Summary:

• With 89% of B2B leads coming from LinkedIn, the platform has become the central hub for relationship selling.

• Most CRMs treat LinkedIn as a data source to scrape, not as the primary workspace, causing users to miss important messages and waste time switching between tools.

• The most effective alternative for LinkedIn-centric sellers is a tool that enhances the messaging experience directly within the platform.

• Kondo turns your chaotic LinkedIn inbox into an organized workspace with labels, reminders, and shortcuts so you never miss a lead.

Are you tired of toggling between your LinkedIn messages and your CRM? Frustrated that your current tools treat LinkedIn as just another data source rather than the central hub of your sales process?

You're not alone. With 89% of B2B leads coming from LinkedIn, the platform has become the starting point for relationship selling in the digital age. Yet most CRMs, including Folk, simply scrape LinkedIn data rather than enhancing where the real relationship-building happens—inside your LinkedIn messages.

As one sales professional noted on Reddit, "Salesforce and Hubspot seem to be very overwhelming with many features that are not needed." While Folk CRM offers a simpler alternative, it still treats LinkedIn as a data mine rather than a workspace.

For professionals whose sales motion lives primarily in LinkedIn DMs, the ideal Folk CRM alternative should do more than just store contacts—it should transform your LinkedIn workflow itself.

10 Best Folk CRM Alternatives for 2026

Let's explore 10 Folk CRM alternatives that cater to different needs, with special attention to solutions that enhance your LinkedIn experience directly.

1. Kondo: The Superhuman for LinkedIn

Unlike traditional Folk CRM alternatives that pull data out of LinkedIn, Kondo transforms the LinkedIn inbox itself into a powerful workspace. It's essentially "Superhuman for LinkedIn," bringing order to the chaos of your messages.

Key Features:

• Labels & Split Inboxes: Organize conversations with custom labels like "Hot Lead" or "Active Client" and view them in separate, prioritized inboxes. Apply labels instantly with the 'L' shortcut.

• Reminders (Snooze): Set follow-up reminders for any conversation using the 'H' shortcut. Messages disappear and resurface when they're due, ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks.

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Navigate your inbox at lightning speed with shortcuts for archiving, setting reminders, applying labels, and more—all without touching your mouse.

• Snippets: Save time by using templates for common messages with the ';' command, including variables like {firstName} for personalization.

• Voice Notes from Desktop: Send voice messages directly from your desktop—a capability LinkedIn restricts to mobile.

• CRM & System Sync: Push conversation data to tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Notion, eliminating manual data entry.

• Unified Sales Navigator & LinkedIn Inbox: View messages from both platforms in one place, eliminating constant switching.

Pricing: Starts at $28/month billed annually for the Basic plan; Business plan (with integrations) at $36/month billed annually.

Feature Comparison: Kondo vs. Folk for LinkedIn Workflows

2. Zixflow

Zixflow is an AI-powered Folk CRM alternative designed for sales teams looking to streamline their workflow with organized data and customizable dashboards.

Key Features:

• Automated email sequences

• Multi-channel marketing capabilities

• Lead generation tools

• Integration with LinkedIn (though not as native as Kondo)

Pricing: Starts free; paid plans range from $59 to $249/month.

3. Pipedrive

Pipedrive focuses on visual pipeline management and is planning to launch auto enrichment features soon, addressing a key limitation that Folk CRM users have noted.

Key Features:

• Visual sales pipeline

• Email integration

• Activity tracking

• LinkedIn integration through third-party tools

Pricing: Starts at $9.90/user/month.

4. HubSpot

While HubSpot can feel overwhelming with its extensive feature set, it remains a powerful Folk CRM alternative with a capable free tier.

Key Features:

• Integration with LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms

• Sales Navigator integration

• Contact management and enrichment

• Email tracking and templates

Pricing: Free CRM available; paid hubs start at $45/month and increase significantly with additional features.

5. Copper

Copper (formerly ProsperWorks) is the ideal Folk CRM alternative for Google Workspace users, with deep integration into Gmail, Calendar, and other Google tools.

Key Features:

• Seamless Google Workspace integration

• Automatic contact creation from emails

• LinkedIn data import capabilities

• Mobile app with strong functionality

Pricing: Starts at $23/user/month.

6. Nimble

Nimble stands out among Folk CRM alternatives for its focus on social selling, with powerful social media integrations.

Key Features:

• Automatically enriches contact profiles with social data, including LinkedIn

• Group messaging capabilities

• Deal pipeline management

• Social listening tools

Pricing: Starts at $24.90/user/month.

7. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM offers a highly customizable and affordable alternative to Folk CRM that scales well with growing businesses.

Key Features:

• LinkedIn integration for lead capture

• AI-powered sales assistant (Zia)

• Process automation

• Customizable modules and fields

Pricing: Starts at ₹800/user/month (approximately $10).

8. Airtable

For teams seeking flexibility, Airtable can be configured as a simple, visual Folk CRM alternative with a spreadsheet-like interface.

