Best Sales Automation Tools: Real Pricing and What Actually Works

Sales automation tools handle repetitive tasks—email sequences, follow-ups, lead scoring, data entry—so your sales team can focus on closing deals. The market is crowded with options, and pricing structures range from simple per-user models to confusing credit systems.

I've tested these tools and researched current pricing. Here's what you need to know.

What Sales Automation Actually Does

Sales automation software automates the boring stuff: logging emails, scheduling follow-ups, updating your CRM, sending cold outreach sequences, and tracking engagement. The best tools handle multi-step workflows across email, LinkedIn, SMS, and calls.

You're looking at three main categories:

Cold Email Automation Tools

Instantly.ai

Instantly is built for volume. You get unlimited email accounts and warmup on all paid plans. The pricing is confusing because they separate outreach, leads, and CRM into different subscriptions.

Pricing:

What's good: Unlimited email accounts mean you can scale without worrying about sending limits. The flat-rate pricing is predictable. Email warmup is included.

What sucks: If you want the full package (outreach + leads + CRM), you're paying for multiple subscriptions. The CRM features are still developing. Many users report that the credit-based lead system runs out fast when using AI features.

Try Instantly.ai

Smartlead

Smartlead offers unlimited mailboxes and automated warmup at a lower price point than most competitors. It's popular with agencies running large-scale cold email campaigns.

Pricing:

All plans include unlimited email accounts, unlimited warmup, and a master inbox. The main difference between tiers is the number of leads you can upload per month.

What's good: The pricing is straightforward—no per-seat charges. Unlimited mailboxes make it 10-20x cheaper than traditional sales engagement platforms if you're sending high volume. The unified inbox consolidates replies from all your email accounts.

What sucks: The interface feels rough compared to polished competitors. Users report that the tool can be complex to set up. The lead database is limited compared to dedicated data providers. Some users mention occasional disconnection issues with mailboxes.

Try Smartlead

Lemlist

Lemlist focuses on personalized multichannel outreach. It's more expensive per user but includes LinkedIn and calling from day one.

Pricing: Starts at $59/user/month, scaling up based on features. Per-user pricing gets expensive fast for teams of 5+.

What's good: True multichannel automation (email, LinkedIn, calls) in one platform. Industry-leading personalization features including custom images and videos. Better for targeted "sniper" outreach than mass volume.

What sucks: Higher cost per user. Not ideal if your strategy is sending thousands of cold emails daily.

Try Lemlist

Sales Engagement Platforms

Reply.io

Reply.io combines email, LinkedIn, SMS, and calling automation. It offers unlimited mailboxes on volume plans and charges based on active contacts.

Pricing:

What's good: True multichannel automation. Unlimited mailboxes and warmup on volume plans. Strong CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive). The Chrome extension makes LinkedIn outreach easy.

What sucks: The learning curve is steep—lots of features means complexity. Email organization requires heavy use of tags and labels. Some users report that customer support is slow. LinkedIn automation can be glitchy with cookie sessions and daily limits.

Try Reply.io

CRM with Built-In Automation

Close CRM

Close is a sales CRM built for outbound teams. It includes calling, email, SMS, and automation workflows—all from inside the CRM.

Pricing:

What's good: Everything happens inside one tool. Built-in calling with automatic logging. Email sequences and automation start at the Essentials tier. Power dialer and predictive dialer for high-volume calling. AI features for call transcription and lead summaries. 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

What sucks: The Solo plan is too limited for most users (no automation, no workflows). You need the Growth plan ($99/user/month) to get power dialer and AI tools. Pricing adds up fast for teams. Some users find it less flexible than standalone CRMs for non-sales use cases.

Try Close CRM

Which Tool Should You Pick?

It depends on your strategy and budget:

For high-volume cold email (1,000+ emails/day): Go with Instantly or Smartlead. Unlimited mailboxes and flat pricing make them the most cost-effective. Smartlead is cheaper but rougher around the edges. Instantly has better UI but you'll pay for multiple subscriptions if you want leads and CRM.

For multichannel outreach (email + LinkedIn + calls): Reply.io or Lemlist. Reply offers more features and scales better for volume. Lemlist excels at personalization and is easier to use for smaller, targeted campaigns.

For teams that want everything in one CRM: Close CRM. You get sales automation, calling, and pipeline management in one tool. Best for outbound-focused teams who don't want to juggle multiple tools. It's pricier per user but eliminates integration headaches.

Budget considerations: If you're sending 60,000 emails per month across 10 mailboxes, Smartlead costs around $0.00065 per email. Traditional platforms charge $500+ monthly for the same volume. For small teams just starting, Close CRM's Essentials plan ($35/user/month) gives you solid automation without overwhelming complexity.

What Features Matter Most

When evaluating sales automation tools, prioritize these:

Email deliverability: Automatic warmup, inbox rotation, spam checking, and bounce detection are non-negotiable. Your emails need to reach primary inboxes, not spam folders.

CRM integration: The tool should sync with your existing CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive) automatically. Manual data entry defeats the purpose of automation.

Lead scoring and tracking: Automatic scoring based on engagement (email opens, link clicks, replies) helps your team prioritize the hottest leads.

Multichannel capabilities: Email alone isn't enough anymore. Look for LinkedIn automation, SMS, and calling features if you want to reach prospects where they're most active.

Analytics and reporting: You need clear visibility into what's working: open rates, reply rates, conversion rates by sequence, and team performance metrics.

Common Pricing Traps

Sales automation pricing is intentionally confusing. Here's what to watch for:

Credit-based systems: Tools like Instantly charge separately for leads, AI features, and email verification using credits. These run out faster than expected, especially if you use AI research and personalization.

Per-seat pricing vs. flat rate: Per-seat models (common with CRMs) make your bill grow with your team. Flat-rate tools like Instantly and Smartlead are better for scaling outreach without scaling costs.

Add-on costs: Calling minutes, SMS messages, extra mailboxes, and premium integrations often cost extra. Close CRM charges usage-based fees for calling and AI transcription. Reply.io's LinkedIn automation requires higher-tier plans.

Annual vs. monthly: Most tools offer 20-30% discounts for annual billing. Close CRM drops from $19/month to $9/month on the Solo plan. Smartlead and Instantly also discount annual plans.

How to Choose

Start with your core use case. If you're doing cold email at scale, don't pay for multichannel features you won't use. If you're running targeted outreach across email, LinkedIn, and calls, don't settle for email-only tools.

Most tools offer 7-14 day free trials. Test deliverability first—that's the make-or-break factor. Send test campaigns and check inbox placement rates before committing.

Budget for your actual usage. If you need 5,000 leads per month and plan to use AI personalization, calculate the real cost including credits and add-ons. The cheapest plan rarely covers what you'll actually need.

Consider your tech stack. If you're already using HubSpot or Salesforce, prioritize tools with native integrations. If you prefer best-of-breed tools, look for strong API access and webhook support.

For more on choosing the right tools for your sales stack, check out our guides on best cold email tools, best CRM software, and best sales intelligence tools.