Every week there's a new AI sales tool claiming to revolutionize B2B sales. Most don't survive the hype cycle. But Monaco — which launched February 11, 2026 with $35M in funding from Founders Fund — deserves a closer look.
We're not going to pretend Monaco isn't a real competitor. The founding team is excellent (Sam Blond ran sales at Brex, Abishek Viswanathan was CPO at Apollo/Qualtrics, Malay Desai was SVP Eng at Clari). The investor list is elite. The product vision is ambitious.
But we are going to be honest about where each platform wins and loses — because B2B sales leaders deserve straight talk, not marketing spin.
Monaco's philosophy: Build everything into one AI-native platform. CRM, prospecting database, outbound automation, meeting notes — all built from scratch, designed to work together natively. Target early-stage startups and be the only tool they need.
MarketBetter's philosophy: Build the complete SDR command center. Identify who's interested (visitor ID), engage them everywhere (email + phone + chat), and tell reps exactly what to do (daily playbook). Integrate deeply with the CRMs teams already use.
Neither philosophy is wrong. But they lead to very different products.
1. Built-in CRM reduces tool sprawl. If you have no CRM, Monaco's native CRM means one fewer integration to manage. For a 3-person startup, simplicity is king.
2. Embedded human expertise is smart. Having experienced salespeople monitor the AI isn't just a feature — it's a philosophy. The AI doesn't go rogue. Human judgment stays in the loop. This is more thoughtful than many AI SDR competitors (looking at you, 11x and Artisan).
3. Native prospect database saves a ZoomInfo subscription. Building a contact database from scratch is expensive and hard. If Monaco's data quality is competitive with ZoomInfo or Apollo, that's genuinely valuable.
4. Meeting notetaker is convenient. One less tool to buy. It's not revolutionary, but it's nice.
1. Website visitor identification is a game-changer Monaco doesn't have. This is the single biggest differentiator. MarketBetter identifies the companies AND individuals visiting your website — real-time, person-level data. These are people who are already researching your product. They're warmer than any cold outbound list.
Monaco is entirely outbound-focused. If a prospect is on your website right now, Monaco doesn't know.
2. Multichannel > email-only. MarketBetter covers email, phone (smart dialer), chat (AI chatbot), and LinkedIn. Monaco focuses primarily on email.
In 2026, single-channel outreach doesn't cut it. The average B2B deal requires 8-12 touches across multiple channels. If all your touches are email, you're leaving conversion on the table.
3. AI Chatbot captures inbound 24/7. MarketBetter's FloBot engages website visitors, qualifies leads, and books meetings around the clock. Monaco has no inbound engagement mechanism.
Consider this: inbound leads typically convert 5-10x better than cold outbound. An AI chatbot that captures and qualifies inbound interest isn't a "nice to have" — it's essential.
4. Daily SDR Playbook drives rep productivity. Every morning, each SDR gets a prioritized list: who to call, who to email, which deals need attention. This turns unfocused reps into productive machines.
Monaco automates campaigns, but it doesn't structure the SDR's day. There's a difference between "the tool sends emails for you" and "the tool tells you exactly what to do right now."
5. Proven results vs. unproven potential. MarketBetter has a 4.97/5 G2 rating, customers like CallRail and Hologram, and documented case studies. Monaco is in public beta with no public reviews yet.
Being fair: every platform starts at zero. But if you're betting your team's pipeline on a tool, track record matters.
6. Works for B2B teams at every stage. Monaco explicitly targets seed and Series A startups. If you're a 50-person company, a 200-person company, or mid-market, Monaco isn't building for you.
MarketBetter works for teams from startup through mid-market. You won't outgrow it at Series B.
Monaco is a legitimately interesting new product. We respect the team, the vision, and the approach to human-in-the-loop AI. They'll likely improve rapidly with $35M in funding.
But today — right now — MarketBetter is the more complete, more proven AI sales platform for B2B teams. More channels, more features, more transparency, and a track record of results.
