AI sales agents (AI SDRs): what they do, what they cost, and what to check

An AI sales agent, also called an AI SDR, is software that finds people who might buy from you, writes to them, and often sends the messages on its own. Of the seven products compared here, five publish prices, from a free plan to about $500 a month per seat or agent, and two publish none. Before you use one, find out whether anything can go out in your name before you have seen it.

What does an AI sales agent do?

A salesperson looking for new customers decides who to contact, learns a little about each one, writes to them, and answers when they reply. An AI sales agent is software that takes on some or all of that. “AI SDR” borrows the job title of the person who usually does it, a sales development representative. The products differ most in how much they do without you.

What do they cost, and who approves each message?

Prices and settings are from each company’s own pricing page, help pages and documentation, read on November 9, 2026. Where no price is published, the table says so and gives no outside estimate. Links are under Sources.

What should you check before using one?

• Does anything go out without you seeing it? Find the setting and ask how it starts. Regie holds everything until you say so. Artisan describes itself as autonomous by default. Several let you choose without saying which way they begin, and 11x’s own documentation advises against starting with no approval.
• Whose name and address does it send from? Often yours. Valley sends from your own LinkedIn account and inbox, Regie from your salesperson’s own Gmail or Outlook, Artisan in your salespeople’s names. What the software writes arrives as a message from you.
• What do you pay if nobody replies? The same as if they do. The published prices are per seat (one person using the software), per agent, per person contacted or per person recommended, and none depends on a reply or a meeting. The smallest commitments here are Regie’s free plan and AiSDR’s pay-as-you-go, which can be stopped at any time. How lead generation is priced covers the alternatives.
• How do you stop? Read the contract length before the price. AiSDR’s team plans run on quarterly contracts, Lavender says Ora has no annual commitment, and Artisan’s pricing page doesn’t state a contract length.

When is an AI sales agent a good fit?

When you have a sales team, want to reach a lot of people, and someone has time to supervise the software. Artisan’s two standard plans are built around contacting about 2,500 and about 6,000 people a month, AiSDR’s team plans are for teams contacting more than 1,000 people a month, and 11x says it is built for large companies.

One can also suit a founder who likes running the tools. Valley’s Starter plan is aimed at people doing their own outreach, Regie lists founders among the people RegieGO is for, and a free or low-priced plan costs little to try.

When might a founder prefer a service where every email waits for approval?

When you want to read every email that carries your name before it goes, and you have no time to supervise software. Then you want a service, with a rule that nothing is sent until you approve it. Done-for-you cold email covers the kinds.

Defrost works that way. We find companies that fit and check for reasons they’d need you, find the right person, and write an email in your name. You approve every email before it goes. The only fee is $300 when a new company replies wanting to talk, plus any tax, with no subscription or setup fee. Here is what we do. It is email only, with no phone calls or LinkedIn messages, so a team that wants those will be better served by the products above. Side by side: Artisan, 11x, AiSDR, Valley.

Questions people ask

How much does an AI SDR cost?

On their own pages in November 2026, RegieGO has a free plan and a $49 a month plan, Valley starts at $199 per seat a month, Lavender’s Ora is $500 per agent a month, and AiSDR charges $1.50 per person contacted. Artisan and 11x don’t publish prices.

Do AI sales agents send emails without approval?

It depends on the product and the setting. Regie says nothing is sent unless the user says so. Valley, 11x and HubSpot’s Prospecting Agent let you choose between reviewing each message and sending without review. Artisan describes itself as autonomous by default and adjustable.

Is an AI SDR the same as an AI sales agent?

Yes. SDR stands for sales development representative, the salesperson who contacts new companies to start a first conversation. An AI SDR, or AI sales agent, is software that does some or all of that job.