If you're very worried about getting penalized by Google, you might not want to use Automated tools. But then again, you probably know that.
If you do use Automated tools, make sure they're not your only links. You want them to blend into your link profile.
To address your question:
A + B are not the same as C + D
GSA is a content poster. Scrapebox is more for scraping data. You can post some to scrapebox but I usually see low success rates.
SEO Autopilot is a content poster and so is Ranker X. So they're similar tools that just post to different places
The learning curve of GSA and Scrapebox is pretty steep. And unless you have an auto approve list (or buy one), you're not going to have an easy time posting to quality sites.
If you want something user friendly that will actually work, I prefer SEO AP. Want to post to web 2s? Just select them. Want forum profiles? Select them.
You don't have to worry as much about what you're getting or if you're getting it. So you can focus more on strategy. Plus they post to a variety of services so you can diversify your link profile.
Of course, you will have to buy a few more services to really get the value out of it. Proxies, a content spinner (they have a free version that's pretty decent), and Indexer like Omega Indexer.
Plus it's a recurring subscription, whereas GSA and Scrapebox are one off purchases. I think it's worth it. Even though I still have both GSA and Scrapebox that I use for specific purposes.
Hope that helps!