An honest comparison of 7 outsourced SDR companies in 2026: pricing, contract terms, and the questions that separate a reliable partner from the rest.
You signed a 6-month contract. Paid the setup fee. Three months in, you’re still getting a monthly PDF of “activity”, emails sent, calls dialed, and maybe two meetings your AE didn’t bother taking.
This happens because most outsourced SDR vendors get paid whether or not you get pipeline. A flat retainer with a long lock-in period removes their incentive to perform after month one.
At ConnectLead, we built our model around the opposite bet: we only make money when you get a meeting, and you can walk away any month if we don’t deliver. That’s not a marketing line, it’s the actual structure of every client contract.
In this guide, we break down:
- The 5 factors that actually separate a reliable outsourced SDR partner from one that will burn your list and your budget
- 7 companies worth evaluating, including how their pricing and contract terms compare
Full disclosure: ConnectLead is #1 on this list, and we’ll be specific about why. But the framework below applies to any vendor, use it to hold every option, including us, accountable. If you want the deeper cost math behind why in-house isn’t automatically cheaper, the outsourced SDR vs in-house breakdown covers that separately.
5 factors to evaluate before you sign anything
1. Who carries the risk, you or them?
Most agencies charge a flat monthly retainer regardless of results, often locked into a 6 to 12 month contract. That structure puts the risk entirely on you: if the campaign underperforms, you’re still paying, and you’re still locked in. The pay per lead vs retainer breakdown covers this trade-off in more depth if you’re weighing the two models generally.
Red flags:
- Multi-month minimum commitment with no performance-based exit
- Setup or onboarding fees in the thousands, non-refundable regardless of outcome
- No clear definition of what counts as a “qualified meeting” before you sign
2. Is pricing actually transparent, or do you find out later?
A lot of vendors won’t quote pricing until after a discovery call, and even then the number you get quoted often isn’t the full cost, infrastructure, tooling, and data fees get added on separately.
Red flags:
- “Custom quote” with no published pricing range anywhere
- Line items that only surface after you’ve signed (data licensing, dialer fees, “platform access”)
- Setup fees that aren’t disclosed until the contract stage
3. How skilled and consistent is the team actually doing outreach?
Same as any outsourced SDR evaluation: junior reps on senior-level accounts, generic AI-written templates, and no review process before messaging goes out are all signs the vendor is optimizing for their delivery cost, not your results.
4. Do you own the data when the engagement ends?
If a vendor works inside their own closed system, verified contacts, call notes, and campaign history disappear the day you cancel. You should own every contact, every touchpoint log, and every piece of research generated during the engagement, not just the meetings that got booked.
5. Are they optimizing for meetings booked, or meetings that show up and convert?
A vendor paid purely on volume has no reason to care whether a meeting shows up or whether your AE thinks it’s worth their time. Ask specifically about show-up rate and AE acceptance rate, not just “meetings booked.”
Where this plays out: ConnectLead’s SDR programme booked 22 confirmed enterprise meetings for Jaarvis Technologies in a single quarter as they entered North America and Europe from zero existing contacts, with an 84% show rate. Read the full Jaarvis case study →. A separate engagement generated $1.4M in qualified pipeline in 90 days for a B2B FinTech client, with a 68% meeting-to-opportunity rate, meaning most booked meetings actually turned into real sales opportunities rather than dead-end calls. See the FinTech case study →.
7 outsourced SDR companies to consider
| Company | Pricing model | Contract terms | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ConnectLead | $100–$300 per qualified meeting + $200/mo infra fee | Month-to-month, no long-term contract, cancel anytime | Teams that want pay-for-performance pricing without getting locked in |
| Belkins | Omnichannel from $7,995/mo | Multi-month engagement | High-value B2B sales ($50K+ ACV), complex buying committees |
| CIENCE (graph8) | ~$4,200–$9,000+/mo, $5K setup fee | Monthly | Teams that want a data platform bundled with SDR execution |
| SalesRoads | ~$9,950 per 4-week cycle | Month-to-month | Companies wanting U.S.-based, phone-first SDRs |
| Martal Group | ~$5,000–$9,000/mo retainer | Pilot period then monthly | Tech/SaaS companies wanting onshore North American reps |
| Leadium | ~$3,500–$5,000/mo | Month-to-month | Boutique, fully U.S.-based teams, no offshore execution |
| Callbox | Custom quote | Custom | True multi-channel (phone, email, LinkedIn, social) at scale |
Pricing reflects publicly available information as of August 2026 and changes often, confirm directly with each vendor.
1. ConnectLead: Best for pay-for-performance pricing with no lock-in
ConnectLead has run B2B outbound and appointment-setting programmes for SaaS, IT services, and B2B technology companies since 2022, working exclusively in that lane, no e-commerce, no consumer apps, no retail. That focus is deliberate: the agency has grown more than 60 B2B companies since launch by building a senior team that understands complex, multi-stakeholder B2B sales cycles rather than spreading across every industry a generalist agency takes on.
