Dux-Soup is one of the oldest LinkedIn automation tools around — a Chrome extension that's been running sequences since 2016. It works. But extensions have a fundamental problem: LinkedIn can see them.
| Feature | Influentia | Dux-Soup |
|---|---|---|
| How it runs | Separate browser process No Chrome extension |
Chrome extension Lives inside your browser |
| Extension detectable by LinkedIn | ✓ Not an extension — nothing to detect | ✗ Yes — extension fingerprint is visible |
| AI message writing | ✓ Reads posts, writes fresh per prospect | ✗ Template variables only |
| Connection note personalisation | ✓ AI-generated, activity-aware | Static text |
| Runs while Chrome is open | ✓ Separate process — Chrome unaffected | ✗ Chrome must be open and on LinkedIn tab |
| Auto-reply to prospects | ✓ AI reads reply, responds in your voice | ✗ Not available |
| Follow-up sequences | ✓ AI-written, context-aware | ✓ Template sequences |
| Operating system | Mac, Windows, Linux | Chrome on any OS |
| Pricing (comparable plan) | €49/month | $41.58/month (Pro, no AI) |
| Lead finder | ✓ Built-in ICP search | ✓ LinkedIn search integration |
Chrome extensions modify the browser's DOM and JavaScript environment in ways that are detectable. LinkedIn actively scans for known automation extensions — Dux-Soup is one of the most widely used, which means it's one of the most well-known signatures to look for.
Influentia doesn't touch your Chrome at all. It launches a completely separate Chromium browser with its own profile, its own session, and anti-detection patches built in. Your normal Chrome continues working normally. LinkedIn sees two independent browser sessions — one that's you, one that looks like you. No extension fingerprint, no plugin detection, no DOM modifications in your real browser.
This isn't theoretical. LinkedIn has restricted or banned accounts using automation extensions. Running as a separate process with a clean fingerprint is a meaningfully lower-risk approach.
Dux-Soup personalisation looks like this: you write a template, add {{firstName}} at the top, maybe {{companyName}} in the second line, and the tool fills in the blanks. Every prospect gets structurally identical messages — only the names change. Experienced LinkedIn users spot these immediately.
Before Influentia writes a message, it navigates to the prospect's LinkedIn activity page and reads their recent posts. If they wrote about a challenge they're navigating, that's the specific hook. If they shared something unexpected about their business, that's the observation. The message gets written from scratch, for that person, using something only they posted. There is no template underneath it.
The practical result: people reply to messages that feel like they were written by someone who actually looked at their profile. Because they were.
Dux-Soup runs inside Chrome. That means Chrome needs to be open, on LinkedIn, for automation to run. If you use Chrome for regular browsing while Dux-Soup is working, you might accidentally navigate away and interrupt a sequence. It also means your daily browser usage and your outreach automation are competing for the same process.
Influentia runs in its own window, independently. You can keep using Chrome, Safari, or whatever you normally use. The automation doesn't care.
Dux-Soup is a solid tool if you're comfortable with template-based outreach and are willing to accept the extension detection risk. If you want messages that don't read like automation, a cleaner LinkedIn account safety profile, and AI that actually reads what each prospect posts before writing to them — Influentia is the better fit. The price difference is small. The difference in replies is not.
No Chrome extension. No templates. Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Download Influentia →€49/month after trial. Cancel any time.