Closely Review: LinkedIn Automation That Won't Get You Banned?

If you're doing LinkedIn outreach manually, you know the pain. Connection requests, follow-up messages, tracking responses—it eats hours. Closely promises to automate all of that while keeping your account safe from LinkedIn's ban hammer.

But does it actually work? I dug into the features, pricing, and real user feedback to give you the full picture.

What Is Closely?

Closely is a cloud-based LinkedIn automation and outreach platform that combines LinkedIn automation with email campaigns and a B2B contact database. It launched in 2020 and positions itself as an all-in-one solution for sales teams, agencies, and recruiters who need to scale their outreach without juggling multiple tools.

The platform handles the standard LinkedIn automation tasks—connection requests, profile visits, follow-up messages, InMails, and post engagement. What makes it different is the multichannel approach: you can run LinkedIn and email sequences together from one dashboard, with native CRM integrations to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and GoHighLevel.

Closely Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

Closely uses a credit-based pricing system, which can be confusing at first. Here's the breakdown:

• Free Plan: Connect your LinkedIn profile and use basic CRM features (Network Manager and Smart Inbox). No automation on this tier.
• Starter Plan: $49/month for 1 LinkedIn account and 1,000 credits. Annual billing drops this to $29/month.
• Growth Plan: $127/month for 3 LinkedIn accounts and 3,000 credits ($87/month annually).
• Essential Plan: $205/month for 5 LinkedIn accounts and 5,000 credits.
• Custom/Enterprise: Starts at $350/month with up to 10 LinkedIn accounts and tailored features.

One credit equals one contact's data (emails and phone numbers). The Starter plan works for solo professionals running smaller campaigns, while the Growth plan hits the sweet spot for small sales teams of 2-4 people.

For a deeper comparison with other options, check out our Closely pricing breakdown.

Key Features That Matter

LinkedIn Automation with Safety Features

The core of Closely is LinkedIn task automation—connection requests, profile visits, follow-ups, and post interactions. But the real selling point is their safety approach. LinkedIn actively monitors for automation misuse, and getting banned means starting over with a new profile.

Closely uses cloud-based automation (your computer doesn't need to be on), dedicated proxies, smart activity limits, and account warm-up modes to mimic human behavior. Random delays between actions and context-aware limits (more active on weekdays, for example) help fly under LinkedIn's radar.

That said, some users have still reported LinkedIn restrictions. No automation tool is 100% safe—you're always taking some risk.

AI-Powered Personalization

Generic outreach gets ignored. Closely's AI analyzes prospect data from LinkedIn profiles and company signals to craft personalized connection requests and follow-ups. Users report 35% higher response rates compared to template-based outreach.

The "AI Sales Agents" feature goes further by automatically qualifying leads based on your ICP criteria, researching prospects, and generating tailored messaging at scale.

Multichannel Campaigns

This is where Closely separates from basic LinkedIn tools. You can build sequences that combine LinkedIn connection requests, LinkedIn messages, and email follow-ups in one workflow. If someone doesn't respond on LinkedIn, the system can automatically follow up via email.

You also get a unified inbox that shows DMs, InMails, and email replies in one place—no more switching between tabs to track conversations.

CRM Integrations

Native two-way integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive sync your LinkedIn touchpoints directly to contact and deal timelines. Conversations, leads, and replies flow into your CRM automatically. GoHighLevel integration is also available for agencies using that platform.

For teams not on those CRMs, webhook support connects Closely to other tools in your stack.

B2B Contact Database

Beyond automation, Closely includes data enrichment tools. You can find verified work emails and phone numbers for prospects, reducing manual research time. The free Chrome extension lets you scrape up to 50 emails or phone numbers and export LinkedIn prospects to CSV.

What Users Actually Say

Closely has a 4.6/5 rating on G2 with strong marks for ease of use (9.2/10). Users consistently praise the clean dashboard design and detailed campaign analytics.

On AppSumo, where Closely has offered lifetime deals, it holds a 4.2 rating from 243 reviews. Users appreciate the LinkedIn and email automation combo and responsive support.

But it's not all positive. Here are the common complaints:

• LinkedIn account restrictions: Some users have reported getting their LinkedIn accounts banned or restricted while using Closely. This is a risk with any automation tool, but it's worth noting.
• Customer support inconsistency: While some praise the support team, others have experienced slow response times or difficulty resolving issues.
• Pricing commitment: The annual billing discount is significant, but some users are uncomfortable with the upfront commitment. Some competitor analysis suggests annual plans require full upfront payment.
• Learning curve: While the interface is user-friendly, setting up multichannel campaigns takes time to master.

Who Should Use Closely?

Good fit for:

• Sales teams running LinkedIn + email outreach who want everything in one platform
• Lead generation agencies managing multiple client accounts (white-label available on higher tiers)
• Recruiters doing high-volume sourcing on LinkedIn
• B2B marketers who need CRM integration for attribution tracking

Not ideal for:

• Solo users on tight budgets—there are cheaper LinkedIn-only tools like Dux-Soup starting around $15/month
• Anyone who needs aggressive outreach volume (Closely prioritizes account safety over speed)
• Teams that only need LinkedIn automation without email—you're paying for features you won't use

Closely vs. Alternatives

The LinkedIn automation space is crowded. Here's how Closely stacks up:

If you're primarily doing cold email with LinkedIn as a secondary channel, tools like Instantly or Smartlead might make more sense. They're email-first platforms that you can combine with a dedicated LinkedIn tool.

For teams that need a CRM with built-in calling and email, Close CRM is worth considering—check out our Close CRM review and pricing breakdown.

The Bottom Line

Closely is a solid choice if you need LinkedIn automation, email outreach, and CRM integration in one package. The $49/month Starter plan offers good value for solo professionals, and the multichannel approach genuinely saves time compared to stitching together multiple tools.

The safety features are better than most competitors—cloud-based operation, smart limits, and human-like timing help protect your LinkedIn account. But no automation tool is risk-free, and users have reported restrictions.

If you're running a small sales team or agency that relies heavily on LinkedIn prospecting, Closely is worth trying. They offer a free trial (50 credits included), so you can test the automation before committing.

Just go in with realistic expectations: this is a tool for sustainable, personalized outreach at scale—not blasting 500 connection requests per day.