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Best AI SDR tools, by how much the AI does

An AI SDR is software that does some or all of a sales development rep's work: finding accounts, writing outreach and answering replies. These tools differ most in how much they do without a person. Decide that first, then pick the tool.

Leadpoet makes this page and is on this list. Tools are grouped by how much the AI does and listed alphabetically within each group, not ranked. Most do more than one thing, so each sits under the role its own pages lead with.

AI SDR agents: the AI runs outbound

Can software run our outbound with little help?

These tools find people, write messages and handle replies as one agent, often called an AI SDR or AI BDR. Most offer an approval mode, so check what happens by default and who answers the awkward replies.

  • 11x (Alice)

    What the AI does
    Alice researches each account and writes each message for that one contact. 11x says it handles prospecting, research, personalization, and multi-channel execution across email and social.
    What you still control
    You set the audience and goal, and agents escalate sensitive conversations to your team.
    Keep in mind
    Calls in its outbound sequences are rep-led, and its voice agents target inbound demand and expansion.

  • AiSDR (Ami)

    What the AI does
    Ami finds and researches leads, writes and sends sequences, answers common objections, and books meetings with qualified prospects. Its outreach covers email, phone, and LinkedIn.
    What you still control
    Your team reviews the audience and sample messages before launch, and can switch replies to co-pilot mode to approve them.
    Keep in mind
    Its site says it is not the right fit for teams that want set-and-forget automation.

  • Artisan (Ava)

    What the AI does
    Ava is an AI BDR that runs outbound end to end. It sources leads, writes personalized emails, handles replies and books meetings on reps' calendars.
    What you still control
    You choose per campaign whether Ava waits for approval or sends, and you can lock tone and define lead routing rules.
    Keep in mind
    Its page says email and social run on autopilot with calls queued, so plan who handles the phone.

  • Reply.io (Jason AI)

    What the AI does
    Jason AI generates offers, a multichannel sequence, and per-contact messages from your website. It sources contacts, handles replies from a knowledge base, and books meetings.
    What you still control
    You run it in approval mode, where each message waits for review, or in automatic mode with no review.
    Keep in mind
    Its help page says calls-only or SMS-only motions are better built as regular multichannel sequences.

AI inside a sales platform: agents next to your reps

Can our reps get AI help inside the tools they use?

These tools add agents to a platform that already runs data, sequences or calls. They suit teams with reps in place who want less manual work, more than teams looking to automate the role.

  • Amplemarket (Duo)

    What the AI does
    Duo scans your market daily for buying signals and gathers the context behind each one. Its AI agents then create multichannel sequences for each buyer.
    What you still control
    Reps review recommendations, edit messages, and decide whether to send or dismiss.
    Keep in mind
    Duo is built with a person in the loop, so someone needs to work through its recommendations.

  • Apollo

    What the AI does
    Apollo AI researches and prioritizes leads, generates emails, and analyzes calls and emails. It can automate engagement across email and phone.
    What you still control
    You can use AI as a co-pilot or let it run on autopilot when you are ready.
    Keep in mind
    Its AI page describes co-pilot and autopilot use but not approval steps, so ask how review works.

  • Instantly

    What the AI does
    Its Copilot finds leads, writes copy, and generates campaigns through chat. Its AI Reply Agent responds to prospects and updates lead stages and CRM status.
    What you still control
    You choose human in the loop mode, where you approve each response, or Autopilot.
    Keep in mind
    Autopilot removes the review step, so decide which campaigns should keep human review.

  • Outreach

    What the AI does
    Its Revenue Agent identifies high-intent accounts and generates personalized outreach, and its Research Agent combines conversation, engagement, and public data. Other named agents cover meeting prep and deal updates.
    What you still control
    Admins control how autonomous agents are across segments, and sellers can review Deal Agent updates before accepting them.
    Keep in mind
    Its AI Agents page lists Reply Agent as coming soon, so check how replies are handled today.

  • Salesloft

    What the AI does
    Its named agents research accounts and buyers, recommend stakeholders, organize reps' daily to-dos, and create emails for Cadence steps. Others summarize deals and surface stalled ones.
    What you still control
    Its homepage labels some tasks Human, such as reviewing the human versus AI forecast, and others Agent + Human.
    Keep in mind
    Its AI agents page does not describe approval steps, so ask whether reps review AI-written emails before they send.

Inbound AI SDRs: answering who comes to you

Can AI answer and qualify people who are already interested?

These tools talk to website visitors and new leads, then book meetings or pass them to a person. They work from demand you already have, so they don't find new accounts.

