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Getting Started with PhantomBuster

Automate lead generation on LinkedIn, Google Maps, and the web, safely, and run it all from Claude.

14-day free trial. No credit card required.

Step 1LinkedIn Search Export
Step 2Profile Scraper
Step 3Email Finder
Step 4Your CRM

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Contents (13 sections)

What PhantomBuster Is (and What It Is Not)
The Free Trial and Plans
Keeping Your LinkedIn Account Safe
Getting Set Up
Phantoms Worth Knowing
Running Your First Phantom
Workflows: Multi-Step Automation
Finding Emails and Feeding Other Tools
Running PhantomBuster from Claude (MCP)
A 14-Day Plan for Your Free Trial
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Quick-Reference Checklist
Frequently Asked Questions

How to use this guide

Read Sections 1 to 3 before you automate anything: what PhantomBuster is, what the free trial and plans include, and how to keep your LinkedIn account safe. Sections 4 to 9 cover setup, Phantoms, Workflows, email finding, and running PhantomBuster from Claude. Section 10 is a 14-day plan for getting the most from the free trial.

Section 1

What PhantomBuster Is (and What It Is Not)

PhantomBuster is a cloud automation platform for lead generation. It runs small robots, called Phantoms, that collect data and perform repetitive actions on LinkedIn and other sites for you.

Each Phantom does one job: export the results of a LinkedIn search, scrape profile details, send connection requests, pull businesses from Google Maps, find email addresses, and so on. PhantomBuster offers well over 100 of them. Phantoms run on PhantomBuster’s servers, so once a run starts you can close your browser. Workflows chain several Phantoms into one multi-step process, such as “find people, enrich them, then reach out.”

What you can do with it

Job	Example
Build lead lists	Export everyone matching a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search, or every dentist on Google Maps in a city.
Enrich data	Turn a list of profile URLs into names, titles, companies, and (with email credits) professional email addresses.
Automate LinkedIn outreach	Visit profiles, send personalized connection requests, and follow up with messages, at a controlled pace.
Personalize with AI	Use AI credits to write first lines and messages based on each lead’s profile.
Feed your other tools	Send results to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Google Sheets, Clay, or an email outreach tool.
Run it from Claude	Launch Phantoms and work with your leads in plain English through the official MCP connector (Section 9).

What PhantomBuster is not

Not a cold email sender. It finds and prepares contacts and automates LinkedIn actions. For email campaigns you still need an outreach tool (Section 8).
Not risk-free on LinkedIn. Phantoms act as your LinkedIn account. PhantomBuster recommends safe limits, but it does not enforce them for you, and restrictions are possible even within them (Section 3).
Not instant to learn. Reviewers consistently mention a learning curve. Start with one Phantom, not ten.

Try it free for 14 days

No credit card required, and every feature is unlocked during the trial.

Start your free trial

Section 2

The Free Trial and Plans

PhantomBuster offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. You can test real automations on your own accounts before paying anything.

What the 14-day trial includes

Resource	Trial allowance
Features	Every feature unlocked
Execution time	2 hours in total
Slots (automations on your dashboard at once)	5
AI credits	1,000
Email credits	50
URL finder credits	100
Exports	Capped at 10 rows per file

Watch out: Know the two trial limits before you start

2 hours of execution time is the total for the whole trial, not per day. Use it for small test runs, not full-size campaigns.

Exports are capped at 10 rows. You can see and judge your results in PhantomBuster, but you need a paid plan to download complete lists.

When the trial ends, your workspace drops to a free plan with 30 minutes of execution time a month, one slot, no AI or email credits, and the same 10-row export cap. Nothing is charged, because no card was required.

Paid plans

Plan	Monthly	Annual (per month)	Execution time	Slots	Email credits	AI credits
Start	$69	$56	20 h/month	5	500	10,000
Grow	$159	$128	80 h/month	15	2,500	30,000
Scale	$439	$352	300 h/month	50	10,000	90,000

Plans were renamed in 2026 (Starter became Start, Pro became Grow, Team became Scale), so older articles may use the old names. Paid plans include unlimited exports, Workflows, and API access, plus URL finder and CAPTCHA credits that scale with the plan. Prices as of October 2026; check PhantomBuster’s pricing for current offers.