That's the honest comparison.
See the Difference
Talk is cheap. Let us show you.Book a demo and see why B2B teams choose MarketBetter's complete SDR command center.
Monaco burst onto the scene on February 11, 2026 with $35M in funding and a bold promise: one AI-native platform to run your entire go-to-market. Founded by Sam Blond (ex-Founders Fund partner, ex-CRO at Brex) and a stacked founding team from Apollo, Qualtrics, and Clari, Monaco was incubated by Human Capital and targets early-stage startups with an all-in-one revenue platform. Peter Thiel himself endorsed it: "No product sells itself — though Monaco comes close."
But if you're evaluating Monaco, you should also look at MarketBetter — a proven AI sales platform that's already helping teams at companies like CallRail, Hologram, and hundreds of growing B2B organizations generate pipeline and close deals.
Here's an honest, side-by-side breakdown — informed by primary research from Monaco's website, press release, TechCrunch coverage, beta user testimonials, and investor statements — so you can choose the right tool for your team.
Monaco launched on February 11, 2026, positioning itself as an "AI-native sales platform" purpose-built for early-stage startups. The company was incubated by Human Capital and has been operating in stealth while testing with beta customers before opening to a public beta. Their website tagline: "Everything you need, all in one place."
Sam Blond announced the launch on X (formerly Twitter): "We're launching Monaco today. Monaco automates customer acquisition and revenue growth for startups. The platform disrupting sales with AI has finally arrived." The tweet garnered over 148 million views, and even drew endorsement from investor Jake Paul, who tweeted: "AI agents are changing the software game, and proud to back @samdblond and Monaco alongside @humancapital @foundersfund for leading the charge in sales GTM."
The platform combines:
AI-native CRM — built from scratch, not legacy software with AI bolted on. As the press release puts it, Monaco "shifts from the user-input reactive software model to a fully-integrated agentic system"
Prospect database — a ZoomInfo-like contact database built in-house that automatically builds and stack-ranks your TAM. Incorporates signals like existing connections, job changes, and custom web-based signals
AI outbound agents — automated email campaigns with AI-generated follow-ups, using embedded GTM best practices
Meeting notetaker — built-in meeting recorder that captures and summarizes sales conversations
Human-in-the-loop guidance — what Monaco calls "forward deployed AEs" — experienced salespeople who monitor and guide the AI's work
Deal advisory — AI gives advice on how to close more deals, described as "like having a world-class CRO as a copilot"
Monaco raised $35M ($10M seed + $25M Series A) both led by Founders Fund, with participation from Human Capital (which incubated the company), Alt Cap, Mantis, and Saga VC. Angel investors include Patrick and John Collison (Stripe founders), Garry Tan (Y Combinator president), and Neil Mehta (Greenoaks Capital). Peter Thiel personally endorsed Monaco, saying: "No product sells itself — though Monaco comes close."
The founding team is impressive: Sam Blond (ex-Founders Fund partner, ex-CRO at Brex) and Brian Blond (partner at Human Capital, ex-MD at Sutter Hill Ventures, ex-CRO at multiple startups) bring investor-side and sales leadership experience. Abishek Viswanathan (ex-CPO at Apollo and Qualtrics) and Malay Desai (ex-SVP Engineering at Clari) bring deep product and engineering DNA. The company currently employs about 40 people.
