15 Best Sales Engagement Software & Platforms [2026 Guide]
Sales engagement software has evolved from simple email sequencers into full-stack platforms that orchestrate every touchpoint between your SDRs and their prospects. But "sales engagement" now means wildly different things depending on who you ask.
Some tools focus on email automation. Others layer in calling, LinkedIn, and intent signals. A few try to replace human SDRs entirely with AI agents.
The result: buying the wrong tool doesn't just waste money — it locks your team into a workflow that limits pipeline generation for 12+ months.
We tested and researched 15 platforms across pricing, automation depth, multichannel execution, AI capabilities, and real user feedback from G2, TrustRadius, and Gartner Peer Insights. Here's what we found.
Quick Comparison: Top 15 Sales Engagement Platforms
| Platform | Starting Price | Best For | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarketBetter | $497/mo | B2B teams wanting signals + execution in one place | Daily SDR Playbook turns intent into action |
| Outreach | ~$100/user/mo | Enterprise teams with complex sequences | Deep sequence builder + revenue intelligence |
| SalesLoft | ~$125/user/mo | Mid-market teams wanting coaching + engagement | Conversation intelligence built in |
| Apollo.io | Free–$79/user/mo | Startups needing data + outreach together | 275M+ contact database included |
| HubSpot Sales Hub | Free–$150/user/mo | Teams already on HubSpot CRM | Native CRM integration, no sync issues |
| Instantly.ai | $30–$97/mo | Cold email at scale | Unlimited email accounts, warmup included |
| Lemlist | $55–$99/user/mo | Multichannel personalization | LinkedIn + email + calling in one flow |
| Reply.io | $49–$89/user/mo | AI-powered email replies | AI SDR agent for autopilot outreach |
| SmartLead | $94/mo | Agencies running client campaigns | White-label + unlimited mailboxes |
| Warmly | $1,200/mo+ | Website visitor engagement | Real-time visitor ID + chat |
| 6sense | Custom ($30K+/yr) | Enterprise ABM orchestration | Intent data + predictive analytics |
| ZoomInfo SalesOS | ~$15K/yr+ | Enterprise data + engagement | Largest B2B contact database |
| Groove (Clari) | Custom | Salesforce-native teams | Lives inside SFDC, zero context switching |
| Mixmax | $34–$69/user/mo | Gmail-centric teams | Calendar scheduling + email tracking |
| Mailshake | $44/user/mo | Simple cold outreach | Easy setup, fast time-to-value |
How We Evaluated
Every tool was scored across five categories:
- Multichannel Execution — Can it orchestrate email, phone, LinkedIn, and chat from one workflow?
- AI & Automation — Does AI actually help (personalization, prioritization, reply handling), or is it marketing fluff?
- Signal Integration — Does it incorporate buyer intent, website visits, or job changes into outreach timing?
- Pricing Transparency — Can you figure out real costs without a 30-minute sales call?
- Real User Reviews — What do G2, TrustRadius, and Gartner reviewers actually say?
1. MarketBetter — Best for Signal-Driven SDR Execution
Pricing: Starting at $497/month (flat, not per-seat)
MarketBetter takes a fundamentally different approach to sales engagement. Instead of giving SDRs a sequencer and saying "figure out who to contact," it starts with signals — website visitors, intent data, firmographic triggers — and turns them into a daily playbook of exactly what to do next.
What makes it different:
- Daily SDR Playbook — Your reps open one screen and see prioritized tasks: who to call, what to email, which accounts are hot, and why
- Website Visitor Identification — Know which companies are browsing your site before they fill out a form
- Smart Dialer — Built-in calling with AI-powered call prep and scripts
- AI Email Automation — Hyper-personalized sequences based on visitor behavior and intent signals
- AI Chatbot — Engages every website visitor in real-time
- Flat pricing — No per-seat multiplication. One price covers your team.
Best for: B2B teams (50-500 employees) that want to stop juggling 20 tabs and start executing from a single prioritized task list.
Limitations: Newer platform with a smaller brand footprint than Outreach/SalesLoft. Not designed for enterprise orgs with 100+ SDRs (yet).
G2 Rating: 4.97/5 — Top Performer in 15 Lead Generation categories
2. Outreach — Best for Enterprise Sequence Management
Pricing: ~$100/user/month (Standard), up to $140+/user/month for advanced tiers. Annual contracts required. Minimum 5 seats.
