The short answer
PhantomBuster is a cloud automation platform whose "Phantoms" extract and act on data from LinkedIn, Google Maps, Instagram and other sites. Prospect Cheap is a lead generation tool that searches six live sources — Google Maps, YouTube, the Facebook Ad Library, Product Hunt, TrustMRR and Skool — and returns each lead with emails, the owner's name and social profiles. Choose PhantomBuster for growth teams automating LinkedIn and social prospecting; choose Prospect Cheap when you want fresh, outreach-ready lists of local businesses, creators, advertisers or founders.
Side by side
| Prospect Cheap | PhantomBuster | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of tool | Live lead scraper with enrichment | Scraping and automation platform |
| Where leads come from | Google Maps, YouTube, Facebook Ad Library, Product Hunt, TrustMRR, Skool | Many websites via scrapers/automations |
| How you use it | Web app — no code, searches run on our servers | Configure scrapers or automations |
| Contact details | Emails from the website, owner name and title, mobile numbers with carrier, 6 social networks | Depends on the scraper you choose |
| Exports | CSV, Instantly, GoHighLevel | Varies — check PhantomBuster |
| Pricing model | One credit per lead, from $29/month for 10,000 credits | Subscription based on execution time and slots |
| Free start | 100 free credits, no card | Check PhantomBuster |
This table describes the products in general terms; features and prices change, so check PhantomBuster's website for current details.
Where PhantomBuster is strong
- Many ready automations
- LinkedIn and social workflows
- Chaining automations together
If those are what you need most, PhantomBuster is a sensible choice.
Where Prospect Cheap is different
Prospect Cheap is built only for lead generation: pick a source, type keywords, and get a clean, deduplicated list with emails, owner names and socials — priced at one credit per lead, with nothing to configure.
- They are powerful but technical: choosing the right scraper, setting inputs, handling failures and cleaning the output takes time.
- Usage-based platform pricing can be hard to predict for a lead list.
- The output is raw data; turning it into an outreach-ready list with owners and verified emails is extra work.
Pricing approach
Prospect Cheap uses credits: one credit per lead you receive, and a search that fails costs nothing — the credits set aside for it go straight back. Plans are Starter ($29/month, 10,000 credits), Growth ($79/month, 50,000) and Scale ($199/month, 200,000), and subscribers can top up extra credits at any time. PhantomBuster's pricing is subscription based on execution time and slots.
The fairest way to compare is cost per usable lead: how much you pay for each lead that has the contact details you need.
Which should you choose?
- Choose PhantomBuster if you need to scrape many different websites or want full developer control over every run.
- Choose Prospect Cheap if you want lists built from live sources, with emails and owner names already attached, ready for Instantly or GoHighLevel.
- Use both if they cover different parts of your workflow — many teams do.
See also: Best PhantomBuster alternatives · All comparisons