How the resources work

Resource	What it means
Execution time	The time Phantoms spend running. This is the main billing unit. When it runs out, automations pause until the next month; there are no overage charges.
Slots	How many automations can sit on your dashboard at once. A multi-step Workflow can take 1 to 3 slots.
Email credits	Used each time PhantomBuster looks up a professional email address.
AI credits	Used by AI features such as writing personalized messages.

Execution time, email credits, and AI credits do not roll over to the next month.

Section 3

Keeping Your LinkedIn Account Safe

This is the most important section in the guide. Phantoms act as you on LinkedIn, so LinkedIn sees their activity as yours.

How PhantomBuster connects

PhantomBuster acts through your LinkedIn session: a temporary login token, usually captured by its Chrome extension. PhantomBuster says it does not store your LinkedIn password. The session itself does not trigger restrictions, but unstable sessions (logging in repeatedly, jumping between VPNs and devices) can.

PhantomBuster’s recommended limits

Action	Recommended pace
Connection requests	Start at 10 to 20 per working day, 10 or fewer per launch. LinkedIn allows up to about 100 a week, but your real limit may be lower, especially for new or quiet accounts.
Profile visits	Up to about 80 per working day (150 with Sales Navigator), around 10 per launch.
When email discovery is on	Cut the numbers above in half.
Several Phantoms on one account	LinkedIn sees the combined activity, so divide your limits across them.

Watch out: Limits are guidance, not guarantees

PhantomBuster’s own help center says LinkedIn evaluates activity at the account level and that recommended limits are based on observations, not guarantees. Some users report warnings even below them. LinkedIn’s user agreement also restricts automated activity, so any automation is at your own risk.

Protect yourself: start slow, spread launches across working hours, warm up new accounts gradually, and never automate an account you cannot afford to have restricted.

Email and privacy rules

If you email the contacts you collect, follow CAN-SPAM (US): honest subject lines, your physical address, and a working unsubscribe link.
Contacts in Europe or the UK fall under GDPR, and Canada has CASL. Both are stricter than US rules.
Respect the terms of every site you automate, and never use collected data for harassment or resale.

Section 4

Getting Set Up

Setup takes about 10 minutes. You need a PhantomBuster account, the browser extension, and a connected LinkedIn session.

Start your free trial at phantombuster.com. No credit card is required.
Install the PhantomBuster browser extension for Chrome (recommended) or Firefox. It is free, and it captures your LinkedIn session in one click. Safari is not supported.
Log in to LinkedIn in the same browser.
Choose your first Phantom from the store and open its setup. At the LinkedIn connection step, let the extension detect your session and save it.
Keep your session healthy. If LinkedIn logs you out or asks you to sign in again, reconnect the session in PhantomBuster; Phantoms and Workflows stop when a session expires.

Other ways to connect

Without the extension, you can paste your LinkedIn session cookie manually; PhantomBuster’s help center explains how. Newer accounts may also see an option to connect with your LinkedIn email and password, which PhantomBuster says is used once and not stored. A magic link lets a teammate share their session with your workspace.

Section 5

Phantoms Worth Knowing

PhantomBuster’s store has well over 100 Phantoms. These are the ones most people start with. Names change occasionally, so search the store if one looks different.

