If you’re running sales or marketing for a mid-sized B2B business, you know the drill: everyone’s promising to “revolutionize” your go-to-market (GTM) motion. But you’re already juggling enough. You don’t need another SaaS that’s all sizzle, no steak. This guide cuts through the noise and compares Koncert with other big-name B2B GTM software—so you can actually pick what works, skip what doesn’t, and get back to real work.
Who This Is For
- You’re a sales or marketing leader at a company with 50-500 employees.
- You need real tools, not bloated “platforms.”
- You’re sick of vague promises and want straight talk about features, pricing, and the stuff that really moves the needle.
What Counts as “B2B GTM Software” Anyway?
Let’s define the playing field for mid-sized businesses. B2B GTM (Go-To-Market) software typically covers:
- Sales engagement (think: dialers, email automation, follow-up reminders)
- Lead routing and management
- Analytics and reporting
- Integration with CRM and other tools
Some vendors try to do everything. Others focus on one piece, but do it well. Koncert and its competitors mostly live in the sales engagement category, with a few branching out.
Who’s in the Running?
Here are the main players we’ll compare:
- Koncert: Focused on sales engagement, especially power dialing and multi-channel outreach.
- Outreach: Big name, feature-rich, heavy on automation and analytics.
- Salesloft: Another giant, strong in sequencing and workflow automation.
- VanillaSoft: Geared toward outbound calling, with some lead management.
- Apollo.io: Popular for data and sequencing, but a bit of a Swiss Army knife.
We’ll break down how they stack up for mid-sized businesses—not huge enterprises, not tiny startups.
1. Core Features: What Actually Gets Used
Let’s be honest: most teams use 10-20% of what these tools offer. Here’s how the real-world basics compare.
Koncert
- Power Dialer & Click Dialer: Fast, efficient calling. Minimal setup, straightforward UI.
- Multi-Channel Outreach: Phone, email, and social. Not as fancy as Outreach, but gets the job done.
- Live Call Monitoring & Coaching: Decent for team training.
- Cadence Automation: Fewer bells and whistles, but good for basic follow-ups.
- Integrations: Solid Salesforce and HubSpot support. Not as many plug-ins as the big guys.
- Reporting: Basic, but covers the essentials.
Outreach
- Sequences: Very flexible, lots of triggers.
- Dialer: Good, but a bit buried in the interface.
- Analytics: Deep, if you’re into dashboards.
- Integrations: Tons—if you need Slack, Gong, etc., this is your playground.
Salesloft
- Cadence Building: Drag-and-drop, robust logic.
- Dialer: Included, but not the main event.
- Coaching Tools: Decent, but sometimes overkill.
- Integrations: Similar to Outreach.
VanillaSoft
- Phone-first: Excellent for high-volume calling teams (think: SDRs).
- Lead Routing: Strong, rarely matched.
- Email: Basic.
- Reporting: Focused on call stats.
Apollo.io
- Data & Prospecting: Huge database baked in.
- Sequencing: Good but not as deep as Outreach/Salesloft.
- Dialer: There, but not a highlight.
- Integrations: Decent, but not exhaustive.
Pro Tip
If you’re mostly calling, don’t get distracted by shiny sequence builders. If your team lives in email, dialers should be secondary.
2. Ease of Use: Will Your Team Actually Use It?
Adoption is the silent killer of GTM software. Here’s the honest scoop:
- Koncert: Minimal learning curve. The interface is simple—almost old-school—but that’s a plus for most teams. You won’t need a two-day training.
- Outreach & Salesloft: Powerful, but expect a steeper learning curve. Lots of settings, lots of tabs. If your team isn’t technical, expect hand-holding.
- VanillaSoft: Straightforward for call-heavy teams. Not as friendly for folks who want more email or multi-channel.
- Apollo.io: Interface is busy. Prospecting is easy, but running campaigns gets complicated fast.
What to Ignore
“AI-powered insights” sound cool, but if your reps can’t find the dial button, it doesn’t matter.