Key Features:

• Highly customizable database structure

• Kanban, calendar, and list views

• Automation capabilities

• Integrations with other tools, including LinkedIn

Pricing: Free version available; paid plans start at $20/user/month.

9. Monday.com

Monday.com markets itself as a "Work OS" that can be customized to function as a CRM alongside project management features.

Key Features:

• Visual, customizable workflows

• Team collaboration tools

• Automations and integrations

• LinkedIn data import capabilities

Pricing: Starts at $10/user/month.

10. Salesforce

While often criticized for complexity, Salesforce remains the enterprise standard and a powerful Folk CRM alternative for larger organizations.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive LinkedIn integration options

• Advanced analytics and reporting

• Extensive automation capabilities

• AppExchange for custom add-ons

Pricing: Complex tiered structure, generally starting around $25/user/month for basic functionality.

Why Your LinkedIn Workflow Deserves More Than a Generic CRM

The fundamental limitation of most Folk CRM alternatives is that they treat LinkedIn as just another data source to pull from, not as your primary workspace. This creates several hidden costs:

1. Missed opportunities when important messages get buried in your LinkedIn inbox

2. Delayed responses as you switch between platforms

3. Mental overwhelm from managing multiple systems

4. Wasted time copy-pasting between LinkedIn and your CRM

As one sales leader noted, "The chaos of my LinkedIn inbox was costing me deals. I'd miss messages for days, and by the time I responded, the prospect had moved on."

While data enrichment and pipeline management are important, the actual relationship-building happens in the DMs. That's why tools that enhance your LinkedIn messaging experience directly can have an outsized impact on your sales results.

Stop Scraping Contacts, Start Building Relationships

The search for the perfect Folk CRM alternative ultimately comes down to understanding where your work happens. If you primarily build relationships on LinkedIn, you need more than just a tool that extracts data from the platform—you need one that enhances your experience within it.

Traditional CRMs like Folk excel at organizing your contacts and pipeline, but they don't address the chaos of the LinkedIn inbox itself—where the real sales magic happens. For LinkedIn-centric sellers, this creates a disconnect between where relationships are built (in DMs) and where they're tracked (in the CRM).

As we've seen, there are numerous Folk CRM alternatives available, each with its own strengths:

• For power users living in LinkedIn messages: Kondo transforms the LinkedIn inbox itself into a high-performance workflow tool

• For Google Workspace devotees: Copper integrates seamlessly with Gmail and Google Calendar

• For visual pipeline managers: Pipedrive offers intuitive deal tracking

• For teams needing flexibility: Airtable and Monday.com provide customizable solutions

• For enterprise requirements: Salesforce delivers comprehensive (albeit complex) functionality

The right choice depends on where you spend most of your working hours. If that's inside LinkedIn, consider solutions like Kondo that don't just pull data out of LinkedIn but actually enhance your experience within the platform.

By focusing on tools that work where you do, you'll not only save time switching between systems but also ensure no opportunity gets lost in the shuffle. And in relationship selling, a missed message can mean a missed deal.

Ready to Transform Your LinkedIn Workflow?

If you're tired of toggling between LinkedIn and your CRM, missing important messages, and constantly copy-pasting information between systems, it might be time to try a tool built specifically for LinkedIn-centric workflows.

Kondo transforms your LinkedIn inbox into a powerful workspace with labels, reminders, keyboard shortcuts, and CRM integrations—all designed to help you build relationships more effectively where they actually happen.

Try Kondo risk-free now with our 14-day money back guarantee and stop letting opportunities slip through the cracks of your LinkedIn inbox.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Folk CRM alternative for LinkedIn users?

For professionals whose sales process is centered on LinkedIn, Kondo is often the best Folk CRM alternative. Unlike traditional CRMs that only scrape contact data, Kondo enhances the LinkedIn inbox itself, turning it into an organized and efficient workspace for managing relationships where they actually happen.

Why is a generic CRM not enough for LinkedIn outreach?

A generic CRM is often insufficient for heavy LinkedIn users because it treats the platform as a data source, not a primary workspace. This creates a disconnect, forcing you to constantly switch between your inbox (where conversations occur) and your CRM (where data is stored), leading to missed messages and wasted time on manual data entry.

How can I manage my LinkedIn inbox more effectively?

You can manage your LinkedIn inbox more effectively by using a tool that brings CRM-like functionality directly into your message view. Solutions like Kondo allow you to apply labels to categorize chats, set follow-up reminders to "snooze" conversations, and use keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow, ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks.

What are the key differences between Kondo and Folk for LinkedIn workflows?

The key difference is where the work happens. Kondo operates inside your LinkedIn inbox, optimizing your messaging workflow with features like snooze and labels. Folk operates outside of LinkedIn, acting as an external database to manage contacts and pipelines that you manually import or sync from the platform.

Can I integrate a LinkedIn-focused tool with my existing CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot?

Yes, tools designed to enhance your LinkedIn workflow, such as Kondo, typically offer integrations with major CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot. This allows you to manage conversations efficiently within LinkedIn and then push relevant data and contact information to your main CRM, eliminating double data entry and keeping your systems in sync.