Outbound is eight jobs, and no tool is best at all of them. Eight tools and Opusend, compared on what their own pages list, with the date we checked.
The short answer
No tool does everything. Pick the jobs you need.
Outbound is eight jobs: finding people, contact data, LinkedIn, email, a CRM, calling, meetings and replies. No tool in this guide covers all of them in full, so the useful question is which jobs you want done in one place. Tools whose pages describe a contact database or search of their own: Apollo.io, Clay, lemlist, Reply.io and Smartlead. Tools that send email sequences: Apollo.io, Clay, Instantly, lemlist, Reply.io, Smartlead and Waalaxy. Tools that work on LinkedIn: HeyReach, lemlist, Reply.io and Waalaxy. Opusend covers five of the eight in full and one in part, and has no calling and no meetings yet.
Last checked
Opusend makes one of the tools in this guide. Every tool is held to the same eight jobs, and every fact has its source.
How we compared
Eight jobs, one test for every tool.
For each job we read the tool's own public pages and marked it as part of the product, partly there (an add-on, a partner's product or a limit, with the reason), or not found. A blank means we did not find it on the pages we read, not that the tool cannot do it. Tools are listed alphabetically: this is a comparison, not a ranking.
1
Find the people
A contact database or search of its own, to build the list you start from.
2
Contact data
Finds or checks work emails, phone numbers or company details.
3
LinkedIn
Sends connection requests and messages on LinkedIn, or works inside it.
4
Email sequences
Sends multi-step cold email sequences from the tool.
5
CRM and pipeline
Keeps its own lead records and pipeline stages, not only a sync to someone else's.
6
Calling
A built-in dialer.
7
Meeting booking
A built-in scheduler or booking links.
8
Replies and reporting
Sorts or shows the replies that come back, and reports on results.
Side by side
Who covers what.
Each dot is read from the vendor's own pages. Open a name for its card and its sources.
The eight jobs of outbound, and which of them each tool's own pages list
A sales platform that combines a B2B contact and company database with email sequences, a dialer, meeting booking and deal tracking.
SuitsSales reps, sales leaders and RevOps teams from startups to enterprises; the free plan is aimed at founders and early teams.
Pricing, A free plan exists. Paid plans are priced per user per month and billed annually: Basic $49, Professional $79 and Organization $119 (three users minimum).Pricing source
In the productFind the people, Contact data, Email sequences, CRM and pipeline, Calling, Meeting booking and Replies and reporting
Partly
LinkedIn. A Chrome extension for prospecting on LinkedIn; its pages do not clearly describe sending connection requests or messages.
Worth knowingCredits come with each plan and are pooled across the team; unused credits do not roll over.
A go-to-market data platform that pulls from 200+ data providers, runs AI research and workflows to build and enrich prospect lists, and sends email with its own sequencer.
SuitsGo-to-market teams of all sizes, from solo founders and agencies to enterprises.
Pricing, A free plan exists. Paid plans start at $167 a month on annual billing for Launch ($185 billed monthly), and $446 for Growth ($495 monthly). Usage is metered in actions and data credits.Pricing source
In the productFind the people, Contact data and Email sequences
Partly
Replies and reporting. Replies are routed to your reps; no inbox of its own is described.
Not foundLinkedIn, CRM and pipeline, Calling and Meeting booking
Worth knowingIts FAQ says it works alongside your CRM and sending tools rather than replacing them.
Sources (4)
www.clay.comwhat it is and who it suits, Contact data
A LinkedIn outreach platform for running connection requests and messages from many LinkedIn accounts at once, with a shared inbox and sender rotation.
SuitsAgencies and sales teams running LinkedIn outreach at scale.
Pricing, Growth is $79 per sender a month ($63 billed yearly). Agency starts at $999 a month and Unlimited at $2,999.Pricing source
In the productContact data, LinkedIn and Replies and reporting
Partly
Find the people. Imports from LinkedIn searches, Sales Navigator, events and CSV; no database of its own.
Email sequences. Email goes through integrations with Instantly, Smartlead and EmailBison.
Not foundCRM and pipeline, Calling and Meeting booking
Worth knowingGrowth is billed per LinkedIn sender; Agency and Unlimited are priced per plan.
Sources (5)
www.heyreach.iowhat it is and who it suits, LinkedIn, Email sequences
A B2B outbound platform for finding leads, running cold email campaigns at volume, replying with an AI agent and tracking opportunities in a CRM.
SuitsSales teams, agencies, freelancers and founders running cold email.
Pricing, Outreach plans start at $47 a month (Growth), with unlimited email accounts. The lead database and the CRM are priced as separate plans.Pricing source
In the productEmail sequences and Replies and reporting
Partly
Find the people. The lead database is sold as separate credit plans.
Contact data. Email verification comes with the credit-based lead finder.
CRM and pipeline. CRM plans are priced separately.
Calling. Calls in its CRM need a purchased phone number and credit.
Not foundLinkedIn and Meeting booking
Worth knowingIts own blog says it does not send LinkedIn messages itself and pairs with LinkedIn tools.
Sources (6)
instantly.aiwhat it is and who it suits, Email sequences
A sales engagement platform that puts a lead database, email finding, multichannel sequences (email, LinkedIn, calls) and deliverability tools in one workspace.
SuitsSales and growth teams, solo founders and agencies.
Pricing, The Email plan starts at $55 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) for 50,000 emails a month. The Multichannel plan is $87 per user a month billed yearly ($109 monthly). Its site shows a 14-day free trial.Pricing source
In the productFind the people, Contact data, LinkedIn, Email sequences, Calling and Replies and reporting
Partly
CRM and pipeline. A contacts hub with lifecycle statuses; no deals are described.
Meeting booking. Booking pages come from lemcal, a separate product that integrates with it.
