Best Outbound Sales Tools for B2B Teams: 15 Platforms Compared [2026]
Outbound sales is in a strange place in 2026. The old playbook — buy a list, blast 500 emails, hope for replies — stopped working years ago. Email providers got smarter. Prospects got numb. Reply rates cratered.
But outbound isn't dead. It's just different. The teams booking meetings today aren't sending more emails — they're sending better-timed, better-targeted outreach based on real buying signals.
The outbound tools that win in 2026 share three traits:
- Signal-driven targeting — they tell you WHO to contact based on intent, not just job title
- Multi-channel execution — email alone doesn't cut it; you need phone, LinkedIn, and chat
- Personalization at scale — AI-written copy that doesn't read like AI-written copy
We evaluated 15 platforms across these dimensions. Here's what we found.
What Changed in Outbound Sales (2026)
Before diving into tools, understand the landscape shift:
Email deliverability is harder. Google and Microsoft tightened authentication requirements in 2024-2025. Bulk sending from cold domains tanks your sender reputation fast. Tools that help with deliverability infrastructure (warm-up, rotation, domain health) are now table stakes.
Buyers are signal-rich. Your prospect visited your competitor's G2 page, downloaded an industry report, and their company just posted a sales leader job opening. These signals exist. The best outbound tools surface them so your SDR reaches out at the right moment — not randomly.
AI personalization is a double-edged sword. Everyone has AI now. The initial advantage of AI-personalized emails has evaporated because prospects can spot templated "I noticed your company..." openers. The new edge is combining AI with real context — visitor behavior, intent signals, recent company events.
Multi-channel is mandatory. Email-only outbound converts at 1-2%. Adding phone bumps it to 4-5%. Adding LinkedIn takes it to 8-12%. The tools that enable seamless multi-channel sequences without switching between six platforms win.
1. MarketBetter
Best for: B2B teams that want signal-driven outbound + a complete SDR workflow
MarketBetter approaches outbound differently than most tools on this list. Instead of starting with "here's a list, start emailing," it starts with signals — who's visiting your website, which accounts show buying intent, and which contacts just changed jobs.
How outbound works: MarketBetter combines website visitor identification, intent signals, and champion tracking into a Daily SDR Playbook — a prioritized task list that tells each rep exactly who to contact, through which channel, with what message, and why now. No list building. No guessing. Open the playbook, start executing.
Key capabilities:
- Website visitor identification → automatic outbound triggers
- Daily SDR Playbook with prioritized actions per rep
- AI-powered email sequences personalized with visitor behavior and intent signals
- Smart dialer for warm calling (not cold dialing — you call people who visited your pricing page)
- AI chatbot that captures and qualifies inbound visitors 24/7
- Champion tracking — when a customer contact moves to a new company, they appear in your playbook as a warm lead
- Multi-channel sequences (email + phone + LinkedIn + chat)
- Email deliverability tools (warm-up, rotation, domain health monitoring)
Pricing: Starter $500/mo (3 SDR seats, 5K outbound actions). Growth $1,500/mo (5 seats, 25K actions, full SDR dashboard). Scale $3,000/mo (10 seats, unlimited actions, smart dialer).
What sets it apart: Most outbound tools give you execution without intelligence. They're hammers looking for nails. MarketBetter gives you the intelligence first — who to hit, when, and why — then provides every execution channel in one platform. Your SDRs go from "who should I email today?" to "here are your 15 highest-priority actions for today, ranked by likelihood to convert."
2. Apollo.io
Best for: Teams that need a prospect database + outreach in one affordable tool
Apollo has become the default starting point for B2B outbound. Its combination of a 275M+ contact database, email sequencing, and a dialer at a price point under $100/user/mo makes it hard to ignore.
Key capabilities:
- 275M+ contact database with email and phone
- Email sequencing with AI personalization
- Built-in dialer (power dialer on higher plans)
- LinkedIn integration via Chrome extension
- Intent data (limited — basic topic-level signals)
- CRM sync (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Buying signals dashboard
Pricing: Free (10K email credits/yr). Basic $49/user/mo. Professional $79/user/mo. Organization $149/user/mo.
Strengths: Best price-to-feature ratio in the market. The database is genuinely massive. Combining prospecting + outreach eliminates the need for two separate tools. Free tier is generous enough to test properly.
