11x for enterprise AI SDR. Artisan Ava for solo founders. Regie + Apollo for augmenting in-house BDRs. The right pick depends on team stage and volume.
The 8 AI SDR tools we recommend
| # | Tool | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11x (Alice, Mike) | Enterprise AI SDR replacement | $700+/mo |
| 2 | Artisan Ava | Solo founder + small team SDR | $400+/mo |
| 3 | Regie.ai | Augmenting in-house BDRs | $60/seat |
| 4 | Apollo.io | Bundled SDR + data | $59-$149/seat |
| 5 | Lavender | Email coaching for reps | $29-$49/seat |
| 6 | Rox | Account-based outbound | $400+/mo |
| 7 | Clay | RevOps data + enrichment | $149+/mo |
| 8 | Outplay | Mid-market sales engagement | $79-$199/seat |
Categories within "AI SDR"
Full autonomous (replaces human SDRs): 11x, Artisan Ava — find leads, enrich, draft personalized outbound, follow up, book meetings without human intervention.
Augmented (works alongside human SDRs): Regie.ai, Lavender, Apollo — generate sequences, score emails, manage data. Humans still send.
Data + enrichment: Clay, Apollo — find contacts, enrich with signals (funding, hiring, news).
When to use each
Pre-revenue solo founder
Apollo only ($59/mo). Self-serve sales engagement with built-in data.
Seed-stage with 1-2 founders
Apollo + Lavender ($88/seat). Add Lavender for email coaching as you send more.
Series A startup needing pipeline volume
Artisan Ava or 11x Alice ($400-$700/mo). Autonomous SDR while you focus on closing.
Mid-market with in-house SDR team
Regie + Apollo or Salesloft + Lavender ($150-$200/seat). Augment your team.
Enterprise sales org
11x at scale + Outreach + Gong ($$$). Full stack.
What to NOT buy as an AI SDR
- Devin or coding agents — wrong category entirely
- General ChatGPT — fine for one-off drafts; not a real SDR replacement
- Custom-built LangChain SDR — buy, don't build at startup stage
The verdict by team stage
- Solo founder → Apollo ($59/mo)
- Seed startup → Apollo + Lavender ($88/seat)
- Series A → Artisan Ava ($400/mo)
- Series B+ → 11x ($700/mo) or full stack
- Enterprise → 11x at scale + Outreach + Gong
For broader sales-AI guides see Apollo vs Outreach, Best AI sales agents in 2026, and Lavender vs Regie.