The best sales engagement platforms, tested and ranked

Apollo.io came first of six with 4 out of 5, scoring an even 4 on every part. It got 21 of 25 workflow checks right at 4.9 minutes per step, the fastest in the test, and set up in 133 minutes. Its reports answered 4 of 5 standard questions, it passed 5 of 6 email, calendar and phone checks, and 84 of 100 test messages passed our deliverability check, the best result here. Our full Apollo.io review has the details.

Apollo.io combines a B2B contact and company database with email sequences, a dialer, AI research and CRM sync, so you can find prospects and contact them from one account. Credits meter data exports and some AI features; they are shared across the team and expire at the end of each billing cycle. Paid plans start at $59 a user a month for Basic, with a dialer, call recording and AI features on Professional.

It has drawbacks. There are no refunds for unused time, credits cap how much data you can use, and users often mention outdated emails, so verify addresses before you send. It has 4.7 out of 5 on G2 from 9,532 reviews but 3.1 on Trustpilot from 1,387 (both checked November 2026).

Klenty came second with 3 out of 5, scoring 3 on every part except value for money at 2.5. It got 17 of 25 workflow checks right at 6.3 minutes per step, set up in 188 minutes and answered 4 of 5 report questions, matching the leader on reporting. It passed 4 of 6 email, calendar and phone checks, and 73 of 100 test messages passed our deliverability check, second only to Apollo.io. Read our Klenty review.

Klenty runs email, phone, SMS and social cadences and syncs with Salesforce and HubSpot. Its Starter plan is unusual: $50 a month, billed yearly, as a flat price for unlimited users and mailboxes, covering email sequences with deliverability tools and A/B tests. Growth, at $70 a user a month billed yearly, adds the dialer, SMS and AI call tools, and Plus, at $99 a user a month billed yearly, adds account-based tools and AI scorecards.

There's no free plan, only a 14-day trial that sends up to 200 emails, and payments are non-refundable, though you can cancel any time without fees. Klenty has no contact database, so you'll need your own leads.

La Growth Machine came third with 2.5 out of 5. Sales features were its best part at 3, ease of use its weakest at 2. It got 14 of 25 workflow checks right at 8.2 minutes per step and took 182 minutes to set up. Its reports answered 3 of 5 questions and it passed 4 of 6 email, calendar and phone checks, but only 55 of 100 test messages passed our deliverability check. Our review of La Growth Machine covers the full test.

La Growth Machine runs sequences that mix LinkedIn, email, calls, voice messages and X from the cloud, with no browser extension. It enriches leads with verified emails from nine providers, has a shared inbox for LinkedIn and email replies, and connects to Claude and ChatGPT through an MCP server. Pricing is per sending identity rather than per seat, from 60 EUR a month on Basic, billed monthly.

Users like it: it has 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 36 reviews (checked November 2026), though some mention price and bugs. Automating LinkedIn can breach LinkedIn's terms, so keep the safety limits at their defaults.

Outreach came fourth with 2.5 out of 5. Ease of use was its best part at 3 and reporting its weakest at 2. It got 18 of 25 workflow checks right at 6.5 minutes per step, the second-highest count, and 72 of 100 test messages passed our deliverability check. But set-up took 205 minutes, its reports answered 3 of 5 questions and it passed 4 of 6 email, calendar and phone checks. More in our Outreach review.

Outreach is an enterprise suite with sequences, call and meeting intelligence, deal management and forecasting. It sells four tiers, Essentials, Core, Plus and Pro, each with a monthly pool of AI credits from 10,000 to 100,000 and a set of AI agents. Sequences start on Core and forecasting is on Pro. It has the broadest list of security certifications here, including SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and HIPAA.

Every tier is quote-only and no trial is listed, and AI credit use can push the cost above the seat price. It has 4.3 out of 5 on G2 from 3,535 reviews and 2.4 on Trustpilot from 41, though that profile seems to include unrelated reviews (both checked November 2026).

Salesloft came fifth with 2.5 out of 5. Value for money was its best part at 3 and ease of use its weakest at 2. It got only 14 of 25 workflow checks right at 7.9 minutes per step, and 59 of 100 test messages passed our deliverability check. Set-up took 194 minutes, its reports answered 3 of 5 questions and it passed 4 of 6 email, calendar and phone checks.

Salesloft began as a sales cadence tool and now sells sequences, call analysis, deal management and, since merging with Clari in 2025, Clari's forecasting. It is aimed at mid-size and large teams, especially on Salesforce, and adds AI agents and MCP access. Prices aren't published and there's no free trial.

Two things need care. In August 2025, stolen access tokens for its Drift app were used to reach customers' Salesforce data. And users report auto-renewal with a 60-day notice period. It has 2.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 19 reviews (checked November 2026).

Mixmax came last of six with 2 out of 5. Integrations were its best part at 2.5. It got 14 of 25 workflow checks right at 8.3 minutes per step, the slowest, took 246 minutes to set up, the longest, and only 53 of 100 test messages passed our deliverability check. It answered 3 of 5 report questions and passed 4 of 6 email, calendar and phone checks. Read our Mixmax review.

Mixmax works inside Gmail and Outlook, adding sequences, email tracking, scheduling links and AI meeting notes. Plans are named by how often you do outreach and capped by recipients a month: the free plan covers 50, and paid plans start at $29 a user a month, billed yearly, for 100. A dialer and Salesforce Insights are paid add-ons.

It has a 14-day trial with no card needed and lists SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3. Users split: 4.6 out of 5 on G2 from 1,457 reviews but 2.6 on Trustpilot from 10 (both checked November 2026).