation, one of these will fit better.

Key Takeaways

• PhantomBuster charges by execution hours ($69–$599/mo), which gets expensive for regular tasks
• Several alternatives offer flat-rate pricing or pay-per-request models that scale more predictably
• For web scraping and data extraction, SearchHive's ScrapeForge API costs a fraction of PhantomBuster's pricing
• No-code users have solid options in Bardeen, Apify, and Browse AI
• Developer teams should consider SearchHive, Apify, or n8n for programmatic control

1. SearchHive

/compare/searchhive-vs-phantombuster

SearchHive is a developer-first web intelligence platform that covers the same ground as PhantomBuster — and more. Its ScrapeForge API handles structured data extraction from any website, SwiftSearch delivers real-time SERP data, and DeepDive provides AI-powered content analysis.

Where PhantomBuster limits you to pre-built Phantoms, SearchHive gives you full programmatic control via a clean REST API.

Pricing: Free tier with 100 requests/month. Pro plans start at $29/month. Pay-per-request scaling beyond that — no execution-hour traps.

Best for: Developers who want scraping, search, and AI extraction in one API without per-execution billing.

import requests

# Scrape any page with SearchHive's ScrapeForge
resp = requests.post("https://api.searchhive.dev/v1/scrape",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={
        "url": "https://example.com/products",
        "format": "json",
        "extract": {
            "products": {"selector": ".product-card", "fields": ["title", "price", "rating"]}
        }
    }
)
print(resp.json())

2. Apify

/compare/apify-vs-phantombuster

Apify is the closest direct alternative to PhantomBuster. It offers 1,500+ pre-built "actors" (their term for automation scripts) covering social media scraping, lead generation, and e-commerce data extraction. The platform runs on a credit system similar to PhantomBuster but with more transparent pricing.

Pricing: Free plan with $5 free credits/month. Paid plans from $49/month.

Best for: Teams wanting a large marketplace of pre-built automations with a generous free tier.

Limitation: Credit consumption can still surprise you on complex tasks.

3. Browse AI

Browse AI takes a visual approach to web automation. You click on elements in a browser-like interface, and it builds extraction robots. No code required. It handles pagination, login flows, and CAPTCHAs out of the box.

Pricing: Free plan with 50 credits/month. Starter at $39/month.

Best for: Non-technical users who want point-and-click scraping without writing code.

4. Bardeen

Bardeen is a browser extension that automates workflows directly from your browser. It connects to LinkedIn, Google Sheets, Notion, and dozens of other apps. Instead of cloud-based execution, it runs locally, which avoids some of the account-detection issues PhantomBuster users face.

Pricing: Free for personal use. Pro at $10/month.

Best for: Sales teams who want LinkedIn automation without risking their accounts.

5. n8n

/compare/n8n-vs-phantombuster

n8n is a self-hostable workflow automation platform. Think of it as an open-source Zapier with scraping capabilities. You can chain HTTP requests, parsing steps, and data transformations into complex pipelines. Self-hosting means no per-execution limits.

Pricing: Free self-hosted. Cloud starts at €20/month.

Best for: Technical teams that want full control and no vendor lock-in.

6. Hexomatic

Hexomatic combines web scraping with AI workflows. You can scrape pages, extract specific data points, and run AI analysis in a single pipeline. It includes a built-in proxy network and CAPTCHA solver.

Pricing: Starter at $29/month. Includes scraping credits and AI operations.

Best for: Marketing teams that need scraping plus content generation.

7. Bright Data

/compare/bright-data-vs-phantombuster

Bright Data (formerly Luminati) is an enterprise-grade data collection platform with the world's largest proxy network. It offers web scraping, SERP API, and social media data collection. The infrastructure is rock-solid but the learning curve is steep.

Pricing: Pay-as-you-go with minimum spends. Typically $500+/month for serious usage.

Best for: Enterprise teams needing massive-scale data collection with reliable proxy infrastructure.

8. Import.io

Import.io specializes in turning web data into structured datasets. Point it at a website, and it extracts data into CSV or JSON. No coding required. The platform handles scheduling, pagination, and data formatting.

Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing only.

Best for: Business intelligence teams wanting turnkey web data feeds.

9. SearchHive (API-First Approach)

/compare/searchhive-vs-phantombuster

SearchHive earns its place twice because it covers the two main things people use PhantomBuster for — web scraping and search data — in a single API. The ScrapeForge endpoint handles any website with CSS selector extraction. SwiftSearch gives you real-time Google SERP data. And DeepDive adds AI-powered content understanding.

import requests

# Real-time SERP data with SwiftSearch
resp = requests.get("https://api.searchhive.dev/v1/search",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={"q": "best web scraping tools 2026", "engine": "google"}
)
for result in resp.json()["organic"][:5]:
    print(f"{result['title']} — {result['url']}")

Comparison Table

Our Recommendation

For most teams leaving PhantomBuster, the right choice depends on your technical level:

• Developers: Go with SearchHive. You get scraping, SERP data, and AI extraction in one API for a flat monthly price. No execution-hour games.
• Non-technical users: Browse AI or Bardeen offer the simplest path from clicking elements to getting data.
• Teams wanting both no-code and API: Apify has the largest actor marketplace and supports custom code.

The main thing PhantomBuster users complain about is unpredictable costs and unreliable execution. SearchHive's per-request pricing and 99.9% uptime SLA eliminate both problems. Start with the free tier — 100 requests is enough to build and test your first extraction pipeline.

Get started with SearchHive free — or read the docs to see the full API.