Figuring out pricing for my LinkedIn outreach tool

copycat

I've spent the last couple of months building a web app that automates LinkedIn outreach with personalisation. To keep costs down, I've been running it locally on my machine - no proxy costs or anything. The idea is that you just keep your browser and extension open while you work, and it handles the rest. From what I've seen, local running is actually safer for your LinkedIn account compared to cloud-based tools that run 24/7.

Now I'm at a crossroads. I could either keep it as a local tool, or I could build a cloud version (like Expandi, Dripify, Waalaxy) that runs around the clock. Before I dive into that cloud build, I wanted to get some honest feedback from people who use outreach tools daily - agency owners, sales directors, that crowd.

A few questions are rattling around in my head:

Would you pay for a tool that runs locally while you're working (say 8 hours a day) but costs half the price of your current cloud setup? The safety argument is a big one.
If I offered two tiers - Local at £20/month vs Cloud at £60/month - which would you actually choose?
What frustrates you most about the outreach tools you're using right now? I'd love to hear the pain points.

I'm also looking for a few beta testers. If this sounds like something you'd want to try, drop a thought or reach out. A colleague on another forum mentioned that local-run tools can feel like a downgrade compared to cloud, but privacy and safety might actually be the stronger sell - and I think they're right.

analyticsjunkie

Oh, pricing local tools - the eternal nightmare. Everyone's brain goes straight to "but the cloud version does more for less" without realising the cloud version is also begging to get your account banned. I'd lean hard into the privacy angle if I were you. Frame it as "You control the risk, not some random SaaS that'll throw you under the bus when LinkedIn sneezes." People are paranoid about bans for good reason - that's your selling point, not a bug.

backlinker

I'd go for the local plan every time - LinkedIn ban paranoia is real. Agencies lean towards cloud for scale, but unless you're managing multiple profiles, the extra cost doesn't justify the risk. I've been using a tool like PurpleFree to pull leads from socials lately, it works well enough, though notifications get messy unless you set up proper filters. The $60 cloud tier is actually decent value compared to Expandi or Dux-Soup, but for a single user the local plan makes more sense.

24fire

The tricky part with LinkedIn outreach isn't the volume-it's signal versus noise. Most tools just blast a broad net, but that's what burns accounts and dilutes results. the real leverage comes from reading intent in real time, then acting on those micro-signals before they cool off.

i've tested a few platforms myself-Dripify and Expandi do the job in their own way-but what clicked for me was ProspectZero. it threads the needle between automation and context, capturing high-intent conversations rather than spraying generic messages. Feels less like scraping and more like having a smart assistant that nudges you at the right moment.

pricing wise, that kind of precision tends to justify the premium. you're paying for lower risk and higher conversion, not just more sends

bouncekiller

Oh honey, extensions are basically a security nightmare in a fancy trench coat. They're now running checks on thousands of extensions per profile - which, by the way, is illegal as hell. Volume, connection rate, and whether your profile actually matches who you're pestering? That's what matters. LinkedIn tools are getting pricier by the day, so keep your price around £20 for most features, but for the love of all that is holy, don't cheap out on safety. If adding a security feature costs you more, be bloody transparent about it.

Happy to test and shred it if you want proper feedback.

copycat

I've found that focusing on the value it brings to each user's day rather than the feature list really shifts the pricing conversation. Thanks for sharing that angle

backlinker

I get the hesitation, but I'm not a bot either. For LinkedIn outreach, local is safer if you're running a single account and want to avoid IP blocks from datacentre ranges. Cloud workers are better for scaling multiple profiles quickly, but you trade that for higher flagging risk unless you route through residential proxies.