Expandi vs Octopus CRM
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Why Choose Expandi over Octopus CRM ?

Expandi vs Octopus CRM 2026
Why Choose Expandi over Octopus CRM ?

Octopus CRM is an affordable LinkedIn automation tool you can get for $6.99 per month. Until you try to go beyond the basics. No conditional logic, multi-channel outreach, or cloud-based safety for your LinkedIn account. For solo users running simple campaigns, this may work fine at first. But as you try to scale, the gaps show up fast. 

Expandi takes a more advanced approach, as it’s built for deeper engagement and long-term growth. But how does it work? This comparison breaks down how the two tools compare in terms of features, pricing, and overall performance.

TL; DR

  • Octopus CRM is a good choice for simple LinkedIn automations, such as profile visits or sending connection requests, but it falls short in building advanced sequences that engage prospects based on their behavior and offers limited safety measures to protect your LinkedIn account. 
  • Expandi is built to handle large-volume campaigns. You can extract leads from LinkedIn, personalize messages, and build sequences to perform specific actions based on leads’ behavior. You also get account safety and better team management to scale your outreach campaigns.

Expandi vs Octopus CRM 

  A Full Feature Comparison

Free Trial

14-days

7-days

Billed monthly

$99

$9.99 – $39.99

Billed annually

$79

$6.99 – $24.99

Cloud-based/ Dedicated IP Address a dedicated IP is a private virtual environment where your automation tool logs in and performs actions on your behalf.
Access from a unique local IP address
Daily limit ranges allow you to fine-tune your automated actions by setting specific minimum and maximum limits for daily activities.
Account Warmup Account warm-up allows us to have a gradual increase in activity over time.
White Labels Use automation under your own brand
Number of possible weekly requests

300

100

Smart sequences Create highly customized outreach campaigns by dragging and dropping desired actions and conditions.
Email automation Email follow-ups
Post Engagement Discover potential leads by finding people who interacted with your or others’ posts.
Event Campaigns Automate event invites and follow-ups
Inbound Campaign Connect with potential leads who have shown interest in your profile
Mobile Connector A connector campaign that simulates mobile device interactions from desktops, enabling the sending of additional connection requests
Smart Campaign Prioritization to optimize your results within action limits, allocate your daily interactions strategically across your campaigns, giving priority to those that have demonstrated the highest ROI
Search/ Filters find the leads you’re looking for, verify their connection status, check if they replied to your campaign message, and see if they have an open account or available email.
Company Follow features source leads from company pages. Company owners can harvest 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree connections, while others can access followers within their network.
Group Scrape people from a specific group that you are the owner of or a member of it
Event
Webhooks automated HTTP callbacks triggered by specific events. Leverage them to seamlessly transfer automation data to your CRM or Zapier for efficient workflow management

Unlimited plan only

Open account feature through the same API manage multiple client accounts directly from automation, eliminating the need for frequent manual logins ( available with 20+ accounts)
Granular permission settings
Campaign stat and data drill down
Dedicated Customer Success Manager
Customer support
Hyper-personalization use image and video personalization integrating with Sendspark and Hyperize
Ignore titles automatically exclude unnecessary information in messages, such as abbreviations of titles or roles, company formation, etc. (e.g., Mr, Ms, LTD, LCC).
Blacklist automated filtering of unwanted contacts. Users can blacklist individuals on either a per-account or company-wide basis.
Last Update 7th Apr, 2026

Now You know why Expandi is the obvious choice

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, a business development Newbie or a LinkedIn Boss, a fan of Recruitment on LinkedIn or a networking guru, everyone turns to Expandi to supercharge their outreach game.

Free Trial

Still in doubt? Expandi is more

Secure. Cloud-Based Solution with country Proxy Selection.With Warm-Up with Human-like Automation

Adaptable. We stay ahead of updates, ensuring seamless adaptability to any changes.

Convenient. Invite as many clients as you want with no extra charge. And manage all their accounts conveniently from a single account.

Flexible. Create an unlimited number of Roles & Permissions with granular access to the platform for teammates and clients.

Trackable. Track team performance on an intuitive dashboard. Save more than 6 hours weekly per account by using tags, filters, and inbox management.

Integrative. Receive all replies and your hot leads directly in Slack or any chosen tool, and distribute performance reports to other tools, all using webhooks.

