Artisan
The YC-backed company behind Ava, an AI BDR that sources leads from a 300M+ contact database, writes multichannel outreach, handles replies and books meetings, priced on usage credits.
- Autonomous agent
- Mixed sources
- Verified 13 Nov 2026Sources are dated on this profile
- 9 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- Vendor and third-party sourcesHow this profile was compiled
- Not an endorsementStack18 has not tested this product
What is Artisan?
Artisan is an outbound sales platform run by Ava, an AI business development representative that finds leads, enriches data, writes personalised outreach across email, LinkedIn and phone, handles replies and books meetings. It is priced on usage credits, with self-serve plans and quoted plans for larger teams.
- Best forStartups and SMBs wanting an all-in-one AI BDR
- PricingCredit plans from $250 a month (Intern) and $600 (Employee); larger plans custom; dialer $67 per seat.
- Main limitationPricing and packaging changed several times.
- Alternatives11x · AiSDR · Amplemarket · compare all
Artisan overview: who it is for and what it does.
Artisan, a Y Combinator company that has raised about $36.5 million including a $25 million Series A from Glade Brook Capital and HubSpot Ventures, calls its agents "Artisans". Its flagship, Ava, owns the outbound job: sourcing leads from a database of 300M+ B2B contacts plus ecommerce and local-business data, researching them, writing personalised messages, handling objections and booking meetings, with email, LinkedIn and a phone dialer.
Ava 2.0 became generally available in May 2026. Pricing has changed repeatedly: fully sales-gated in early 2026, then public credit-pool pricing returned with Ava 2.0 and a trial was reinstated in July 2026. PricingSaaS lists Intern at $250 and Employee at $600 a month (Employee includes 30,000 credits) plus a $67 human power dialer add-on, while larger Team, Scale and Enterprise plans are quoted. Reviewers also note a December 2025 LinkedIn restriction that was reversed in January 2026.
Main problem it solves
Automates most of an outbound BDR's work, from lead sourcing to booked meetings.
Typical customer segment
Startups, SMBs and mid-market B2B sales teams.
Target users
- Sales development teams
- Revenue and growth leaders
- Founders doing outbound
Primary use cases
- Outbound prospecting with built-in data
- Multichannel sequences across email and LinkedIn
- Reply handling and booking
- Ecommerce and local-business lead lists
What makes it distinct
- Built-in database of 300M+ contacts.
- Usage credits with no platform fee.
- Ava handles the full outbound cycle.
Artisan features explained.
Ava (AI BDR)
- Lead sourcing
- 300M+ B2B contacts plus ecommerce and local data.
- Personalised outreach
- Researches prospects and writes messages.
- Reply handling
- Handles objections and books meetings.
Channels
- Email and LinkedIn
- Multichannel sequences.
- Dialer
- Human power dialer add-on.
Platform
- CRM sync
- Salesforce sync on higher plans.
- Deliverability
- Mailbox warm-up and deliverability tooling.
Artisan pricing and plans.
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 13 Nov 2026 against Ry Walker Research · PricingSaaS · UsagePricing.
Pricing model
Usage credits; self-serve plans and quoted larger plans; dialer seats extra.
Free plan
No permanent free plan. A trial was reinstated in July 2026, according to a pricing tracker.
Free trial
Trial reported since July 2026.
Artisan plans and prices (USD)
-
Intern
$250 per month
Monthly
Entry credit plan.
-
Employee
$600 per month
Monthly
30,000 credits a month, Salesforce sync, advanced campaigns.
-
Team, Scale, Enterprise
Custom
Contract
Sized by lead volume, mailboxes and dialer seats.
-
Human power dialer
$67 per seat per month
Add-on
Phone dialing for reps.
Artisan has changed packaging several times in 2025 and 2026. Plan names and prices are from PricingSaaS; trackers also record periods of fully quoted pricing.
Prices change. Confirm current plans and terms on the vendor's site before you decide.
Visit official website (external) ↗See alternativesArtisan integrations, API and platforms.
Important integrations
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Email mailboxes
- Webhooks
- Slack
Supported platforms
- Web (cloud)
- Phone
API
Not reviewed for this profile.
Data import and export
Knowledge is imported from help centres, documents and connected systems; export options were not reviewed.
Integration availability can depend on plan. Confirm with the vendor before you rely on a specific connector.
How Artisan works as an AI product.
Attributes are listed only where documented. We do not infer autonomy levels, certifications or model capabilities.
Classification: Autonomous agent. Completes multi-step tasks with tools and limited supervision, as documented by the vendor. Developer: Artisan AI.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Supported models | Not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Tools and integrations | Built-in contact database; CRM sync and webhooks. [5] |
| Ability to execute actions | Ava sources leads, writes outreach, handles replies and books meetings. [1] |
| Execution environment | Not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Human-in-the-loop controls | Autonomy levels controlled by the team; Ava 2.0 can run without review. [6] |
| Permissions and access | Not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Memory and context | Not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Deployment options | Cloud. [3] |
| Data handling and privacy | Not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Security and compliance | Not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Pricing and usage limits | Credits consumed by leads and actions. [4] |
| Languages and platforms | Not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Limitations and known constraints | Packaging and prices changed several times; LinkedIn access was restricted in December 2025. [7] |
Primary tasks
- Researching prospects
- Writing and sending outreach
- Booking meetings
Best-fit workflows
- Outbound prospecting
- Inbound lead follow-up
- Account-based campaigns
Artisan pros and cons.
