25 Best AI Sales Tools in 2025 (Free + Paid)

Introduction

The martech landscape has exploded to over 11,000 tools—and for B2B sales teams, that means drowning in choices. Should you invest in Salesforce Einstein's AI features? Try HubSpot's new Breeze AI? Or bet on an emerging player like Optifai?

This guide cuts through the noise. We've analyzed 25 proven AI sales tools across 5 categories, based on G2 ratings, verified pricing, and real SMB use cases. Whether you're a 5-person startup or a 50-rep sales org, you'll find tools that fit your budget, timeline, and growth stage.

What you'll find here:

• Honest pros and cons for each tool (we don't sugarcoat)
• Exact pricing (no "contact sales" runarounds where avoidable)
• Best-for scenarios (team size, use case, budget)
• Quick comparison table for easy scanning

How to use this guide: Jump to your category of interest using the table of contents, or read end-to-end if you're building your stack from scratch.

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Quick Comparison Table

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Category 1: AI-Powered CRMs

What This Category Does: AI-native CRMs automate data entry, score leads, predict deal outcomes, and suggest next actions—freeing reps from manual admin work.

Budget Guideline: $450-$1,800/month for a 15-person team (depending on tier)

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1. HubSpot AI (Breeze AI)

Pricing: $45/month (Sales Hub Starter), free tier available

G2 Rating: 4.4/5 (12,000+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Breeze Copilot: AI assistant that drafts emails, summarizes calls, suggests next steps
• Breeze Agents: Workflow automation (e.g., auto-assign leads based on fit score)
• Breeze Intelligence: Enriches CRM data with company info, social profiles

Best For: Growing businesses (10-50 reps) needing marketing + sales integration

Pros:

• ✅ Smoothest integration between marketing and sales (email, forms, landing pages in one platform)
• ✅ Free tier available for startups
• ✅ Less painful setup than Salesforce (typically 2-4 weeks vs. 3-6 months)

Cons:

• ❌ Costs escalate quickly as you add hubs (Marketing + Sales + Service = $180+/month minimum)
• ❌ AI features require higher-tier plans (Professional at $1,600/month for 5 users)

Bottom Line: HubSpot is ideal if you're already using their marketing tools or plan to build a unified growth stack. The AI features are solid but require budget commitment.

Visit HubSpot

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2. Optifai ⭐ Editor's Choice

Pricing: $49/month (Pro plan), $198/month (Team plan for 5 users)

G2 Rating: New platform (launching 2025)

Key Features:

• Revenue Velocity Tracking: Measures how quickly deals move through your pipeline (unique metric)
• AI Lead Scoring: Automatically prioritizes leads based on LTV × Conversion Probability
• Automated Playbooks: Pre-built sequences for enterprise, SMB, and SaaS sales motions

Best For: SMB sales teams (5-30 reps) seeking an AI-native CRM built for speed, not enterprises retrofitting AI onto legacy software

Pros:

• ✅ 2-week implementation vs. 3-6 months for Salesforce
• ✅ Revenue Velocity focus (not just pipeline value, but speed to close)
• ✅ Transparent pricing—no hidden "contact sales" nonsense
• ✅ Built for teams without dedicated IT support

Cons:

• ❌ New platform—lacks the ecosystem of integrations Salesforce/HubSpot offer (yet)
• ❌ Not ideal for enterprise teams over 100 reps or complex org structures
• ❌ No marketing automation (pure sales focus)

Bottom Line: If you're tired of Salesforce complexity or HubSpot's escalating costs, Optifai is worth a trial. It's designed for teams that value speed and simplicity over enterprise features they'll never use.

Try Optifai Free

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3. Pipedrive

Pricing: $49/user/month (billed annually), 14-day free trial

G2 Rating: 4.3/5 (2,000+ reviews)

Key Features:

• AI Sales Assistant: Predicts win probability, suggests next steps based on deal data
• Email AI Writer: Generates outreach emails, proposals, and follow-ups
• Visual Pipeline: Drag-and-drop deal stages (highly intuitive for visual thinkers)

Best For: Small teams (5-20 reps) prioritizing simplicity and ease of use

Pros:

• ✅ Fastest setup among traditional CRMs (typically under 1 week)
• ✅ More affordable than HubSpot for comparable features ($6,000/year for HubSpot vs. $588/year for Pipedrive per user)
• ✅ Excellent mobile app (top-rated for on-the-go reps)

Cons:

• ❌ Limited marketing automation compared to HubSpot
• ❌ AI features feel "bolted on" (not core to the platform like Optifai)
• ❌ Reporting is basic—power users may need add-ons

Bottom Line: Pipedrive is a solid, affordable choice for teams that want a CRM they can set up this week and start using immediately.

