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Who does the work?

Getting a client takes six steps. Here is who does each one in Hound and 11 other tools, from what each company says on its own site on 23 October 2026.

The short answer

Most outreach tools start from a list or from LinkedIn signals, and many need you to build the lists and sequences. Hound starts from people who just asked, in public, for what you sell. You paste your website once, and every morning it finds them, checks they fit, finds them on LinkedIn and email, writes the first message about what they said, and sends it from your own accounts within fixed safe limits. £99 a month, one plan.

Six steps, and who does them

The number is how many steps you do yourself. Where a tool lets you choose, it is shown set to run by itself.

Hound does it
The tool does it
You do it
Not offered

HoundPeople asking in public postsYou do 0 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: Hound. Check they fit: Hound. Find LinkedIn and email: Hound. Write the first message: Hound. Send it: Hound. Again every morning: Hound.
ApolloA database you filterYou do 4 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: You filter. Check they fit: You. Find LinkedIn and email: Apollo. Write the first message: You, AI helps. Send it: Apollo. Again every morning: You.
ClayData you pull inYou do 4 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: You build it. Check they fit: You build it. Find LinkedIn and email: Clay. Write the first message: You set it up. Send it: Clay. Again every morning: You.
InstantlyLists you bringYou do 4 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: You. Check they fit: You. Find LinkedIn and email: Instantly. Write the first message: You, AI helps. Send it: Instantly. Again every morning: You.
ExpandiLinkedIn lists you bringYou do 3 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: You. Check they fit: You. Find LinkedIn and email: LinkedIn only. Write the first message: You, templates. Send it: Expandi. Again every morning: Expandi.
GojiberryLinkedIn buying signalsYou do 0 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: Gojiberry. Check they fit: Gojiberry. Find LinkedIn and email: Gojiberry. Write the first message: Gojiberry. Send it: Gojiberry. Again every morning: Gojiberry.
ValleyLinkedIn signalsYou do 0 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: Valley. Check they fit: Valley. Find LinkedIn and email: Valley. Write the first message: Valley. Send it: Valley, Autopilot on. Again every morning: Valley.
OrigamiPlays from 50+ sourcesYou do 1 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: Origami. Check they fit: You approve a play. Find LinkedIn and email: Origami. Write the first message: Origami. Send it: Origami. Again every morning: Origami.
PumpGTMLinkedIn post engagementYou do 1 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: PumpGTM. Check they fit: You approve buyers. Find LinkedIn and email: PumpGTM. Write the first message: PumpGTM. Send it: PumpGTM. Again every morning: PumpGTM.
OctolensKeyword mentionsYou do 4 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: Octolens. Check they fit: You. Find LinkedIn and email: Not offered. Write the first message: You. Send it: You. Again every morning: Octolens.
SyftenKeyword mentionsYou do 4 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: Syften. Check they fit: You. Find LinkedIn and email: Not offered. Write the first message: You. Send it: You. Again every morning: Syften.
F5BotKeyword mentionsYou do 4 of 6 steps. Find who needs you: F5Bot. Check they fit: You. Find LinkedIn and email: Not offered. Write the first message: You. Send it: You. Again every morning: F5Bot.

The number is how many of the six steps you do yourself. The marks, left to right: 1 find who needs you, 2 check they fit, 3 find LinkedIn and email, 4 write the first message, 5 send it, 6 again every morning.

Who does each of the six steps from a stranger to a conversation, in Hound and 11 other tools
Tool	Steps you do	1 Find who needs you	2 Check they fit	3 Find LinkedIn and email	4 Write the first message	5 Send it	6 Again every morning
HoundPeople asking in public posts	0	Hound	Hound	Hound	Hound	Hound	Hound
ApolloA database you filter	4	You filter	You	Apollo	You, AI helps	Apollo	You
ClayData you pull in	4	You build it	You build it	Clay	You set it up	Clay	You
InstantlyLists you bring	4	You	You	Instantly	You, AI helps	Instantly	You
ExpandiLinkedIn lists you bring	3	You	You	LinkedIn only	You, templates	Expandi	Expandi
GojiberryLinkedIn buying signals	0	Gojiberry	Gojiberry	Gojiberry	Gojiberry	Gojiberry	Gojiberry
ValleyLinkedIn signals	0	Valley	Valley	Valley	Valley	Valley, Autopilot on	Valley
OrigamiPlays from 50+ sources	1	Origami	You approve a play	Origami	Origami	Origami	Origami
PumpGTMLinkedIn post engagement	1	PumpGTM	You approve buyers	PumpGTM	PumpGTM	PumpGTM	PumpGTM
OctolensKeyword mentions	4	Octolens	You	Not offered	You	You	Octolens
SyftenKeyword mentions	4	Syften	You	Not offered	You	You	Syften
F5BotKeyword mentions	4	F5Bot	You	Not offered	You	You	F5Bot

Hound sends on LinkedIn and email. For posts on Reddit, X and Facebook it writes the reply, and you post it. Set Autopilot to Drafts to approve every message first.