Outreach is the incumbent heavyweight. If you have a large SDR team running complex multi-step sequences, it has the deepest workflow builder in the market.
Strengths:
- Most sophisticated sequence builder — branching logic, A/B testing, multi-channel steps
- Revenue intelligence with deal insights and forecasting
- Strong Salesforce and HubSpot integrations
- Massive ecosystem of integrations and partners
Weaknesses:
- Pricing opacity — No public pricing page with numbers. You need a sales call.
- Per-seat cost adds up fast — A 10-person SDR team costs $12,000-$16,800/year minimum
- Steep learning curve — Full deployment takes 4-8 weeks according to G2 reviewers
- HubSpot sync complaints — Multiple G2 reviews cite data sync issues between Outreach and HubSpot CRM
- No built-in visitor identification — You need a separate tool (Warmly, 6sense, etc.) for website visitor data
G2 Rating: 4.3/5 (6,200+ reviews)
Who should buy: Enterprise teams with 20+ SDRs, dedicated RevOps support, and budget for a $30K-$50K/year engagement platform.
3. SalesLoft — Best for Sales Coaching + Engagement
Pricing: ~$125/user/month (Essentials), ~$165/user/month (Advanced). Annual contracts. Acquired by Vista Equity in 2022.
SalesLoft's differentiator is conversation intelligence baked into the engagement platform. Where Outreach focuses on sequences, SalesLoft adds coaching insights on top.
Strengths:
- Conversation intelligence (call recording, transcription, coaching cards)
- Clean, intuitive UI — lower learning curve than Outreach
- Strong cadence builder with multichannel steps
- Deal intelligence for pipeline management
Weaknesses:
- Expensive per seat — $125/user/month means a 10-person team pays $15,000+/year
- Add-on pricing — Advanced features (forecasting, conversation intelligence) cost extra
- No intent data — You need to bring your own signals from 6sense, Bombora, etc.
- No visitor ID — Like Outreach, doesn't identify anonymous website visitors
- Vendr data shows negotiation needed — Customers report 15-25% discounts are standard
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (4,000+ reviews)
Who should buy: Mid-market teams that want coaching insights alongside engagement, and can afford the per-seat cost.
4. Apollo.io — Best Value for Startups
Pricing: Free tier available. Basic: $49/user/month. Professional: $79/user/month. Organization: $119/user/month.
Apollo combines a 275M+ contact database with a capable sales engagement platform. For startups that can't afford separate tools for data + engagement, it's hard to beat the value.
Strengths:
- Huge B2B database included in every plan (even free)
- Email sequences + calling + LinkedIn steps
- Lead scoring and buying intent signals
- Transparent, self-serve pricing
- Strong free tier for individual sellers
Weaknesses:
- Data accuracy concerns — G2 reviewers frequently cite outdated emails and phone numbers
- Email deliverability — Some users report higher bounce rates compared to dedicated email tools
- Limited dialer quality — Built-in dialer exists but isn't as robust as dedicated dialers
- No website visitor identification — Can't tell you who's browsing your site
- Daily email limits — Even paid plans have sending caps
G2 Rating: 4.8/5 (7,500+ reviews)
Who should buy: Seed to Series B startups that need data + outreach in one tool at startup pricing.
5. HubSpot Sales Hub — Best for HubSpot CRM Users
Pricing: Free tools available. Starter: $15/user/month. Professional: $90/user/month. Enterprise: $150/user/month.
If your CRM is HubSpot, Sales Hub eliminates the integration headaches that plague Outreach and SalesLoft users. Everything lives in one system.
Strengths:
- Zero CRM integration issues (it IS the CRM)
- Sequences, calling, email tracking built in
- Strong reporting and dashboards
- Generous free tier for small teams
- Playbooks feature for guided selling
Weaknesses:
- Sequences are basic — Lacks the branching logic and sophistication of Outreach
- Per-seat pricing scales poorly — Enterprise at $150/user/month gets expensive
- Limited AI capabilities — AI features lag behind purpose-built engagement tools
- No visitor identification — Anonymous visitors remain anonymous
- Marketing Hub required for full power — Real value comes from bundling, which gets costly
G2 Rating: 4.4/5 (12,000+ reviews)
Who should buy: Teams already committed to the HubSpot ecosystem who want engagement without adding another vendor.
6. Instantly.ai — Best for High-Volume Cold Email
Pricing: Growth: $30/month (1,000 leads). Hypergrowth: $77/month (25,000 leads). Enterprise: $97/month (100,000 leads). Not per-seat.