Visit Pipedrive

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4. Monday.com CRM

Pricing: $12-24/user/month (CRM pricing, billed annually)

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (10,000+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Visual Workflow Builder: No-code automation (e.g., "When deal stage = Closed Won, create invoice")
• Customizable Boards: Adapt to any sales process (not rigid like traditional CRMs)
• AI Summaries: Auto-summarizes project updates, emails, and notes

Best For: Teams that think visually and need CRM + project management hybrid

Pros:

• ✅ Extremely flexible—can build custom workflows for non-standard sales processes
• ✅ Beautiful, intuitive UI (non-technical users love it)
• ✅ Doubles as project management tool (great for agencies, consultants)

Cons:

• ❌ Not a "pure" CRM—you're adapting a project management tool for sales
• ❌ AI features are surface-level compared to Gong or Clari
• ❌ Can feel overwhelming for simple use cases (too many customization options)

Bottom Line: Choose Monday.com if you need a flexible workspace that combines CRM, project tracking, and team collaboration. Skip if you want a traditional, sales-focused CRM.

Visit Monday.com

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5. Salesforce Einstein

Pricing: $25/user/month (Essentials), $100-300/user/month (Professional/Enterprise with Einstein features)

G2 Rating: 4.4/5 (19,000+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Predictive Lead Scoring: AI analyzes historical won/lost deals to score new leads
• Opportunity Insights: Flags at-risk deals, suggests actions to accelerate close
• AI Email Writer: Drafts personalized emails based on deal context, past interactions

Best For: Enterprises (100+ reps) requiring deep customization, compliance, and integration with complex tech stacks

Pros:

• ✅ Most powerful CRM on the market—can handle virtually any business process
• ✅ Massive ecosystem (AppExchange has 5,000+ integrations)
• ✅ Industry-specific solutions (healthcare, financial services, etc.)

Cons:

• ❌ Implementation hell: 3-6 months minimum, often requires consultants ($50k-$200k projects)
• ❌ Expensive for SMBs—real cost is $100-300/user/month once you add needed features
• ❌ User experience is clunky (reps complain about complexity)

Bottom Line: Salesforce is the 800-pound gorilla. If you're an enterprise with budget and IT resources, it's unmatched. If you're a 15-person team, run away—it's overkill and overpriced.

Visit Salesforce

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Category 1 Summary: For SMB teams, Optifai and Pipedrive offer the best balance of AI capabilities and ease of use. HubSpot wins if you need marketing integration. Monday.com is for teams wanting flexibility over structure. Salesforce is only worth it at enterprise scale.

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Category 2: Email Automation & Outreach

What This Category Does: Email automation tools handle cold outreach, follow-up sequences, A/B testing, and deliverability—turning manual email tasks into set-and-forget workflows.

Budget Guideline: $750-$1,500/month for a 15-person team (assuming 10 SDRs actively prospecting)

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1. Apollo

Pricing: Free tier (limited credits), Professional at $99/user/month

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (6,500+ reviews)

Key Features:

• 210M Contact Database: Built-in B2B database (no need for separate ZoomInfo subscription)
• Email Sequences: Multi-step campaigns with personalization tokens
• Dialer Integration: Call leads directly from Apollo (with recording)

Best For: SMB teams (5-30 reps) needing an all-in-one prospecting solution

Pros:

• ✅ Best value: Database + email automation + dialer in one platform
• ✅ Free tier available (50 email credits/month—enough to test)
• ✅ User-friendly interface (easiest to learn among email tools)

Cons:

• ❌ Database quality varies (some contacts are outdated—verify before sending)
• ❌ Deliverability can be tricky (needs warm-up and SPF/DKIM setup)
• ❌ Advanced automation (branching logic, complex triggers) requires Professional plan

Bottom Line: Apollo is the best all-in-one tool for teams that don't want to juggle ZoomInfo + Outreach + a separate dialer. Start with the free tier.

Try Apollo Free

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2. Outreach

Pricing: $100/user/month (Essentials, billed annually), custom pricing for higher tiers

G2 Rating: 4.3/5 (3,300+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Advanced Sequencing: Complex workflows with branching logic (if no reply in 3 days, send SMS)
• A/B Testing: Test subject lines, email copy, send times at scale
• Revenue Intelligence: Tracks which sequences drive the most pipeline (integrates with CRM)

Best For: Enterprise SDR teams (20+ reps) with complex, multi-touch outreach strategies

Pros:

• ✅ Most powerful automation (far beyond simple drip campaigns)
• ✅ Best-in-class analytics (attribution to closed deals, not just opens/clicks)
• ✅ Governance features (managers can enforce best practices, approve templates)

Cons:

• ❌ Expensive—$100/user is just the starting point
• ❌ Steep learning curve (requires training for reps to use effectively)
• ❌ Overkill for small teams (too many features you won't use)

Bottom Line: Outreach is the Salesforce of email automation—powerful but complex. Only worth it if you have 20+ SDRs running sophisticated campaigns.