Lists and sequences

You build, it sends

Strong when someone on your team builds the lists and sequences. They send what you set up.

Hound
£99 a month, one plan
Starts from
People asking for what you sell in public posts, or unhappy with a competitor
Sends from
Your own LinkedIn and Gmail or Outlook; replies on Reddit, X and Facebook for you to post
Apollo
Free plan; paid plans listed on apollo.io
Starts from
A database of contacts and companies you filter by title, industry and size
Sends from
Email
Choose Apollo if you want large lists by job title and will run cold email at volume.
Clay
Free plan; paid from $167 a month
Starts from
Data you pull in and enrich with workflows you build
Sends from
Email, through its sequencer
Choose Clay if you have someone who will build and run data workflows.
Instantly
$47 a month
Starts from
Your own lead lists, or its database on credits
Sends from
Email, across many sending accounts
Choose Instantly if you want high-volume cold email across many inboxes.
Expandi
$99 a month, or $79 billed yearly
Starts from
LinkedIn searches and lists you bring
Sends from
Your LinkedIn, with email follow-ups
Choose Expandi if you already know exactly who to target and want LinkedIn campaigns.

Hound compared with Apollo, Clay, Instantly and Expandi (Lists and sequences)
	Hound	Apollo	Clay	Instantly	Expandi
Starts from	People asking for what you sell in public posts, or unhappy with a competitor	A database of contacts and companies you filter by title, industry and size	Data you pull in and enrich with workflows you build	Your own lead lists, or its database on credits	LinkedIn searches and lists you bring
Public posts: Reddit, X, Facebook groups, the web	Yes: LinkedIn, Reddit, X, the web and public Facebook groups	No	Partly: social listening on paid plans	No	No
To set it up	Paste your website	Build lists and sequences	Build tables and workflows	Sending accounts and sequences	Build campaigns
Writes the first message	Yes, about what they wrote	AI help inside sequences you write	AI columns you set up	AI help inside sequences you write	Templates you write
Finds LinkedIn and work email	Yes, for people it can find on LinkedIn	Yes, from its own database	Yes, through the data providers you connect	Yes, on credits	LinkedIn profiles
Sends from	Your own LinkedIn and Gmail or Outlook; replies on Reddit, X and Facebook for you to post	Email	Email, through its sequencer	Email, across many sending accounts	Your LinkedIn, with email follow-ups
Check before it sends	Your choice: Drafts to approve each one, or Autopilot	You set up each sequence	You set up each workflow	You set up each sequence	You set up each campaign
Daily limits	The same safe limits for everyone, at most 20 invites, 50 messages and 40 emails a day	Not published	Not published	You set them	You set them
Cheapest plan	£99 a month, one plan	Free plan; paid plans listed on apollo.io	Free plan; paid from $167 a month	$47 a month	$99 a month, or $79 billed yearly

AI outreach from signals

Runs by itself

These also run on their own. The difference is where they start: LinkedIn signals, lists and plays, where Hound starts from people who asked in their own words.

Hound
£99 a month, one plan
Starts from
People asking for what you sell in public posts, or unhappy with a competitor
Sends from
Your own LinkedIn and Gmail or Outlook; replies on Reddit, X and Facebook for you to post
Gojiberry
$99 a month for 2 AI agents
Starts from
15+ LinkedIn buying signals: engaging with a competitor, job changes, hiring
Sends from
LinkedIn and email
Choose Gojiberry if you care most about LinkedIn signals like job changes and hiring.
Valley
$199 a seat a month, or $149 billed quarterly
Starts from
LinkedIn signals: hiring, job changes, funding, post engagers, competitor complaints
Sends from
LinkedIn; email on higher plans
Choose Valley if you have a small sales team that needs several seats.
Origami
$99 a month, plus usage beyond $165 included
Starts from
Plays it suggests from your website, across 50+ sources
Sends from
Email and LinkedIn senders
Choose Origami if you want many kinds of lists and signals in one place and are happy to pay by usage.
PumpGTM
$75 a month per LinkedIn account
Starts from
People engaging with LinkedIn posts, new followers, Sales Navigator searches
Sends from
LinkedIn, email and X
Choose PumpGTM if you post a lot on LinkedIn and also want messages on X.