Phantom	Input	What you get
LinkedIn Search Export	A LinkedIn search URL	Names, titles, companies, and profile URLs from search results
Sales Navigator Search Export	A Sales Navigator search URL	Leads from Sales Navigator’s richer filters
LinkedIn Profile Scraper	Profile URLs	Detailed profile data, optionally with email discovery
LinkedIn Profile Visitor	Profile URLs	Visits that put you on prospects’ “who viewed my profile” list
LinkedIn Auto Connect	Profile URLs	Connection requests, optionally with a personalized note
LinkedIn Message Sender	Your connections	Personalized messages to people already connected to you
LinkedIn Company Follower Collector	A company page you admin	Your page’s followers (admins only, up to 10,000 per run)
AI LinkedIn Message Writer	Lead list	AI-written first lines or messages based on each profile
Google Maps Search Export	A search and location	Local businesses with contact details
Instagram and X Phantoms	Profiles or searches	Public profile data and follower lists

Tip: Start with read-only Phantoms

Search exports and profile scrapers collect data without contacting anyone, so they are the safest way to learn PhantomBuster. Add Auto Connect and Message Sender only once you are comfortable.

Section 6

Running Your First Phantom

Every Phantom follows the same setup pattern. Here it is for LinkedIn Search Export, the best first automation.

Run a search on LinkedIn (for example, “owner” at construction companies in San Diego) and copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.
In PhantomBuster, open LinkedIn Search Export and click to use it.
Paste the search URL as the input, and confirm your LinkedIn session is connected.
Set how many results to collect. During the trial, keep it small (for example, 50 to 100).
Choose when it runs: launch once manually, or schedule repeated launches spread across working hours.
Launch it, then open the results when it finishes. You can view the data in PhantomBuster and export it (10 rows during the trial; unlimited on paid plans).

How much time things take

Search exports are fast, roughly 12 seconds per page of results. Detailed profile scraping takes much longer, about 30 minutes per 1,000 profiles by PhantomBuster’s estimate, and AI message writing roughly 10 seconds per lead. On the trial’s 2 hours, plan for small tests: a few searches, a few dozen profile scrapes, and a handful of AI messages.

Tip: Chain Phantoms with outputs

The output of one Phantom can be the input of the next. A search export produces profile URLs, which become the input for the Profile Scraper, which feeds Auto Connect. Space chained runs so one finishes before the next starts, or use a Workflow (Section 7) to handle this for you.

Section 7

Workflows: Multi-Step Automation

A Workflow strings several steps into one automation.

A typical example is an outreach Workflow that sends a connection request and then up to three follow-up messages to the people who accept. Others combine search export, enrichment, and CRM sync.

Slots: a Workflow can take 1 to 3 of your slots, so the trial’s 5 slots fill quickly.
Sessions: a Workflow stops when your LinkedIn session expires, until you reconnect it. Check your dashboard regularly.
Limits still apply: a Workflow’s actions count toward the same daily LinkedIn limits as individual Phantoms.
Review messages: read every message template, especially AI-written ones, before turning a Workflow on.

Tip: One Workflow at a time

Run one outreach Workflow on one LinkedIn account until you understand its pace and results. Doubling up doubles LinkedIn’s view of your activity.

Section 8

Finding Emails and Feeding Other Tools

PhantomBuster can look up professional email addresses for your leads using email credits.

By default it checks a waterfall of 20+ data sources. Not every lookup finds an email, so expect a hit rate below 100%. The trial includes 50 email credits, enough to judge the quality for your niche.

Where your data can go

Destination	How
CRMs	Native connections to HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive
Automation tools	Zapier, Make, and n8n connect PhantomBuster to thousands of other apps
Enrichment tools	Clay and other enrichment partners
Spreadsheets and files	Google Sheets, CSV, or JSON exports
Developers	The PhantomBuster API, included on every plan

Tip: Sending cold email? Pair PhantomBuster with Squibb

PhantomBuster builds and enriches the list; an outreach tool sends the emails. Squibb sends cold email through its own infrastructure, so there are no domains to buy or inboxes to warm up, and uploading a CSV costs no Squibb credits. Read the free Getting Started with Squibb guide.

Section 9

Running PhantomBuster from Claude (MCP)

PhantomBuster’s official MCP server lets you launch Phantoms, fetch results, and work with your leads by chatting with Claude, without opening the dashboard.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets an AI assistant use outside tools. PhantomBuster hosts its own MCP server, protected by OAuth sign-in, and it only acts inside the workspace you select.

