6 Best Octopus CRM Alternatives for LinkedIn Automation [2026]

Octopus CRM starts at USD 6.99 a month, but it runs in Chrome, so campaigns stop when you close the browser, and even its USD 24.99 Unlimited plan has no email steps or team dashboard. The best Octopus CRM alternatives are Dripify for sales teams (cloud, LinkedIn and email, USD 59/mo), Waalaxy for beginners (cloud, USD 16/mo) and Expandi for agencies (cloud, USD 79/mo), all billed yearly.

TL;DR: Best Octopus CRM Alternatives

I tested six Octopus CRM alternatives on October 26 and 27, 2026, and re-checked every price in November. I compared where each one runs (browser, cloud or desktop), whether a sequence can include email steps, how it works for a team of two or three, and what one account costs. Five tools run in the cloud. Linked Helper and the local version of STACKED are desktop apps, so, like Octopus CRM, they stop when your computer does.

Top Picks

• Dripify – best for sales teams that want LinkedIn and email in one cloud sequence.
• Expandi – best for agencies that want a dedicated IP for each profile.
• Waalaxy – best for beginners who want ready-made cloud templates.
• Meet Alfred – best for solo users who want LinkedIn and email on a smaller budget.
• Linked Helper – best for power users who want the most settings in a desktop app.
• Dux-Soup (STACKED) – best for users who want to start locally and move to the cloud later.

Comparison of the Best Octopus CRM Alternatives

Compare the six Octopus CRM alternatives by where they run, email steps and starting price.

Prices checked in November 2026. Plans differ in volume and limits, so these are starting prices only. Waalaxy shows US pricing (prices vary by country). One seat = one LinkedIn account.

Why Teams Look for Octopus CRM Alternatives

With 4.3 out of 5 from 118 reviews on G2, Octopus CRM reviews are mostly positive. Teams look for alternatives for three reasons: campaigns stop when Chrome is closed, there are no email steps, and each subscription covers one account with no team workspace. If you work alone, it works well. Once your lead list grows or a second person joins sales, these limits start to matter.

Campaigns Stop When Chrome Is Closed

Octopus CRM says it in its own Octopus CRM review: “automation stops the moment you close your browser.” So if you shut your laptop at night, your connection requests wait until morning. A cloud tool does the same job on its own servers, so it keeps going while you sleep.

LinkedIn Only, No Email Steps

No plan has email steps. G2 reviewers mention it too. One reviewer who mostly likes the tool writes: “It’s very LinkedIn-specific.” I wanted a second channel in the same workflow.

Source: G2 review, July 31, 2025

One Account per Subscription, No Team Workspace

One subscription covers one LinkedIn account. In the same blog post, the company says the tool “lacks team management features and a cloud dashboard.” For a team, that means a separate setup for each person and numbers compiled by hand instead of one shared dashboard.

Octopus CRM Pricing in 2026

Prices from octopuscrm.io, checked November 10, 2026.

All plans work with Sales Navigator, and Unlimited also supports LinkedIn Premium and Recruiter. Agencies with 20+ accounts can ask for special pricing.

How I Tested These Tools

I tested each free trial on October 26 and 27, 2026, with my own LinkedIn account. In each tool, I built a short sequence, asked support one tricky question and read G2 reviews. I re-checked every price in November 2026. For a wider list, see this guide to LinkedIn automation tools.

• Where it runs: cloud tools keep working when your laptop is closed; extensions and desktop apps don’t.
• LinkedIn and email steps: whether one sequence can mix LinkedIn actions with emails.
• Team features: a shared dashboard, multiple seats and team stats, so you don’t compile numbers by hand.
• Daily limits: how many invitations, messages and visits you can send per day or month.
• Safety and pacing features: random delays, working hours, warm-up and auto-withdraw, which spread activity out over time. No tool can guarantee that LinkedIn won’t restrict an account.
• Price per account: the starting price for one LinkedIn profile, billed yearly.

LinkedIn’s rules restrict third-party automation software, so read them before you start.

Octopus CRM Review: Is It Worth It in 2026?

Octopus CRM is worth it for solo users who run LinkedIn-only outreach from their own browser and want the lowest price: USD 6.99 a month billed yearly, or USD 14.99 on Advanced for campaigns and CSV export. It’s a Chrome extension, so campaigns stop when Chrome closes, and it has no email steps or team dashboard. If you need outreach that runs while your laptop is off, LinkedIn and email in one sequence, or several accounts in one place, choose an alternative below.

Octopus CRM Alternatives Overview

The six best Octopus CRM alternatives and competitors in 2026 are Dripify, Expandi, Waalaxy, Meet Alfred, Linked Helper and Dux-Soup (now STACKED).

Dripify suits sales teams that want LinkedIn and email in one cloud sequence and one dashboard for everyone. Expandi fits agencies that want a dedicated IP for each profile, and Waalaxy is the easiest cloud start for beginners. Meet Alfred adds email on a smaller budget. Linked Helper is a desktop app for power users, and STACKED lets you start on your own computer and move to the cloud later. Each review below covers what I tested, the plans, support and November 2026 pricing.