  • Conversica

    What the AI does
    Its AI Agents respond to web forms and inbound leads to educate and qualify them. They hold conversations across email, SMS, chat, and messaging apps, and can schedule meetings.
    What you still control
    Setup starts with a meeting with its team, agents are trained on your policies and tone, and complex cases can be escalated.
    Keep in mind
    Its homepage covers acquisition, service, and retention, so confirm the inbound flows you need.

  • Qualified (Piper)

    What the AI does
    Piper greets website buyers, answers their questions and schedules meetings with the right salesperson. It also engages inbound leads over email.
    What you still control
    You teach Piper about your business and buyers and keep it within guardrails, and it transfers buyers to SDRs for live chat.
    Keep in mind
    Its Piper page focuses on inbound pipeline, so check separately if you need outbound prospecting.

  • Warmly

    What the AI does
    Its AI chat identifies visitors first, qualifies them on fit and intent, and books meetings directly. It escalates high-value prospects and routes them to a rep.
    What you still control
    You configure the AI's personality, routing rules, and calendars, and reps can take over any conversation.
    Keep in mind
    When no reps are available the AI continues the conversation, so plan who follows up with high-value visitors.

Research-first AI: you decide what goes out

Can AI do the research while we keep the final say?

These tools do the account research and draft the work, and a person decides what to send. They need more of your time than a fully automated agent, and give you more control over what buyers see.

  • Clay (Claygent)

    What the AI does
    Claygents follow your instructions to do jobs such as finding a contact, writing email copy, or scoring a lead. They write a structured output and each decision has a reasoning trace.
    What you still control
    You describe the job in natural language and test it on real data.
    Keep in mind
    Its Claygent page marks Account Agents as beta, so check availability before planning around them.

  • Leadpoet

    What the AI does
    Researches accounts that fit your ideal customer profile and show a current buying signal, finds contacts in your target roles, and writes email and LinkedIn outreach.
    What you still control
    You approve each campaign before it launches. New campaigns start in Copilot mode, which holds each message for your approval, and you can switch a campaign to Autopilot.
    Keep in mind
    It covers email and LinkedIn only, with no phone dialing, and researched lists arrive in 1–2 days rather than instantly.

  • Regie.ai (RegieGO)

    What the AI does
    RegieGO suggests who to target from your website, adds dated why-now signals, and drafts messages in your voice. Calling is built in, with a parallel dialer.
    What you still control
    Nothing sends or dials unless you tell it to, and you can approve, edit, or request changes in chat.
    Keep in mind
    Its homepage names email and calling, so check coverage if you need LinkedIn.

How to choose an AI SDR tool

  • Decide how much you'd let it say without a person checking, and set that first.
  • Read twenty messages it wrote for your real market before you judge it. Personalization that names the wrong thing is worse than none.
  • Ask where its reason to write comes from, and whether a rep can open the evidence.
  • Plan who owns replies, opt-outs and sender reputation, because those stay your responsibility.
  • Measure meetings held and pipeline, not messages sent.

Cold email templates that get replies, and how to write them

Frequently asked questions

What is an AI SDR?

An AI SDR is software that does some or all of a sales development rep's work: finding accounts, researching them, writing outreach, answering replies and booking meetings. How much it does without a person varies a lot between tools.

What's the difference between an AI SDR and an AI BDR?

In practice the terms are used interchangeably. In sales teams, SDRs often work inbound leads and BDRs outbound, but tools rarely follow that split, so read what each one actually does.

What's the difference between an AI SDR and an AI sales agent?

An AI SDR is focused on the top of the funnel: starting conversations and booking meetings. An AI sales agent is a broader term that can also cover account research, deal updates or answering questions about your pipeline.

Do AI SDRs replace human SDRs?

Some are sold that way, but you still need someone to define the audience, check what it says and handle real conversations. Most tools here include a way to review messages or hand buyers to a person.

Can an AI SDR hurt email deliverability?

It can, if it sends too much from too few inboxes or writes to people who don't fit. The sending rules are the same as for a person: keep volumes modest, honor opt-outs and write to people with a reason to care.

Is Leadpoet an AI SDR?

Partly. Leadpoet researches accounts, finds contacts and writes email and LinkedIn outreach, and you approve each campaign before it launches. It doesn't make phone calls, so if you want an agent that also dials, choose one built for that.

More tool guides

Sources

What this page says about each tool comes from that tool's own pages, checked on November 9, 2026. Products change, so check them for the latest. If something here is out of date, email hello@leadpoet.com and we'll correct it.

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