Worth knowingThe Email plan is priced by emails per month with unlimited users; the Multichannel plan is priced per user.
Sources (4)
www.lemlist.comwhat it is and who it suits, Contact data, Email sequences, Replies and reporting
A complete outbound tool for sales teams: a Chrome extension and a web app that read each prospect, write in your voice, run the follow-ups, catch the replies and keep a CRM that fills itself.
SuitsSDRs, BDRs, team leads and Heads of Sales running outbound on LinkedIn, Sales Navigator and email.
PricingAssistant €69, Engine €179 and Machine €429 per seat a month, in euros. Yearly billing is two months on us. 14 days on us, no card needed. Plans and prices
In the productContact data, LinkedIn, Email sequences, CRM and pipeline and Replies and reporting
Partly
Find the people. Builds lists from the LinkedIn and Sales Navigator searches you run, and from a CSV; no database of its own.
Not foundCalling and Meeting booking
What it does not do yet
No calling and no meetings yet.
No contact database of its own: it works from the LinkedIn and Sales Navigator searches you run, and from a CSV.
No HubSpot or Salesforce sync yet.
It runs in Chrome, as an extension with a web app.
A sales engagement platform with a lead database and email, LinkedIn, call and SMS sequences, reply sorting and an AI sales agent.
SuitsOutbound-focused B2B teams and agencies.
Pricing, A 14-day trial is offered. Email Volume plans start at $49 a month billed annually ($59 monthly) and Multichannel plans at $89 ($99 monthly).Pricing source
In the productFind the people, Contact data, LinkedIn, Email sequences, Calling and Replies and reporting
Partly
Meeting booking. Booking links work through Google Calendar or Calendly.
A cold email platform for sequencing, unlimited mailboxes, warm-up and deliverability, with a prospect finder, a deals board, a dialer and a shared inbox.
SuitsSales teams and agencies running outbound at scale.
Pricing, Base is $39 a month ($32.50 billed yearly); Pro is $94, Unlimited Smart $174 and Unlimited Prime $379 a month. Plans are per workspace, not per seat. The dialer and email verification are add-ons.Pricing source
In the productFind the people, Contact data, Email sequences, CRM and pipeline and Replies and reporting
Partly
LinkedIn. Described as an add-on step in its sequences, and documented as integrations with HeyReach and Aimfox.
Calling. The dialer is priced as an add-on.
Not foundMeeting booking
Worth knowingIts plans allow unlimited email accounts and are not priced per seat.
Sources (6)
www.smartlead.aiwhat it is and who it suits, Email sequences, CRM and pipeline
A LinkedIn-first outreach tool: it builds prospect lists from LinkedIn, runs invitation and message sequences, finds emails and adds email steps on its higher plans.
SuitsFounders, sales reps, recruiters and agencies, many of them new to LinkedIn outreach.
Pricing, Pro is €19, Advanced €49 and Business €69 per user a month as listed, with a 14-day free trial. Quarterly and yearly billing are discounted.Pricing source
In the productContact data, LinkedIn, Email sequences and Replies and reporting
Partly
Find the people. Builds lists from the LinkedIn, Sales Navigator or Recruiter searches you run; no database of its own.
Not foundCRM and pipeline, Calling and Meeting booking
Worth knowingThe plans differ in how many LinkedIn invitations they allow a month: 300 on Pro, 800 on Advanced and Business.
Sources (2)
www.waalaxy.comwhat it is and who it suits, Find the people, LinkedIn, Replies and reporting
Opusend is built for one job: running outbound on LinkedIn, Sales Navigator and email, and keeping the record clean. It reads each prospect, writes in your voice, runs the follow-ups, catches the replies and fills the CRM by itself, so the loop from a profile to a reply lives in one tool.
It is not the widest tool here. It has no calling and no meetings yet, no contact database of its own and no HubSpot or Salesforce sync. If you need a built-in dialer, a database of contacts or a CRM that is Salesforce today, one of the other tools fits that need. If your outbound lives on LinkedIn and email and you want one clean record, it is the one we built.
It depends on which jobs you need in one tool, and no tool in this guide covers all eight in full. Widest coverage in this guide, by the number of jobs their own pages list: Apollo.io. Start from the table: pick the jobs you need and shortlist the tools that list them.
Which outbound tools include a contact database?
Tools whose pages describe a contact database or search of their own: Apollo.io, Clay, lemlist, Reply.io and Smartlead. Tools that offer one as an add-on, or build lists from searches you run yourself: HeyReach, Instantly and Waalaxy. Opusend builds lists from the LinkedIn and Sales Navigator searches you run and has no database of its own.
Which tools work on LinkedIn?
Tools whose pages list LinkedIn outreach as part of the product: HeyReach, lemlist, Reply.io and Waalaxy. Tools that list it in part, for example through an extension, an integration or a licence bought from LinkedIn: Apollo.io and Smartlead. Automating LinkedIn carries some risk with any tool, so check each tool's limits and LinkedIn's terms.
Which tools have calling and meeting booking built in?
Tools whose pages list both a dialer and meeting booking as part of the product: Apollo.io. Opusend has neither yet.
How was this guide checked?
We read each tool's own public pages on 2026-10-04: its home page, its pricing page and the pages for its features, and recorded what they say, with the link. Prices are the vendor's own, as printed, in the currency it showed. We did not test the tools, so a feature may behave differently from how its page describes it. Vendors change their pages, so each tool shows the date it was checked and its sources.
Is this guide independent?
Opusend makes one of the tools in this guide, and says so at the top. Every tool is held to the same eight jobs and the same rules, every fact has its source, and the Opusend entry lists what Opusend does not do. If something about a tool is wrong, write to [email protected] and we will check it and fix it.