Monaco's end-to-end approach is genuinely compelling for teams that want a single platform:
True all-in-one design — CRM, prospecting, outbound, meeting notes, and deal advisory in one tool
AI-native architecture — built from scratch for AI, not retrofitted. Monaco's press release explicitly calls out that it replaces "the typical patchwork of poorly-integrated tools, like legacy CRM and disparate point solutions"
Human expertise embedded — "forward deployed AEs" guide the AI, and as Sam Blond told TechCrunch: "Monaco does not have an agent pretending to be a sales rep trying to sell to the customer." Actual meetings are done by people — no AI avatars
Startup sales methodology built in — the platform incorporates GTM best practices directly, described as "like having a world-class CRO embedded directly into the sales workflow"
Speed of onboarding — beta users report having TAM built and outbound running within days, not weeks
But Monaco has real gaps — especially if you're past the seed stage or need a complete sales motion:
No website visitor identification — Monaco can't tell you who's visiting your website right now. Their approach is purely outbound prospecting, not demand capture
No smart dialer — the platform is email-centric; no built-in calling capabilities
No AI chatbot — you can't capture inbound leads through conversational AI on your website
No daily SDR playbook — no structured, prioritized task list to guide your reps each morning
Opaque pricing — Sam Blond told TechCrunch it's a flat fee, "currently discounted while the product remains in beta," but declined to share the actual number. Their website has no pricing page (returns a 404)
Startup-only focus — Monaco explicitly targets seed and Series A companies. If you're growing past that stage, you may outgrow it quickly
Still in public beta — no G2 reviews, no Capterra listing, no Product Hunt launch. Zero independent verification of results
Minimal web presence — no /about or /pricing pages, sparse website content. Hard to evaluate without getting on a call
Email-only outreach — In a market where multichannel is essential, Monaco's focus on email sequences leaves a gap for phone and social selling
MarketBetter is an AI-powered sales platform built to help B2B teams identify, engage, and convert their best prospects — from the first website visit to the booked meeting.
MarketBetter wins. This is arguably the most important feature for any B2B sales team. MarketBetter identifies the companies and people visiting your website in real time — turning anonymous traffic into actionable leads.
Monaco doesn't mention website visitor identification anywhere. If a prospect visits your site, Monaco won't know about it.
MarketBetter wins. MarketBetter covers email, phone (smart dialer), LinkedIn, and chat. Monaco focuses primarily on email outreach with AI agents.
In 2026, the best sales teams run multichannel sequences — email alone isn't enough. Buyers ignore cold emails at higher rates than ever. Having a dialer and chatbot gives your team more ways to start conversations.
MarketBetter wins. The AI chatbot (FloBot) captures inbound leads around the clock — qualifying visitors, answering questions, and booking meetings while your team sleeps.
Monaco is built around outbound prospecting. If a lead comes to you, Monaco doesn't have a way to engage them on-site.
Monaco has an edge for simplicity. Monaco's built-in CRM means zero integration work — it's all native. If you're a brand-new startup with no existing CRM, that's appealing.
But if you already use HubSpot or Salesforce (and most teams do), MarketBetter's deep bidirectional integrations mean you keep your existing workflow while adding AI superpowers.
Both platforms embrace this. Monaco embeds experienced salespeople who monitor and guide the AI. MarketBetter keeps the SDR in control with the Daily Playbook — the AI suggests, the human decides.
This is a smart approach from both companies. Unlike 11x or Artisan, which try to replace human SDRs entirely, both MarketBetter and Monaco understand that the best results come from human + AI collaboration.
MarketBetter wins on transparency. MarketBetter publishes pricing openly. Monaco uses an undisclosed flat-fee model — you have to get on a call to find out what it costs.
For budget-conscious teams (which is most teams), transparent pricing matters. You shouldn't need a sales call just to know if a tool fits your budget.
Monaco is an ambitious new entrant with serious funding and a talented team. Their all-in-one, AI-native approach is compelling — especially for brand-new startups starting from scratch.
But MarketBetter delivers the complete AI SDR stack that most B2B teams actually need: visitor identification, multichannel outreach, inbound chatbot, daily playbook, AND outbound automation. It's proven (4.97/5 on G2), transparent on pricing, and works for teams at every stage.
If you're evaluating Monaco, give MarketBetter a look. You might find it does everything Monaco does — and more.
See MarketBetter in Action
Ready to see how MarketBetter stacks up?Book a demo and we'll show you how visitor identification, the AI chatbot, smart dialer, and daily playbook work together to drive pipeline.
