AI SDR software that researches, writes and books meetings

Short answer

Outbound Labs is AI SDR software: it does the prospecting work of a human sales development rep. Six agents research your market, find the right people at target companies, write personalised outreach, send it from warmed mailboxes, handle replies and book meetings, and you approve every campaign before anything sends. Plans start at $149 a month, with 750 emails free.

Does: Research, list building, writing, sending, reply sorting, booking
Does not replace: Live calls, negotiation, complex deals
Typical cost: $30 pay-as-you-go to $45,000+ a year
Time to first campaign: Minutes to days, depending on the tool

What does an AI SDR do?

An AI SDR covers the same steps a human sales development rep works through every week. In Outbound Labs each step is handled by a separate agent:

Research. Reads your website, pricing and case studies to learn what you sell and who buys it.
Targeting. Maps your competitors and splits your market into campaigns by the problem each buyer has.
Prospecting. Finds matching companies and the decision makers inside them, then verifies their email addresses.
Writing. Writes a different first line for each person from a public signal, such as a job post or a new office.
Sending. Sends from warmed mailboxes within daily limits, in the recipient’s working hours, and stops when someone replies.
Booking. Sorts replies, answers simple questions and puts meetings on your calendar.

How is an AI SDR different from cold email software?

Cold email software such as Instantly, Smartlead or lemlist sends sequences that you build: you bring the list, write the emails and handle the replies. An AI SDR does the list building, writing and reply handling as well. Cold email tools cost less per month; an AI SDR saves the hours those tasks take.

Task	Cold email software	AI SDR	Human SDR
Build the target list	You	Agent	The rep
Write the emails	You (some AI help)	Agent, you approve	The rep
Warm up and manage mailboxes	Tool	Agent	Tools the rep uses
Handle replies and book meetings	You	Agent	The rep
Live calls and negotiation	You	Handed to you	The rep

How much does an AI SDR cost?

Self-serve AI SDRs publish their prices. Explee sells 750 emails for $30, Outbound Labs starts at $149 a month for 5,000 emails, and AiSDR plans run from $250 to $2,500 a month. Sales-led vendors such as 11x and Artisan sell annual contracts, with 11x reported at roughly $36,000 to $45,000 a year. See the full comparison in AI SDR pricing.

What are the risks of using an AI SDR?

Deliverability. Sending too much from a new or main domain lands email in spam. Use separate, warmed mailboxes with daily limits.
Brand. Generic or wrong messages reflect on you. Approve campaigns and read the first emails before they send.
Data quality. Bad contact data means bounces. Verify every address and drop the risky ones.
Compliance. Follow the cold email rules where your buyers are, include an opt-out and honour it.

Who should use an AI SDR?

AI SDRs suit teams that know outbound works but cannot staff it: founders before their first sales hire, agencies running outreach for several clients, B2B SaaS teams opening new segments, and services firms that want work between referrals. Teams with complex, high-value deals often use an AI SDR for research and first touches, then hand conversations to people.

Frequently asked questions

What does SDR stand for?

Sales development representative. An SDR finds potential buyers, contacts them, and books first meetings for account executives or founders.

What is the difference between an AI SDR and an AI BDR?

In practice, very little. SDR and BDR (business development representative) are often used interchangeably; some companies use SDR for inbound leads and BDR for outbound. AI tools sold under either name usually do the same outbound prospecting work.

Can an AI SDR replace a human SDR?

It can replace most of the research and volume work: building lists, writing first emails, sending and sorting replies. People are still better at live calls, complex deals and judgement calls, so many teams use agents for volume and people for conversations.

Will an AI SDR send emails without my approval?

That depends on the tool. Outbound Labs waits for you to approve each campaign before anything sends, and you can pause at any time. Ask any vendor how approvals work before you connect a mailbox.

Is cold email from an AI SDR legal?

B2B cold email is legal in many countries when it is relevant to the recipient’s job, identifies the sender and includes a way to opt out. Rules differ: the EU and UK apply GDPR and PECR, the US applies CAN-SPAM. Check the rules where your buyers are.

AI SDR software that books your meetings