Instantly dominates the cold email space with an aggressive flat-fee model and unlimited email accounts.
Strengths:
- Unlimited email accounts on all plans
- Built-in email warmup tool (Instantly Warmup)
- AI-powered lead database (B2B leads add-on)
- Simple, fast setup — sending emails within hours
- Flat pricing regardless of team size
Weaknesses:
- Email only — No dialer, no LinkedIn automation, no chat
- Quality concerns at scale — High volume ≠ high quality. Easy to damage domain reputation
- No CRM — Need to integrate with external CRM
- No visitor ID or intent signals — Pure cold outreach, no warm signals
- Lead database accuracy — Mixed reviews on their B2B leads add-on quality
G2 Rating: 4.8/5 (3,200+ reviews)
Who should buy: Teams or agencies doing high-volume cold email who want the lowest cost per email sent.
7. Lemlist — Best for Personalized Multichannel Outreach
Pricing: Email Pro: $55/user/month. Multichannel Expert: $99/user/month. Outreach Scale: $79/user/month. Annual billing.
Lemlist pioneered personalized cold email images and has evolved into a solid multichannel platform.
Strengths:
- Dynamic image and video personalization in emails
- LinkedIn automation + calling + email in one sequence
- B2B lead database included (450M+ contacts)
- Strong email deliverability tools (lemwarm)
- Good for agencies with white-label options
Weaknesses:
- Per-seat pricing hurts at scale — 5 users on Multichannel = $495/month
- LinkedIn automation risks — Automated LinkedIn actions can trigger account restrictions
- UI complexity — Multichannel setup has a learning curve
- No visitor identification — Focused on outbound, no inbound signal layer
- Contact database quality varies — Some users report outdated data in certain industries
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (2,500+ reviews)
Who should buy: Teams that prioritize creative personalization and want email + LinkedIn in one flow.
8. Reply.io — Best for AI-Powered Email Automation
Pricing: Email Volume: $49/month. Multichannel: $89/user/month. Agency: $166/month.
Reply.io has leaned hard into AI with its "Jason AI" agent that can autonomously handle email replies and meeting booking.
Strengths:
- AI SDR agent (Jason AI) handles replies autonomously
- Multichannel sequences (email, LinkedIn, calls, WhatsApp)
- B2B contact database included
- Good API for custom integrations
- Reasonable pricing for multichannel
Weaknesses:
- AI agent quality varies — Jason AI works for simple replies but struggles with nuanced objections
- Smaller database — Contact data less comprehensive than Apollo or ZoomInfo
- UI feels dated — Interface isn't as polished as competitors
- Limited reporting — Analytics aren't as deep as Outreach or SalesLoft
- No visitor identification — Pure outbound focus
G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (1,300+ reviews)
Who should buy: Teams that want to experiment with AI-driven email replies without the cost of Outreach or SalesLoft.
9. SmartLead — Best for Agencies
Pricing: Basic: $94/month. Pro: $174/month. Custom: $424/month. Additional agency clients: $29/each.
SmartLead is built for agencies running cold email campaigns for multiple clients.
Strengths:
- Unlimited mailboxes and warmup on all plans
- White-label client dashboards
- Master inbox for managing multiple campaigns
- Webhook and API integrations
- Competitive per-client pricing for agencies
Weaknesses:
- Email only — No dialer, LinkedIn, or chat
- Agency-first — In-house teams may find features unnecessary
- Newer platform — Fewer integrations than established tools
- Per-client costs add up — 10 clients at $29 each = $290/month extra
- No intent data or visitor ID — Cold outreach only
G2 Rating: 4.7/5 (200+ reviews)
Who should buy: Lead gen agencies managing 5+ client campaigns who need white-label reporting.
10. Warmly — Best for Website Visitor Engagement
Pricing: Startup: ~$1,200/month. Business: ~$2,000/month. Enterprise: Custom. Annual contracts.
Warmly focuses on identifying and engaging website visitors in real-time with chatbots, video, and live routing.
Strengths:
- Real-time visitor identification and enrichment
- AI chatbot engages visitors instantly
- Video prospecting integration
- Slack alerts when target accounts visit
- Clean, modern UI
Weaknesses:
- Expensive — $1,200/month starting price is steep for SMBs
- Website-focused only — Limited outbound sequence capabilities
- No dialer — Can't make calls from the platform
- No email sequences — Need to pair with Outreach/SalesLoft for email
- Small company — Limited enterprise references
G2 Rating: 4.7/5 (200+ reviews)
Who should buy: Mid-market companies with significant website traffic that want to convert anonymous visitors into pipeline.