Strengths, limitations and best fit. Each point cites a source; editorial summaries are not customer reviews.
Strengths
Limitations
Best for
- Startups and SMBs wanting an all-in-one AI BDR
- Teams without a separate data provider
- Founders running outbound themselves
May be less suited to
- Teams needing stable, long-term pricing
- Enterprises with strict data and channel policies
Top Artisan alternatives and competitors.
Artisan alternatives
Teams look for Artisan alternatives when they want stable published pricing, deeper CRM integration or a…
Explore →Related product11x
Sells AI "digital workers" for go-to-market teams: Alice, an autonomous outbound SDR, and Julian, an…
Explore →Related productAiSDR
An AI SDR with fully public pricing: Solo at $250 a month, Explore at $900 and Scale at $2,500, priced by…
Explore →Related productAmplemarket
An outbound platform built around Duo, an AI that watches buying signals and drafts multichannel sequences…
Explore →Artisan compared with similar AI sales agents.
Summaries come from each profile. This is a side-by-side aid, not a ranking.
| Product | Channels | AI models | Free tier | Pricing model | Human oversight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artisan | Email, LinkedIn and phone dialer | Not disclosed | No (trial reported) | Usage credits; from $250 a month | Configurable autonomy |
| 11x Compare | Email, LinkedIn and phone | Not disclosed | No | Annual tiers; Growth $3,750 a month | Campaign settings; replies handled by AI |
| AiSDR Compare | Email and LinkedIn | Not disclosed | No | Monthly plans from $250 by contact volume | Campaign configuration; optional managed service |
| Amplemarket | Email, LinkedIn and phone | Not disclosed | No (14-day trial) | Startup $600 a month; higher tiers quoted | Reps review and send drafts |
| Nooks | Phone dialer, sequences and email | Not disclosed | No | Custom; reported $4K to $5K per user a year | Reps work alongside agents |
| Qualified (Piper) | Website chat, voice, video and email | Not documented (GPT-4 cited) | No | Quoted annual packages | Routes to human reps |
Artisan vs competitors: head-to-head comparisons.
Artisan discussions and buying questions.
Artisan questions and answers
What is Artisan used for?
Artisan is an outbound sales platform run by Ava, an AI business development representative that finds leads, enriches data, writes personalised outreach across email, LinkedIn and phone, handles replies and books meetings. It is priced on usage credits, with self-serve plans and quoted plans for larger teams.
Is Artisan free?
No permanent free plan. A trial was reinstated in July 2026, according to a pricing tracker.
How much does Artisan cost?
Credit plans from $250 a month (Intern) and $600 (Employee); larger plans custom; dialer $67 per seat.
Which models does Artisan support?
Not documented in the sources reviewed.
Who is Ava?
Ava is Artisan's AI BDR. It finds leads, writes personalised outreach, handles replies and books meetings. Ava 2.0 became generally available in May 2026.
What are the limitations of Artisan?
Pricing and packaging changed several times. LinkedIn restriction in December 2025, reversed in January 2026. Reviewers cite opaque credit limits.
Which platforms does Artisan run on?
Artisan is documented as available on: Web (cloud), Email, LinkedIn, Phone.
Is Artisan an AI agent or an AI assistant?
We classify Artisan as: Autonomous agent. Completes multi-step tasks with tools and limited supervision, as documented by the vendor. The classification is based on vendor documentation and is not an endorsement.
What are the main alternatives to Artisan?
The main alternatives to Artisan covered on Stack18 are 11x, AiSDR, Amplemarket and Salesforge (Agent Frank). See the Artisan alternatives guide for a side-by-side table.
When was the Artisan profile last verified?
Sources for this profile were last reviewed on 13 Nov 2026. 9 sources are listed under Sources, and prices and plans can change, so confirm with the vendor.
Where this information comes from.
- Artisan research Ry Walker Research Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Artisan pricing plans and history PricingSaaS Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Artisan pricing blueprint UsagePricing Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- How much does an AI SDR cost? Artisan Official Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Artisan pricing (2026) 11x (competitor) Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026 Written by a competing vendor.
- Artisan CheckThat.ai Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Artisan AI review 2026 MarketBetter Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Artisan vs AiSDR Modern Inbound Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Artisan Ava The AI Agent Index Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
Further official pages: Artisan pricing (external)
Plans, features and status were checked against Artisan's published pages and the third-party sources listed. Agent behaviour was not tested, resolution rates quoted by vendors were not verified, and security certifications were not independently checked.
Stack18 has not tested this product or received anything from the vendor for this profile. Editorial summaries of vendor information are not endorsements. Confirm details with the vendor before buying.
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