If you’re running or growing a B2B revenue team, you’ve probably heard of Outreach, Salesloft, and a dozen other sales engagement platforms. The pitch is always the same: more meetings, less grunt work, everything automated. But what’s hype, and what’s actually useful when you’re trying to book more demos and close more deals without melting your team’s brains?
This guide is for sales leaders, RevOps folks, and anyone tired of sifting through glossy product sheets. Let’s get real about how Outreach and its main competitors stack up—and what to actually pay attention to so your reps don’t end up hating their tools.
What Is a Sales Engagement Platform, Really?
Before we start comparing, let’s get clear on what these tools are supposed to do. Sales engagement platforms sit between your CRM (think Salesforce or HubSpot) and your reps. They help you:
- Send and track emails, calls, and LinkedIn messages
- Build and automate multi-step “sequences” or “cadences”
- Score leads and track replies
- Report on what’s working (and what’s not)
In theory, they let your team do more with less—focusing on high-value conversations, not busywork.
But not every platform delivers on that promise, and not every team needs every bell and whistle.
The Heavyweights: Outreach, Salesloft, and Apollo
Let’s start with the three names everyone asks about.
1. Outreach
Who it’s for: Mid-market to enterprise teams who want deep automation, robust analytics, and tight Salesforce integration.
What’s good: - Sequences are powerful and flexible. You can mix channels, set branching logic, and build out pretty complex flows. - Reporting is solid—especially if you want to coach reps or run A/B tests on messaging. - Integrates well with Salesforce (and okay with HubSpot), so you’re not stuck in data silos. - Decent AI features, but don’t expect it to write your emails for you.
What’s not: - It’s not cheap. Pricing is opaque, but expect $100+ per user/month once you add extras. - Learning curve is real. New reps will need training, and admins may need to babysit integrations. - Support can be hit or miss, especially for smaller customers.
Ignore: The hype around “AI-driven everything.” The basics—good sequences, task automation, and reporting—are where Outreach shines.
2. Salesloft
Who it’s for: Similar mid-market crowd, but with a slightly friendlier interface and more focus on call-heavy teams.
What’s good: - User interface is simpler than Outreach, so ramp time can be faster. - Great for call-heavy orgs—built-in dialer and coaching tools are strong. - Integrates with a decent number of CRMs and has an open API.
What’s not: - Email tracking can be glitchy, especially with Outlook. - Reporting isn’t as granular as Outreach—fine for most, but power users will notice. - Pricing is also high and often requires talking to sales for a real quote.
Ignore: The “every channel in one view” marketing—it’s true, but not always smooth in practice (especially LinkedIn steps).
3. Apollo
Who it’s for: Startups and smaller teams who want prospecting and engagement in one place, without spending Outreach money.
What’s good: - Built-in contact database with direct dial numbers—no need to buy extra lead lists. - Less expensive and offers a usable free tier. - Decent automation and email sequencing.
What’s not: - Data quality is all over the place. You’ll get more bad emails than with a dedicated data vendor. - Analytics and integrations are basic. Don’t expect Outreach-level reporting. - Not as customizable—if you need complex logic or workflows, you’ll hit limits fast.
Ignore: Claims that it “replaces everything.” It’s a solid entry-level tool, but you’ll outgrow it if you scale.
Other Names You’ll Hear (But Might Not Need)
- HubSpot Sales Hub: Best if you’re already deep in the HubSpot ecosystem. Simple, but not as feature-rich.
- Groove: Good for Salesforce shops, especially if you’re focused on compliance. Not as flashy, but does the basics.
- Mixmax: Email-first, with some automation. Great for Gmail power users; not a full engagement platform.
- VanillaSoft, Yesware, Reply.io: Each has a niche, but none match Outreach or Salesloft for depth or ecosystem.
What Matters (and What Doesn’t) When Choosing
Ignore the vendor checklists and focus on these five things:
1. Integration with Your CRM
If the platform doesn’t sync smoothly with your CRM, you’ll create more problems than you solve. Test the integration—don’t just trust the sales demo.
Pro tip: Ask about bidirectional sync and conflict resolution. Nothing kills trust like reps seeing out-of-date info.
2. Sequence Flexibility
How easily can you design, test, and update your outreach flows? Do you need branching (if/then) logic? Can you mix calls, emails, tasks, and LinkedIn steps? Outreach and Salesloft do this well; Apollo and others are more basic.
3. Reporting and Analytics
Do you get actionable insights, or just pretty charts? Can you see which steps or reps are underperforming? Outreach excels here if you have the patience to set it up.
Ignore: Vanity metrics like “emails sent.” Focus on meetings booked, replies, and actual revenue impact.
4. User Experience
If reps hate using it, they’ll find workarounds (or just not use it). Demo the tool with a few actual users—not just managers or admins.
5. Price vs. Value
Don’t get dazzled by features you’ll never use. Make a shortlist of “must-haves” and get hard numbers on per-seat costs, onboarding fees, and contract terms.
Pro tip: Vendors love multi-year deals. Push for a pilot or shorter contract if you’re not sure.
A Few Use Cases (and What to Watch Out For)
For Fast-Growing SDR Teams
- Outreach or Salesloft will scale with you, but expect to pay more as you add users and features.
- Apollo is fine for getting started, but you may need to switch tools as you add managers and want better reporting.
For Hybrid Sales/CS Teams
- If your Customer Success folks need to run outreach (renewals, upsells), check license costs and user roles—some platforms charge extra for “non-seller” seats.
For International Teams
- Not all dialers or email features work outside North America. Test local numbers, email deliverability, and timezone scheduling.
For Data-Driven Sales Leaders
- Outreach’s analytics are powerful, but only if you invest the time to set them up and actually use the insights.
- If nobody on your team likes reporting or coaching, don’t overpay for features you’ll ignore.
Honest Pros and Cons: Outreach vs. The Rest
Outreach: - The most robust for larger teams who really want to optimize every step. - Expect a real learning curve, and budget for admin support. - Pricey, but you get what you pay for—if you’ll actually use it.
Salesloft: - Slightly simpler, great for call-heavy teams. - Still expensive, but easier for new reps. - Analytics and customization a step below Outreach.
Apollo: - Cheap, simple, with built-in prospecting. - Data quality and reporting are weak spots. - Good for small teams, but you’ll eventually need more.
The Rest: - HubSpot: Great if you’re all-in on HubSpot CRM, but not as deep. - Mixmax: Awesome for email productivity, not a full replacement for Outreach/Salesloft. - Groove: Salesforce-heavy, reliable but not flashy.
How to Actually Choose (Without Losing Your Mind)
- List your must-have workflows. Map out what your reps actually do, and where they get bogged down.
- Demo with real users. Don’t just let the vendor drive—ask your reps to try everyday tasks.
- Test CRM sync and reporting. If it’s clunky in the trial, it won’t get better after you buy.
- Push for a short-term contract or pilot. Don’t lock yourself in before you’re sure.
- Check support and training. Ask what onboarding looks like and how quickly they’ll help if things break.
Final Take: Don’t Overthink It
You don’t need every feature, and you definitely don’t need to pay for buzzwords. Most teams will be fine with Outreach or Salesloft if you need power and scale. Apollo is solid for smaller teams with less budget. Everything else is a niche or a supplement.
Start with what your team actually needs. Get buy-in from the people who’ll use the tool every day. Test before you commit. And remember: no software will magically solve bad process or bad data. Start simple, iterate, and don’t be afraid to switch if it’s not working. Your reps (and your pipeline) will thank you.