Visit Outreach

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3. SalesLoft

Pricing: Quote-based (typically $75-150/user/month)

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (4,500+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Multichannel Cadences: Emails, calls, LinkedIn messages in one sequence
• Conversation Intelligence: Records calls, transcribes, and provides coaching insights
• Dialer: Built-in calling with local presence (increases answer rates)

Best For: Mid-market to enterprise teams (30-100+ reps) needing multichannel outreach + call coaching

Pros:

• ✅ Best multichannel experience (seamless email → call → LinkedIn workflow)
• ✅ Conversation intelligence included (competitors charge separately)
• ✅ Strong integrations with Salesforce and other CRMs

Cons:

• ❌ Pricing is opaque (must go through sales process to get quote)
• ❌ Features have declined since ZoomInfo acquisition (per user feedback)
• ❌ Not ideal for teams under 20 reps (too expensive and complex)

Bottom Line: SalesLoft is a strong choice for mid-market teams that want email + calling + coaching in one platform. Just be prepared for a sales call to get pricing.

Visit SalesLoft

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4. Lemlist

Pricing: $59/user/month (Email Outreach plan), $99/user/month (Sales Engagement)

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (580+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Image & Video Personalization: Auto-insert prospect's website screenshot, personalized video thumbnails
• Lemwarm: Built-in email warm-up service (improves deliverability)
• LinkedIn Automation: Auto-connect and message on LinkedIn (via Chrome extension)

Best For: SDRs and solo founders focused on cold email personalization at scale

Pros:

• ✅ Unique personalization features (images, GIFs, videos stand out in crowded inboxes)
• ✅ Email warm-up included (competitors charge $30-50/month extra)
• ✅ More affordable than Outreach/SalesLoft for small teams

Cons:

• ❌ Smaller contact database compared to Apollo or ZoomInfo
• ❌ LinkedIn automation can be risky (violates LinkedIn ToS—use cautiously)
• ❌ Less robust analytics than enterprise tools

Bottom Line: Lemlist is perfect for creative SDRs who want to stand out with personalized images/videos. Not ideal if you need enterprise-grade compliance and governance.

Try Lemlist

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5. Reply.io

Pricing: $70/user/month (Email Starter), $90/user/month (Multichannel)

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (1,100+ reviews)

Key Features:

• AI SDR Assistant: Suggests email variations, optimal send times based on recipient behavior
• Multichannel Sequences: Email, LinkedIn, calls, WhatsApp in one workflow
• Email Validation: Built-in verification to reduce bounces

Best For: Teams running multichannel outreach (email + LinkedIn + calls) without enterprise budget

Pros:

• ✅ Affordable multichannel option (vs. SalesLoft's $100+/user)
• ✅ AI-powered send time optimization (sends when prospect is most likely to engage)
• ✅ Email validation included (saves cost of separate service like NeverBounce)

Cons:

• ❌ Interface feels dated compared to Apollo or Lemlist
• ❌ Smaller user base = fewer integrations and community support
• ❌ AI features are basic (not as advanced as Outreach)

Bottom Line: Reply.io is a solid mid-tier option for teams that want multichannel outreach without SalesLoft's price tag. Interface could use a refresh.

Visit Reply.io

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Category 2 Summary: For SMB teams, Apollo offers unbeatable value (database + automation in one). Lemlist wins for creative personalization. Outreach and SalesLoft are enterprise-grade but overkill for teams under 20 reps. Reply.io is the affordable multichannel middle ground.

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Category 3: Lead Scoring & Enrichment

What This Category Does: Lead enrichment tools fill in missing contact data (job title, company size, tech stack) and score leads based on fit and intent signals.

Budget Guideline: $500-$2,000/month for a 15-person team (depending on data volume)

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1. Clearbit (now Breeze Intelligence by HubSpot)

Pricing: $30-$700/month (credit-based: 100, 1,000, or 10,000 credits)

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (580+ reviews, pre-acquisition)

Key Features:

• Company Enrichment: Auto-fills firmographic data (revenue, employee count, industry)
• Person Enrichment: Adds job title, email, LinkedIn, Twitter profiles
• Visitor Identification: Reveals companies visiting your website (de-anonymizes traffic)

Best For: HubSpot users needing automated data enrichment

Pros:

• ✅ Seamless HubSpot integration (auto-enriches CRM records)
• ✅ High data accuracy (90%+ match rate for B2B companies)
• ✅ Affordable entry point ($30/month for 100 credits)

Cons:

• ❌ Now HubSpot-only (no longer available as standalone service)
• ❌ Credit pricing can get expensive at scale (10k credits = $700/month)
• ❌ Limited to North American and European companies (weaker Asia/LATAM coverage)

Bottom Line: If you're on HubSpot, Breeze Intelligence is a no-brainer. If you're on Salesforce or another CRM, look at ZoomInfo or Lusha instead.

