Best AI SDR Tools (2026): 6 AI SDRs Compared by Pricing Model
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An AI SDR is software that finds prospects, researches them, writes and sends outreach, follows up and books meetings, the early sales work a sales development rep (SDR) usually does.
AI SDR tools range from agents that run whole campaigns to sales platforms that add AI helpers. They also charge in very different ways: per prospect, per seat or as a flat plan. Below we compare six on what the AI does, which channels it uses, where the lead data comes from and what you pay, checked on each vendor's own pricing page.
The short answer
Want an agent to do the work? AiSDR costs $1.50 per prospect with no monthly fee. For a full team platform, Amplemarket is $600/mo yearly. On a budget, Apollo has a free plan, Instantly adds AI agents from $94/mo, and lemlist covers LinkedIn too. For inbound, look at Expertise AI.
Quick picks
| Tool | Type | Best for | Starts at | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 AiSDR | Autonomous outbound agent | A done-for-you AI SDR with pay-per-prospect pricing | $1.50 per prospect pay as you go, billed daily, no monthly fee | Sign up free and build a campaign; pay when you launch |
 Amplemarket | Sales platform with AI agents | Sales teams that want data, signals and AI drafting in one platform | $600/mo Startup plan on an annual term, 2 users included | Free trial on all plans (length not stated) |
 Apollo | Sales platform with AI agents | A free plan and AI agents on a per-seat sales platform | $49/seat/mo billed yearly ($65/seat billed monthly) | Free plan (900 credits a year); 14-day trial on Basic and Professional |
 Instantly | Cold email platform with AI agents | Cheap high-volume cold email with add-on AI agents | $94/mo Starter bundle billed monthly ($85/mo billed yearly) | Free start, no card (trial length not stated) |
 lemlist | Sales engagement platform with AI agents | Multichannel sequences with built-in AI agents | $87/user/mo Multichannel billed yearly ($109 shown as the full price) | 14-day free trial; a banner offered an extended 30-day trial on Nov 11, 2026 |
 Expertise AI | Inbound AI agent | An inbound AI SDR that answers website visitors and books meetings | Custom pricing Premier, Enterprise and Unlimited plans, quoted after a demo | None listed |
List prices in US dollars before tax. Checked November 11, 2026; Apollo checked October 29, 2026.
What an AI SDR actually does
An AI SDR takes over the repetitive first steps of outbound sales. Based on the vendors' own pages, the work splits into five jobs:
- Find. Build a list of people who match your ideal customer profile (ICP), the type of company and role you sell to, often from buying signals such as job changes or posts.
- Research. Read each prospect's company news and recent posts so the message isn't generic.
- Write and send. Draft personalized emails or LinkedIn messages and send them in a sequence, a series of steps a few days apart.
- Reply. Answer simple questions and objections, or draft replies for you to approve.
- Book. Offer a meeting time and put it in your calendar or CRM when someone is interested.
Not every tool does all five. That's the main difference between the picks below.
AI SDR tools compared
| Tool | Pricing model | Entry price | Channels | Own lead data | Human review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AiSDR | Per prospect | $1.50 per prospect | Email, LinkedIn, call tasks | AI prospect search, or your lists and CRM | Co-pilot mode to approve replies |
| Amplemarket | Flat plan, annual term | $600/mo (2 users) | Email, phone, social steps | Yes, contacts and credits per plan | Duo drafts for reps to send |
| Apollo | Per seat | $49/seat/mo yearly; free plan | Email, calls (US dialer) | Yes, 240M+ contacts | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Instantly | Flat plan plus credits | $94/mo (Starter bundle) | Yes, 450M+ leads, paid with credits | Not stated on the pages we read | |
| lemlist | Per user | $87/user/mo yearly (Multichannel) | Email, LinkedIn, calls, SMS, WhatsApp add-on | Yes, 650M+ leads, paid with credits | You run the campaigns |
| Expertise AI | Quote after demo | Custom pricing | Website chat, voice, phone (inbound) | No; works on your site visitors | Hands sensitive cases to a person |
How we chose
We picked tools that either sell themselves as an AI SDR or include AI agents for prospecting and outreach, and that have a page on this site. We re-read each official pricing page on November 11, 2026; Apollo's plan prices didn't load that day, so we use our browser read from October 29, 2026. Feature details come from each vendor's homepage and pricing page on the dates shown under each pick.
