Which AI SDR lets you approve every message? 18 tools (2026)
2026-10-15 · 9 min read · Adam Axelsson, founder of Revexa
Approval before sending is the default in six tools: Amplemarket Duo's standard flow, Instantly's AI Sales Agent, lemlist (per lead, at launch), Leo by Revexa, Salesloft (for AI-written emails) and Unify's agentic sequences. 11x, Apollo, Gojiberry, HubSpot, Outreach, Reply.io, Salesforce's Engagement agent, Salesforge and Valley offer it as an option, Artisan is autonomous by default, and AiSDR and Clay's Sequencer have no per-message approval.
Checked against each vendor's own documentation on 15 October 2026.
Revexa builds Leo, one of the tools below. Its facts come from Revexa; everything else links to the vendor's own pages. Tools are listed alphabetically.
Three levels of approval
What differs is how much one approval releases.
- Per message. Each outgoing message waits for a person. In practice, nothing reaches a prospect unread.
- Per lead or sequence. Approving a person once releases their first message and all follow-ups. In practice, you vet who gets contacted, and follow-ups go out on schedule.
- Per campaign. Launching the campaign is the only checkpoint. In practice, you approve the audience, template and tone, never a single message.
Comparison table
| Tool | Approval level | Default | Edit drafts | Autonomous mode | Approve outside the web app | Price from | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11x (Alice) | Per message or named approver | Not stated | Yes | Autopilot | Not documented | $3,750/mo annually; same page says $36,000/yr | docs, pricing |
| AiSDR | Per campaign | None per message | Before launch | After launch | Not applicable | $250/mo | help, pricing |
| Amplemarket (Duo) | Per lead | Review (standard flow) | Yes | Autopilot, per signal | Not documented | $600/mo, annual term | docs, pricing |
| Apollo | Per message (manual steps) | Not stated | Yes | Automatic steps | Slack: agent recommendations | $49/seat/mo annually | help, pricing |
| Artisan (Ava) | Per message (setting) | Autonomous | Regenerate; editing not documented | Yes (default) | Not documented | $250/mo annually | help, pricing |
| Clay (Sequencer) | Per campaign | None per message | Before launch | After launch | Slack: replies, if built | $185/mo ($167 annually) | docs, pricing |
| Gojiberry | Per lead | Not stated | Yes | "Full auto" | Not documented | $99/mo | help, homepage |
| HubSpot (prospecting agent) | Per message (per play) | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not documented | $20/mo per Core Seat + $1/lead | help, catalog, product |
| Instantly (AI Sales Agent) | Each lead's email | Approval on | Yes | Autopilot | Slack: AI Reply Agent only | $47/mo ($37.60 yearly) + Credits | help, pricing |
| lemlist | Per lead; per message (manual steps) | Approval on | Yes | Auto-launch | Not documented | $55/mo yearly | help, pricing |
| Leo by Revexa | Per message | Approval on | Yes; learns from edits | Opt-in per channel | iMessage, Slack | $99/mo (US, rest of world), €89 (Europe), 999 SEK (Sweden) | Revexa, pricing |
| Outreach | Per message (manual steps) | Not stated | Yes | Auto Email steps | Mobile app (email tasks) | Not public | help, pricing |
| Reply.io (Jason AI) | Per message (all or first steps) | Not stated | Yes | Automatic mode | Mobile app, Slack | $500/mo annually | help, pricing |
| Salesforce (Engagement agent) | Per email (first or all) | Not named; base flow has no review | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Not public; included in Max ($550/user/mo) | help, pricing |
| Salesforge (Agent Frank) | Co-Pilot (scope unclear) | Not stated | Yes | Auto-Pilot | Not documented | $499/mo annually; calculator: $416 | docs, pricing |
| Salesloft | Per message (AI emails) | Required for AI emails | Yes | Template emails only | Mobile app (cadence emails) | Not public | help |
| Unify | Per person (drafts first) | Approval on (agentic) | Yes | Template sequences | Not documented | Free; $20/seat/mo | docs, pricing |
| Valley | Per lead | Not stated | Yes | Autopilot | Not documented | $199/seat/mo ($149 quarterly) | help, pricing |
Prices exclude VAT and sales tax. More: AI SDR tools compared, AI SDR pricing and sales tool pricing 2026.
Tools where approval is the default
Amplemarket (Duo). In the standard Duo flow, reps "Send or dismiss each lead", which approves the lead's whole sequence. Autopilot, set per signal, schedules outreach "without waiting for manual review" (lessons, Autopilot).
Instantly (AI Sales Agent). Default: "Non-Autopilot (Default setting): Requires manual approval via Activity Feed before finding more leads or sending any emails". You edit, approve or reject each lead's email (help, pricing FAQ).
lemlist. By default, leads "wait in the Launch section until you manually review and launch them", and launching approves the lead's whole sequence. Manual steps, on the Multichannel plan, add per-message approval (launch, manual steps).
Leo by Revexa. Leo is an AI agent that finds buy-ready B2B companies and drafts outreach on LinkedIn (connection requests and messages) and email. Review mode is the default: nothing is sent without your approval, and autonomy is your opt-in, per channel. Drafts can be edited in the web app before approval, Leo learns from the edits, and "Approve all" approves every waiting draft. Messages approved outside working hours go out in the next working window: weekdays 08 to 17 in the lead's time zone.
Salesloft. AI-written emails always go through the rep: "The Automate this Step checkbox is not available for AI-generated email steps" (help).