When you're evaluating sales tools, pricing matters. Not just the number — but how the pricing works, what's included, and whether you can actually find out what it costs before getting on a call.
Monaco and MarketBetter take very different approaches to pricing. Here's what we know.
Monaco launched in February 2026 with a "flat-fee" pricing model. That's about all they've officially disclosed — and even getting that much required a TechCrunch interview.
Here's what we know from primary sources:
Pricing model: Flat fee (not per-seat or usage-based)
Published pricing: ❌ No public pricing page (monaco.com/pricing returns a 404)
How to find out: Request a demo / talk to sales at the website or [email protected]
Current status: Public beta with discounted pricing
Target customer: Seed and Series A startups
Competitive position: Sam Blond told TechCrunch that Monaco's "main competition is HubSpot, priced as it is to be more affordable for young companies than the big kahuna of the market, Salesforce"
Sam Blond specifically "declined to tell us what Monaco will charge, except to say that it's a flat fee and currently discounted while the product remains in beta" (TechCrunch, Feb 11, 2026).
The flat-fee approach is interesting — it avoids the per-seat pricing that makes tools like Salesforce expensive as teams grow. But without public pricing, you can't evaluate whether Monaco fits your budget without investing time in a sales conversation.
For a platform that targets early-stage startups — teams where every dollar matters and founders are moving fast — hiding pricing adds friction. And the fact that their website doesn't even have a pricing page (it returns a 404 error) suggests this isn't accidental — they're deliberately keeping pricing off the web.
Based on the competitive landscape, Monaco's positioning, and our primary research:
Monaco says it competes primarily with HubSpot, suggesting pricing needs to be in a similar range for startups
HubSpot Starter plans run from ~$50/month, but their Sales Hub Professional is $500+/month
Monaco also replaces ZoomInfo-like data ($15,000+/year for most plans)
With $35M in funding and a "forward deployed AE" model (embedding human sales experts with each customer), they're not running a freemium model
The human service layer adds real cost — each forward deployed AE is an employee Monaco has to pay
"Flat fee" for a startup-focused tool likely means somewhere in the $500 to $2,000+/month range
As ainvest.com noted: "Monaco's model, which combines AI automation with human oversight, requires significant investment to build the team and refine the service layer"
But that's informed speculation. Until Monaco publishes pricing — or at least creates a pricing page — you won't know without asking.
Blond mentioned that pricing is "currently discounted while the product remains in beta." This raises an important consideration: what happens when the beta ends? If you're budgeting based on a discounted beta price, your costs could increase significantly once Monaco reaches general availability. Make sure to ask about post-beta pricing before committing.
MarketBetter Pricing: What You See Is What You Get
MarketBetter takes the opposite approach: transparent, published pricing that you can evaluate before ever talking to anyone.
Every hour your founder or VP Sales spends on a pricing discovery call is an hour not spent selling. Transparent pricing lets you self-qualify in minutes.
Even if Monaco's flat fee is competitive, consider what you're getting:
What You're Paying For
MarketBetter
Monaco
AI email automation
✅ Included
✅ Included
Prospect database
✅ Enrichment included
✅ Built-in database
CRM
✅ Integration included
✅ Built-in CRM
Website visitor ID
✅ Included
❌ Not available
Smart dialer
✅ Included
❌ Not available
AI chatbot
✅ Included
❌ Not available
Daily SDR playbook
✅ Included
❌ Not available
Meeting notes
❌ Use third-party
✅ Included
With MarketBetter, your team gets four additional core capabilities (visitor ID, dialer, chatbot, playbook) that Monaco doesn't offer — at a price you can see before you buy.
Monaco's flat-fee model might be startup-friendly — but we can't confirm that because they won't tell you the price. MarketBetter gives you more features, transparent pricing, and a free 60-day trial.