Smart. Share best-performing Expandi Campaigns inside the team in a few clicks.

Scalable. Accelerate Growth with Human-Like Automation to boost conversions with personalized, condition-based flows. Engage and warm up contacts before requesting connection.

People like you use
Expandi to generate
leads and grow faster

Users Love us

Stacey G.

Customer Loyalty Manager
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

It has been a game-changer for my agency. With Expandi, I was able to simplify the setup and management process with new roles and permissions, which has been a huge relief for me. One of the best features of Expandi is its ability to work with a team and monitor campaign performance. This feature has made it easy for me to manage my team and track progress, saving me a lot of time. The integration with our CRM has been particularly helpful too. The history feature of Expandi has also been beneficial in helping me keep track of the progress of our campaigns. Overall, Expandi offers a variety of useful features at a good price, making it the best platform I’ve tried so far.

Andrew K.

Head of SDR
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

As a SDR team lead, I was on the hunt for a tool to assist with our outbound efforts. After testing multiple solutions, Expandi quickly stood out as the best option. Not only did it prove to be more effective than the other tools we tested, but it also provided additional value for our Product marketing team. We were able to A/B test messaging and positioning to update our buyer persona. As a B2B company, advertising can be costly, but Expandi proved to be a cost-effective solution that not only helped with sales but also with our product management and marketing goals.

Aleksandra K.

Public Relations Manager
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the software’s ability to personalize and automate sequences for outreach prospecting. The possibility of sending automated outreach event invitations to targeted audiences has streamlined our attendance and engagement rates which is obviously great. Expandi is a nice tool for its price for outreach efforts because of the many features they offer, relatively easy setup process, and communication. We significantly increased our reply rates more efficiently as we didn’t have to spend lots of time on routine and monotone work. I am satisfied with the product and can recommend Expandi as a great outreach tool.

Hanna B.

Head of Sales Department
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

As a Head of Sales I’m focusing on team management, ROI and overall efficiency. The platform offers open access to various features and accounts, facilitating seamless collaboration and transparency within our team. We can easily assign tasks, track progress, and share insights, leading to better coordination and improved efficiency across the board.

Besides that Expandi changed the way we identify and engage with our target audience. The platform offers a wealth of features that have empowered us to scrape high-value audiences with precision and ease. By leveraging Expandi we can identify prospects based on specific criteria. This enhanced targeting has enabled us to tailor our messaging, ensuring that our outreach efforts are personalized and resonate with our audience. As a result, we have witnessed a significant increase in engagement and conversions, with much better reply rates.

Ian N.

Co-Founder
Small business (50 or fewer emp.)

I’ve been using Expandi for about 3 years now, and the thing that stands out the most is the adaptability of the platform. outreach and social selling generally is a moving target, what worked yesterday, wont necessarily be the best strategy tomorrow.
Keeping up with this and what is best practice can be a big task in itself, but with Expandi you don’t need to worry about that, as they don’t just have brilliant people in place to educate you on the best processes, they are also constantly evolving their platform to support new and enhanced use-cases.
This means you can focus your time on utilsing the provided tools, rather than trying to figure out what are the best strategies. Having used many other outreach engagement tools before Expandi, this was a game changer for me, and have never looked back.

Stacey G.

Customer Loyalty Manager
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

It has been a game-changer for my agency. With Expandi, I was able to simplify the setup and management process with new roles and permissions, which has been a huge relief for me. One of the best features of Expandi is its ability to work with a team and monitor campaign performance. This feature has made it easy for me to manage my team and track progress, saving me a lot of time. The integration with our CRM has been particularly helpful too. The history feature of Expandi has also been beneficial in helping me keep track of the progress of our campaigns. Overall, Expandi offers a variety of useful features at a good price, making it the best platform I’ve tried so far.

Andrew K.

Head of SDR
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

As a SDR team lead, I was on the hunt for a tool to assist with our outbound efforts. After testing multiple solutions, Expandi quickly stood out as the best option. Not only did it prove to be more effective than the other tools we tested, but it also provided additional value for our Product marketing team. We were able to A/B test messaging and positioning to update our buyer persona. As a B2B company, advertising can be costly, but Expandi proved to be a cost-effective solution that not only helped with sales but also with our product management and marketing goals.

Aleksandra K.