Learn More

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2. ZoomInfo

Pricing: Quote-based (typically $10k-30k/year for small teams)

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (8,800+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Massive B2B Database: 70M+ companies, 200M+ contacts
• Intent Data: Tracks companies researching your category (based on content consumption)
• Technographic Data: Reveals what software prospects are using

Best For: Mid-market to enterprise teams (20+ reps) needing comprehensive B2B intelligence

Pros:

• ✅ Most comprehensive B2B database (larger than Apollo, Lusha, Clearbit)
• ✅ Intent data is powerful (identify prospects actively researching solutions)
• ✅ Chrome extension makes prospecting easy (enrich LinkedIn profiles with one click)

Cons:

• ❌ Expensive—minimum $10k/year commitment (not SMB-friendly)
• ❌ Overwhelming amount of data (steep learning curve)
• ❌ Sales process required to get pricing (no transparent pricing)

Bottom Line: ZoomInfo is the gold standard for B2B data. If you have the budget ($10k+), it's worth it. If you're under 20 reps, start with Apollo's built-in database.

Visit ZoomInfo

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3. Lusha

Pricing: $29-99/user/month (Pro to Premium tiers)

G2 Rating: 4.3/5 (1,400+ reviews)

Key Features:

• LinkedIn Chrome Extension: Enrich profiles with email, phone, company data
• Email Finder: Verify and find business emails (90%+ accuracy)
• API Access: Programmatically enrich CRM data in bulk

Best For: Individual SDRs and small teams doing LinkedIn-based prospecting

Pros:

• ✅ Most affordable enrichment tool ($29/month entry point)
• ✅ Excellent LinkedIn integration (best-in-class Chrome extension)
• ✅ GDPR-compliant (important for European prospects)

Cons:

• ❌ Smaller database than ZoomInfo or Apollo
• ❌ Limited technographic/intent data
• ❌ Credit limits can be restrictive (100-200 credits/month on lower tiers)

Bottom Line: Lusha is perfect for solo SDRs or small teams (under 10 reps) focused on LinkedIn outreach. Not a full ZoomInfo replacement for larger teams.

Try Lusha

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4. Clay

Pricing: $149-800/month (based on data credits and features)

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (370+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Spreadsheet-Style Interface: Build enrichment workflows visually (no code)
• 75+ Data Providers: Access Apollo, Hunter, Clearbit, and more in one platform
• AI Personalization: Use GPT-4 to write personalized emails based on enriched data

Best For: Power users and growth hackers needing flexible, custom enrichment workflows

Pros:

• ✅ Most flexible enrichment tool (combine multiple data sources)
• ✅ AI-powered personalization at scale (best-in-class for cold outreach)
• ✅ Waterfall enrichment (try provider A, fallback to B, then C—maximizes data quality)

Cons:

• ❌ Steep learning curve (requires spreadsheet/workflow skills)
• ❌ Expensive for basic use cases (overkill if you just need simple enrichment)
• ❌ Requires separate subscriptions to data providers (Clay is a wrapper, not a database)

Bottom Line: Clay is for advanced users who want to build custom enrichment machines. If you just need "add email to contact," stick with Lusha or Apollo.

Try Clay

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5. 6sense

Pricing: Enterprise-only ($60k+/year typical starting point)

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (900+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Predictive Lead Scoring: AI analyzes account fit + intent signals to predict conversion
• Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Orchestrates campaigns across email, ads, web personalization
• Revenue AI: Forecasts pipeline impact based on marketing activities

Best For: Enterprise B2B teams (100+ employees) with ABM strategies and $100k+ marketing budgets

Pros:

• ✅ Best predictive scoring on the market (90%+ accuracy reported by users)
• ✅ Deep intent data (tracks 10,000+ topics across the web)
• ✅ Enterprise-grade security and compliance

Cons:

• ❌ Extremely expensive ($60k-$200k/year minimum)
• ❌ Requires dedicated team to manage (not self-serve)
• ❌ Long implementation (3-6 months typical)

Bottom Line: 6sense is the Rolls-Royce of predictive lead scoring. Only makes sense for enterprise teams with serious ABM budgets. SMBs should skip.

Learn More

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Category 3 Summary: For SMB teams, Lusha ($29/mo) is the most affordable enrichment option. Apollo's built-in database eliminates the need for a separate tool entirely. ZoomInfo is worth the investment if you have 20+ reps. Clay is for power users. 6sense is enterprise-only—ignore unless you have $100k+ budget.

