Edges vs Lobstr
Sales Navigator exports are the floor, not the ceiling.
Who this comparison is for
You picked Lobstr to export Sales Navigator searches into your CRM. Now you need to enrich those leads, schedule extracts for job-change timing, and trigger outbound — and you'd rather not run three tools.
At a glance
The axes that matter when you’re picking between us.
| Topic | Edges | Lobstr |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Full LinkedIn action suite: SN, enrichment, signals, engagement — one API. | Focused on Sales Navigator list export and lead enrichment. |
| Primary user | Developers embedding LinkedIn into a product. | Ops operators running extracts from a UI. |
| Sales Navigator depth | Saved searches, lead lists, account lists, smart links — all programmatic. | Strong on list extraction; confirm coverage for smart links and account maps. |
| Beyond SN | Post engagement, connection requests, InMails, and scheduled extracts you diff for timing. | Out of scope — requires additional tools. |
| Integration model | REST API with OpenAPI spec, webhooks, typed SDKs. | UI-driven workflows plus API hooks — less embeddable in a product. |
| Live read latency | p50 1.2s · p99 2.4s on a profile extract or SN search page. | UI-driven SN export; duration depends on list size, plan, and queue. |
| Pricing at scale | Credits from $39.99 down to $1.49 per 1,000 records. 50k SN leads ≈ $800 on the published curve, same balance as enrichment and signals. | Per-list or per-lead extraction; separate from enrichment and engagement costs. |
| Reliability | 99%+ uptime, status page, SOC 2 Type II. 100+ customers, 100M requests / month. | Operator tool uptime; confirm SLA and status surface for your plan. |
Concrete numbers, not adjectives
Lobstr bills per list or per-lead extraction for Sales Navigator exports. Edges bills per action credit on a published curve — SN search, enrichment, scheduled timing extracts, and engagement share one balance. At ops-only export volume Lobstr can be cheaper; once you need the rest of LinkedIn in a product, the fully-loaded cost flips.
| Topic | Edges | Lobstr |
|---|---|---|
| Live read latency | p50 1.2s · p99 2.4s on a profile extract or SN search page | UI-driven SN export; duration depends on list size, plan, and queue |
| Catalog | 70+ versioned LinkedIn actions, one runner, one key | Focused on Sales Navigator list export and lead enrichment |
| Pricing shape | Credits from $39.99 down to $1.49 per 1,000 records; identities from $7.99 down to $3.82 a month | Per-list or per-lead extraction — separate from enrichment and engagement costs |
| Uptime posture | 99%+ uptime, status page, SOC 2 Type II | Operator tool uptime; confirm SLA and status surface for your plan |
| Worked example · 50k SN leads / month | 50,000 credits. On the published curve that sits in the $15.99 per 1,000 band — about $800 before identity fees. Enrichment and scheduled timing Actions share the same balance. | Cost is a function of list volume and plan tier. Enrichment, signals, and outreach usually mean a second (or third) vendor. |
Pick the right one
Choose Edges when
Sales Navigator extraction is your starting point, not your endpoint. You need lists + enrichment + signals + engagement via one API your engineering team can call from your product. p50 1.2s live reads, credits from $39.99 down to $1.49 per 1,000 records, SOC 2 Type II.
Consider Lobstr when
Your only need is exporting Sales Navigator lists into a spreadsheet or CRM. You're an operator, not a developer, and you don't plan to expand into signals or engagement workflows.
Who is switching, and why
The teams that leave Lobstr are not abandoning Sales Navigator. They outgrew an export tool and need SN + enrichment + timing + engagement inside a product — without stitching three vendors.
- // GTM / RevOps
SN export was the floor, not the ceiling
Ops started on Lobstr to push SN searches into the CRM. The next ask was enrich each lead, watch for job changes, and trigger outreach — three more tools if Lobstr stays the center. On Edges that is one credit pool and one API key.
salesnavigator-search-peoplelinkedin-extract-peoplelinkedin-extract-people-experiences - // product team
SN + enrichment + engagement on one key
A product that still routes SN exports through a UI is one step away from building its own scraper. Saved searches, lead lists, profile extracts, and InMails as HTTP actions return typed rows you can page, store, and score — no dashboard in the critical path.
salesnavigator-search-peoplelinkedin-extract-peoplelinkedin-inmail-profile - // AI SDR
SN search is a tool, not a dashboard extract
An agent that needs Sales Navigator leads mid-conversation cannot wait on an operator export. salesnavigator-search-people as a REST action sits in the tool loop with enrichment and connect/message on the same identity and credit balance.
salesnavigator-search-peoplelinkedin-extract-peoplelinkedin-connect-profile
Migration
Map your current Lobstr calls or automations to Edges actions using the Library and the documentation. Ask support for the OpenAPI spec and it drops straight into Postman, Hoppscotch, or any code generator. Share your integration outline and we can suggest parity endpoints and credit estimates.
FAQ
Can Edges export a Sales Navigator saved search?
Yes — run SN searches, paginate through results, export to your database, and enrich each lead in one credit pool. The same API also supports account lists, lead lists, and smart links.
What does Edges do that Lobstr doesn't?
Beyond SN extraction: schedule extracts and diff for job-change / hiring / funding timing, LinkedIn engagement (connections, messages, InMails), profile and company enrichment on demand, and account-map traversal. All in one API and one bill.
How does cost compare at SN-export scale?
Lobstr prices per list or per-lead extraction; Edges prices per action credit, from $39.99 down to $1.49 per 1,000 records. Worked example: 50,000 Sales Navigator leads a month is 50,000 credits. On the published curve that sits in the $15.99 per 1,000 band — about $800 before identity fees. Enrichment and scheduled timing Actions share the same balance instead of adding a second tool. At pure ops-export volume Lobstr can be cheaper. Once you need the rest of LinkedIn in a product, Edges usually wins on sticker price and vendor count.
What latency should we expect versus a Lobstr extract?
A live profile extract or SN search page on Edges is p50 1.2s · p99 2.4s. Lobstr exports are UI-driven list jobs — duration depends on list size, plan, and queue. If your product needs SN results while a user or agent is waiting, an HTTP action is the right primitive; a dashboard export is not.
Who is actually switching off Lobstr?
Three patterns show up most. GTM / RevOps teams that started with SN → CRM export and then needed enrichment, job-change timing, and outreach without buying three more tools. Product teams that need SN + enrichment + engagement as HTTP inside the product, not a UI export in the critical path. AI SDR platforms that need salesnavigator-search-people as a tool in an agent loop. Ops teams that are happy exporting lists into a spreadsheet often stay.
Is Edges harder to set up?
It's an API, so yes — you need an engineer to call it. In exchange, you can embed LinkedIn into your product, trigger actions from your own backend, and scale without clicking through a UI.
Can an ops team use Edges directly?
Indirectly — via a lightweight internal tool or through an integration into your CRM/data platform. If you need a pure no-code experience for operators, Lobstr (or a similar tool) is better suited.
What's the migration effort from Lobstr to Edges?
For SN export use cases, about one sprint: map Lobstr's extraction workflows to Edges SN actions, backfill any historical lists, cut over. Most of the work is on the receiving side (CRM integration), not the LinkedIn side.
Can we run both for a while?
Yes — keep Lobstr for operator-driven exports while Edges handles product-embedded workflows. Consolidate once you're comfortable with the API patterns.
Build on Edges
Credits-based pricing, SOC 2 Type II, and a growing catalog of LinkedIn actions — see Pricing and Enterprise for scale.
// go deeper
Edges is not related to LinkedIn and is not an official LinkedIn product.