Method comparison · reviewed 7 September 2026

Manual entry, contact files, or direct Google Contacts saving?

Direct answer: choose manual entry for a few contacts, CSV or VCF when you need a portable file, and direct Google Contacts saving when Google is already the destination. LeadSync is the direct-save option for phone numbers visible in a WhatsApp Web chat list or opened group-member list; it is not a messaging tool.

At-a-glance comparison

This is a method-level comparison, not a ranking of every extension. CSV/VCF features vary by tool, and no unverified speed or superiority claims are included.

Capability	LeadSync	CSV / Excel exporters	Saving by hand
Saves directly to Google Contacts	Yes	File only	Yes, but slow
Syncs to your phone automatically	Yes	No	Yes
Duplicate detection	Automatic	Partial	None
Custom naming & sequence	Yes	No	Manual
On-device & private	Yes	Varies	Yes

Saves directly to Google Contacts

LeadSync: Yes
CSV / Excel: File only
By hand: Yes, but slow

Syncs to your phone automatically

LeadSync: Yes
CSV / Excel: No
By hand: Yes

Duplicate detection

LeadSync: Automatic
CSV / Excel: Partial
By hand: None

Custom naming & sequence

LeadSync: Yes
CSV / Excel: No
By hand: Manual

On-device & private

LeadSync: Yes
CSV / Excel: Varies
By hand: Yes

Evidence and evaluation method

LeadSync behavior was checked against the published version 1.3.0 Chrome Web Store package. The comparison describes workflow properties rather than unsupported timing claims: whether the output is a file or a Google Contact, whether another import step is required, and whether LeadSync implements duplicate checks. A controlled cross-product speed benchmark has not been completed.

Manual: no extension is required; each contact is entered and reviewed individually.
CSV/VCF: produces a portable file; available fields, privacy, and duplicate behavior depend on the selected tool and import destination.
LeadSync direct save: version 1.3.0 checks Google Contacts and submits new entries through the Google People API in batches of up to 200.

Technical reference: Google’s official People API batchCreateContacts documentation.

Manual entry

Best for a few contacts or maximum per-contact control.

No extension access is required, but every number and name must be entered and duplicate checks depend on the user.

CSV or VCF

Best when a portable file or downstream import is required.

A file can be reviewed or imported elsewhere. The workflow may require cleanup, field mapping, import, and duplicate handling.

Direct to Google

Best when the destination is already Google Contacts.

LeadSync checks the connected account and writes selected new contacts through the Google People API, after which device sync depends on Google settings.

LeadSync trade-offs

Requires Chrome, WhatsApp Web, a Google sign-in, and contacts permission.
Scans an opened group-member list, but cannot recover numbers WhatsApp Web does not visibly render.
Does not read messages or media and does not perform outreach automation.
Does not create a CSV/VCF file as its primary workflow.
Depends on WhatsApp Web’s page structure and Google Contacts sync settings.

10 competitor comparisons

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