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Category 4: Sales Intelligence & Revenue Operations

What This Category Does: Sales intelligence platforms record calls, analyze conversations, forecast revenue, and provide coaching insights to improve team performance.

Budget Guideline: $1,800-$10,000/month for a 15-person team (varies widely by tool tier)

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1. Clari

Pricing: $1,200-$1,500/user/year (Copilot + Clari bundle)

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (1,500+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Revenue Forecasting: AI predicts quarterly revenue with 95%+ accuracy
• Pipeline Management: Tracks deal health, flags at-risk opportunities
• Conversation Intelligence: Records calls, transcribes, and provides insights

Best For: Revenue operations teams (20-100 reps) needing accurate forecasting and pipeline visibility

Pros:

• ✅ Best forecasting accuracy on the market (CFO-grade predictions)
• ✅ More affordable than Gong ($1,200-$1,500/user/year vs. $6,200)
• ✅ Strong CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics)

Cons:

• ❌ Onboarding can be complex (requires RevOps expertise)
• ❌ Conversation intelligence is basic compared to Gong
• ❌ Annual contracts only (no monthly option)

Bottom Line: Clari is the best choice for teams that need revenue forecasting + conversation intelligence in one platform. More affordable than stacking Gong + separate forecasting tool.

Visit Clari

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2. Gong

Pricing: ~$6,200/user/year (estimated, quote-based)

G2 Rating: 4.7/5 (6,000+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Conversation Analytics: AI analyzes every sales call, identifies winning patterns
• Deal Insights: Tracks competitor mentions, pricing discussions, objections
• Coaching Workflows: Managers get alerts when reps struggle, can share best-practice calls

Best For: Sales teams (30+ reps) where conversation quality directly impacts win rates

Pros:

• ✅ Best conversation intelligence on the market (far ahead of competitors)
• ✅ Real-time transcription and analysis (insights available minutes after calls)
• ✅ Unmatched user experience (highest ease-of-use rating at 9.3/10)

Cons:

• ❌ Very expensive ($5,000-$10,000/user/year depending on tier)
• ❌ No transparent pricing (must go through sales process)
• ❌ Requires high call volume to justify ROI (not worth it for teams with under 20 reps)

Bottom Line: Gong is the Rolls-Royce of conversation intelligence. If you have 30+ reps making 50+ calls/week and a healthy budget, it's transformative. Otherwise, start with Avoma or Fireflies.

Visit Gong

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3. Chorus (by ZoomInfo)

Pricing: Quote-based (bundled with ZoomInfo Sales or standalone)

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (450+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Call Recording & Transcription: Auto-records Zoom, Teams, phone calls
• Deal Intelligence: Tracks talk-to-listen ratios, keywords, competitor mentions
• CRM Sync: Auto-logs calls and insights to Salesforce/HubSpot

Best For: Teams already using ZoomInfo Sales (bundled pricing makes sense)

Pros:

• ✅ Tight integration with ZoomInfo's contact database
• ✅ Simpler than Gong (easier to implement and use)
• ✅ Good value if bundled with ZoomInfo Sales subscription

Cons:

• ❌ Platform has declined since ZoomInfo acquisition (per user reviews)
• ❌ Lags behind Gong in innovation (fewer features, slower updates)
• ❌ Not available standalone—must buy ZoomInfo bundle

Bottom Line: Chorus made sense pre-acquisition. Now, if you're buying ZoomInfo anyway, it's fine. Otherwise, choose Gong or Clari instead.

Learn More

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4. People.ai

Pricing: Quote-based (typically $50-100/user/month)

G2 Rating: 4.4/5 (460+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Activity Capture: Auto-logs all emails, calls, meetings to CRM (no manual data entry)
• Relationship Intelligence: Maps relationships across accounts (who knows whom)
• Revenue Analytics: Tracks which activities correlate with closed deals

Best For: Enterprise teams (50+ reps) suffering from CRM data quality issues

Pros:

• ✅ Best activity capture on the market (90%+ automatic CRM logging)
• ✅ Relationship mapping reveals hidden champion connections
• ✅ Works across email, calendar, phone systems (comprehensive coverage)

Cons:

• ❌ Expensive for SMBs (minimum contract typically $30k-$50k/year)
• ❌ Focuses on data capture, not conversation insights (unlike Gong)
• ❌ Requires Salesforce or other enterprise CRM (doesn't work with lightweight tools)

Bottom Line: People.ai solves the "garbage in, garbage out" CRM problem. Worth it for enterprises drowning in manual data entry, overkill for SMBs.

