7 Top Rapportive Alternatives

Handling countless emails daily from contacts beyond our circle can be daunting. Often, you find yourself searching the internet for information on unfamiliar contacts, which only adds to the inefficiency of email communication. For avid Gmail users familiar with this issue, many relied on a social CRM widget called ‘Rapportive’.

What was Rapportive?

Rapportive served as an excellent social CRM tool for Gmail, conducting background checks on individuals and displaying their profiles from various networks in a sidebar widget.

Like any valuable startup, Rapportive was acquired by LinkedIn in 2012. Following significant changes in 2014, it has evolved considerably. While still offering browser add-ons and Gmail extensions, Rapportive’s current state has been aptly described by TechCrunch as ‘Really Messed up right now!’

What are the differences from its previous state?

Since its revamp in 2014 by LinkedIn, many changes have occurred. As with any major tech acquisition, LinkedIn had to align this tool more closely with its mission rather than solely focusing on providing value to the end user. It discontinued two features: ‘Raplets’ (the highlight of Rapportive) and ‘Notes’. Raplets were opt-in widgets allowing users to add extra details from various sources like GitHub, Klout, Quora, Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook profiles. Raplets served as the primary feature for Rapportive, and LinkedIn discontinued it.

Rapportive no longer functions as the robust data aggregation powerhouse it once was. While still in active use, it has significantly diminished in functionality, prompting exploration of alternative options.

7 Top Rapportive Alternatives

The beauty of current tech disruption is that you needn’t despair when some of your beloved tools are discontinued. ‘There’s an alternative for that’, and here we explore some of the finest Rapportive alternatives to rekindle the joy of emailing.

1. FullContact for Gmail

FullContact for Gmail stands out as a premier Chrome extension, enhancing the potency and efficiency of your emails. This Google Chrome plugin empowers you to unveil the social profiles of your contacts directly within your Gmail Inbox. Dive deeper into your connections, effortlessly perusing their images, Facebook updates, and Twitter feed, all without departing from your Inbox!

Personally, I’ve found this tool remarkably powerful, mirroring Rapportive’s capabilities. It includes a ‘Notes’ section for user-specific information and syncs contacts across mobile devices via Google contacts. Additionally, when an organization representative contacts you, this plugin aggregates key company details such as size, location, and demographics.

This plugin enjoys popularity in the Chrome Store and should pique your interest as a top Rapportive alternative.

• Exclusive to Google Chrome
• Requires social login
• Exclusively for Gmail

2. Sidekick by HubSpot

Sidekick, a popular Contact discovery tool by HubSpot, simplifies learning about contacting persons through their social profiles. It enables tracking of sent Emails once installed in your Chrome browser, curating information on email openings and frequency. Additionally, it facilitates Email scheduling.

Track user activity, including social media updates, directly from your Inbox without the need to switch platforms. Creating a Sidekick account is necessary for this functionality. Sidekick offers various add-ons for HubSpot, Salesforce, Apple Mail, and Outlook, enhancing its capabilities.

• Exclusive to Google Chrome
• Mandatory Sidekick account creation
• Compatible with Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail
• 3rd Party support for HubSpot and Salesforce

3. Discover.ly

Discover.ly, a San Francisco startup backed by Salesforce, integrates the best features of various social media platforms. It enables users to access a contact’s Facebook and Twitter profiles, regardless of their LinkedIn connections. Information from diverse social profiles, including mutual friends and recent tweets, is readily available.

Discover.ly operates seamlessly, reminiscent of Rapportive’s early days, with enhancements that include additional information from users’ social profiles. Launched a year ago, the founder of Discover.ly expresses admiration for Rapportive’s original vision.

• Supports Google Chrome only
• Social Connect is required
• Requires Gmail

4. Vibe App

Vibe app is an alternative to Rapportive, providing a comprehensive social snapshot of individuals. Registration for a Vibe app account is necessary. Once registered, hover over an email address to access a detailed information chart. Simply click the Vibe app logo to activate. The tool aggregates information from various social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Contacts, AngelList, and CrunchBase for users with accounts on those networks.

Vibe App ensures no information is omitted – the person’s about description, organizations, favorite topics, websites, and uploaded photos. Alongside Google Chrome, Vibe app offers a plugin for Mozilla Firefox and functions beyond Gmail Inbox (Outlook, Yahoo, or custom email). An email address is all you need to extract abundant information about any contact and foster meaningful relationships.

• Compatible with Google Chrome, Firefox, Mac, iOS, and Android
• Vibe app account necessary
• Operates universally across the web

Download Chrome Extension; Download Firefox Extension

5. Connect 6°

Connect6, a browser extension, enables discovering profiles of individuals from across the web, including outside of Gmail. It provides information about people, their social profiles, designation, and the option to connect on LinkedIn directly from the sidebar. Connect6 stands as one of the most popular people discovery networks, with its desktop search tool amassing a database of over 550 million social profiles.

Creating a Connect6 account is necessary to begin people discovery. It’s worth noting that the developers of Connect6 were also behind LiveOffice, acquired by Symantec in 2012.

• Exclusive support for Google Chrome
• Connect6 account creation is mandatory
• Functionality extends beyond Email to various social media accounts

6. Falcon.io

Falcon.io, a New York-based startup, offers a social discovery tool, potentially a Rapportive alternative. Despite its relatively limited features, this tool provides a comprehensive profile summary and Google Plus links. Additionally, Falcon.io aggregates data from 14 social media networks, including Hackernews, Tweetdeck, Twitter, Quora, and Behance.

Falcon.io enables users to search for individuals or Email addresses effortlessly via browser hover. A sidebar window promptly displays extracted information. Its broad social media profile support positions Falcon.io as a viable Rapportive substitute.

• Exclusive to Google Chrome
• No account registration necessary
• Operational outside the browser environment

7. AboutNumber for Gmail

AboutNumber Beta, a Google Chrome plugin, brings Rapportive features to your Gmail Inbox. It functions similarly to Rapportive, offering social media profiles for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus. It serves as a minimalist social discovery app for Gmail, featuring a Notes section for user-specific information, akin to the older Rapportive version.

You can access essential details such as job, designation, company, profile picture, and social profiles. To begin using the app, you must verify your mobile number in addition to logging in with your Google account. It provides a decent, minimalistic alternative to Rapportive.

• Compatible exclusively with Google Chrome
• Login with Google and Mobile number verification required
• Works only with Gmail

Download Chrome Extension

So, here we come to the end of the best alternatives to Rapportive. Share your thoughts and comments below about these tools and your preferred choice for social CRM in Emails.