Hound compared with Gojiberry, Valley, Origami and PumpGTM (AI outreach from signals)
	Hound	Gojiberry	Valley	Origami	PumpGTM
Starts from	People asking for what you sell in public posts, or unhappy with a competitor	15+ LinkedIn buying signals: engaging with a competitor, job changes, hiring	LinkedIn signals: hiring, job changes, funding, post engagers, competitor complaints	Plays it suggests from your website, across 50+ sources	People engaging with LinkedIn posts, new followers, Sales Navigator searches
Public posts: Reddit, X, Facebook groups, the web	Yes: LinkedIn, Reddit, X, the web and public Facebook groups	No	No	Yes, among its sources	No
To set it up	Paste your website	Set your ideal customer and signals	Pick signals, connect LinkedIn	Enter your website, approve a play	Approve buyers and a sequence
Writes the first message	Yes, about what they wrote	Yes, AI messages	Yes, drafts in your voice	Yes, in its sequencer	Yes, in its sequences
Finds LinkedIn and work email	Yes, for people it can find on LinkedIn	Yes, email and phone	Yes, on credits	Yes, email and phone	Work email
Sends from	Your own LinkedIn and Gmail or Outlook; replies on Reddit, X and Facebook for you to post	LinkedIn and email	LinkedIn; email on higher plans	Email and LinkedIn senders	LinkedIn, email and X
Check before it sends	Your choice: Drafts to approve each one, or Autopilot	Your choice: fully automatic or approve first	Your choice: Autopilot on or off	You approve each play, then it runs	You approve buyers and the sequence, then it runs
Daily limits	The same safe limits for everyone, at most 20 invites, 50 messages and 40 emails a day	You set them	Not published	Not published	Up to 60 LinkedIn invites and 40 emails a mailbox a day
Cheapest plan	£99 a month, one plan	$99 a month for 2 AI agents	$199 a seat a month, or $149 billed quarterly	$99 a month, plus usage beyond $165 included	$75 a month per LinkedIn account

Keyword alerts

It tells you, you do it

They find the post and tell you. Finding the person and writing to them is up to you.

Hound
£99 a month, one plan
Starts from
People asking for what you sell in public posts, or unhappy with a competitor
Sends from
Your own LinkedIn and Gmail or Outlook; replies on Reddit, X and Facebook for you to post
Octolens
$159 a month, billed yearly
Starts from
Keyword mentions you set up
Sends from
Does not send; alerts in Slack or email
Choose Octolens if you want alerts whenever your brand or a keyword is mentioned, across many sites.
Syften
From $29.95 a month
Starts from
Keywords you choose
Sends from
Does not send; alerts only
Choose Syften if you want low-cost alerts from many communities.
F5Bot
Free; paid from $12.99 a month
Starts from
Keywords you choose
Sends from
Does not send; email alerts only
Choose F5Bot if you only need free Reddit alerts and will do every reply yourself.

Hound compared with Octolens, Syften and F5Bot (Keyword alerts)
	Hound	Octolens	Syften	F5Bot
Starts from	People asking for what you sell in public posts, or unhappy with a competitor	Keyword mentions you set up	Keywords you choose	Keywords you choose
Public posts: Reddit, X, Facebook groups, the web	Yes: LinkedIn, Reddit, X, the web and public Facebook groups	Yes, as alerts: Reddit, X, LinkedIn, Hacker News and more	Yes, as alerts: the web, Reddit, Hacker News; X is a paid add-on	Reddit, Hacker News and Lobsters, as email alerts
To set it up	Paste your website	Pick keywords	Pick keywords	Pick keywords
Writes the first message	Yes, about what they wrote	No	No	No
Finds LinkedIn and work email	Yes, for people it can find on LinkedIn	No	No	No
Sends from	Your own LinkedIn and Gmail or Outlook; replies on Reddit, X and Facebook for you to post	Does not send; alerts in Slack or email	Does not send; alerts only	Does not send; email alerts only
Check before it sends	Your choice: Drafts to approve each one, or Autopilot	Not needed	Not needed	Not needed
Daily limits	The same safe limits for everyone, at most 20 invites, 50 messages and 40 emails a day	Not needed	Not needed	Not needed
Cheapest plan	£99 a month, one plan	$159 a month, billed yearly	From $29.95 a month	Free; paid from $12.99 a month