Visit People.ai

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5. Avoma

Pricing: $19-79/user/month (Starter to Business tiers)

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (1,100+ reviews)

Key Features:

• AI Meeting Assistant: Auto-records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings
• Conversation Intelligence: Identifies keywords, action items, follow-ups
• Revenue Intelligence: Tracks deal progress based on meeting content

Best For: SMB teams (5-30 reps) needing affordable conversation intelligence

Pros:

• ✅ Most affordable conversation intelligence tool ($19/month entry point)
• ✅ All-in-one meeting assistant (scheduling + recording + notes + CRM sync)
• ✅ Works for both sales calls and internal meetings (not just sales-focused)

Cons:

• ❌ Less sophisticated analytics than Gong (basic keyword tracking vs. deep AI insights)
• ❌ UI feels basic compared to premium tools
• ❌ Smaller user base = fewer integrations and features

Bottom Line: Avoma is the best budget-friendly alternative to Gong. If you're a 10-20 person team, start here before dropping $100k on Gong.

Try Avoma

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Category 4 Summary: For SMB teams, Avoma ($19-79/mo) offers the best value. Clari ($1,200-$1,500/user/year) is ideal for teams needing forecasting + conversation intelligence. Gong ($6,200/user/year) is the best—but expensive. Chorus has declined post-acquisition. People.ai is enterprise-only for CRM data capture.

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Category 5: Conversation Intelligence (Meeting Assistants)

What This Category Does: AI meeting assistants auto-record, transcribe, summarize, and extract action items from sales calls—eliminating manual note-taking.

Budget Guideline: $0-$300/month for a 15-person team (many have generous free tiers)

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1. Fireflies ⭐ Best Free Tier

Pricing: Free (800 mins storage/seat), Pro at $10/seat/month, Business at $19/seat/month

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 (400+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Unlimited Meeting Recording: Record Zoom, Google Meet, Teams calls (even on free plan)
• AI Summary: Auto-generates meeting notes, action items, key topics
• CRM Sync: Pushes call notes to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive

Best For: Teams wanting best-in-class free conversation intelligence

Pros:

• ✅ Best free tier on the market (800 mins storage per user)
• ✅ Unlimited recordings even on free plan
• ✅ Excellent CRM integrations (auto-logs calls with summaries)

Cons:

• ❌ UI can feel cluttered (too many features in one interface)
• ❌ Storage limits on free tier (800 mins fills up quickly for heavy users)
• ❌ AI summaries occasionally miss context (90% accuracy, not 100%)

Bottom Line: Fireflies is the best free meeting assistant. If you're just starting with conversation intelligence, begin here—it costs nothing.

Try Fireflies Free

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2. Otter.ai

Pricing: Free (300 mins/month), Pro at $10/user/month, Business at $20/user/month

G2 Rating: 4.2/5 (200+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Live Transcription: Real-time transcription during meetings (great for accessibility)
• Searchable Notes: Search all past meetings by keyword (find that pricing discussion from 3 months ago)
• Speaker Identification: AI labels who said what (even with 10+ participants)

Best For: Teams prioritizing transcription accuracy and searchability over CRM integration

Pros:

• ✅ Best transcription accuracy (95%+ even with accents, technical jargon)
• ✅ Live transcription during calls (useful for taking notes while still engaged)
• ✅ Generous free tier (300 mins/month)

Cons:

• ❌ Weaker CRM integrations than Fireflies
• ❌ AI summaries are basic (just transcript + keywords, not deep insights)
• ❌ Storage limits are stricter (30-90 min limits per conversation)

Bottom Line: Otter.ai is the best transcription tool. If accuracy matters more than CRM sync, choose this. For sales teams, Fireflies is more feature-rich.

Try Otter.ai Free

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3. Grain

Pricing: Free (unlimited meetings), Starter at $15/seat/month, Business at $29/seat/month

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 (450+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Recording Highlights: Create shareable clips from calls (great for training)
• Unlimited Recordings: Even on free tier (no storage limits)
• CRM Sync: Auto-pushes call recordings + summaries to Salesforce/HubSpot

Best For: Teams that want to create highlight reels from sales calls (onboarding, training, deal reviews)

Pros:

• ✅ Unlimited recordings on free tier (best value)
• ✅ Clip creation is easiest among all tools (drag-and-drop editing)
• ✅ Beautiful UI (most user-friendly interface)

Cons:

• ❌ AI summaries are less detailed than Fireflies
• ❌ Fewer integrations than competitors
• ❌ Smaller user base (fewer community templates and use cases)

Bottom Line: Grain is perfect for teams that want to create training content from real calls. If you just need transcription + CRM sync, Fireflies is better.

