The PhantomBuster alternative that never sees your cookies
PhantomBuster runs your LinkedIn session on their servers. Stekpad runs it in your own browser. Same scraping power, zero account risk, 80% cheaper.
The short answer
PhantomBuster runs your LinkedIn session on their servers. Stekpad runs it in your own browser. Same scraping power, zero account risk, 80% cheaper.
Stekpad vs PhantomBuster
| Feature | Stekpad | PhantomBuster |
|---|---|---|
| Scrapes from your browser | ||
| Cookies uploaded to servers | Never | Required |
| LinkedIn restriction risk | Low | High |
| Point-and-click selectors | ||
| Claude MCP server | ||
| Scheduled runs | Cloud plan €29/mo | Included |
| Starting price | €0 / €99 lifetime | €69/month |
| 5,000 rows/day | Unlimited local | €146/month tier |
Why operators switch from PhantomBuster
PhantomBuster asks you to upload your LinkedIn cookie to their servers. They scrape on your behalf from cloud IPs. This is the fastest way to get your LinkedIn account restricted — LinkedIn flags cookie-session mismatches aggressively in 2026.
Stekpad uses the same browser you are already logged into. LinkedIn sees your real session from your real IP, same as any other tab. Recipes run on the rows you see, with zero proxy hops and zero cookie handover.
PhantomBuster starts at €69/month. Stekpad is €99 once. The math is obvious after one month.
Related on Stekpad
More in this cluster
Clay Alternative: Scrape Enrichment Data Without Buying Credits
Explains the Clay pricing model (per-credit enrichment) and how teams hit the cost wall fast on high-volume GTM campaigns. Positions Stekpad as a complementary layer: scrape the raw data yourself (LinkedIn, Crunchbase, company websites), feed structured rows into Clay or use them directly in Sheets/Airtable. Covers the 4 most common Clay enrichment use-cases and how to replicate each with a Stekpad recipe. Includes a cost comparison table (1,000 enrichments: Clay credits vs Stekpad free tier).
PhantomBuster Alternative: What to Use Instead
Explains why teams leave PhantomBuster: per-phantom pricing that compounds, cookie exposure on third-party servers, and phantom fragility on DOM changes. Positions Stekpad as the browser-native replacement: runs in your session, one-click schema, no phantom credits. Includes a feature comparison table (pricing model, auth handling, schema flexibility, MCP support). Ends with a migration checklist for the most-used PhantomBuster phantoms (LinkedIn scraper, Google Maps, website data).
Stekpad pricing — start free, upgrade when you need more
Stekpad's free tier runs point-and-click scraping with native Google Sheets export; paid plans add scheduled runs, MCP access, and multi-seat use — with no per-row credits or phantom slot fees.
Bardeen alternative — scraping-first with MCP and live export
Stekpad is built specifically for structured data extraction — not workflow automation with scraping bolted on — so it handles authenticated pages, outputs clean schemas, and ships an MCP server that Bardeen does not offer.
Ready to leave PhantomBuster?
Free forever for personal use. Pro at €12/month or €99 lifetime.