Contents
- What are AI sales tools?
- Best AI sales tools compared
- 1. Close
- 2. HubSpot Sales Hub
- 3. Pipedrive
- 4. Clay
- 5. Apollo
- How to choose
- FAQ
What are AI sales tools?
AI sales tools use machine learning or large language models to automate parts of selling: finding and enriching leads, writing outreach, calling and qualifying prospects, summarizing meetings, updating the CRM and flagging at-risk deals. They fall into two groups: CRMs with AI built in (Close, HubSpot, Pipedrive) and prospecting or data tools (Clay, Apollo) that feed a CRM. Many teams use one of each.
Best AI sales tools compared (as of October 2026)
| Tool | Type | Published pricing | AI features named on the page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | CRM | Solo $9, Essentials $35, Growth $99, Scale $139 per user a month annual ($19, $49, $109, $149 monthly) | Chloe AI sales agent, notetaker, enrichment, AI credits |
| HubSpot Sales Hub | CRM | Free; Starter $7, Professional $90 per seat annual; Enterprise $150 | Monthly HubSpot Credits, agents, Agent Builder |
| Pipedrive | CRM | Lite $14, Growth $39, Premium $59, Ultimate $79 per seat annual | “Now with AI” tags, AI report creation, multi-email tools |
| Clay | Data and enrichment | Free; Launch from $54 a month annual; Growth from $185 annual | Credit-based enrichment and workflows |
| Apollo | Prospecting | Free, Basic, Professional, Custom; no dollar amounts on the page read | AI features on Professional, pooled credits |
1. Close: best AI sales tool for phone-heavy teams
Close’s pricing page lists Solo at $9 per user a month billed annually ($19 monthly), Essentials $35 ($49), Growth $99 ($109) and Scale $139 ($149). The Chloe AI sales agent is listed on all plans: it calls leads, qualifies prospects, books meetings, updates CRM records and answers pipeline questions, with batch calling and a beta chat mode. AI credits refresh monthly without rollover: 500 per user on Solo, 1,000 on Essentials, 1,500 on Growth and 2,000 on Scale; more can be purchased. Growth and Scale add Chloe in workflows, auto-updates, lead summaries, suggested actions for stalled deals and AI email rewrite.
Pros: AI calling on every plan; clear per-user pricing. Cons: credit limits cap heavy AI use.
Choose it if your team sells by phone and email. Skip it if you need a broad marketing suite.
2. HubSpot Sales Hub: best AI sales tool for an all-in-one platform
HubSpot’s Sales Hub page lists a free plan (up to 2 users), Starter at $7 per seat a month billed annually, Professional at $90 and Enterprise at $150 (the page shows $20, $100 and $150 as the other price; it does not label them clearly, so confirm monthly versus annual at checkout). Professional and Enterprise carry one-time onboarding fees of $1,500 and $3,500. Plans include monthly HubSpot Credits that reset and do not roll over: 500 on Starter, 3,000 on Professional and 5,000 on Enterprise. The page describes credit-powered Customer, Prospecting and Data agents, but the plan comparison cells were empty in the text read, so confirm which plans include which agent.
Pros: free entry point and a wide ecosystem. Cons: onboarding fees and credit-based AI make total cost harder to predict.
Choose it if you want sales, marketing and service in one place. Skip it if you want the simplest possible pipeline.
3. Pipedrive: best AI sales tool for simple pipelines
Pipedrive’s page lists Lite at US$14 per seat a month billed annually, Growth $39, Premium $59 and Ultimate $79. Every plan carries a “Now with AI” tag; the page names AI-powered report creation on Lite and AI-powered multi-email tools on Premium, and it does not mention an “AI sales assistant” on any plan. Monthly-billing prices were not stated.
Pros: low entry price and an uncluttered pipeline. Cons: the AI features named on the page are limited.
Choose it if you want a visual pipeline at a low cost. Skip it if AI calling or deep automation is the priority.
4. Clay: best AI sales tool for data enrichment and list building
Clay’s pricing page lists Free (500 actions and 100 data credits a month, up to 200 rows per table, no CRM integrations), Launch (options from $54 a month on annual billing for 180K actions a year, or $60 a month billed monthly for 15K actions), Growth (from $185 annual or $205 monthly) and custom Enterprise. The page is inconsistent: headline prices of $167 and $446 conflict with FAQ figures of $185 and $495, and rollover rules differ between the table and the FAQ. Treat the numbers as starting points and confirm in the checkout.
Pros: flexible enrichment workflows; a real free plan. Cons: credit math is complex and the page itself is inconsistent.
Choose it if you build targeted prospect lists. Skip it if you want a ready-made CRM.
5. Apollo: best AI sales tool for prospecting
Apollo’s pricing page names four plans, Free, Basic, Professional and Custom, and says Professional adds higher credit limits, AI features, call recording and advanced CRM integrations. Credits are pooled across the team, reset each billing cycle and do not roll over. Annual billing is discounted with a 12-month commitment. The page text read showed no dollar prices or credit allotments, and it mentions a “free Starter plan” not in its plan list, so check the live page for current pricing.
Pros: free plan to test; pooled team credits. Cons: prices were not visible on the page read.
Choose it if outbound prospecting is your main motion. Skip it if you need transparent pricing before a demo.
How to choose the best AI sales tool
- Pick your motion: inbound, outbound calling or list-based outreach.
- Count credits, not just seats: AI use is metered on Close, HubSpot, Apollo and Clay.
- Check CRM integration before buying a prospecting tool.
- Pilot with one rep and measure meetings booked, not emails sent.
- Review compliance for AI calling and email in your market.
Common mistakes
- Buying AI features that are not on your plan tier.
- Ignoring onboarding fees and credit top-ups.
- Automating outreach before the offer and list are right.
Related guides: Best CRM for sales teams · Best sales prospecting tools · Best CRM for agencies · Best AI tools for small business
Sources, as read in October 2026: Close pricing, HubSpot Sales Hub pricing, Pipedrive pricing, Clay pricing and Apollo pricing.
Best AI sales tools: frequently asked questions
What are the best AI sales tools in 2026?
Close, HubSpot Sales Hub, Pipedrive, Clay and Apollo are strong options, depending on whether you need a CRM or a prospecting tool.
Which AI sales tool is cheapest?
Per the pages read, Close Solo is $9 per user a month annually and HubSpot Starter is $7 per seat annually, and Clay and HubSpot have free plans.
Does Close include AI?
Yes. Its page lists the Chloe AI sales agent, notetaker and enrichment on all plans, with monthly AI credits.
Is Apollo free?
Apollo’s page lists a Free plan, but it showed no prices for paid plans.
What is Clay used for?
Clay is used to enrich and build prospect lists with credit-based workflows.
Do AI sales tools replace reps?
They automate repetitive work such as research, logging and first-touch calls, but reps still handle relationships and negotiation.
Are AI credits extra?
Credits are included monthly on several plans and reset without rollover; Close and Clay let you buy more.
Should I use a CRM and a prospecting tool together?
Many teams do, using a CRM for pipeline and a tool like Clay or Apollo for lead data.
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