# The 6 best AI sales tools for outbound and revenue teams in 2026 > Apollo, Clay, Explee, Gong, Instantly and Lavender: AI for prospecting, enrichment, cold email and call coaching. - URL: https://www.1ai.tools/blog/best-ai-sales-tools - For: Sales teams and founders doing outbound - Published by: 1ai.tools editors, 1ai.tools - Last updated: 2026-10-27 ## Short answer The top picks for sales teams and founders doing outbound are Apollo.io, Clay and Explee. Top pick: Apollo.io (B2B contact data plus sequences). Also strong: Clay (enriching leads and personalising at scale). AI sales tools help at every step of outbound: finding the right accounts, learning about them, writing the first email, sending at scale and learning from calls. A small team can now do the work of a large one, if the tools fit together. The list follows the order of a sales process, from finding leads to closing. ## The 6 best picks ### 1. Apollo.io - Best for: B2B contact data plus sequences - Pricing: Freemium - Website: https://www.apollo.io - Review: https://www.1ai.tools/t/apollo-io Apollo combines a contact database with AI-assisted sequencing, dialling and deal workflows. It is a strong all-in-one start for outbound. Check data quality for your niche before a big campaign. ### 2. Clay - Best for: Enriching leads and personalising at scale - Pricing: Freemium - Website: https://www.clay.com - Review: https://www.1ai.tools/t/clay Clay enriches leads from 100+ data sources and uses AI agents to personalise outreach. It suits growth teams that build custom workflows. It is powerful but takes time to learn. ### 3. Explee - Best for: An AI agent that finds clients for you - Pricing: Freemium - Website: https://explee.com - Review: https://www.1ai.tools/t/explee Explee researches your market, finds high-intent prospects and writes personalised outreach. It suits founders who want prospecting done for them. Review the messages before they go out. Pros: Fast setup from just your website; Replaces manual prospect research; Free credits to start Cons: Lead quality depends on your niche; Outbound email needs good deliverability practice ### 4. Instantly - Best for: Cold email at scale - Pricing: Paid - Website: https://instantly.ai - Review: https://www.1ai.tools/t/instantly Instantly provides email warm-up, many sending accounts, leads and AI replies. It suits teams that send a lot of cold email. Follow anti-spam law and keep lists clean. ### 5. Lavender - Best for: Writing better sales emails - Pricing: Freemium - Website: https://www.lavender.ai - Review: https://www.1ai.tools/t/lavender Lavender scores and improves sales emails in real time to raise reply rates. It is an easy win for any rep. It coaches your writing; it does not send email. ### 6. Gong - Best for: Learning from every customer call - Pricing: Paid - Website: https://www.gong.io - Review: https://www.1ai.tools/t/gong Gong records and analyses customer interactions to forecast deals and coach reps. It suits larger sales teams. It is a paid platform for companies with steady call volume. ## More tools to consider - [CrmLeaf](https://www.1ai.tools/t/crmleaf): Professional Services Automation (PSA) Software | CrmLeaf ## Build a simple AI sales stack 1. **Find accounts**: Apollo or Explee. 2. **Enrich and personalise**: Clay. 3. **Write**: Lavender to improve each email. 4. **Send**: Instantly, with clean lists and warm-up. 5. **Learn**: Gong once you have regular calls. Respect the people you contact: follow anti-spam rules, give an easy way to opt out, and never buy lists you cannot verify. ## Mistakes to avoid - Sending at volume to unverified lists; it hurts deliverability and your domain. - Over-automating first messages until they read like templates. - Ignoring anti-spam law and opt-out requests. ## How we chose Every tool on this list is approved on 1ai.tools by a person, not only by an algorithm. We looked at four things: - **Fit**: does it do the job this list is about, for the reader it is for? - **A real product**: a live website, a clear way to sign up, and a company behind it. - **Value**: a free plan or trial where there is one, and what you get when you pay. - **Trade-offs**: where each tool is weaker, so you can choose with open eyes. Tool names, logos, pricing labels and ratings on this page come live from each tool's listing, so they stay current. Pricing changes often: check the tool's own site before you buy. ## FAQ ### What is the best AI tool for B2B prospecting? Apollo.io is a common all-in-one start; Clay is strong for enrichment and custom workflows; Explee researches and finds prospects for you. ### Is AI cold email legal? Cold email is allowed in many countries if you follow anti-spam law: be honest, identify yourself and give an easy opt-out. Rules differ by country. ### Do small teams need Gong? Gong pays off most for teams with many customer calls. Small teams can start with Lavender and Apollo.