Connect it to Claude

In Claude, open Settings and go to Connectors (some versions label this area Customize).
Add a custom connector named PhantomBuster with this URL and click Add:
https://mcp.phantombuster.com
Click Connect, sign in to PhantomBuster, and choose the workspace Claude may use.
Turn the connector on in a chat and test it: “What Phantoms are in my PhantomBuster workspace?”

For Claude Code, run this command, then type /mcp in a session, select phantombuster, and choose Authenticate:

claude mcp add --transport http phantombuster https://mcp.phantombuster.com

Things you can ask for

You say	What happens
“Launch my LinkedIn Search Export and show me the results as a table.”	Claude runs the Phantom and returns the data.
“Find emails for the leads in my latest list, then save them back to PhantomBuster.”	Claude runs the lookup and updates your stored leads.
“Show me stored leads who are founders in California.”	Claude searches your lead storage with those filters.
“Stop the Auto Connect Phantom.”	Claude stops the running automation.

Watch out: Same limits, same costs

Anything Claude launches uses your execution time and credits and counts toward your LinkedIn limits. Ask Claude to confirm before launching outreach Phantoms, and keep the safe limits from Section 3.

Section 10

A 14-Day Plan for Your Free Trial

The trial gives you two weeks and two hours of execution time. This plan uses both wisely.

Days	Goal	What to do
Days 1 to 2	Set up	Install the extension, connect LinkedIn, and connect the MCP to Claude if you use it.
Days 3 to 5	Collect data	Run LinkedIn Search Export on 2 or 3 target searches with 50 to 100 results each. Review the data quality in PhantomBuster.
Days 6 to 8	Enrich	Run the Profile Scraper with email discovery on your best 25 to 50 leads. Note the email hit rate.
Days 9 to 11	Test outreach	Use the AI Message Writer on a few leads, then run Auto Connect at 10 to 15 requests a day with a short, personal note.
Days 12 to 14	Decide	Check acceptance rates, data quality, and execution time used. Estimate your monthly needs and pick a plan, or let the trial lapse to the free plan.

Tip: Choosing a plan

If you used most of the trial’s 2 hours in a week of light testing, a real month of work will likely need Start’s 20 hours or more. Teams running daily outreach Workflows usually end up on Grow.

Section 11

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most trouble with PhantomBuster comes from moving too fast or skipping a check.

Mistake	Better approach
Running big jobs during the trial	Use small tests; the 2 hours are for the whole trial.
Maxing out connection requests on day one	Start at 10 to 20 a day and build up slowly.
Running several outreach Phantoms on one account	LinkedIn adds them together; run one at a time.
Ignoring expired sessions	Check your dashboard; reconnect when LinkedIn logs you out.
Sending AI messages without reading them	Review templates and a sample of outputs first.
Using the wrong input	Each Phantom expects a specific input, such as profile URLs or a search URL.
Emailing scraped contacts without compliance	Honest subject, physical address, and unsubscribe every time.

Section 13

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions people ask most.

Is the free trial really free?

Yes. PhantomBuster offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Afterward your workspace moves to a limited free plan; nothing is charged unless you choose a paid plan. Start your free trial.

What happens when I run out of execution time?

Automations pause until your next billing cycle or until you upgrade. There are no surprise overage charges.

Can PhantomBuster get my LinkedIn account banned?

It can lead to restrictions if activity looks automated or excessive. Follow the limits in Section 3 and start slowly.

Does it store my LinkedIn password?

PhantomBuster says it works through a session token and does not store your password.

Do I need Sales Navigator?

No, but Sales Navigator searches give better filters and higher profile-visit limits.

Does PhantomBuster send emails?

No. It finds and enriches contacts; use an outreach tool such as Squibb to send email campaigns.

Can I use it with Claude or ChatGPT?

Yes, through the official MCP server at https://mcp.phantombuster.com (Section 9).

Is there an API?

Yes, the API is included on every plan.

Automate your prospecting with PhantomBuster

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