Pricing: $100–$300 per qualified meeting, plus a $200/month infrastructure fee that covers mailbox and domain warm-up, dialer infrastructure, and tooling. No retainer. No setup fee beyond that. No long-term contract, the engagement renews month-to-month, and you can pause or cancel anytime.
Why the model matters: Most vendors on this list ask you to commit to a flat monthly fee for 4 to 12 months before you know whether the campaign works. ConnectLead only gets paid when a qualified meeting actually gets booked, which means the incentive is aligned with your outcome from day one, not just from the vendor’s renewal date.
How it works: Every engagement is staffed with a dedicated three-person team: an ICP and prospect research specialist, a campaign specialist, and an SDR who handles qualification, objection handling, and calendar booking. Outreach runs across cold email and LinkedIn, with phone-based qualification from the SDR. Every booked meeting comes with a written briefing note covering the prospect’s background, objections raised, and their stated agenda, so your AE walks in prepared instead of cold. CRM integration (HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive) and lead routing are set up during onboarding, not left for later. The same team stays on the account from the first strategy call through month twelve and beyond. Full breakdown on the SDR & Appointment Setting service page →
2. Belkins: Best for high-value B2B sales ($50K+ ACV)
Belkins runs omnichannel outreach (email, LinkedIn, cold calling) for companies with long deal cycles and multiple stakeholders. Pricing starts at $7,995/month for omnichannel packages, with email-only campaigns starting lower. Engagements typically run multi-month rather than month-to-month.
Best suited to teams with enterprise-level ACV who want a large, specialized delivery team (account manager, copywriter, researcher, SDR, deliverability specialist) and don’t need month-to-month flexibility.
3. CIENCE (now operating under graph8): Best for teams that want data infrastructure bundled in
CIENCE built its reputation on pairing human SDRs with a proprietary data platform. As of 2026, its core technology and leadership have shifted toward its graph8 platform brand, with service delivery reportedly taking a back seat to that transition, worth asking about directly in a discovery call. Pricing runs roughly $4,200–$9,000+/month depending on scope, with a separate $5,000 one-time setup fee and a $499/month platform license.
Best for companies that specifically want the data platform, not just SDR execution, and are comfortable evaluating a vendor mid-transition.
4. SalesRoads: Best for U.S.-based, phone-first outreach
Founded in 2007, SalesRoads runs dedicated U.S.-based SDRs averaging 5 to 10 years of experience, with a phone-centric approach suited to industries where buyers prefer calls over email. Pricing starts around $9,950 per 4-week cycle. Contracts are month-to-month with no long-term commitment, though pricing sits at a premium relative to email-focused agencies.
Best for companies with a decent budget and clear product-market fit who specifically want a calling-led motion.
5. Martal Group: Best for onshore North American SDRs in tech/SaaS
Martal Group specializes in technology and software verticals, offering onshore SDR talent based in North America. Pricing typically runs $5,000–$9,000/month as a retainer, with some engagements structured on a pay-per-meeting basis in the $300–$800 range. Pilot campaigns generally run 3 to 4 months before shifting to an ongoing monthly subscription.
Best for tech companies who specifically want North American-based reps and are comfortable with a retainer model rather than month-to-month.
6. Leadium: Best for a boutique, fully U.S.-based team
Leadium runs a deliberately small client portfolio (30 to 35 active clients at a time) with 100% U.S.-based execution, no offshore SDRs or subcontractors. Pricing is relatively transparent for the category: roughly $3,500/month for cold-call-only programs and $4,000–$5,000/month for multi-channel outbound. Contracts are month-to-month.
Best for smaller B2B teams who want direct access to a small, senior-led team rather than a large delivery org.
7. Callbox: Best for true multi-channel scale
Callbox runs outreach across phone, email, LinkedIn, and social in a co-managed model where their team integrates into your internal workflow. Pricing is quote-based. Best suited to B2B tech and enterprise companies entering new markets who need volume across every channel at once, not just email or calls.
Questions to ask before signing with any of these vendors
“What happens if I want to cancel next month?” Tests contract flexibility. A vendor confident in their results won’t need a 6-month lock-in to keep you.
“Walk me through every fee, not just the headline number.” Tests pricing transparency. Ask specifically about setup fees, infrastructure/tooling fees, and data licensing costs that might not be in the first quote.
“Do I own the verified contacts and campaign data if we part ways?” Tests whether you’re building a permanent asset or renting access to theirs.
“What’s your show-up rate and AE acceptance rate, not just meetings booked?” Tests whether they’re optimizing for volume or for pipeline you’ll actually use.
“What’s included in the price, and what counts as a ‘qualified meeting’?” Get this defined in writing before you sign, regardless of which vendor you choose. ConnectLead’s Appointment Setting Services guide covers how to pressure-test a provider’s definition of “qualified” before you’re locked into their numbers.
Use this list, including ConnectLead, as a starting shortlist, not a final answer. The right partner depends on your ACV, your sales motion, and how much flexibility you need. If pay-per-meeting pricing with no long-term contract is the model you’re after, book a strategy call with ConnectLead and we’ll walk through whether it’s a fit.