1. Dripify

Compared with Octopus CRM: Dripify LinkedIn automation runs in the cloud and adds email steps and a team dashboard. Pro costs USD 59 a month billed yearly, more than eight times the Starter price. See our Octopus CRM vs Dripify comparison.

Best for:

Sales teams that want LinkedIn and email in one cloud sequence, because email steps and the Inbox come with Pro and everyone works from one dashboard.

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (354 reviews)

Dripify runs your campaigns on its own servers on the schedule you set, so you don’t need an open browser. Unlike Octopus CRM, all of a sales team’s accounts sit in one dashboard. There’s also a Chrome extension, but it’s only for connecting LinkedIn, so you don’t enter your LinkedIn password in Dripify. My first test email went out fifteen minutes after launch.

Dripify, tested October 26, 2026

Benefits:

• LinkedIn steps and emails from Gmail or Outlook in one sequence.
• An Inbox for your LinkedIn conversations.
• Activity Control and Evergreen upload from Sales Navigator on Advanced.
• 100 email finder credits a month on Pro, so you can get addresses for your LinkedIn leads without a separate tool.

Each Pro seat covers one LinkedIn account and includes email steps and the Inbox. For a whole team, Advanced (USD 79 billed yearly) adds shared templates, A/B testing, Multiple Teams and duplicate prevention, so two reps don’t message the same lead. The price is higher than Octopus CRM, but your outreach keeps running after you log off. The 7-day trial opens Advanced features without a card.

Support test: I asked DripBuddy, Dripify’s AI support agent, whether emails would still go out if LinkedIn went down. It said yes in under a minute.

Pricing: from USD 59 per user a month, billed yearly

2. Expandi

Compared with Octopus CRM: Expandi runs in the cloud with a dedicated IP and email steps, at more than ten times the Starter price.

Best for:

Agencies that run many LinkedIn profiles, because each profile gets its own IP address and teams of 10+ seats can get a white label.

G2 rating: 4.3/5 (187 reviews)

Expandi gives each LinkedIn profile its own IP address in a country you choose. You connect your account with your LinkedIn email and password, which some users won’t like. The sequences go further than most: “If Connected” condition steps, variables in messages and, once you connect a mailbox, email steps.

Expandi, tested October 26, 2026

Benefits:

• A dedicated country-based IP address for each profile.
• Condition steps with True and False branches.
• Profile auto warm-up when you start automating.

Each profile is billed separately: Business costs USD 79 a month billed yearly, or USD 99 monthly. Agencies with 10 or more seats can get a white-label version. Setup was the weak point for me. The trial asked for my card, then I got three connection errors in a row. A person in the chat answered within a few minutes, found a problem on their proxy side, and twenty minutes later everything worked. See our Expandi vs Dripify comparison and our list of Expandi alternatives.

Pricing: from USD 79 per seat a month, billed yearly

3. Waalaxy

Compared with Octopus CRM: Waalaxy is just as easy to start, but fully in the cloud, from USD 16 a month billed yearly.

Best for:

Beginners who want ready-made templates, because a first campaign takes a few clicks and the entry plan costs USD 16.

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (1,730 reviews)

Waalaxy started out as a Chrome extension, but since July 2026 it has run fully in the cloud on every plan. There’s almost nothing to set up: pick a ready-made template such as “Visit + Invitation + Message”, import your leads and write a couple of sentences. The interface is clean, and an AI assistant can write the message for you.

Waalaxy, tested October 26, 2026

Benefits:

• Ready-made sequence templates.
• An AI message assistant.
• Email steps on Business.

Pricing is per user. Pro includes 300 invitations a month, and Advanced and Business include 800. In the US, the plans cost USD 16, 32 and 55 a month billed yearly; prices vary by country. Importing my profile took over three hours, with “Connecting to LinkedIn” on screen the whole time. The trial lasts 14 days on every plan and asks for a card. An AI assistant answered my support question instantly. See our Waalaxy vs Dripify comparison and our Octopus CRM vs Waalaxy guide.

Pricing: from USD 16 per user a month, billed yearly (US)

4. Meet Alfred

Compared with Octopus CRM: Meet Alfred also works in the cloud, with email steps from the Multi-Channel plan (USD 49 billed yearly).

Best for:

Solo users who want LinkedIn and email on a smaller budget, because Multi-Channel adds email for USD 49 a month billed yearly.

G2 rating: 4.3/5 (52 reviews)

To start, you sign in with LinkedIn and choose a country for the proxy. Then you wait: there’s at least an hour between steps, so don’t expect instant results. My test worked as planned. Meet Alfred viewed the profile, sent a message and delivered an email, and its stats showed the email was opened.

Meet Alfred, tested October 26, 2026

Benefits:

• LinkedIn and email in one sequence (Multi-Channel).
• A choice of proxy country.
• Email open stats.

There are two single-seat plans: LinkedIn Only (USD 39 billed yearly) and Multi-Channel (USD 49), which adds email and Sales Navigator. Teams need Agency, at USD 59 per seat with a minimum of three seats, or a custom Unlimited plan. In the support chat, an AI assistant answered first, and a person joined about three minutes later. She answered my question directly but didn’t suggest a cheaper plan. See our Meet Alfred vs Dripify comparison and our list of Meet Alfred alternatives.

