Closely Review: LinkedIn Automation That Actually Works (With Some Caveats)

Closely is a cloud-based LinkedIn automation platform that combines LinkedIn outreach with email campaigns. If you're tired of manually sending connection requests and follow-up messages, Closely promises to handle the grunt work while keeping your account safe from LinkedIn's ban hammer.

I've dug into the tool's features, pricing, user reviews, and limitations to give you a clear picture of whether Closely is worth your money. Short answer: it's solid for LinkedIn-first outreach, but it has some real limitations you should know about.

What Is Closely?

Closely is an AI-powered LinkedIn automation tool designed for sales teams, marketers, recruiters, and agencies who need to scale their outreach without spending hours on manual prospecting. The platform automates connection requests, personalized messages, profile visits, follow-ups, and InMails while mimicking human behavior to avoid triggering LinkedIn's spam detection.

The tool operates entirely in the cloud, meaning you don't need to keep your browser open or install a sketchy Chrome extension that could get your account flagged. It uses dedicated proxies, smart safety limits, and an account warm-up mode to simulate natural activity patterns.

What sets Closely apart from basic LinkedIn automation tools is its multichannel approach. You can create sequences that combine LinkedIn actions with email follow-ups, all managed from a single dashboard. The platform also includes a B2B contact database for finding verified emails and phone numbers.

Closely Pricing Breakdown

Closely uses a credit-based pricing model rather than a per-seat structure, which can be more cost-effective if you're managing multiple LinkedIn accounts. Here's what the plans look like:

All paid plans include white-label features for agencies, unlimited email accounts on higher tiers, and CRM integrations. There's also a 7-day free trial available.

The catch: Some sources report that Closely requires annual commitment on certain plans, with no monthly billing option. The Solo plan reportedly costs $708/year paid upfront. Before committing, verify the current billing options directly on their pricing page.

For more details on pricing, check out our Closely pricing breakdown.

Key Features That Actually Matter

LinkedIn Automation

This is Closely's bread and butter. The tool automates all the standard LinkedIn actions: personalized connection requests, profile visits, follow-up messages, InMails, and even likes on publications. You can import audiences from CSV files, LinkedIn search results, Sales Navigator, group members, or event attendees.

The "human-like" approach uses random delays between actions, limits that adjust based on context (more active on weekdays, less on weekends), and a warm-up mode for new accounts. User feedback has been largely positive regarding account safety—multiple reviewers report running campaigns for months without bans.

Multichannel Campaign Builder

Closely lets you create sequences that blend LinkedIn and email steps. For example: connection request → wait 3 days → LinkedIn message if accepted / email if declined → email reminder → follow-up message. The tool also supports behavior-based triggers—if a prospect visits your profile or opens an email, the sequence can adapt automatically.

You can connect Gmail or Outlook accounts directly without needing a third-party email tool. A/B testing is built in to identify which messages perform best.

AI Personalization Engine

Closely's AI researches prospects using LinkedIn data (job titles, companies, industries) and generates personalized outreach messages. This isn't just basic merge tags—the platform aims to create messages that reference specific details from profiles and company signals.

The AI also includes lead scoring to help you prioritize prospects based on engagement and qualifications, so you're not wasting time on dead ends.

Data Enrichment & Lead Finder

The platform includes tools to find verified email addresses and phone numbers, expanding your outreach beyond LinkedIn. It uses a multi-step fallback process, starting with the most accurate sources and working down until a valid email is found.

Unified Inbox & CRM Integrations

Closely brings LinkedIn DMs, InMails, and email replies into one inbox, so you're not bouncing between platforms. The tool integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and GoHighLevel, syncing contacts, messages, and engagement data automatically.

What Closely Does Well

Account safety: Multiple users report running campaigns for extended periods without account restrictions. The warm-up mode and human-like timing patterns seem to work. One AppSumo reviewer noted their "network is growing every day" with "no issues with bans."

Ease of use: The interface is intuitive enough that you can launch campaigns in minutes without technical expertise. G2 reviewers consistently highlight this as a strength.

