Scrapely vs Autoreach: The Hidden Costs of 'Cheap' Outreach Tools

"Unlimited X accounts for $39 a month." That headline catches attention. Autoreach has built a following on the promise of ultra-cheap outreach automation. But what they don't advertise is equally important: their AI features require your own Claude API key.

That changes everything about the actual cost.

This comparison cuts through the marketing and shows you what you're really paying when you choose Autoreach.

The Hidden Cost Alert

Let's talk about the elephant in the room.

Autoreach's advertised price is $39/month. Their headline? "Unlimited X accounts." Sounds incredible until you dig into the features.

Here's what happens when you want to use their AI for personalization and auto-replies:

You need to bring your own Claude API key (from Anthropic). When you use that API, Anthropic charges you for every request. This is separate from Autoreach's $39 subscription.

Real cost breakdown:

• Autoreach subscription: $39/month
• Claude API usage (light use): $50-80/month
• Claude API usage (active campaigns): $100-150/month
• Integration setup time: 30+ minutes

Your actual monthly cost: $89-189/month. Not $39.

Compare that to Scrapely: $97/month solo, $500/month for agencies. AI included. No separate API costs. No surprise bills.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

This isn't just about honesty in pricing. It's about operational complexity.

Autoreach's model forces you to:

1. Manage two vendors: If something breaks, which company is responsible? When you upgrade, you're coordinating changes across two platforms.
2. Monitor API costs constantly: You don't get a fixed bill. You get surprised by higher usage some months. This creates unpredictability in your SaaS stack.
3. Handle authentication: You're giving Autoreach access to your Anthropic account. That's another security surface to manage.
4. Deal with API rate limits: If Claude's API is throttled, your campaigns slow down. You have no recourse with Autoreach—the problem isn't theirs.
5. Accept variable performance: As Anthropic updates Claude, your results change. Autoreach isn't controlling this—you are, indirectly.

Scrapely's all-in model sidesteps all of this. One vendor, one bill, one point of support.

Platform Differences: Depth vs Breadth

Autoreach does two platforms: X and LinkedIn. Scrapely does one: X. This seems like Autoreach wins.

Except specialization matters.

Why X-Only Is Actually Better

Autoreach splits engineering resources across two platforms. They're building features for X users and LinkedIn users. Scrapely puts 100% of engineering into X.

What does that mean in practice?

X Expertise: We understand X's algorithm limits, safety thresholds, and what triggers shadow-bans better than anyone splitting focus. Our lead scraping, warmup sequences, and AI replies are all tuned specifically for how X works—not as a "close enough" adaptation of LinkedIn logic.

Faster AI: Our AI is trained on millions of X conversations specifically. It understands X tone, norms, and what responses actually get replies on this platform. Autoreach's AI is general-purpose.

Intent Signals for X: X has unique buying signals—people post problems, replies from competitors, public shopping discussions. We detect these. Autoreach's intent detection is more generic.

This is the specialization advantage. Autoreach tries to do everything. Scrapely does one thing obsessively well.

Feature Comparison: What You Actually Get

The Real Cost Comparison

When you factor in everything:

Scrapely:

• Solo: $97/month (AI included, no hidden costs)
• Agency: $500/month unlimited accounts (AI included, no surprises)
• Setup: 5 minutes

Autoreach:

• Base: $39/month
• Claude API: +$50-150/month (you're paying Anthropic directly)
• Actual cost: $89-189/month
• Setup: 30+ minutes (API configuration)

If you're a solo founder running moderate campaigns:

• Scrapely: $97/month predictable
• Autoreach: $39 base + maybe $75 API = $114/month + setup headache

If you're an agency with 5 clients on X:

• Scrapely: $500/month (unlimited workspaces, all-in)
• Autoreach: $39/month × 5 = $195 + $75-150 API × 5 = $570-645/month (plus complexity)

Scrapely is cheaper and simpler.

Where Autoreach Still Makes Sense

To be fair, Autoreach has a legitimate use case:

• Multi-platform strategy: If you're running X and LinkedIn campaigns and want them in one tool, Autoreach is the only game in town
• You're technical: If you're comfortable managing API keys and don't mind monitoring usage, the raw cost per account can work
• Cross-platform sequences: If you need campaigns that move people from LinkedIn to X (or vice versa), Autoreach is built for this

But these are niche scenarios. Most teams doing outbound are all-in on one platform.

Where Scrapely Wins

X is your channel? Scrapely dominates:

• Trained for X: Every feature is built for how X actually works
• Fast AI replies: < 5 seconds, not "eventually"
• Transparent pricing: $97 or $500. That's it.
• Agency-friendly: Unlimited workspaces mean you scale without hitting a pricing ceiling
• Intent-based discovery: Find hot prospects, not just keyword matches
• No API management: You're not managing third-party API keys and monitoring costs

Who Should Choose Autoreach

Autoreach makes sense if:

• You need both X and LinkedIn in one tool
• You're comfortable managing API keys and monitoring costs
• You want the lowest advertised price (and accept hidden complexity)
• Cross-platform automation is essential

Who Should Choose Scrapely

Scrapely makes sense if:

• X is your primary (or only) outbound channel
• You want AI that works out of the box without technical setup
• You're an agency managing multiple clients
• You want predictable, all-inclusive pricing
• You want intent-based lead discovery specific to X
• You want responses in under 5 seconds, reliably

The Bottom Line

Autoreach's $39/month price is marketing genius. It gets clicks.

But real pricing includes the Claude API costs you'll inevitably rack up. Once you factor that in, Autoreach costs more than Scrapely—and requires managing two separate platforms and API quotas.

For teams going deep on X, Scrapely is the smarter choice. Lower cost, simpler operations, better specialization.

For teams that need LinkedIn + X together, Autoreach is the only option. Just know what you're actually paying.