Pricing: from USD 39 per seat a month, billed yearly

5. Linked Helper

Compared with Octopus CRM: it also needs your computer on, has far more settings and costs more than twice the Starter price on cloud plan (USD 16.5), but has a low-cost entry plan with local data storage (USD 8.25).

Best for:

Power users who want the most settings, because it has the longest feature list of the six at USD 16.5 a month.

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (149 reviews)

Linked Helper has the longest feature list of the six, and the first screen shows it: there are a lot of controls. It’s a desktop app for Windows, Mac and Ubuntu, and LinkedIn opens inside it. Set aside a full evening to learn it.

Linked Helper, tested October 27, 2026

Benefits:

• AI tools for messages and ICP detection.
• Spintax and message variations.
• Native integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce and Instantly.

One license covers one profile. I asked support whether it works when my laptop is closed. Nine minutes later, a person replied that it’s “not a cloud solution” and stops when the computer goes to sleep. There are no email steps, but it can find emails through your own Snov.io or Apollo.io account and send leads to Instantly or a CRM. The 14-day trial gives full Pro access with no card. See our Linked Helper vs Dripify comparison.

Pricing: from USD 8.25 a month (local data storage) and from USD 16.5 per license a month (cloud storage), on a 12-month term

6. Dux-Soup (STACKED)

Compared with Octopus CRM: a desktop app instead of a Chrome extension, plus a cloud version at USD 74.17 a month billed yearly.

Best for:

Users who want to start locally and move to the cloud later, because the same product comes in both versions.

G2 rating: 4.4/5 (91 reviews)

Dux-Soup is now called STACKED, and it’s moving from a Chrome extension to a standalone desktop app with LinkedIn built in. I built a small workflow: view a profile, then send a follow-up message with the first name filled in automatically.

STACKED, tested October 27, 2026

Benefits:

• A local or a cloud version.
• An option to skip profiles that are already in other campaigns.
• AI help with message text.

You pay per seat: USD 41.25 a month billed yearly for the local version, or USD 74.17 for the cloud version. Support confirmed within a minute that the local version needs your computer on. The cloud version runs on its own but costs almost twice as much. There are no email steps here either. See our Dux-Soup vs Dripify comparison.

Pricing: from USD 41.25 per seat a month, billed yearly

Other Tools

Four other Octopus CRM alternatives didn’t make the list. Each one fits a narrower case.

• HeyReach is built for agencies that run one campaign across many LinkedIn senders, with one inbox for all replies. It’s priced per sender, so it suits agencies more than solo users. See our HeyReach vs Dripify comparison.
• Skylead mixes LinkedIn and email with unlimited email accounts, but at USD 100 per seat a month, it costs more than any tool on this list.
• La Growth Machine runs LinkedIn, email and calls in one sequence and bills per sender identity. CRM sync is on its top Ultimate plan, so it’s priced for sales teams rather than solo users.
• lemlist is built for cold email first. LinkedIn steps come with its Multichannel plan.

What Octopus CRM Still Does Better

• Cost: at USD 6.99 a month billed yearly, it’s the cheapest tool here.
• Quick setup: invites go out minutes after install.
• No password sharing: it runs in your own browser.
• Free trial: 7 days on every plan, no card.
• LinkedIn account types: every plan works with Sales Navigator, and Unlimited adds LinkedIn Premium and Recruiter support.

If you work alone, on LinkedIn only, with your laptop on, the Octopus CRM LinkedIn extension may be all you need.

How to Choose the Right Octopus CRM Alternative

First question: should your outreach keep running when your laptop is shut? If yes, you need a cloud tool, and that’s the main reason people look for Octopus CRM alternatives. Second question: do you want email in the same workflow, or is LinkedIn enough? Dripify has email steps on Pro, Meet Alfred on Multi-Channel, and Expandi and Waalaxy on Business.

Then count the people who need accounts. If you work alone and compare Dripify vs Octopus CRM on price, Octopus CRM is cheaper. For a team, the comparison changes: count the hours each person spends on their own setup and on adding up numbers by hand.

Never run two tools on one LinkedIn account: their daily actions add up, and a lead can get the same message twice. That almost happened in my test. Dripify skipped the second message, but don’t count on every tool doing that. Pause the old outreach first, then launch the new one. Before you switch, export your contacts as a CSV (Octopus CRM Advanced and up).

Why Teams Choose Dripify over Octopus CRM

Dripify covers the criteria above in one cloud tool. Campaigns run on Dripify’s servers on your schedule, so they keep going after you close your laptop. One sequence can mix profile visits, connection requests and messages with emails from your own Gmail or Outlook, and email steps keep sending while LinkedIn is in cooldown. When a lead replies by email, Dripify pauses their sequence.

For a team, each seat covers one LinkedIn account, and everyone works from the same dashboard. Pro includes email steps and the Inbox for LinkedIn conversations, and Advanced adds Activity Control, Evergreen upload, A/B testing and Multiple Teams. Pro costs USD 59 per seat billed yearly, and Advanced costs USD 79.