11. 6sense — Best for Enterprise ABM
Pricing: Custom, typically $30,000-$100,000+/year. Annual contracts with minimum commitments.
6sense is the enterprise intent data and ABM platform. It tells you which accounts are in-market before they ever visit your site.
Strengths:
- Industry-leading intent data from anonymous web behavior
- Predictive analytics and buying stage identification
- Deep Salesforce and HubSpot integrations
- Account-level orchestration across marketing and sales
- Strong display advertising capabilities
Weaknesses:
- Extremely expensive — Minimum $30K/year, often $100K+ for full platform
- Long implementation — 3-6 months to full deployment
- Requires RevOps maturity — Needs dedicated team to configure and manage
- Not an execution platform — Tells you WHO to target but not HOW
- Signal accuracy debated — Some users question intent signal quality
G2 Rating: 4.3/5 (900+ reviews)
Who should buy: Enterprise companies ($50M+ revenue) with dedicated ABM teams and budget for a six-figure platform.
12. ZoomInfo SalesOS — Best Enterprise Contact Database + Engagement
Pricing: Starts ~$15,000/year. Professional/Advanced/Elite tiers. Annual contracts with credit-based usage.
ZoomInfo pairs the largest B2B contact database with an engagement layer (formerly Engage).
Strengths:
- Most comprehensive B2B database (300M+ profiles, 100M+ companies)
- Intent data + website visitor tracking
- Engagement sequences built in (ZoomInfo Engage)
- Phone-verified mobile numbers
- Strong compliance infrastructure
Weaknesses:
- Expensive and opaque pricing — Credit-based system makes real costs hard to predict
- Contract lock-in — Auto-renewal clauses and difficult cancellation (frequent G2 complaint)
- Engagement features are basic — Sequences aren't as sophisticated as Outreach/SalesLoft
- Data can be stale — Some industries have lower refresh rates
- Aggressive sales tactics — Multiple reviewers cite high-pressure renewal conversations
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (8,700+ reviews)
Who should buy: Enterprise teams that need the deepest possible B2B data and can stomach the pricing.
13. Groove (by Clari) — Best for Salesforce-Native Teams
Pricing: Custom. Typically $50-$80/user/month. Annual contracts.
Groove lives inside Salesforce, which means zero context switching for SFDC-native teams.
Strengths:
- Fully embedded in Salesforce (no tab switching)
- Strong email and calendar sync
- Meeting scheduler included
- Activity capture automatic
- Conversation intelligence (via Clari acquisition)
Weaknesses:
- Salesforce only — Non-SFDC shops need not apply
- Smaller feature set — Doesn't match Outreach/SalesLoft's sequence depth
- Clari acquisition uncertainty — Product roadmap unclear post-acquisition
- Limited multichannel — Email and calling, but no LinkedIn automation
- Smaller user community — Less third-party content and support resources
G2 Rating: 4.7/5 (3,900+ reviews)
Who should buy: Salesforce-first teams that want engagement tools living inside their CRM, not alongside it.
14. Mixmax — Best for Gmail-Centric Teams
Pricing: Free plan available. SMB: $34/user/month. Growth: $65/user/month. Growth+CRM: $69/user/month.
Mixmax extends Gmail into a lightweight sales engagement platform.
Strengths:
- Lives inside Gmail — minimal workflow disruption
- One-click scheduling and calendar links
- Email tracking and templates
- Sequences with email + tasks
- Affordable per-seat pricing
Weaknesses:
- Gmail only — Outlook users are excluded
- Limited multichannel — No dialer, limited LinkedIn
- Basic sequences — Can't compete with Outreach/SalesLoft sophistication
- Small team focus — Not built for 20+ person SDR orgs
- No intent data or visitor ID — Pure email engagement
G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (1,400+ reviews)
Who should buy: Small teams (under 10 reps) that live in Gmail and want lightweight engagement without a complex platform.
15. Mailshake — Best for Simple Cold Outreach
Pricing: Email Outreach: $44/user/month. Sales Engagement: $75/user/month. Annual billing.
Mailshake is the "easy button" for cold email — minimal setup, straightforward execution.