Weaknesses: Data quality is inconsistent — bounce rates on Apollo emails run 8-15% vs. industry standard of 3-5%. Intent data is basic compared to dedicated providers. The platform tries to do everything, which means nothing is best-in-class. No visitor identification. No daily playbook — your SDRs still decide who to contact and when.
3. Outreach
Best for: Enterprise sales teams with complex, multi-step sequences
Outreach is the incumbent sales engagement platform. It's been the enterprise standard for orchestrating multi-step outbound sequences across email, phone, and LinkedIn.
Key capabilities:
- Multi-channel sequence builder (email, phone, LinkedIn, SMS)
- AI-powered email suggestions and optimization
- Revenue intelligence and deal analytics
- Conversation intelligence (call recording + analysis)
- Advanced A/B testing for sequences
- Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics integration
- Team performance analytics
Pricing: Not publicly listed. Vendr data suggests $100–$140/user/mo for Engage. Additional modules (Kaia for conversation intelligence, Guide for deal management) sold separately. Total platform cost for a 25-person team: $40K–$80K/yr.
Strengths: Most mature sequence builder in the market. Enterprise-grade analytics and reporting. Conversation intelligence is genuinely useful. Large marketplace of integrations.
Weaknesses: Expensive and getting more so — add-on modules rack up fast. No prospect database (you bring your own data). No visitor identification. The platform is complex — new SDRs need weeks of training. HubSpot sync is notoriously finicky (a top G2 complaint).
4. SalesLoft
Best for: Mid-market teams that want Outreach-level features at a lower price
SalesLoft positions itself as the simpler alternative to Outreach. After the Salesloft-Outreach consolidation shakeout, it's carved out a niche as the sales engagement platform for teams that want power without enterprise complexity.
Key capabilities:
- Cadence builder for multi-channel sequences
- Built-in dialer with local presence
- AI email assistant
- Deal intelligence and pipeline analytics
- Conversation intelligence (call recording)
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics)
- Coaching and team management features
Pricing: Not publicly listed. Vendr data shows $75–$125/user/mo. Typical 25-person team deal: $30K–$55K/yr. Annual contracts standard.
Strengths: Easier to learn than Outreach. Strong dialer with local presence dialing. Good coaching features for SDR managers. Conversation intelligence is included, not an add-on.
Weaknesses: Still requires a separate prospect database. No visitor identification or intent signals. No daily prioritization — managers must build cadences manually. LinkedIn integration is clunky compared to dedicated tools.
5. Instantly.ai
Best for: Solo founders and small teams that need high-volume cold email at low cost
Instantly is the cold email weapon of choice for bootstrapped startups and solo founders. It focuses on one thing: sending a lot of cold emails without landing in spam.
Key capabilities:
- Unlimited email accounts and warm-up
- AI email writer with personalization variables
- Inbox rotation across multiple sending accounts
- Deliverability dashboard (SPF, DKIM, DMARC monitoring)
- B2B lead database (160M+ contacts)
- Unified inbox for reply management
- Campaign analytics
Pricing: Growth $37/mo (5K emails/mo, unlimited accounts). Hypergrowth $97/mo (100K emails/mo). Light Speed $358/mo (500K emails/mo). Lead database plans sold separately: Growth Leads $47/mo, Hyperleads $197/mo.
Strengths: Best deliverability infrastructure in the budget tier. Unlimited email account warm-up is a game-changer for cold outreach. Extremely affordable for high-volume sending. Clean, simple interface.
Weaknesses: Email only — no phone, no LinkedIn, no chat. No intent signals or visitor tracking. It's a volume tool, not an intelligence tool. At high volumes, you're essentially spray-and-pray with better deliverability. No workflow prioritization — you build lists and blast them.
6. Lemlist
Best for: Teams that want creative personalization (images, videos, landing pages) in cold outreach
Lemlist differentiates through personalization — not just text variables, but personalized images, videos, and landing pages embedded in cold emails.
Key capabilities:
- Email sequences with personalized images and videos
- LinkedIn automation (visit, connect, message)
- Built-in B2B database (450M+ contacts)
- Email warm-up (Lemwarm)
- AI personalization with LinkedIn scraping
- Custom landing pages per prospect
- Multi-channel sequences (email + LinkedIn)
Pricing: Email Starter $39/user/mo. Email Pro $69/user/mo. Multichannel Expert $99/user/mo. Outreach Scale $159/user/mo.
Strengths: Best creative personalization in the market. Personalized images in cold emails genuinely increase reply rates. LinkedIn automation is well-integrated. Multi-channel sequences include LinkedIn natively.