Try Grain Free

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4. tl;dv

Pricing: Free (unlimited recordings), Pro at $20/user/month, Enterprise custom

G2 Rating: 4.7/5 (200+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Google Meet & Zoom Native: Works seamlessly with both platforms
• AI Timestamps: Auto-creates chapters in recordings (easy to jump to specific topics)
• Multi-language Support: Transcribes in 30+ languages

Best For: Global teams needing multi-language transcription and recording

Pros:

• ✅ Best multi-language support (30+ languages with high accuracy)
• ✅ Free tier is generous (unlimited recordings)
• ✅ Timestamp feature is incredibly useful (no scrubbing through 1-hour recordings)

Cons:

• ❌ Newer platform (fewer integrations than Fireflies/Otter)
• ❌ AI summaries are basic
• ❌ No phone call recording (only Zoom/Google Meet)

Bottom Line: tl;dv is ideal for international teams. If you run sales calls in multiple languages, this is your best bet. For English-only teams, Fireflies has more features.

Try tl;dv Free

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5. Sembly

Pricing: Free (limited features), Personal at $10/month, Professional at $20/month

G2 Rating: 4.3/5 (80+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Action Item Extraction: AI auto-creates to-do lists from meeting discussions
• Sentiment Analysis: Tracks positive/negative sentiment during calls
• Multi-meeting Insights: Identifies recurring topics across all meetings

Best For: Teams wanting advanced AI insights (sentiment, recurring themes) beyond basic transcription

Pros:

• ✅ Best action item extraction (90%+ accuracy identifying commitments)
• ✅ Sentiment analysis is unique (helps gauge customer satisfaction)
• ✅ Multi-meeting insights reveal patterns (e.g., "pricing objections in 60% of calls")

Cons:

• ❌ Smaller user base (fewer reviews, less mature platform)
• ❌ UI needs polish (feels less refined than Fireflies/Otter)
• ❌ Limited integrations (basic Salesforce/HubSpot sync only)

Bottom Line: Sembly is for teams that want deep AI insights, not just transcription. If you're experimenting with sentiment analysis, try it. Otherwise, Fireflies is more battle-tested.

Try Sembly

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Category 5 Summary: Fireflies wins for best free tier and CRM integration. Otter.ai has the best transcription accuracy. Grain excels at creating highlight clips. tl;dv is best for multi-language teams. Sembly offers advanced AI insights but is less mature.

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How to Choose the Right AI Sales Tool

With 25 tools across 5 categories, here's your decision framework:

Step 1: Define Your Core Pain Point

Map your biggest challenge to a category:

• "CRM data entry takes 10 hours/week" → AI CRM (Optifai, Pipedrive, HubSpot)
• "Cold email open rates are 8%" → Email Automation (Apollo, Lemlist)
• "We're missing contact data on 60% of leads" → Lead Enrichment (Lusha, Clearbit)
• "Reps aren't following best practices" → Sales Intelligence (Gong, Avoma)
• "Manual note-taking after every call" → Conversation Intelligence (Fireflies, Otter.ai)

Step 2: Set Your Budget Reality

Budget-conscious stack ($750/month for 15 reps):

• AI CRM: Optifai at $99/month (Team plan for 5 users)
• Email Automation: Apollo Free tier
• Lead Enrichment: Lusha at $29/user for 3 SDRs = $87/month
• Conversation Intelligence: Fireflies Free tier
• Total: ~$285/month

Mid-tier stack ($1,500/month for 15 reps):

• AI CRM: HubSpot Sales Hub at $500/month (5 users)
• Email Automation: Apollo Pro at $99/user × 5 SDRs = $495/month
• Lead Enrichment: Lusha at $99/user × 5 SDRs = $495/month
• Conversation Intelligence: Fireflies Pro at $10/seat × 15 = $150/month
• Total: ~$1,640/month

Step 3: Check Integration Requirements

Critical integrations to verify:

• Does it sync with your CRM? (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
• Email platform compatibility? (Gmail, Outlook)
• Video conferencing? (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams)
• Communication tools? (Slack for notifications)

Step 4: Evaluate Setup Time

Tier 1: Under 1 week (easy setup, minimal training):

• Fireflies, Otter.ai, Grain, Lemlist, Lusha

Tier 2: 2-4 weeks (moderate setup, some training needed):

• Optifai, Pipedrive, HubSpot, Apollo, Reply.io, Avoma

Tier 3: 1-3 months (complex implementation, extensive training):

• Salesforce, Gong, Clari, ZoomInfo, 6sense

Step 5: Trial Before You Buy

30-day trial checklist:

• Set up integrations with your CRM (does it actually sync?)
• Have 3-5 reps use it daily (not just admins)
• Measure time saved (track hours spent on manual tasks before/after)
• Calculate ROI (time saved × hourly rate of reps)
• Check support responsiveness (submit a ticket, see response time)

Start with free tiers:

• Apollo, Fireflies, Otter.ai, Grain, tl;dv all have generous free plans
• Test for 30 days before committing to paid plans

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best free AI sales tool in 2025?