We haven't tested these tools hands-on, so we can't tell you which one books the most meetings. We tell you what each one does, who it suits and what you pay. Other AI SDR products, such as 11x and Artisan, aren't covered yet because we haven't checked their pricing pages.
AiSDR: best for a done-for-you AI SDR with pay-per-prospect pricing
AI SDR agent that finds prospects from web signals or your CRM, researches each lead, runs email, LinkedIn and phone sequences, answers replies and books meetings, with HubSpot and Salesforce sync.
- Type
- Autonomous outbound agent
- Pricing model
- Per prospect
- Starts at
- $1.50 per prospect, pay as you go, billed daily, no monthly fee
- Free option
- Sign up free and build a campaign; pay when you launch
What you get:
- Prospect finding from a plain-English description of your buyer, Sales Navigator lists, CSV uploads or your HubSpot and Salesforce contacts
- Research on each lead (recent posts, company news) before the first message
- Email, LinkedIn and call-task sequences
- Reply handling: answers common questions and objections and books meetings
- A co-pilot mode where you approve replies before they send
Team plans for 1,000+ contacts a month are quoted by sales, and annual plans are 20% off quarterly. Add-ons on the pricing page: a warmed-up mailbox for $33 (billing period not stated), a managed campaign for $149 and a fully managed service for $2,500/mo. On the day we checked, the FAQ gave two different campaign minimums ($7.50 and $3).
Who it's for: Founders and small sales teams who want an agent to find, research, write and follow up for them, and who prefer paying per prospect over a seat licence.
Skip it if: You contact thousands of people a month on a fixed budget. At $1.50 a prospect, 1,000 prospects cost $1,500 a month, and Team prices aren’t published.
Visit AiSDRRead the AiSDR profile
Source: aisdr.com/pricing, aisdr.com, checked November 11, 2026 (features November 9, 2026)
Amplemarket: best for sales teams that want data, signals and AI drafting in one platform
Sales platform with a B2B contact database, AI intent signals, multichannel sequences, deliverability tools and Duo, an AI copilot that suggests leads and drafts outreach for approval.
- Type
- Sales platform with AI agents
- Pricing model
- Flat plan, annual term
- Starts at
- $600/mo, Startup plan on an annual term, 2 users included
- Free option
- Free trial on all plans (length not stated)
What you get:
- 27,000 contacts, plus 13,500 email and 600 phone credits per user a year
- Duo Copilot, which suggests prospects from buying signals; the comparison table also lists Duo Copywriter and Duo Signals
- Multichannel sequences across email, phone and social steps
- AI intent signals, deliverability tools and an MCP server
Startup works out to $7,200 a year, or $300 per user a month for the 2 included users. No month-to-month price is listed. Growth (4 users) and Elite (10 users) are custom-priced; Duo Voice starts on Growth, and Duo Inbox is listed on Elite and as an add-on elsewhere. Extra users are available on every plan at a price the page doesn’t show. Amplemarket’s Duo drafts outreach and replies for reps to review and send.
Who it's for: Outbound teams of two or more who want a contact database, intent signals, sequences and AI drafting from one vendor.
Skip it if: You’re a solo founder or want to pay month to month. The entry plan is a yearly commitment of $7,200.
Visit AmplemarketRead the Amplemarket profile
Source: amplemarket.com/pricing, amplemarket.com, checked November 11, 2026 (features November 9, 2026)
Apollo: best for a free plan and AI agents on a per-seat sales platform
Sales platform with a B2B database of 240M+ contacts and 30M+ companies, email sequences, a dialer, call recording, CRM enrichment and AI agents for research and outreach.