Agency-friendly: The credit-based pricing, white-label options, and multi-account management make Closely more attractive for agencies than tools that charge per seat. Managing 5-10 LinkedIn accounts on one plan is a real cost advantage.

Responsive support: Customer support gets positive marks across review platforms. Users report quick responses via email and chat.

Time savings: Users typically report saving around 10 hours per week on manual prospecting tasks. Reply rates up to 35% are claimed, though your results will vary based on your offer and targeting.

Where Closely Falls Short

Email limitations on lower plans: The Starter plan caps you at 50 emails/day, which will feel restrictive quickly if you're running multiple campaigns. You'll need to upgrade to higher tiers for meaningful email volume.

Integration bugs: Some users report issues with HubSpot synchronization creating duplicates, custom variables occasionally skipping, and temperamental BCC functionality. Nothing catastrophic, but you should double-check campaigns before launching.

Email features lag behind LinkedIn: If your strategy is primarily email-first with LinkedIn as a supplement, tools like Lemlist or Instantly offer more robust email capabilities including personalized videos, landing pages, and advanced warming.

Lead Finder accuracy: A few users mention challenges with email extraction accuracy, leading some to use complementary tools like Findymail or RocketReach for this purpose.

Analytics are basic: You get acceptance rates, response rates, and meetings booked—the essentials. But if you need granular multi-touch attribution or detailed ROI reporting, you'll need to export data elsewhere or supplement with another tool.

Occasional bugs: Some users report message delivery to incorrect users or issues modifying campaigns after pausing. Not widespread, but worth noting.

Closely vs. Competitors

How does Closely stack up against other LinkedIn automation tools?

Closely vs. Expandi ($99/month per account): Expandi is LinkedIn-only with no native email or enrichment. Closely offers more features for less money, especially for multi-account management. User feedback suggests Closely has better account safety reassurance.

Closely vs. Dripify (from $39/month): Dripify is cheaper and works well for small businesses on tight budgets. It excels at drip campaigns and lead nurturing. Closely is better for mid-size to large teams needing AI personalization and multichannel campaigns.

Closely vs. Lemlist (from $69/month): Lemlist is more email-first with advanced features like personalized videos and landing pages. If your strategy relies primarily on email with LinkedIn as a complement, Lemlist wins. If it's LinkedIn + email, Closely is the better fit.

Closely vs. LinkedHelper ($15/month): LinkedHelper is significantly cheaper with a browser extension model. Good for basic automation on a budget, but lacks Closely's cloud-based safety features and multichannel capabilities.

For comprehensive LinkedIn outreach combined with email, you might also consider tools like Expandi or Smartlead for dedicated cold email.

Who Should Use Closely?

Good fit for:

Not ideal for:

The Bottom Line

Closely is a solid LinkedIn automation tool that prioritizes account safety without sacrificing functionality. The multichannel approach combining LinkedIn and email is genuinely useful, and the credit-based pricing makes it more economical for agencies and teams than per-seat alternatives.

The main drawbacks are email limitations on lower plans, some integration bugs, and basic analytics. If you're running a LinkedIn-first outreach strategy and want to add email touchpoints, Closely delivers. If email is your primary channel, look elsewhere.

The free plan and 7-day trial make it low-risk to test. Start there, run a small campaign, and see if the results justify upgrading to a paid plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Closely safe for my LinkedIn account?

Closely uses cloud-based automation with dedicated proxies, smart limits, random delays, and warm-up modes to mimic human behavior. User reviews consistently report no bans even after months of use. That said, any automation carries some risk—use responsibly and don't push daily limits too aggressively.

Does Closely offer a free trial?

Yes, Closely offers a 7-day free trial on paid plans, plus a free forever plan with limited features (50 Lead Finder credits, 1 LinkedIn account). This lets you test the platform before committing.

Can I cancel my Closely subscription?

Yes, subscriptions can be cancelled. However, check whether your plan requires annual commitment (some do), as this affects your refund options.

Does Closely work with Sales Navigator?

Yes. You can import leads directly from Sales Navigator search results, making it easy to build targeted prospect lists.

What CRMs does Closely integrate with?

Closely offers native integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and GoHighLevel. For other CRMs, you can use webhooks or connect through Zapier.