Closely vs Expandi
We give Closely a 2.4 GPA and Expandi a 2.0, out of 4.0. Closely grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Closely
LinkedIn and email outreach automation with AI-written messages
Expandi
Cloud-based LinkedIn outreach sequences with email follow-ups
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACloselyFair | 2.0GPAExpandiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $39 a month for one LinkedIn account and inbox billed annually, or $65 month to month. That's the ordinary middle of what outreach tools here charge. It comes with no monthly credits; Growth at $95 covers 3 accounts and 3,000 credits. | DOne plan, per seat: five people pay $79 each billed annually, $79 a head, or $99 billed monthly. That's in this category's dearest tenth, which starts at $69, and image personalization and video cost extra on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but every plan has a free trial. Its length isn't stated and neither is a card, so it sits at the ordinary grade. After you pay, refunds are only on request within 2 days of a first purchase. | CNo free plan. The 7-day trial unlocks every feature, which is a short window for judging LinkedIn results. |
| Features | BThe whole job: LinkedIn requests, visits, messages and InMails mixed with email steps in one conditional sequence, A/B tests, unlimited email accounts, a waterfall email and phone finder, AI lead scoring and one inbox for replies. Finding contacts uses credits Starter lacks. | CStrong on LinkedIn: if-then sequences of requests, messages, InMails and event invites, with team workspaces and CRM sync. The gap is email: it only sends follow-ups, and full cold email campaigns run through the Smartlead integration. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. You connect your own LinkedIn account and inboxes and work inside daily limits, and the sequence builder branches on conditions, so there's some setting up before the first campaign goes out. | CNo App Store rating on record. It runs in the cloud with a dedicated IP, so there's no browser to leave open, but you'll set limits, warm-up and campaign types before it sends. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a browser extension, with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and GoHighLevel sync, and Gmail, Outlook or SMTP for sending. No API on record, and no phone or desktop app. | BWeb only, with HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive sync, Smartlead, Hyperise, Sendspark, Zapier, Google Sheets, webhooks, an API and an MCP server in beta. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | LinkedIn-first outreach with email steps | careful LinkedIn outreach run from the cloud |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Closely and Expandi. How we grade
Price against what you get
Closely starts at $39 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Expandi starts at $79 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Closely scores higher and starts $40 a month lower. Of the other cold outreach tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Closely for less, and 11 score higher than Expandi for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Closely starts at $39 per month for 1 LinkedIn account, billed annually ($65 monthly). Expandi starts at $79 per seat / month, billed annually ($99 monthly).
- Only Closely lists a browser extension.
- Closely also covers AI agents and email campaigns.
- Expandi also covers templates.
At a glance
| Closely | Expandi | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $39 per month for 1 LinkedIn account, billed annually ($65 monthly) | $79 per seat / month, billed annually ($99 monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial offered on every plan; its length is not stated | 7-day free trial with all features |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Esterson Limited | ProfitSoft BV |
| Price read from | closelyhq.com | expandi.io |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Closely
- Sellers and founders who prospect mainly on LinkedIn
- Teams that want LinkedIn and email steps in one sequence
- Agencies reselling outreach under their own brand
Expandi
- Sales teams that prospect mainly through LinkedIn
- Agencies running LinkedIn outreach for several clients
- Users worried about LinkedIn restrictions on their accounts
Worth knowing
Closely
- Starter includes no monthly credits, so finding emails, phone numbers or AI personalization starts on Growth or with credits bought separately.
- LinkedIn steps run on your own LinkedIn account, which is connected to Closely and works within daily limits.
- Payments are non-refundable except for a request within 2 days of a first purchase, or for service problems at Closely's discretion.
- Discounts shown on the site need a promo code at checkout; the prices listed here are without them.
Expandi
- There is one plan, $99 per seat a month billed monthly, and no free plan; the trial lasts 7 days.
- Email in sequences is limited to follow-ups; full cold email campaigns are coordinated through the Smartlead integration.
- Image and GIF personalization costs extra, and video messages need a paid Sendspark add-on.
- Teams of more than 10 seats and white labeling are priced by sales.
Key features
Closely
- LinkedIn automation
- Sequences of connection requests, profile visits, messages and InMails with daily limits, delays and warm-up, each LinkedIn account on its own residential IP.
- Multichannel campaigns
- A conditional sequence builder mixes LinkedIn and email steps, with unlimited email accounts over Gmail, Outlook or SMTP and A/B tests on copy.
- Email and phone finder
- Finds work emails and phone numbers by checking sources in turn until one returns a valid result, and pulls leads from Sales Navigator, posts and events.
- AI agents
- Score leads against your ideal customer profile, research companies on the web for hiring, funding and tech stack, and write personalized messages.
- Unified inbox and CRM sync
- LinkedIn messages, InMails and email replies land in one inbox with tags and templates, and sync to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive or GoHighLevel.
- White label
- Every plan can run under an agency's own logo, colors and domain, with branded reports and a client portal at no setup fee.
Expandi
- Smart sequences
- An if-then builder sends connection requests, messages, InMails, event invites and email follow-ups, choosing the next step from what each prospect does.
- Account safety
- Runs in the cloud from a dedicated IP address in your country, warms new accounts up gradually and keeps daily actions within limit ranges you set.
- Campaign types and priorities
- Several campaign types, including a Mobile Connector campaign that adds 100 connection requests a week, with prioritization and recovery of campaigns.
- Personalization
- Dynamic placeholders in every message; personalized images and GIFs cost extra, and video messages come through a paid Sendspark integration.
- Workspaces for teams
- Team workspaces with duplicate prevention, tags and notes on conversations, and a central dashboard with step-by-step campaign statistics.
- CRM sync, API and webhooks
- Native HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive sync of LinkedIn activity, plus webhooks, API credentials, Zapier and an MCP server in beta.
Plans
Closely
Starter$39
per month for 1 LinkedIn account, billed annually ($65 monthly)
1 sender (a LinkedIn account and an email inbox), unlimited email accounts and campaigns, LinkedIn and email sequences and white label. No monthly credits.
Growth$95
per month for 3 LinkedIn accounts, billed annually ($159 monthly)
3 senders and 3,000 credits a month, enough for about 750 emails, 150 phone numbers or 1,500 AI personalizations.
Essential$155
per month for 5 LinkedIn accounts, billed annually ($259 monthly)
5 senders and 5,000 credits a month, enough for about 1,250 emails, 250 phone numbers or 2,500 AI personalizations.
Custom$1,499
per month for unlimited LinkedIn accounts, billed monthly
A calculator prices any number of LinkedIn accounts and credits; from 30 accounts up, the price is a flat $1,499 a month however many seats an agency runs.
Expandi
Business$79
per seat / month, billed annually ($99 monthly)
All features: smart sequences, a dedicated country-based IP, auto warm-up, unlimited campaigns and templates, and CRM integrations.
AgencyCustom
For more than 10 seats or white labeling: roles and permissions, client reports and a dedicated customer success manager. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Closely
- Annual discount
40% off with annual billing
Closely's pricing page marks annual billing 40% off: Starter is $39 a month ($468 a year) against $65 billed monthly.
Expandi
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
Paid annually up front, Business is $79 per seat a month instead of $99; Expandi also says larger seat counts get bigger discounts.