Weaknesses: LinkedIn automation carries account risk — LinkedIn's terms prohibit automated actions. Personalized images lose novelty over time. No dialer. No visitor identification. Getting expensive at scale with per-user pricing.
7. SmartLead
Best for: Agencies and teams that need white-label, high-volume cold email infrastructure
SmartLead is the cold email infrastructure play. It's built for agencies and teams that manage outbound for multiple clients or domains.
Key capabilities:
- Unlimited email accounts and warm-up
- Multi-client workspaces (white-label for agencies)
- Smart inbox rotation
- Subsequences based on lead behavior
- API-first architecture for custom integrations
- Email deliverability optimization
- AI email categorization
Pricing: Basic $39/mo (6K emails/mo). Pro $94/mo (150K emails/mo). Custom $174/mo (12M emails/mo). All plans include unlimited email accounts.
Strengths: Best tool for agencies managing multiple clients. White-label capabilities are unique. Unlimited email accounts at every tier. Subsequence logic is more flexible than Instantly. Very affordable for the volume.
Weaknesses: Email only — no phone, LinkedIn, or chat. Interface is utilitarian — prioritizes function over design. No prospect database (bring your own data). No intent signals, no visitor tracking, no prioritization.
8. Reply.io
Best for: Mid-market teams that want multi-channel outreach with AI assistance
Reply.io positions itself as the AI-first sales engagement platform. It combines email, LinkedIn, calls, and SMS in multi-channel sequences with AI-powered writing and optimization.
Key capabilities:
- Multi-channel sequences (email, LinkedIn, calls, SMS, WhatsApp)
- AI SDR agent (Jason AI) for automated outbound
- B2B database (140M+ contacts)
- Email warm-up and deliverability tools
- Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting
- CRM integrations
- Meeting scheduling
Pricing: Email Volume $59/mo (unlimited mailboxes). Multichannel $99/user/mo. Agency plans from $166/mo.
Strengths: Genuine multi-channel — including WhatsApp and SMS, which most competitors skip. Jason AI is one of the better AI SDR assistants. Good balance of automation and control. Agency pricing model is competitive.
Weaknesses: The AI SDR (Jason) is inconsistent — works well for simple use cases, struggles with nuanced outreach. Contact database is smaller and less accurate than Apollo. Can feel cluttered trying to be everything. No visitor identification.
9. Clay
Best for: RevOps teams that want to build custom data enrichment and outbound workflows
Clay isn't a traditional outbound tool — it's a data enrichment and workflow automation platform that integrates with 75+ data providers to build hyper-targeted prospect lists.
Key capabilities:
- 75+ data provider integrations (Clearbit, Apollo, Hunter, etc.)
- Waterfall enrichment (try Provider A, fallback to Provider B)
- AI-powered research agent for prospect research
- Automated list building from triggers (job changes, funding, etc.)
- Custom workflow builder (no-code)
- CRM enrichment and sync
- Table-based interface for managing prospect data
Pricing: Free (100 credits/mo). Starter $149/mo (2K credits). Explorer $349/mo (10K credits). Pro $800/mo (50K credits). Credits consumed per enrichment action.
Strengths: Most flexible data enrichment platform available. Waterfall enrichment means higher match rates than any single provider. Custom workflows can automate incredibly specific targeting logic. Great for teams with RevOps capacity.
Weaknesses: Not an outreach tool — Clay builds lists, it doesn't send emails. You still need Instantly/Outreach/etc. for execution. Credit-based pricing gets expensive fast (a single prospect can consume 5-10 credits across enrichments). Steep learning curve. Requires RevOps sophistication to configure properly.
10. Unify GTM
Best for: Signal-based outbound teams that want warm outreach at scale
Unify GTM focuses on "warm outbound" — identifying accounts showing buying signals and triggering multi-channel outreach automatically.
Key capabilities:
- Intent signal aggregation (website visits, G2, job postings, funding)
- Signal-based play builder (if/then triggers)
- Multi-channel sequence execution (email + LinkedIn)
- Prospect database and enrichment
- AI personalization using signal context
- Salesforce integration
Pricing: Not publicly listed. Estimated $1,000–$3,000/mo based on team size and volume. Contact sales for quotes.
Strengths: Signal-based approach is genuinely more effective than cold outbound. Play builder is intuitive. Good at connecting signals to immediate action. Growing fast with strong investor backing.
