CIENCE (also known as graph8) is a transparent, large-scale SDR shop. Seven verified alternatives for 2026, for when you want a stronger record or a different model.
Real Good GTM is one of the alternatives on this list. We do not rank ourselves first, we say where we fit and where we do not, and every agency here is verified on its own site. Judge for yourself.
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The short answerVerified July 2026
What follows CIENCE depends on which of its trade-offs you are unwinding. The short version, by use case:
Most proven at scale
Belkins
The 4.9-rated pod, if ratings decide it.
Best senior onshore reps
Martal Group
Veteran North American sellers instead of a rep pod.
Best global coverage
Callbox
Seven-country delivery for cross-border pipeline.
Low-cost channel test
Cleverly
Managed LinkedIn at the low end, priced on a call.
Our slice (that's us)
Real Good GTM
Two founders, signal-based, month to month. No dials, no big pod.
Every agency below is verified on its own site, July 2026. No paid placements, no affiliate links.
CIENCE is transparent and flexible in ways most of the category is not, so most teams leave for fit reasons, not honesty ones. Here is the honest read, strengths first.
What CIENCE does well
Transparent, flexible SDRs at real scale
CIENCE runs SDR-as-a-service, pairing human reps with its own data and AI tooling, and is one of the very few shops in the category that publishes itemized pricing: roughly a $5,000 setup plus $2,000 a month, with SDRs from $1,500. Terms are month to month, with a choice of onshore or offshore reps.
Reviewers value the transparency, the operating scale, and the flexibility. It holds a 4.2 out of 5 on Clutch across 142 reviews. If a transparent, scalable pod is what you need, CIENCE is a reasonable pick.
Where the fit can break
A middling rating, and a volume model
That 4.2 Clutch score trails several peers on this list, and reviews flag some lead-quality and SDR turnover variance. The offshore option that lowers the price floor can widen that variance.
Worth knowing it is a volume pod model, dials and sends run by a team, not founders on your account or signal-based outbound. At seed, or if you want the highest-rated white-glove feel, the fit can break.
The read
This page is not a case against CIENCE; on transparency and flexibility it beats most of the category. The reasons teams move are fit: a higher-rated review sample, senior onshore reps instead of a volume pod, a founder-led touch at seed, or a signal-based model rather than dials at scale. Each of the six below answers one of those, so choose by your reason for leaving, not by brand size.
At a glance
The CIENCE alternatives at a glance
Grouped by fit, not ranked. Pricing is the lowest figure each agency publishes on its own site, checked July 2026. Where nothing is published, it shows as "custom," and where a price list came down, the cell says so.
Details move. Treat this as a July 2026 snapshot and confirm on each agency's own site before you commit.
How we built this list
A practitioner read, not a reposted directory
July 2026, each agency checked against its own current site: the offer, the audience, the engagement model, and any price it puts in public. The list holds only true CIENCE peers, the appointment-setting and outbound shops a founder would shortlist for real, minus anything we could not confirm.
We spend our own weeks running outbound, and that experience is the lens on every note here. A Clutch score appears only when a credible sample supports it; missing scores stayed missing rather than being invented.
How we built this list
→ Every agency verified on its own current site, July 2026
→ Ratings shown only where a credible independent sample exists, linked and dated
→ No affiliate links, no paid placements, no pay-to-list
→ We publish this list and we are on it. We do not rank ourselves first, and we say where we are not the fit
→ Grouped by fit, not ranked. If a fact could not be verified, we left it out. Read how we evaluate.
The real test
How much does the rating matter to you?
CIENCE already wins on price transparency and month-to-month terms, so cost is not the axis to test. What its 4.2 review sample cannot promise is where its alternatives split: a more proven track record, or the same flexibility CIENCE gives you.
Higher-rated, more proven
A stronger review sample to point to
Shops that outscore CIENCE's 4.2 on a credible sample: Belkins at 4.9, Martal at 4.8, SalesRoads at 4.9. You get a longer, better-reviewed record, but most trade away CIENCE's published pricing or its month-to-month freedom to get there.
Use it when a top, well-populated review score is the reassurance you most need before you sign.
Flexible, like CIENCE
Keep the transparency and the exit
Options that match CIENCE on published pricing or the freedom to leave: SalesRoads is cancel-anytime with a public floor, Cleverly sells a cheap single-channel LinkedIn tier, and a founder-led shop starts on a short run. You keep clear terms, but the review samples are smaller or younger.
Use it when transparent terms and an easy exit matter to you more than the highest score.
The through-line
Since CIENCE already gives you transparency and flexibility, the honest question is what its middling rating and pod-turnover variance leave on the table. Chasing a higher, larger review sample usually means giving back either the published price or the month-to-month exit. Decide which of the two CIENCE strengths you refuse to lose, then pick the alternative that keeps it.
The alternatives
The seven alternatives, grouped by fit
Not a ranking, a sorting: three kinds of team, seven names. Head straight for the kind of team you want next.
Group A
Managed multi-channel appointment setting
Pod stays, vendor changes: managed teams running email, LinkedIn, and calling the way CIENCE does, two of them with stronger Clutch scores than CIENCE's 4.2.