- Type
- Sales platform with AI agents
- Pricing model
- Per seat
- Starts at
- $49/seat/mo, billed yearly ($65/seat billed monthly)
- Free option
- Free plan (900 credits a year); 14-day trial on Basic and Professional
What you get:
- A B2B database of 240M+ contacts and 30M+ companies, with 30,000 credits per seat a year on yearly Basic
- Unlimited email sequences and a deliverability suite (warmup, mailbox purchasing)
- A US dialer and call recording
- AI agents that, per Apollo, research accounts, build lists, write outreach, follow up and book meetings
Professional is $79/seat/mo yearly ($99 monthly) with 48,000 credits. Apollo labeled these introductory prices on October 29. On November 11, 2026 the page named four tiers, Free, Basic, Professional and Custom, and no longer listed the Organization plan. Credits are pooled, reset each billing cycle and don’t roll over. On November 11, 2026 the pricing page didn’t show plan prices in a US fetch (the table loads with JavaScript), and it didn’t say which plan includes the agents, so these are the figures we read in a browser on October 29, 2026.
Who it's for: Reps and small teams who want lead data, sequences, a dialer and AI help on one per-seat bill, and want to try it free first.
Skip it if: You want an agent that runs whole campaigns with little input. Apollo is a platform you operate, with AI features inside it.
Visit ApolloRead the Apollo profile
Source: apollo.io/pricing, apollo.io, checked October 29, 2026
Instantly: best for cheap high-volume cold email with add-on AI agents
Cold email platform that sends from unlimited email accounts with built-in warmup, plus a B2B lead database, email verification, a CRM and AI agents for prospecting and replies.
- Type
- Cold email platform with AI agents
- Pricing model
- Flat plan plus credits
- Starts at
- $94/mo, Starter bundle billed monthly ($85/mo billed yearly)
- Free option
- Free start, no card (trial length not stated)
What you get:
- 5,000 emails and 1,000 uploaded contacts a month
- 1,500 Instantly credits a month for its 450M+ lead database
- The AI Sales Agent, which finds leads
- Unlimited email accounts and warmup
The AI Reply Agent, which drafts replies, starts on the Scale bundle at $194/mo ($175 yearly) with 100,000 emails and 5,000 credits a month. Each agent action uses credits: on October 30, 2026 Instantly listed 5 credits per lead or reply. The plain Outreach Growth plan ($47/mo, $37.60 yearly) has no lead data or AI agents. Instantly is email only; we didn’t see LinkedIn or calling steps on its pricing page.
Who it's for: Founders and agencies who send a lot of cold email and want AI to help find leads and handle replies, without paying per seat.
Skip it if: You need LinkedIn, calls or SMS in the same sequence. lemlist and AiSDR cover more channels.
Visit InstantlyRead the Instantly profile
Source: instantly.ai/pricing, instantly.ai, checked November 11, 2026 (features October 30, 2026)
lemlist: best for multichannel sequences with built-in AI agents
Sales engagement platform with a B2B lead database, AI personalization and automated campaigns across email, LinkedIn, calls, WhatsApp and SMS, plus deliverability and warmup tools.
- Type
- Sales engagement platform with AI agents
- Pricing model
- Per user (Multichannel)
- Starts at
- $87/user/mo, Multichannel billed yearly ($109 shown as the full price)
- Free option
- 14-day free trial; a banner offered an extended 30-day trial on Nov 11, 2026
What you get:
- Unlimited emails and messages, with 5 senders per user
- Email, LinkedIn automation, SMS, a built-in dialer and a WhatsApp add-on
- lemAgent plus intent-signal, enrichment, messaging and LinkedIn AI agents
- A 650M+ lead database, paid for with credits
The Email plan is $55/mo billed yearly ($69 full price) with unlimited users and 50,000 emails a month, but email is its only channel. Data costs extra: lead data enrichment is $16 or $20 a month, depending on billing, for 2,000 credits (400 emails or 100 phone numbers), and buying-intent signals are $21 or $29 a month for 100 signals. lemlist bills in dollars, euros or pounds depending on where you are; these are the prices shown to a US visitor.
Who it's for: Small sales teams who want AI help writing and enriching, but still want to run their own sequences across email and LinkedIn.