3. Integrations: Playing Nice With Your Stack
Most mid-sized businesses run on Salesforce or HubSpot, plus a smattering of tools like Slack, ZoomInfo, and Zoom. Here’s what you need to know:
- Koncert: Good Salesforce and HubSpot integration. Lags behind on “long-tail” tools (Slack, Gong, etc.).
- Outreach & Salesloft: Integrate with nearly everything. If you want one system to rule them all, start here.
- VanillaSoft: Works fine with CRMs, but don’t expect deep integrations.
- Apollo.io: Plays well with others, but API limits can be a headache.
Watch Out For
Some tools advertise integrations that are really just data syncs, not deep functionality. Always test with your own stack.
4. Pricing: What’s It Actually Going to Cost?
Vendors love to hide their pricing behind “talk to sales.” Here’s what you can expect, based on published info and real user reports.
- Koncert: Transparent pricing, usually per user, per month. Basic plans are affordable ($100-150/user/month), and you pay for extra channels.
- Outreach & Salesloft: Expensive, especially as you grow. Expect $120-150+/user/month base, and it adds up fast with add-ons.
- VanillaSoft: Very affordable for call-heavy teams; typically under $100/user/month.
- Apollo.io: Flexible, but pricing jumps quickly if you want advanced features or lots of data credits.
Honest Take
Don’t just look at sticker price. Factor in onboarding costs, admin time, and “feature sprawl”—paying for stuff your team won’t use.
5. Support & Community: Getting Help When You Need It
- Koncert: Fast, personal support. You’ll get real humans, not just ticket bots.
- Outreach & Salesloft: Big help centers, but sometimes slow responses unless you’re a big account.
- VanillaSoft: Old-school, but reliable. Phone support is actually a thing.
- Apollo.io: Online chat and docs, but don’t expect white-glove service.
Real-World Advice
If you’re new to sales engagement software, prioritize vendors who’ll actually walk you through setup—and don’t nickel-and-dime for support calls.
6. Where Each Tool Shines (and Where It Doesn’t)
Let’s keep it real:
| Tool | Best For | Watch Out For | |--------------|-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | Koncert | Teams who mainly call, want simple | Not for complex, multi-step workflows| | Outreach | Large teams, heavy automation | Complexity, cost, admin burden | | Salesloft | Workflow nerds, lots of channels | Can be overkill for small teams | | VanillaSoft | Call centers, SDR-heavy orgs | Weak on email/multi-channel | | Apollo.io | Prospecting + data, self-serve | Gets expensive, support is light |
7. What Matters Most for Mid-Sized Teams
From talking to dozens of sales leaders, here’s what actually moves the needle:
- Ease of setup: If it takes weeks to launch, skip it.
- Adoption: Will 80%+ of your team use it weekly?
- Does it play nice with your CRM? If not, expect headaches.
- Are you paying for stuff you’ll never use? Fancy AI is no good if all you want is to call and email.
Ignore the hype around...
- “AI-powered everything.” Most of it’s lipstick on a pig.
- “All-in-one platforms” that try to replace your CRM. They rarely do it well.
8. How to Choose: A Pragmatic Approach
Here’s how to actually pick a tool—no endless demos needed.
- List your top 3 must-haves. (Example: Easy dialing, Salesforce integration, decent reporting.)
- Demo only the tools that cover those. Don’t get distracted by shiny features.
- Ask for a real trial. Not a “guided tour”—a real, hands-on trial with your data.
- Pilot with a small team. Roll out in waves, not all at once.
- Get feedback early, kill what’s not working.
Pro Tip
If a vendor won’t give you a month-long trial or tries to sell you on a “vision,” walk away.
TL;DR: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Don’t let the endless features and buzzwords fool you. For most mid-sized B2B teams, simple wins:
- Pick something your team will actually use.
- Make sure it works with your existing CRM and workflow.
- Start small, scale what works, and don’t be afraid to switch if it’s not clicking.
Most importantly, don’t overthink it. The real ROI comes from your team’s activity—not from the tool’s feature checklist.
Now, get back to selling.