Strengths:
- Dead simple setup (sending in under an hour)
- Email + phone dialer on Sales Engagement plan
- Lead catcher for managing replies
- A/B testing built in
- Clean, uncluttered interface
Weaknesses:
- Limited automation — No branching sequences or advanced logic
- Small feature set — Lacks LinkedIn automation, chat, visitor ID
- Per-seat pricing — Gets expensive with larger teams
- No AI capabilities — No AI writing, prioritization, or scoring
- Basic reporting — Analytics are functional but not deep
G2 Rating: 4.7/5 (250+ reviews)
Who should buy: Solo sellers or tiny teams (1-5 people) that just want to send cold emails without a complex platform.
The Real Question: Do You Need an Engagement Platform or an SDR OS?
Here's what most comparison articles won't tell you: traditional sales engagement platforms solve the wrong problem.
Outreach, SalesLoft, and their competitors all start with the same assumption: your SDR already knows who to contact and what to say. The tool just automates the execution.
But that assumption is broken. Most SDRs spend 60% of their time figuring out who to reach out to, researching accounts, and switching between tools — not actually selling.
The difference between an engagement platform and an SDR operating system:
| Traditional Engagement | SDR Operating System | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Rep decides who to contact | Platform identifies who's ready to buy |
| Workflow | Build sequences, hope they work | Follow daily playbook of prioritized actions |
| Intent signals | Buy separately, integrate manually | Built-in visitor ID + intent |
| Calling | Basic dialer or none | Smart dialer with AI prep |
| Chat | Not included | AI chatbot on every page |
| Result | Reps still juggle 20 tabs | One screen, one task list |
If your problem is "we need to automate email sequences better," tools like Outreach or SalesLoft are solid choices.
If your problem is "we need more pipeline and our SDRs are drowning in tools," you need something that combines signals with execution — not just another sequencer.
How to Choose: Decision Framework
Budget Under $500/month?
→ Apollo.io (free-$79/user) for data + basic engagement → Instantly.ai ($30-97/mo) for high-volume cold email → Mailshake ($44/user) for simple cold outreach
Team of 5-15 SDRs, $1K-$3K/month budget?
→ MarketBetter ($497/mo flat) for signal-driven execution → Lemlist ($55-99/user) for creative multichannel → Reply.io ($49-89/user) for AI-assisted outreach
Enterprise team (20+ SDRs), $30K+/year budget?
→ Outreach ($100/user) for maximum sequence control
→ SalesLoft ($125/user) for coaching + engagement
→ ZoomInfo ($15K+/yr) for deepest data + engagement
Salesforce-native team?
→ Groove/Clari — lives inside SFDC
HubSpot CRM user?
→ HubSpot Sales Hub — zero integration friction
Agency running client campaigns?
→ SmartLead ($94/mo + $29/client) for white-label
FAQ
What's the difference between a CRM and a sales engagement platform? A CRM stores and manages contact/deal data. A sales engagement platform automates the outreach — emails, calls, LinkedIn touches — that creates pipeline. Most teams need both.
Can I use a sales engagement platform without a CRM? Some tools (Apollo, HubSpot) combine both. Others (Outreach, SalesLoft) require a separate CRM. Going without a CRM is possible short-term but creates data chaos as you scale.
How much should I budget for sales engagement software? Small teams: $100-500/month. Mid-market: $500-3,000/month. Enterprise: $30,000-100,000+/year. The real cost isn't the tool — it's the ramp time and productivity loss during deployment.
Is AI in sales engagement actually useful or just hype? Both. AI email writing and A/B testing work well today. "Fully autonomous AI SDRs" that replace humans are still largely marketing — review boards like G2 show high churn on AI-only SDR tools. The sweet spot is AI that augments human reps, not replaces them.
What's the fastest tool to deploy? Instantly and Mailshake can have you sending emails within hours. Outreach and SalesLoft take 2-8 weeks for full deployment. MarketBetter and Apollo fall in the 1-2 week range.
Bottom Line
The sales engagement market is splitting into two camps:
- Sequencing tools (Outreach, SalesLoft, Mailshake) that automate email/call/LinkedIn execution
- Signal-to-action platforms (MarketBetter, Warmly, 6sense) that tell you WHO to engage and WHEN
The first camp is mature and crowded. The second is where the real innovation is happening.
If your SDRs are hitting quota with their current tools and just need more efficiency, upgrade your sequencer.
If your SDRs are drowning in tabs, guessing who to call, and generating pipeline from a spreadsheet — you need a different kind of tool entirely.
See how MarketBetter turns intent signals into your daily SDR playbook →