AI SDR tools · what each one costs per lead
An AI SDR, short for AI sales development rep, is software that finds people to contact, writes them cold emails (emails to people who don’t know you yet) and sends the follow-ups. Instantly is the cheapest one we priced per lead (a person the agent finds and emails), and AiSDR is the pick if you want to test one…
our pick for you
Our pick
Instantly wins if you want one plan that finds people, writes the emails and sends them. AiSDR wins if you want to test with no subscription. Artisan wins if you want a vendor’s team to set it up with you. Smartlead wins if you write your own emails and want to pay less to send them.
- A lead is one person the agent finds and emails. A credit is the unit Instantly spends on jobs like finding a lead.
- A sequencer is the tool that sends your email steps over several days. Instantly and Smartlead are sequencers, and Instantly adds the AI agent on the same plan.
- Instantly’s AI Sales Agent spends 5 credits per lead. Starter is $85 a month billed monthly, or $76.50 a month billed yearly, and includes 1,500 credits a month.
- The math: on October 21, 2026 prices, 1,500 credits ÷ 5 = 300 leads a month. $85 ÷ 300 = about $0.28 a lead billed monthly, and $76.50 ÷ 300 = about $0.26 billed yearly.
- To prospect means to find a possible buyer and reach out. AiSDR charges $1.50 for each person it prospects, pay as you go, with no subscription.
- Salesforge sells an agent called Agent Frank for $499 a month billed yearly.
- Artisan and 11x don’t publish prices. You get a number by asking their sales teams.
- A mailbox is one email address you send from. Warmup means sending small, safe emails so a new mailbox looks normal before cold email goes out. Every AI SDR sends from mailboxes you own.
Ranked picks
- #1
Instantlytop pickBest for: Teams that want one plan where an AI agent finds leads, writes the emails and sends them.
- Starter’s 1,500 credits cover 300 agent leads a month at 5 credits each.
- The lead database, the email sender and a reply agent that drafts answers to replies run on the same plan.
- Every paid plan has unlimited email accounts and warmup.
- #2
Best for: Teams that write their own email steps and want to pay less to send them.
- Base is $39 a month billed monthly, or $32 a month billed yearly.
- Each month, Base includes 6,000 sends and 2,000 verified emails, which are emails checked so they won’t bounce.
- #3
Best for: Teams that want ready mailboxes for the agent to send from, fast.
- Its Google and Microsoft mailboxes come warmed up, so they can send sooner.
- #4
Best for: Teams that want someone else to set up the agent’s mailboxes.
- Its team sets up your mailboxes for you in a shared Slack channel.
- #5
Best for: Teams that send at high volume and want broken mailboxes replaced.
- It sets up Google and Microsoft mailboxes for you, with no limit on replacements.
- #6
Best for: Teams that want to set up the agent’s mailboxes themselves.
- You set up domains, the website names your addresses use, and mailboxes yourself, and it watches them for problems.
Compare
| Tool | Price band | Best for | Dealbreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Instantly | Starter is $85 a month… | Teams that want one plan where an AI agent finds leads, writes the emails and sends them. | Every job spends from one credit pool, so other jobs, like finding emails, cut your… |
| #2 Smartlead | Base is $39 billed monthly. | Teams that write their own email steps and want to pay less to send them. | Smartlead shows no price for its AI agents, so you can’t work out a cost per agent lead. |
| #3 Zapmail | From $32.50/mo yearly. | Teams that want ready mailboxes for the agent to send from, fast. | It sells mailboxes only, so the agent is a second bill. |
| #4 ScaledMail | Google is $3.50 a mailbox. | Teams that want someone else to set up the agent’s mailboxes. | It sells mailboxes only, so you still pay for the agent and its credits. |
| #5 Premium Inboxes | From $3.50 an inbox a month. | Teams that send at high volume and want broken mailboxes replaced. | It sells mailboxes only, so you still need an AI SDR to write and send. |
| #6 InboxKit | From $2.50/mo yearly. | Teams that want to set up the agent’s mailboxes themselves. | You do the setup work yourself. |
MethodHow we scored these tools▾
We priced each tool by what it costs to reach one lead, a person the agent finds and emails. We read every price on October 21, 2026, from each vendor’s own pages. Instantly’s credit cost per lead and its daily sending limit come from its help center. None of these prices tells you the number of replies or meetings you will get. You learn that by testing on your own list.
Who it's for
buy if
- Use this page if you want software to find people and send cold emails for you, and you want to know the cost per lead.
- Use this page if you already send cold email and want to add an AI agent.
skip if
- Skip this page if you want an AI that coaches reps on calls or updates a CRM, the database where sales teams track deals. Those are different tools.
The short answer
Pick Instantly if you want one plan where an AI agent finds people, writes to them and sends the emails. On Starter it costs about $0.28 a lead, and the same plan sends your own campaigns.
