Overview — What Each Tool Does
Handshake
Handshake is a LinkedIn automation platform purpose-built for multi-sender rotation. Teams manage unlimited LinkedIn accounts from a single dashboard with built-in warmup, a unified inbox, and premium residential proxies on every plan. Pricing scales by sender count — not per seat — starting at $69/month for 1 sender. Every plan includes unlimited team seats and unlimited workspaces, making it the go-to choice for agencies and sales teams running outreach at scale.
Salesloft
Salesloft is a leading enterprise sales engagement platform (recently acquired by Vista Equity Partners). It provides email cadences, a built-in dialer, LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration, deal intelligence, conversation intelligence, and pipeline management. Salesloft is designed for enterprise sales teams and is email-first, with LinkedIn as a supplementary channel. Pricing is not publicly listed but typically ranges from $100-$150+ per user per month with annual contracts.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Handshake | Salesloft |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use Case | LinkedIn-specific outbound automation at scale | Enterprise sales engagement platform (email-first with multichannel support) |
| LinkedIn Automation | Full LinkedIn automation — connection requests, messages, follow-ups, profile views, all running automatically | LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration — adds LinkedIn 'steps' to cadences, but actions are mostly manual tasks for reps to complete |
| Multi-Sender Rotation | Core feature — automatically distribute leads across multiple LinkedIn accounts | Not available — each rep works from their own LinkedIn account within their cadence |
| Email Cadences | Not available — LinkedIn-focused | Industry-leading email cadence engine with personalization, send-time optimization, and deliverability tools |
| Phone/Dialer | Not available | Built-in dialer with click-to-call, voicemail drop, call recording, and conversation intelligence |
| Conversation Intelligence | Not available | AI-powered call analysis, talk track suggestions, and coaching insights |
| CRM Integration | Webhook and API integrations for CRM sync | Deep native Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics integration with bidirectional sync |
| Deal Intelligence | Campaign-level analytics and conversion tracking | Deal scoring, pipeline visibility, forecast accuracy, and deal health insights |
| Unified Inbox | Single inbox aggregating LinkedIn conversations from all sender accounts | Per-rep view of their cadence tasks and email replies — not unified across team LinkedIn accounts |
| Warmup Automation | Built-in LinkedIn warmup with gradual ramp-up | Email warmup available; no LinkedIn-specific warmup features |
| Safety & Compliance | Premium residential proxies, human-like sending patterns, smart LinkedIn rate limiting | Enterprise email deliverability; LinkedIn safety is the rep's responsibility since actions are manual |
| Pricing (5 users) | $199/mo for 5 senders + unlimited team seats | ~$500-$750/mo ($100-$150/user × 5, annual contract required) |
Where Handshake Wins
For LinkedIn outbound, Handshake is in a different league. Salesloft's LinkedIn integration adds LinkedIn 'steps' to cadences — but these are essentially reminders for reps to manually open LinkedIn and perform actions. There's no automated connection requesting, no automated messaging, and no multi-sender rotation.
Handshake automates the entire LinkedIn workflow: connection requests, personalized messages, follow-up sequences, profile views — all distributed across multiple sender accounts automatically. A sales team can reach 5x more prospects on LinkedIn with Handshake than with Salesloft's manual LinkedIn tasks.
The cost advantage is substantial. Salesloft's enterprise pricing ($100-$150/user/month with annual contracts) means a 5-person team pays $500-$750/mo minimum. Handshake's Growth plan covers 5 senders for $199/mo with unlimited team seats — less than the cost of a single Salesloft seat.
For teams where LinkedIn is the primary prospecting channel, Handshake delivers dramatically more value per dollar.
Where Salesloft Wins
Salesloft is a comprehensive enterprise sales engagement platform that goes far beyond LinkedIn. Its email cadence engine is among the best in the industry, with sophisticated personalization, send-time optimization, and deliverability management.
The built-in dialer with conversation intelligence is a significant differentiator — call recording, transcription, talk track analysis, and coaching insights help sales leaders improve team performance. Deal intelligence features provide pipeline visibility and forecast accuracy that help revenue leaders manage their business.
Salesloft's CRM integration depth (especially Salesforce) is enterprise-grade, with bidirectional sync, activity logging, and workflow automation. For large sales organizations that need a single platform to manage email, phone, LinkedIn tasks, CRM sync, and pipeline analytics, Salesloft is a top-tier choice.
Choose Handshake If...
Choose Handshake if LinkedIn is your primary outbound channel and you want true automation — not manual tasks. It's built for teams that need multi-sender rotation, automated sequences, and cost-effective scaling. Pair it with a separate email tool for multichannel coverage at a fraction of Salesloft's cost.
Choose Salesloft If...
Choose Salesloft if you're an enterprise sales organization that needs a comprehensive platform for email cadences, phone, LinkedIn tasks, conversation intelligence, and pipeline management. It's built for large teams with enterprise budgets who want everything unified.
The Verdict
Salesloft is an enterprise sales Swiss Army knife; Handshake is a LinkedIn automation laser. If LinkedIn is your highest-converting outbound channel (as it is for most B2B companies), Handshake's fully automated LinkedIn workflows and multi-sender rotation make it far more effective than Salesloft's manual LinkedIn tasks. For the cost of 2 Salesloft seats, you can get Handshake's full 5-sender plan. Many teams use both — Salesloft for email and phone, Handshake for LinkedIn — getting the best of both worlds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Salesloft automate LinkedIn actions?
Not really. Salesloft integrates with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and includes LinkedIn 'steps' in cadences, but these are manual tasks that prompt reps to take action on LinkedIn themselves. Connection requests and messages must be sent manually. Handshake fully automates all LinkedIn actions.
Is Handshake a replacement for Salesloft?
Not entirely — they have different strengths. Handshake replaces and significantly upgrades the LinkedIn component. For email and phone, you'd use Salesloft or separate tools. Some teams run both platforms to get the best LinkedIn automation (Handshake) and email/phone engagement (Salesloft).
How much does Salesloft cost compared to Handshake?
Salesloft typically costs $100-$150 per user per month with annual contracts. Handshake's Growth plan is $199/mo for 5 senders with unlimited team seats. A 5-person team on Salesloft costs $500-$750/mo; the same team on Handshake costs $199/mo.
Can I use Handshake's LinkedIn data in Salesloft?
Yes. Handshake's webhook and API integrations can push LinkedIn connection data, reply notifications, and campaign results to Salesloft or your CRM, keeping your sales engagement data unified.
Which is better for a startup sales team?
Handshake. Startups typically can't afford Salesloft's enterprise pricing and annual contracts. Handshake's month-to-month plans starting at $69/mo provide professional LinkedIn automation without the enterprise commitment. Add a separate email tool for $50-$100/mo and you have a complete stack for under $300/mo.