Skip it if: You want an agent to do the whole job. lemlist’s agents assist; you still build and run the campaigns.
Visit lemlistRead the lemlist profile
Source: lemlist.com/pricing, lemlist.com, checked November 11, 2026 (features Oct 28, 2026)
Expertise AI: best for an inbound AI SDR that answers website visitors and books meetings
AI agents for sales and support: website chat that qualifies leads and books meetings, support chat and voice agents, AI IVR, and custom agents connected to your CRM and knowledge.
- Type
- Inbound AI agent
- Pricing model
- Quote after a demo
- Starts at
- Custom pricing, Premier, Enterprise and Unlimited plans, quoted after a demo
- Free option
- None listed
What you get:
- A website sales agent that starts conversations, qualifies interest and books meetings
- Meetings added to HubSpot
- Support chat, voice agents and AI phone routing on the same platform
- Handoff to a human for complex or sensitive requests
Expertise AI publishes no prices; its pricing page says the price depends on how you plan to use it. It works on people who come to your website, not on cold lists, so it complements an outbound tool rather than replacing one.
Who it's for: B2B companies with steady website traffic who want every visitor greeted, qualified and offered a meeting, day or night.
Skip it if: You need cold outbound or a price you can see before a sales call.
Visit Expertise AIRead the Expertise AI profile
Source: expertise.ai/pricing, expertise.ai, checked November 11, 2026 (features October 30, 2026)
What an AI SDR costs in a year
Because the pricing models differ, the cheapest tool depends on how many people you contact. Here is the yearly list price of each entry option for one seller. We don't compare these with an SDR's salary, because we haven't found a current, dated public figure we trust.
| Tool and plan | How it's billed | One year | What that covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Basic | $49/seat/mo, billed yearly | $588 | 1 seat, 30,000 credits a year |
| Instantly Starter bundle | $85/mo, billed yearly | $1,020 | 5,000 emails and 1,500 credits a month, AI Sales Agent |
| lemlist Multichannel | $87/user/mo, billed yearly | $1,044 | 1 user, email plus LinkedIn and calls; data credits extra |
| AiSDR pay as you go, 200 prospects a month | $1.50 per prospect | $3,600 | 2,400 prospects found, researched and contacted |
| AiSDR pay as you go, 500 prospects a month | $1.50 per prospect | $9,000 | 6,000 prospects |
| Amplemarket Startup | $600/mo, annual term | $7,200 | 2 users, 27,000 contacts |
| Expertise AI | Quote | Not published | Inbound website and voice agents |
Our math from list prices checked November 11, 2026 (Apollo October 29, 2026). Excludes tax, extra mailboxes, data add-ons and extra users.
The numbers aren't like for like. AiSDR's price covers the research, writing and replies for each prospect, while with Apollo, Instantly and lemlist you still build the list, set up the sequence and watch the replies yourself, using AI as help.
How to choose an AI SDR
| If you… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Want an agent to run outbound with no monthly fee | AiSDR | Pay $1.50 per prospect and stop any time |
| Run a sales team and want data, signals and AI drafting together | Amplemarket | Startup covers 2 users, 27,000 contacts and Duo |
| Want to try free before paying | Apollo | Free plan, then $49/seat/mo yearly |
| Send a lot of cold email and want AI to find leads | Instantly | Starter bundle with the AI Sales Agent for $94/mo |
| Sell to people who answer on LinkedIn as well as email | lemlist | Multichannel plan with email, LinkedIn, calls and lemAgent |
| Already get website traffic and want faster follow-up | Expertise AI | Inbound agent that qualifies visitors and books meetings |
Check these before you buy
- Where the leads come from. Some tools include a database, some charge credits for it, and some work only on your own lists or site visitors.
- What the price counts. Prospects (AiSDR), seats (Apollo, lemlist Multichannel), flat plans with credits (Instantly, Amplemarket) or a quote (Expertise AI). Estimate your monthly volume first.
- How much the AI does on its own. Ask whether replies send automatically or wait for approval, and start in the mode that lets you review.