Choose them instead if

Apollo
Free plan; paid plans listed on apollo.io
Choose Apollo if you want large lists by job title and will run cold email at volume.
Clay
Free plan; paid from $167 a month
Choose Clay if you have someone who will build and run data workflows.
Instantly
$47 a month
Choose Instantly if you want high-volume cold email across many inboxes.
Expandi
$99 a month, or $79 billed yearly
Choose Expandi if you already know exactly who to target and want LinkedIn campaigns.
Gojiberry
$99 a month for 2 AI agents
Choose Gojiberry if you care most about LinkedIn signals like job changes and hiring.
Valley
$199 a seat a month, or $149 billed quarterly
Choose Valley if you have a small sales team that needs several seats.
Origami
$99 a month, plus usage beyond $165 included
Choose Origami if you want many kinds of lists and signals in one place and are happy to pay by usage.
PumpGTM
$75 a month per LinkedIn account
Choose PumpGTM if you post a lot on LinkedIn and also want messages on X.
Octolens
$159 a month, billed yearly
Choose Octolens if you want alerts whenever your brand or a keyword is mentioned, across many sites.
Syften
From $29.95 a month
Choose Syften if you want low-cost alerts from many communities.
F5Bot
Free; paid from $12.99 a month
Choose F5Bot if you only need free Reddit alerts and will do every reply yourself.

LinkedIn signals at volume, or fewer people who asked for what you sell.Hound vs Gojiberry →

Signals sent to your other tools, or people found and contacted for you.Hound vs Trigify →

How to find people asking for your services, by hand or with tools.Read the guide →

Questions about the alternatives

What is the best Apollo alternative for a small agency?

It depends on how you want to find clients. Apollo is a database you filter to build cold lists, and it suits teams sending cold email at volume. If you would rather reach people who have just asked for what you sell, Hound finds them every morning, finds their LinkedIn and email, and writes and sends the first message from your own accounts.

What is the difference between Hound and Gojiberry?

Both run on their own and send on LinkedIn and email. Gojiberry is $99 a month and Hound is £99 a month. Gojiberry starts from LinkedIn buying signals such as job changes, hiring and people engaging with a competitor. Hound starts from people asking, in their own words, on LinkedIn, Reddit, X, the web and public Facebook groups, and every customer gets the same safe daily limits.

Is Hound a Clay alternative?

Only if you don't want to build workflows. Clay is a toolkit for teams that design their own data and enrichment flows. Hound does one job from start to finish: find people asking, check they fit, find them, write and send.

What replaced Trigify?

Trigify's own site says access ended on 22 October 2026. If you used it to spot people engaging on LinkedIn, Gojiberry and Valley work from LinkedIn signals. If you want people who are asking for what you sell across LinkedIn, Reddit, X and the web, with the first message written and sent, that is what Hound does. The page at /compare/hound-vs-trigify compares the two.

What replaced GummySearch?

GummySearch stopped new sign-ups on 30 November 2025. For Reddit alerts alone, F5Bot is free and Syften watches more sites. Hound covers Reddit too, along with LinkedIn, X, public Facebook groups and the web, and writes the reply for each post.

Is Hound the same as Hound AI?

No. Hound at houndreach.com is made by 360 LABS LTD in London and finds people asking for what agencies and B2B service businesses sell. Hound AI at tryhound.io is a different company that sells phone leads to financial advisers and realtors.

Other companies’ details are from their own websites on 23 October 2026 and may have changed since: Apollo (apollo.io/pricing), Clay (clay.com/pricing), Instantly (instantly.ai/pricing), Expandi (expandi.io/pricing), Gojiberry (gojiberry.ai), Valley (joinvalley.co/pricing), Origami (origami.chat), PumpGTM (pumpgtm.com), Octolens (octolens.com/pricing), Syften (syften.com/pricing), F5Bot (f5bot.com), Trigify (trigify.io), GummySearch (gummysearch.com/final-chapter), Hound AI (tryhound.io).

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