Public Relations Manager
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the software’s ability to personalize and automate sequences for outreach prospecting. The possibility of sending automated outreach event invitations to targeted audiences has streamlined our attendance and engagement rates which is obviously great. Expandi is a nice tool for its price for outreach efforts because of the many features they offer, relatively easy setup process, and communication. We significantly increased our reply rates more efficiently as we didn’t have to spend lots of time on routine and monotone work. I am satisfied with the product and can recommend Expandi as a great outreach tool.

Hanna B.

Head of Sales Department
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

As a Head of Sales I’m focusing on team management, ROI and overall efficiency. The platform offers open access to various features and accounts, facilitating seamless collaboration and transparency within our team. We can easily assign tasks, track progress, and share insights, leading to better coordination and improved efficiency across the board.

Besides that Expandi changed the way we identify and engage with our target audience. The platform offers a wealth of features that have empowered us to scrape high-value audiences with precision and ease. By leveraging Expandi we can identify prospects based on specific criteria. This enhanced targeting has enabled us to tailor our messaging, ensuring that our outreach efforts are personalized and resonate with our audience. As a result, we have witnessed a significant increase in engagement and conversions, with much better reply rates.

Ian N.

Co-Founder
Small business (50 or fewer emp.)

I’ve been using Expandi for about 3 years now, and the thing that stands out the most is the adaptability of the platform. outreach and social selling generally is a moving target, what worked yesterday, wont necessarily be the best strategy tomorrow.
Keeping up with this and what is best practice can be a big task in itself, but with Expandi you don’t need to worry about that, as they don’t just have brilliant people in place to educate you on the best processes, they are also constantly evolving their platform to support new and enhanced use-cases.
This means you can focus your time on utilsing the provided tools, rather than trying to figure out what are the best strategies. Having used many other outreach engagement tools before Expandi, this was a game changer for me, and have never looked back.

Octopus CRM Reviews: What Real Users Are Saying

What Are the Pros of Octopus CRM?

As with any tool, there are benefits to using Octopus CRM for LinkedIn automation. These benefits, which are based on reviews from sites like G2 and Capterra, include:

  • Intuitive interface: Octopus CRM is easy to navigate. Reviews on G2 and Capterra consistently highlight its clean and straightforward interface, making it simple even for beginners to get started. Users describe it as “very easy and intuitive,” with clearly defined sections that eliminate the typical complexity of many CRM tools. 
  • Automation capabilities: Octopus CRM is especially valued for its ability to handle repetitive tasks. They can use it to perform simple LinkedIn operations such as automating connection requests, profile visits, bulk messaging, or skill endorsement. 
  • Affordable pricing: Compared to many LinkedIn automation tools, Octopus CRM stands out for its budget-friendly pricing. Plans start as low as $6.99 to $9.99 per month, making it accessible to individuals and small teams. For many, it delivers solid value for basic automation needs without stretching their budget. 

What Are the Cons of Octopus CRM?

Alongside its positive reviews, Octopus CRM is not without its setbacks. Here are some cons to using the tool for LinkedIn automation. 

  • Limited features: Users on review sites note that its functionality can feel restrictive. Even though it claims automation as one of its fortes, most of its processes feel manual. For example, you can’t auto-follow profiles, filter prospects by relevant keywords, or import contacts without having errors. 
  • No multichannel outreach: Octopus CRM is strictly for LinkedIn automation. Unlike other tools, you can’t follow up with prospects via email, phone calls, or other channels. You’d need other tools. This not only adds up to your budget, but also makes you miss out on opportunities to connect with prospects who could be responsive on other platforms.  
  • No conditional sequence: Octopus CRM lacks advanced automation features that allow you to build conditional workflows. In other words, you can’t build sequences that adapt to lead’s behavior. If a prospect declines your connection request, there’s no automated follow-up email.
  • Billing issues: Pricing may seem affordable at first, but some users report frustrating billing experiences. Feedback on G2 includes complaints about strict cancellation policies and unexpected renewals, with refund requests sometimes denied even when the tool wasn’t actively used. 
  • Poor customer support: Users report poor experiences. Reviews on both G2 and Capterra mention slow response times and delays in resolving issues. In some cases, tickets remain unresolved for extended periods, making it difficult for users to get timely help.