Fireflies offers the best free tier for conversation intelligence (unlimited meeting recordings, 800 mins storage). For email automation, Apollo provides a free tier with 50 email credits/month and limited contact database access. For transcription, Otter.ai gives 300 minutes/month free. You can build a functional sales stack for $0/month with these three tools.

How much should a 15-person sales team budget for AI sales tools?

Expect to spend $750-$2,250/month ($50-$150 per rep) for a complete stack. Budget breakdown: AI CRM ($200-$500/month), email automation ($300-$800/month for active SDRs), lead enrichment ($150-$500/month), conversation intelligence ($0-$300/month with free tiers). Enterprise tools like Gong or Salesforce can push this to $5,000+/month.

Can I use AI sales tools without a CRM?

Yes, but not recommended. Tools like Apollo and Monday.com can function as lightweight CRMs. However, most AI sales tools (Gong, Avoma, Fireflies) require CRM integration to push insights and maintain context. If you're not ready for a full CRM, start with Pipedrive ($49/user/month) or Optifai ($49/month for small teams)—both are simple to set up and integrate well with other AI tools.

How long does it take to see ROI from AI sales tools?

Quick wins (within 30 days): Conversation intelligence tools (Fireflies, Otter.ai) save 2-3 hours/week per rep immediately by eliminating manual note-taking. Email automation (Apollo, Lemlist) can boost outreach volume 3-5x in the first month. Longer ROI (60-90 days): AI CRMs (Optifai, HubSpot) and lead scoring tools require time to accumulate data and train models. Expect 60-90 days before seeing improved win rates or pipeline velocity. Enterprise tools (6+ months): Platforms like Gong, Clari, and Salesforce Einstein need 6+ months to deliver full value due to complex setup and data requirements.

Should I buy an all-in-one platform or best-of-breed tools?

For teams under 20 reps: Choose all-in-one platforms like Apollo (database + email automation) or HubSpot (CRM + marketing + sales). This minimizes integration headaches and reduces costs. For teams 20-100 reps: Mix and match best-of-breed tools. Use Optifai or Salesforce for CRM, Outreach for email, ZoomInfo for data, and Gong for conversation intelligence. Yes, integration is more complex, but you get superior capabilities in each category. Integration tip: Make sure all tools have native CRM integrations (not just Zapier) to avoid data sync issues.

Are AI sales tools worth it for solo founders or very small teams?

Absolutely. Start with free tiers: Fireflies (conversation intelligence), Apollo Free (prospecting), Otter.ai (transcription). These alone save 5-10 hours/week. Once you're generating $10k+/month revenue, add Pipedrive ($49/month) or Optifai ($49/month) as your CRM, and Lemlist ($59/month) for email automation. Total cost: ~$170/month for a powerful solo founder stack.

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Conclusion

The AI sales tool landscape is vast—but you don't need all 25 tools. Here are our top recommendations:

Best Overall: Apollo (database + email automation in one platform, generous free tier)

Best Value: Optifai (AI-native CRM focused on revenue velocity, 2-week setup, $49/month for small teams)

Best for Enterprise: Salesforce Einstein (unmatched customization and scale, but expect $100-300/user/month and 3-6 month implementation)

Best Free Stack:

• CRM: Optifai Free Trial or HubSpot Free
• Email Automation: Apollo Free
• Conversation Intelligence: Fireflies Free
• Transcription: Otter.ai Free

Best Mid-Market Stack ($1,500-$2,500/month for 15 reps):

• CRM: Optifai ($99/month for Team plan)
• Email Automation: Apollo Pro ($99/user × 5 SDRs = $495/month)
• Lead Enrichment: Lusha ($99/user × 5 SDRs = $495/month)
• Conversation Intelligence: Fireflies Pro ($10/seat × 15 = $150/month)
• Sales Intelligence: Avoma ($79/user × 5 managers = $395/month)

Next steps:

1. Start with free trials of 2-3 tools in your top priority category
2. Measure time saved in first 30 days (track hours spent on manual tasks)
3. Calculate ROI (time saved × hourly rate) before committing to annual contracts
4. Stack tools gradually—don't buy everything at once

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Related Glossary Terms

• Sales Automation - What it means and how AI tools automate manual sales tasks
• Sales Enablement - Tools and content that help reps sell more effectively
• Revenue Operations - The strategy of aligning sales, marketing, and customer success
• Lead Scoring - How AI prioritizes leads by conversion probability
• Next Best Action - AI-driven recommendations for what to do next

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Related articles:

• How to Set Up Lead Scoring in Your CRM: 5-Step Guide
• 5-Step Practical Guide to Doubling Sales Productivity with AI
• Pipedrive vs HubSpot 2025: Which CRM for Small Sales Teams?

Last updated: October 23, 2025 | All pricing verified as of publication date