The rating trade in one card: a big appointment-setting agency whose dedicated SDR pods work omnichannel across email, LinkedIn, and calling, carrying a 4.9 on Clutch.
Best for
Teams stepping up from CIENCE for maximum proof: ICP already known, budget for a full pod, and appetite for appointment volume at scale.
Model & pricing (Jul 2026)
A done-for-you retainer sold in packages tied to appointment counts. Nothing published; every package ends at a sales call.
Where they're strong
Among the category's largest positive samples at 230+ Clutch reviews, a documented 14-day launch, and genuinely omnichannel delivery.
Consider elsewhere if
You value CIENCE's published pricing and month-to-month terms. Belkins is quote-only and reads as funded mid-market, and some reviews note booked-meeting counts falling short.
Bottom line
Where CIENCE trails on rating, Belkins leads it: a 4.9 across 230+ reviews, the strongest sample here. You give up CIENCE's transparency for a quote and a mid-market floor.
The reach upgrade: one of the category's oldest firms, going since 2004, with delivery teams in seven countries built for cross-border outbound.
Best for
Mid-market and enterprise whose target accounts sit across regions, from APAC to other cross-border markets.
Model & pricing (Jul 2026)
Managed on subscription, quoted per campaign scope. CIENCE's public rate card has no equivalent here.
Where they're strong
Two decades in the business, delivery covering the US, UK, and APAC among others, and account-based plus event programs run together.
Consider elsewhere if
You want to keep CIENCE's published pricing and month-to-month exit. Callbox is quote-only and built for larger, multi-region programs.
Bottom line
Trade CIENCE for Callbox when you need multi-region reach a single US pod cannot give you. You lose the itemized pricing and pick up a per-scope quote.
Swapping CIENCE's data-and-AI stack for handwork: an SDR partner built on human-sourced, validated contacts across email, phone, LinkedIn, and SMS.
Best for
SMB to enterprise that keep the outsourced-SDR model but want the contact data researched by people.
Model & pricing (Jul 2026)
A managed service with per-scope quotes, so CIENCE's itemized menu goes away. One number survives: intake budgets referenced from $2,500 up.
Where they're strong
Human-validated research behind every contact, an omni-channel motion spanning four channels, and a stated 1,500-plus sales orgs served.
Consider elsewhere if
Proof matters to you: CIENCE at least shows a public 4.2 and itemized rates, while Leadium quotes per scope and has no large independent review sample.
Bottom line
A data-led alternative to CIENCE's pod, but with less to verify. Where CIENCE publishes both price and rating, ask Leadium for recent referenceable results.
The step up from an SDR pod: veteran North American sellers who cost more and usually ask a minimum, bought for meeting quality rather than dial count.
The seniority ladder out of an SDR pod: an outsourced team of experienced North American sellers, in the game since 2009, with an AI-powered platform behind them.
Best for
Funded startups up to enterprise for whom the person on the call matters most: senior, onshore, never junior.
Model & pricing (Jul 2026)
Retainer tiers entered through a multi-month pilot, monthly after. Pricing only on request, a step down in clarity from CIENCE.
Where they're strong
A 4.8 on Clutch against CIENCE's 4.2, every rep senior and onshore, and a record reaching back to 2009.
Consider elsewhere if
You want to keep CIENCE's no-minimum, transparent terms. Martal asks for a multi-month pilot and quotes per scope in exchange for senior reps.
Bottom line
Where CIENCE gives you flexibility and a 4.2, Martal gives you a 4.8 and senior onshore sellers. The cost is a multi-month pilot and no public price.
Keeps the two CIENCE habits worth keeping, a clean exit and a public number, and staffs the work with long-tenured US reps instead of a pod.
Best for
Mid-market and enterprise ready to pay up for rep tenure while keeping the freedom to cancel.
Model & pricing (Jul 2026)
US teams dedicated to your account on a cancel-anytime retainer, with the price on the site: from $9,950 per four weeks.
Where they're strong
A 4.9 on Clutch, real cancel-anytime terms, tenured all-US reps, and zero mystery about the starting price.
Consider elsewhere if
CIENCE's lower, itemized entry is the draw. SalesRoads keeps the cancel-anytime freedom but starts around $9,950 per four weeks, the steepest floor here.
Bottom line
The senior-rep answer to CIENCE that keeps a public price and an easy exit, and adds a top 4.9 rating, if you can carry a roughly $10k a month floor.
Keep CIENCE's flexibility but shrink the machine: founder-run work or a narrower, cheaper way in, sized for seed and early stage.
06
Real Good GTM (that's us)
Paris · US/EuropeFounder-led · signal-based
The two founders in the work, no pod at all: signal-based outbound on email and LinkedIn for seed to early Series A B2B, delivering booked pipeline and the read on where to scale.
Best for
Seed to early Series A founders still close to their own sales who want founders on the account, not a junior pod. Paris-based, serving the US and Europe.
Model
A two-month start, then month to month, no lock-in. Signals over lists, built per segment. Pricing is custom, scoped on a fit check.
Where we're strong
Buying signals decide who we contact, the founders do the work themselves, and a live learning document tracks what converts and where to push.