Weaknesses: New platform with limited track record. No built-in dialer. LinkedIn automation carries the same account risks as Lemlist. Pricing isn't transparent. Feature set is narrower than established players.
11. Cognism
Best for: European B2B teams that need GDPR-compliant phone numbers and emails
Cognism is a B2B data provider with outbound capabilities. Its claim to fame is mobile phone number accuracy and GDPR compliance — critical for European sales teams.
Key capabilities:
- B2B contact database with verified mobile numbers
- Intent data (powered by Bombora)
- Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting
- CRM enrichment
- GDPR and CCPA compliance
- Salesforce and HubSpot integrations
- Prospector tool for list building
Pricing: Not publicly listed. Typically $15,000–$35,000/yr depending on seats and credits. No per-user pricing — platform license model.
Strengths: Best mobile phone number accuracy in Europe. GDPR compliance is genuine, not just a checkbox. Bombora intent data integration. Diamond Data® verified contacts have very low bounce rates.
Weaknesses: Expensive for what you get — no outreach sequences, no dialer, no automation. It's a data tool, not an execution tool. You'll need to pair it with a sales engagement platform. North American coverage trails ZoomInfo and Apollo.
12. HubSpot Sales Hub
Best for: Teams already on HubSpot that want native outbound tools
HubSpot Sales Hub provides email sequences, a dialer, and meeting scheduling within the broader HubSpot CRM ecosystem.
Key capabilities:
- Email sequences with personalization tokens
- Built-in dialer (call recording on paid plans)
- Meeting scheduling links
- Pipeline management and deal tracking
- Email tracking (opens, clicks)
- Playbooks (sales enablement content)
- Salesforce and native CRM integration
Pricing: Free CRM with basic tools. Starter $20/user/mo. Professional $100/user/mo. Enterprise $150/user/mo.
Strengths: Native CRM integration eliminates sync issues. Familiar interface for teams already on HubSpot. Meeting scheduling is excellent. Free tier is genuinely usable for small teams.
Weaknesses: Sequences are basic compared to Outreach/SalesLoft. Dialer lacks advanced features (no local presence, no power dialer on lower tiers). No prospect database — you bring your own contacts. No intent signals or visitor identification. Per-user pricing adds up fast at Professional/Enterprise tiers.
13. Saleshandy
Best for: Cost-conscious teams that want cold email with deliverability focus
Saleshandy positions itself as the affordable cold email platform with strong deliverability features.
Key capabilities:
- Cold email sequences with A/B testing
- Unified inbox for reply management
- Email warm-up and deliverability monitoring
- B2B lead finder (700M+ contacts claimed)
- Sender rotation across multiple accounts
- Agency client management
- Email tracking and analytics
Pricing: Outreach Starter $36/mo (6K emails). Outreach Pro $99/mo (100K emails). Outreach Scale $199/mo (200K emails). Lead Finder plans separate: Starter $66/mo.
Strengths: Very affordable for the volume. Solid deliverability features. Lead finder is reasonably priced. Good for agencies with client management features.
Weaknesses: Email only — no phone, LinkedIn, or multi-channel. Lead finder data quality is inconsistent. Interface is functional but not refined. Limited integrations compared to larger platforms.
14. Woodpecker
Best for: Small B2B teams and agencies in Europe
Woodpecker is a cold email tool popular with European B2B teams and outbound agencies. It focuses on simple, reliable cold email delivery.
Key capabilities:
- Cold email sequences with conditions
- Email warm-up (Warm-Up & Recovery)
- A/B testing for subject lines and body copy
- Bounce shield and deliverability monitoring
- Agency panel for multi-client management
- CRM integrations
- LinkedIn automation (via integration)
Pricing: Cold Email $29/mo (500 contacted prospects/mo). Agency $49/mo per client slot. Custom plans available.
Strengths: Simple and reliable. Good for small teams that don't need complexity. Agency pricing model is straightforward. Strong GDPR compliance focus.
Weaknesses: Very limited feature set — email only, basic analytics. Small prospect limits on lower tiers (500/mo). No database, no dialer, no LinkedIn native. Feels limited as teams scale.
15. Mailshake
Best for: Teams that want a no-frills outreach tool with LinkedIn + phone
Mailshake offers email sequences, LinkedIn automation, and a built-in dialer — a mid-range multi-channel option.