- Sending limits and mailboxes. Extra warmed-up inboxes are often an add-on. AiSDR lists $33 per mailbox; Instantly and lemlist include warmup.
- The rules. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide covers US business email, and LinkedIn's prohibited software page covers automation on its site.
Comparing the sending side in more depth? Our best cold email software guide covers sending limits and warmup, and Instantly vs lemlist works out costs at three volumes. If you're weighing Apollo, see our Apollo alternatives, and for LinkedIn-first outreach our best LinkedIn automation tools.
Our suggestions are based on published plans, not hands-on tests. Run one small campaign on a trial or pay-as-you-go plan before you commit to a yearly contract.
FAQ
What is an AI SDR?
An AI SDR (AI sales development representative) is software that does the early steps of outbound sales: it finds prospects that fit your ideal customer, researches them, writes personalized messages, sends follow-ups and books meetings when someone is interested. Some, like AiSDR, run the whole loop; others, like lemlist or Apollo, add AI agents to a platform you operate.
Can an AI SDR replace a human SDR?
We haven’t tested these tools, and we haven’t found independent data that settles it. The vendors themselves keep a person involved: AiSDR has a co-pilot mode where you approve replies and passes complex cases to a human, and Amplemarket’s Duo drafts outreach for reps to review. Treat an AI SDR as a way to cover more prospects, and keep someone checking targeting, messages and replies.
How much does an AI SDR cost?
It depends on the pricing model. On November 11, 2026, AiSDR charged $1.50 per prospect with no monthly fee, so 500 prospects a month cost $750. Amplemarket’s Startup plan was $600/mo on an annual term for 2 users. Instantly’s Starter bundle with its AI Sales Agent was $94/mo ($85 yearly), and lemlist Multichannel $87 per user a month billed yearly. Apollo Basic was $49 per seat a month yearly on October 29, 2026.
What is the best AI SDR tool for a small team?
If you want the agent to do the work, AiSDR’s pay-as-you-go plan has no monthly fee, so you can start small. If you’d rather run campaigns yourself with AI help, Apollo has a free plan and Instantly’s Starter bundle costs $94/mo. Amplemarket’s entry plan is a $7,200 yearly commitment, which suits funded teams more than solo founders.
Is there a free AI SDR?
Not a full one among these six. Apollo has a free plan (900 credits a year on October 29, 2026), but the pricing page doesn’t say which plans include its AI agents. AiSDR lets you sign up and build a campaign free and charges only when you launch. Amplemarket, lemlist and Instantly offer free trials.
Can an AI SDR send LinkedIn messages?
Some can. AiSDR lists LinkedIn steps in its sequences, lemlist’s Multichannel plan includes LinkedIn automation, and Amplemarket’s sequences include social steps. Instantly is email only. LinkedIn publishes a help page on prohibited software and extensions, so read it before connecting any automation tool to your account.
Are AI SDR emails legal?
In the US, cold sales email is allowed if it follows the CAN-SPAM Act: honest sender details and subject lines, a valid postal address and a working opt-out that you honor within 10 business days, according to the FTC. The rules apply whether a person or an AI writes the email. The EU and other regions are stricter. This isn’t legal advice.
What is the difference between an inbound and an outbound AI SDR?
An outbound AI SDR contacts people who haven’t asked to hear from you, by email, LinkedIn or phone. An inbound AI SDR, such as Expertise AI’s website agent, talks to people who visit your site, qualifies them and books meetings. Many teams need both, and they solve different problems.
Sources
AiSDR, Amplemarket, Instantly, lemlist and Expertise AI pricing pages checked November 11, 2026; Apollo pricing read October 29, 2026; homepages on the dates shown under each pick; FTC and LinkedIn pages checked November 11, 2026.
- aisdr.com/pricing
- aisdr.com/
- www.amplemarket.com/pricing
- www.amplemarket.com/
- www.apollo.io/pricing
- www.apollo.io/
- instantly.ai/pricing
- instantly.ai/
- www.lemlist.com/pricing
- www.lemlist.com/
- expertise.ai/pricing
- expertise.ai/
- www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business
- www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a1341387
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