Unify (agentic sequences). "You review the content and approve each person before their sequence begins". Chat sequences are "agentic by default" (docs, help).
Tools where approval is optional
Of these ten, only Artisan's docs state a default (autonomous); the other nine name none.
11x (Alice). Three modes, chosen "per segment and per motion": review every message, a named approver, or Autopilot. Default not stated, but the docs advise "Don't start on autopilot" (docs, brand protection).
Apollo. Manual email tasks let you "Review, personalize, and send an email"; "Automatic email steps send without someone completing a task". Agents ask you to approve each sequence before launch. Default not stated (help, tasks, agents).
Artisan (Ava). "Autonomous by default, adjustable by design". With "Require approval before sending" on, "every message Ava generates waits for your approval" (pricing, settings).
Gojiberry. With Review Mode on, "you approve each lead and message before they are sent"; an approved lead "goes automatically through the campaign steps". Default not stated (help, agents).
HubSpot (prospecting agent). Each play offers "Review emails: you'll review and approve each message before it goes out" or "Send without review". Default not stated (help).
Outreach. Manual Email steps wait for the rep to send; Auto Email steps send "automatically", and the Personalization Agent "can be configured to send autonomously without manual review". Default not stated (help, agent).
Reply.io (Jason AI). At launch you choose "Approval mode or Automatic". Approval mode covers all steps or "First steps only", where follow-ups "will be generated and sent automatically". Default not stated (launch, Approval mode).
Salesforce (Agentforce Engagement agent). Unless "Require Manual Approval" is on, the agent "schedules and sends the email ... without delay". With it on, each email (initial outreach only, or all) waits for the owner or a manager. Default not named (help).
Salesforge (Agent Frank). Co-Pilot "will ask for your review before sending messages"; Auto-Pilot needs no supervision. Default not stated, and its pages disagree on whether Co-Pilot covers all messages or only AI replies (Agent Frank, comparison, blog).
Valley. With Autopilot off (set per campaign), "every message queues in Approvals for you to manually review", and approving releases the first message and all follow-ups. Default not stated; the help center calls Autopilot "recommended for most users" (approvals, Autopilot).
Tools without per-message approval
AiSDR. You approve "structure and tone" from sample messages before launch; "No manual approval is needed for each outgoing message" (help).
Clay (Sequencer). Claygent does not send; Clay's email Sequencer (since 1 September 2026) is approved by launching the campaign; after that, new leads "will automatically be sequenced" (Claygent, Sequencer, docs).
Approving from your phone or Slack
These tools document it:
- Apollo: Slack, for agent recommendations, not individual emails (help).
- Clay: Slack, for AI-drafted replies, if you build that step (docs).
- Instantly: Slack, for AI Reply Agent replies only (help).
- Leo by Revexa: iMessage and Slack, in your own words: the lead's name, its place in Leo's list ("the second one"), or a yes when Leo asks "Should I send to Anna?". You can also ask "what do you mean?" instead.
- Reply.io: the Jason AI mobile app, and Slack through Agentic Chat (app, blog).
The Outreach and Salesloft mobile apps send emails from tasks and cadences.
How to choose
- Read every message: Leo by Revexa, or Salesloft for AI-written emails, by default; otherwise per-message review in 11x, Artisan, HubSpot, Reply.io or Salesforce, or manual email steps in Apollo, lemlist or Outreach.
- Trust the copy, vet each lead: Amplemarket Duo, lemlist or Unify by default; Gojiberry, Valley or Reply.io ("First steps only") as a setting.
- Start reviewed, go autonomous later: the switch is per channel in Leo, per signal in Amplemarket, per play in HubSpot, per segment and motion in 11x, and per campaign in Artisan and Valley.
- Already on Salesforce or HubSpot: turn on "Require Manual Approval" in Salesforce, or "Review emails" per play in HubSpot.
- LinkedIn as well as email: 11x, Amplemarket, Gojiberry, lemlist (Multichannel), Leo, Reply.io, Salesforge and Valley (email from Plus) send on both. In Apollo, Outreach, Salesloft and Unify, reps send LinkedIn steps by hand.
Questions to ask in a demo
- What is the default, and where is it documented?
- What does one approval release: a message, a lead's sequence or a campaign?
- Do follow-ups wait for approval too? Instantly's and HubSpot's docs do not say.
- Can I edit a draft before approving it?
- Does it learn from my edits?
- What happens to a message I approve at night?
- Can I approve from my phone or Slack?
Frequently asked questions
Which AI SDR lets me approve every message before it is sent?
Per-message approval is the default in Leo by Revexa and, for AI-written emails, Salesloft. 11x, Artisan, HubSpot, Reply.io and Salesforce's Engagement agent offer it as a mode you choose.
Do AI SDRs send messages without approval?
Some do by default. Artisan is "Autonomous by default", AiSDR says "No manual approval is needed for each outgoing message", and Salesforce's Engagement agent sends "without delay" unless approval is turned on.
Is it safer to approve every message?
The vendors disagree: 11x's docs say "Don't start on autopilot", while Valley's help center calls Autopilot "recommended for most users". More in risks of AI-written emails.
Can I approve AI SDR messages from Slack?
Yes in Apollo (agent recommendations only), Clay (replies, if built), Instantly (AI Reply Agent replies only), Leo by Revexa (also iMessage) and Reply.io (Agentic Chat). Elsewhere it is not documented.