Octopus CRM’s Pricing 

Octopus CRM offers a 7-day free trial and keeps pricing affordable for small teams and businesses. Note that all plans are compatible with LinkedIn Sales Navigator. That said, here’s a breakdown of this pricing model.

  • Starter Plan: Billed annually at $6.99/month, it grants access to auto-invite prospects, connect with premium LinkedIn users, and a personal CRM with stats. It’s designed for basic LinkedIn automation.
  • Pro (Professional) Plan: For $9.99/month billed annually, it offers everything in the starter plan plus automates bulk messaging, auto-visit profiles, and auto-endorse skills. 
  • Advanced Plan: At $14.99/month (billed annually), it offers everything in the Pro plan plus the ability to create campaigns, build funnels, and export/import data. 
  • Unlimited plan: It costs $24.99 per month when it’s billed annually. It grants access to everything in the Advanced plan, plus Zapier and HubSpot integration and activity control to protect your LinkedIn account. 

What Makes Expandi Better than Octopus CRM?

If you need a tool that goes beyond basic LinkedIn automation and actually helps you scale your outreach, Expandi is the better choice. It offers more flexibility, better engagement, and smarter automation.

It’s built for teams that need advanced personalization, multichannel sequences, and a system that adapts to how prospects respond. While Octopus CRM may seem like a simple, affordable option on the surface, Expandi delivers greater value as your outreach grows. Here’s where the gap shows in practice:  

1. Advanced personalization

Octopus CRM sticks to the basics with things like first name, company name, or job title for personalized connection requests. Expandi goes far beyond that. It allows dynamic personalization, including custom placeholders tailored to each prospect, as well as visual elements like images, GIFs, or videos, to make your message resonate with prospects. 

2. Multichannel outreach

Octopus CRM is strictly LinkedIn-focused. If someone doesn’t respond, your outreach basically ends there. With Expandi, you’re not dependent on a single channel. You are meeting your prospects wherever they’re most likely to respond. You can combine LinkedIn actions with email outreach in one flow. So if a prospect ignores your connection request or message, Expandi can automatically follow up through email.

3. In-depth sequence for engagement

Octopus CRM offers simple automation, like sending connection requests and follow-ups. Expandi uses smart sequences that adapt based on user behavior. For example, it can change the next step depending on whether someone accepts your request, replies, or engages with your content.

4. Safety for your LinkedIn account

Octopus CRM operates as a browser extension, which can increase the risk of detection because actions occur directly on your device.

Expandi is cloud-based, with built-in safety measures such as dedicated IP addresses, activity limits, and human-like behavior patterns to reduce the risk of being flagged. This is a major difference.

5. Transparent billing and dedicated support

Octopus CRM reviews consistently flag unexpected renewals, strict cancellation policies, and slow support response times. Expandi includes a dedicated Customer Success Manager on the Agency plan and omnichannel support across all plans, so when something needs fixing, you’re not waiting days for a reply.

When to Choose Expandi vs Octopus CRM

Are you having difficulty choosing between the tools? Here’s what to put into consideration.

Choose Expandi when you want to:

  • Automate large-scale campaigns with advanced sequencing that adapts to leads’ behavior 
  • Personalize beyond connection requests to engage prospects
  • Prefer deeper analytics to monitor the campaign performance
  • Implement safety measures to safeguard your LinkedIn account
  • Manage outreach for a team, agency, or multiple clients

Choose Octopus CRM to:

  • Manage LinkedIn activity without complex setup or steep learning curve
  • Focus on basic outreach tasks like connection requests and profile visits
  • Handle smaller-scale prospecting campaigns individually

The Bottom Line: Octopus CRM Is Budget-friendly. Expandi Is Built for Growth.

If you’re just getting started with LinkedIn automation and want something simple and budget-friendly, Octopus CRM does the job. But if you’re looking to scale your outreach, improve engagement, and run campaigns without worrying about limitations or account risks, Expandi is the better choice.

With Expandi, you get:

  • Multichannel outreach that combines LinkedIn and email in one seamless system
  • Advanced personalization that makes your messages stand out and drive replies
  • Smart, behavior-based sequences that adapt to how prospects engage
  • A cloud-based setup with dedicated IPs and safety features to reduce account risks 
  • Detailed analytics that help you track performance and optimize campaigns.

If you’ve outgrown basic automation, start your free 14-day Expandi trial and see what a campaign that actually adapts to your prospects looks like.

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