Key capabilities:
- Email sequences with AI writing assistant
- LinkedIn automation (visit, connect, message)
- Built-in dialer with call recording
- Data finder for prospect discovery
- Lead catcher for reply management
- A/B testing
- CRM integrations
Pricing: Email Outreach $45/user/mo (annual). Sales Engagement $85/user/mo (annual). Includes dialer and LinkedIn on higher tier.
Strengths: Affordable multi-channel — email + phone + LinkedIn under $100/user. Clean, simple interface. Dialer is decent for the price. Good for teams that want multi-channel without enterprise complexity.
Weaknesses: LinkedIn automation risks account suspension. Dialer is basic (no power dialer, no local presence). Data finder is limited. Not enough depth in any single channel to compete with specialists.
Comparison Table: 15 Outbound Sales Tools
| Tool | Channels | Database | Visitor ID | Signal-Driven | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarketBetter | Email, Phone, LinkedIn, Chat | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Daily Playbook | $500–$3K/mo |
| Apollo | Email, Phone, LinkedIn | ✅ 275M+ | ❌ | ⚠️ Basic | Free–$149/user |
| Outreach | Email, Phone, LinkedIn, SMS | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ~$100–140/user |
| SalesLoft | Email, Phone, LinkedIn | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ~$75–125/user |
| Instantly | Email only | ✅ 160M+ | ❌ | ❌ | $37–$358/mo |
| Lemlist | Email, LinkedIn | ✅ 450M+ | ❌ | ❌ | $39–$159/user |
| SmartLead | Email only | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | $39–$174/mo |
| Reply.io | Email, LinkedIn, Phone, SMS, WhatsApp | ✅ 140M+ | ❌ | ❌ | $59–$99/user |
| Clay | None (data only) | ✅ 75+ sources | ❌ | ⚠️ Triggers | $149–$800/mo |
| Unify GTM | Email, LinkedIn | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ Signal plays | ~$1K–3K/mo |
| Cognism | None (data only) | ✅ Verified mobiles | ❌ | ⚠️ Bombora | ~$15K–35K/yr |
| HubSpot | Email, Phone | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Free–$150/user |
| Saleshandy | Email only | ✅ 700M+ | ❌ | ❌ | $36–$199/mo |
| Woodpecker | Email only | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | $29–$49/mo |
| Mailshake | Email, Phone, LinkedIn | ✅ Basic | ❌ | ❌ | $45–$85/user |
How to Build Your Outbound Stack in 2026
The Old Way (3-5 tools, $2K-$5K/mo)
- Data: ZoomInfo or Apollo ($500–$2K/mo)
- Enrichment: Clay or Clearbit ($150–$800/mo)
- Email: Outreach or SalesLoft ($100–$140/user/mo × 5 = $500–$700/mo)
- Dialer: Orum or Nooks ($100–$200/user/mo × 5 = $500–$1K/mo)
- LinkedIn: Dripify or Expandi ($99/user/mo × 5 = $495/mo)
Total: $2,145–$5,195/mo for a 5-person SDR team. Five logins. Five data silos. No unified view of what's working.
The New Way (1 platform, $1.5K/mo)
- MarketBetter Growth ($1,500/mo) — visitor ID, signals, email, dialer, AI chatbot, daily playbook, 5 seats
Total: $1,500/mo. One login. One view. Every action prioritized by likelihood to convert.
The math isn't close. The workflow isn't close. Signal-driven outbound from one platform beats cobbling together five tools that don't talk to each other.
The Shift From Volume to Signal
The outbound tools that thrive in 2026 share a pattern: they move from volume (send more emails) to signal (send the right email at the right moment).
Consider the difference:
Volume approach: Buy a list of 10,000 VP Sales at SaaS companies. Write 5 email templates. Blast them through Instantly. Hope for 1-2% reply rates. Book 20-30 meetings from 10,000 emails. Cost per meeting: $50-$100 in tools alone.
Signal approach: Identify 50 companies visiting your pricing page this week. Enrich them with intent data. See that 12 are actively researching solutions. Reach out with context ("Noticed your team's been evaluating visitor identification tools..."). Book 8-10 meetings from 50 contacts. Cost per meeting: essentially $0 incremental.
The signal approach isn't just cheaper — it's more respectful of prospects' time, better for your domain reputation, and more sustainable as email providers continue tightening rules.
Every tool on this list can send emails. Only a few can tell you which emails are worth sending.
Ready to shift from volume to signal? Book a MarketBetter demo →