Pick AiSDR if you want to test an AI SDR with no monthly plan. It charges $1.50 for each person it prospects, pay as you go, billed daily.
Pick Artisan if you want its sales team to set the agent up with you. Artisan doesn’t publish prices, so you need a quote first. Its Team plan is sized at about 2,500 leads contacted a month.
Pick Smartlead if you write your own emails and want the cheapest sender here, at $39 a month billed monthly.
Pick Salesforge Agent Frank if you want to pay one set price for the agent and can commit to a year. It is $499 a month billed yearly.
Pick 11x if you want to see a demo before you buy. 11x doesn’t publish prices, so you get a number from its sales team.
Whichever you pick, buy warmed mailboxes before the agent sends its first email.
AI SDR and AI BDR name the same job on this page
SDR stands for sales development rep. BDR stands for business development rep. Both are first jobs in sales: find possible buyers and get a first reply.
Some vendors say AI SDR and some say AI BDR. We price the job itself, which is finding people and emailing them.
What 300 and 2,000 leads a month cost
The math: on October 21, 2026 prices, for 300 leads a month:
- Instantly Starter: 1,500 credits ÷ 5 = 300 leads for $85 a month billed monthly. $85 ÷ 300 = about $0.28 a lead.
- AiSDR: 300 × $1.50 = $450, pay as you go.
- Salesforge Agent Frank: $499 a month billed yearly.
The math: on October 21, 2026 prices, for 2,000 leads a month:
- Instantly Scale: 10,000 credits ÷ 5 = 2,000 leads for $265 a month billed monthly. $265 ÷ 2,000 = about $0.13 a lead.
- AiSDR: 2,000 × $1.50 = $3,000, pay as you go.
AiSDR needs no subscription. Instantly is cheaper per lead only if the agent gets the plan’s credits. Finding emails and matching website visitors spend from the same pool.
Why your first month with an agent looks small
Instantly’s AI Sales Agent sends 10 emails a day by default. That limit counts emails sent and leads found together.
Autopilot is the setting that lets the agent send without your OK. Instantly turns it off at the start, so you approve each email in a list it calls the Activity Feed.
The math: 10 a day × 30 days = 300 a month for emails and leads combined. Starter’s credits cover 300 agent leads, so the two limits line up. Raise the limit once the first replies look right.
The agent sends from mailboxes you buy
An AI SDR sends from your mailboxes. If those mailboxes land in spam, the agent’s emails land there too.
Instantly includes unlimited email accounts, but you still buy the mailboxes. AiSDR sells a warmed mailbox as an add-on, an extra you pay for.
Zapmail, ScaledMail, Premium Inboxes and InboxKit sell mailboxes. Pick Zapmail for warmed mailboxes fast, ScaledMail or Premium Inboxes if you want the setup done for you, and InboxKit if you want to do it yourself.
Two tools don’t publish prices
Artisan sizes its plans by leads contacted a month. Team is about 2,500 and Scale is about 6,000, and Artisan doesn’t publish a price for either.
11x doesn’t publish prices either.
Ask both for a written quote. Divide the quote by the leads it covers, and compare that number with Instantly’s $0.28.
Common questions
What is an AI SDR?▾
An AI SDR is software that does a sales development rep’s first job. It finds people to contact, writes cold emails to them and sends the follow-ups.
How much does an AI SDR cost?▾
Instantly’s agent works out to about $0.28 a lead on Starter at $85 a month billed monthly. AiSDR charges $1.50 per person with no plan. Salesforge’s Agent Frank is $499 a month billed yearly.
Can an AI SDR replace a human SDR?▾
It can find people, write first emails and send follow-ups. Replies and meetings depend on your list and your message, so test it on a small list before you count on it.
What’s the difference between an AI SDR and an AI BDR?▾
SDR means sales development rep and BDR means business development rep. Vendors use both names for software that finds people and emails them.
Do I need my own inboxes for an AI SDR?▾
Yes. The agent sends from mailboxes you own. Buy them from a provider like Zapmail or Premium Inboxes and warm them up before the agent starts.
what to do next
What to do next
Start Instantly on its free 14-day trial. Turn on the AI Sales Agent, leave autopilot off, and approve its first 10 emails a day. If you write your own emails, start on Smartlead Base instead. Buy mailboxes before the first send: Zapmail for warmed mailboxes fast, ScaledMail or Premium Inboxes for setup done for you, InboxKit to set them up yourself. Prices and limits are from Instantly plans, Instantly’s AI Sales Agent guide, AiSDR pricing, Salesforge pricing, Artisan pricing and Smartlead pricing, all checked October 21, 2026. Try Instantly Try Smartlead Next · Premium Inboxes vs Zapmail compares two mailbox sellers · Lead generation tools prices the list and the sender.