If pricing transparency, budget predictability, and feature completeness matter to your team, MarketBetter is the easier choice.
See MarketBetter Pricing
No guessing games.Book a demo or start your free 60-day trial to see exactly what MarketBetter costs and what you get.
Monaco launched in February 2026 with $35M in backing and a vision to be the all-in-one AI sales platform for startups. It's an impressive entrance — Founders Fund leading the round, Stripe founders as angels, and a founding team from Apollo, Qualtrics, Clari, and Brex.
But "impressive launch" doesn't always mean "right fit."
If you're looking at Monaco and wondering whether there's an alternative that offers more features, proven results, and transparent pricing, you've found it. MarketBetter is the Monaco alternative that growing B2B teams choose.
Monaco is built for outbound. It builds your TAM, runs email campaigns, and manages pipeline. But it can't tell you who's on your website right now.
For most B2B companies, website visitors are the highest-intent leads in your funnel. They're actively researching you. Not identifying them is like leaving money on the table.
MarketBetter identifies visitors at the company AND person level — giving you warm leads to work instead of cold lists.
Monaco focuses on email outreach. No smart dialer, no call recording, no AI call scripts.
In B2B sales, phone is still one of the most effective channels. According to Gong's data, deals involving phone outreach close at significantly higher rates than email-only sequences.
MarketBetter's Smart Dialer integrates calling into the daily workflow — complete with AI-powered scripts and call intelligence.
If a prospect visits your website at 2 AM, Monaco can't engage them. There's no chatbot, no on-site engagement, no way to capture that inbound interest.
MarketBetter's FloBot works around the clock — qualifying visitors, answering questions, and booking meetings even when your team is asleep.
SDR productivity is about knowing what to do first. Monaco automates outbound campaigns, but it doesn't give reps a prioritized daily action list.
MarketBetter's Daily SDR Playbook tells each rep exactly who to call, who to email, and who needs follow-up — every single morning. It's like having an AI-powered sales manager.
Monaco explicitly targets seed and Series A startups. If you're a growing team at Series B or beyond, or a mid-market company, you may not be their ideal customer.
MarketBetter works for teams at every stage — from startup to mid-market — and scales with you as you grow.
Whether you've tried Monaco and found gaps, or you're still evaluating, MarketBetter is ready for you today. No waiting for beta access. No mystery pricing. Just a complete AI sales platform that works.
Try MarketBetter Free
Start your free 60-day trial — no credit card required. Or book a demo to see visitor identification, the AI chatbot, smart dialer, and daily playbook in action.
The AI SDR category is having its moment. In 2025-2026, billions of dollars have poured into companies claiming to automate, augment, or replace human sales development reps.
But which approach actually works?
Let's compare three leading platforms — each representing a fundamentally different philosophy:
11x.ai — the fully autonomous AI SDR ("replace the human")
Monaco — the human-guided AI platform ("expert humans steer the AI")
MarketBetter — the complete SDR command center ("AI empowers the human")
11x.ai, backed by $74M from Andreessen Horowitz and Benchmark, sells "Alice" — an AI SDR that autonomously handles outbound prospecting. The pitch: one AI agent replaces 10 human SDRs.
The promise: Set it and forget it. Alice finds prospects, writes emails, sends follow-ups, and books meetings — all without human involvement.
Monaco, backed by $35M from Founders Fund, combines AI outbound with experienced human salespeople who monitor and guide the system. The pitch: AI does the heavy lifting, but human experts ensure quality.
The promise: Better than pure AI because human judgment stays in the loop. The AI is powerful, but experienced salespeople keep it on track.
MarketBetter takes a different approach entirely. Rather than replacing the SDR or running outbound in a black box, MarketBetter gives your SDR team superpowers: visitor identification, multichannel tools, and a daily playbook that tells them exactly what to do.
The promise: Your SDRs become dramatically more productive because AI handles the research, prioritization, and grunt work — while humans handle the conversations.