Not for you if
You need cold calling, enterprise-scale SDR volume, guaranteed meeting counts, or an independently verified review score we cannot show yet.
Straight talk
Our slice is specific and we say so. If your motion needs dials at volume, we are the wrong call, and the fit check will be honest about it.
Built for a smaller budget than CIENCE's accessible floor: a LinkedIn-first agency at the cheap end of the page, adding email and calling tiers when you outgrow it.
Best for
SMB and cost-sensitive teams that want outbound proven small before anything bigger gets funded.
Model & pricing (Aug 2026)
Managed LinkedIn opens the ladder, with cold email and calling tiers above it. All three used to carry public prices, but the pricing page came down, so Cleverly quotes per scope now, like most of this list.
Where they're strong
The smallest financial commitment here, tiers priced in the open, account managers based in the US, and a sizable body of reviews.
Consider elsewhere if
You want CIENCE's full multi-channel SDR pod. Cleverly's entry tier is templated LinkedIn outreach on one channel, not a staffed team on dials and email.
Bottom line
Built for a smaller budget than CIENCE's accessible pricing, but on a single channel and quoted on a call. A cheap test, not a like-for-like pod swap.
Run down the list, find your situation, and start the conversation with that agency. A default, not a decree.
Seed or early stage, founder-led
Real Good GTM (that's us) if the founders should run it, or Cleverly if the budget decides.
You want the most proven, highest-rated pod
Belkins, holding one of the category's largest positive review samples.
You want senior onshore reps
SalesRoads or Martal Group, the two rosters of veteran North American sellers here.
You need multi-region coverage
Callbox, running cross-border programs from teams based in seven countries.
The cheapest way to test one channel
Cleverly, selling managed LinkedIn outreach at the cheap end, quoted on a call.
You want data-led appointment setting
Leadium, pairing human-validated contact research with email, phone, LinkedIn, and SMS.
Putting it together
How we'd actually choose
Outbound is what we do all day, so this is the sequence we would run, wherever we land on your shortlist.
1
Decide if you actually need to switch
CIENCE is transparent and month to month. If the friction is only the 4.2 rating or the volume model, a stronger-rated pod or a senior team is the real reason to move.
2
Decide who sits on the account
An SDR pod means throughput; a senior team or the founders mean closer conversations. Fix the model first, only then compare logos.
3
Read the terms and the reviews
Put every commitment in one column and every verified review in the other. A printed price with a monthly exit outweighs promises behind a quote.
Want a second opinion? Book a fit check and we will tell you which of these fits your stage, even when it is not us.
CIENCE is one of the few SDR-as-a-service shops that publishes itemized pricing, so most teams leave for fit reasons rather than transparency ones. The common ones we hear: its 4.2 out of 5 on Clutch trails several higher-rated peers, reviews mention some lead-quality and SDR turnover variance, the offshore option that lowers the price can widen that variance, and it is a volume pod model rather than senior reps or founders on the account. If any of those matter to you, the alternatives below fit different shapes of that problem.
How much does CIENCE cost, and are the alternatives cheaper?
CIENCE publishes itemized pricing on its own site: roughly a $5,000 setup plus $2,000 a month, with SDRs from $1,500 a month, on month-to-month terms. That is already one of the more accessible entry points here. Cleverly is cheaper still, though its pricing page was gone when we checked in August 2026, so its LinkedIn tier is quoted now. SalesRoads is more expensive at $9,950 per four weeks. Belkins, Callbox, Leadium, and Martal Group quote per scope with no public figure. Always confirm the current number on each agency's own site.
What is the best CIENCE alternative for an early-stage startup?
CIENCE is already one of the more seed-accessible options thanks to month-to-month terms, so teams that leave at early stage usually want founders on the account rather than a pod. The realistic options are a founder-led shop like Real Good GTM (that is us), a cheap templated program like Cleverly's LinkedIn tier, quoted on a call now that its prices are off the site, or, if you want senior onshore reps, SalesRoads with its cancel-anytime terms. Match the model and the price floor to your stage before the logo.
Is CIENCE a good agency?
It is a credible, large-scale SDR-as-a-service provider with genuinely transparent pricing, and it holds a 4.2 out of 5 on Clutch across 142 reviews as of July 2026. That score is solid but trails several peers on this list, and reviews note some variance in lead quality and rep turnover. The reason to consider an alternative is usually fit, whether you want a volume pod or senior and founder-led delivery, not that CIENCE is a bad agency.
Which CIENCE alternatives publish their pricing?
As of July 2026, one of the alternatives here still shows real numbers on its own site: SalesRoads lists appointment setting from $9,950 per four weeks. Cleverly listed LinkedIn tiers too until its pricing page came down, which we confirmed in August 2026, so it now quotes per scope alongside Belkins, Callbox, Leadium, and Martal Group. CIENCE itself remains one of the most price-transparent options in the category, so you are trading its transparency for a different model when you move to a quote-only shop.
How did you choose and verify this list?
We verified each agency on its own current site in July 2026: what it does, who it serves, its engagement model, and any pricing it publishes. Ratings are shown only where a credible independent sample of roughly ten or more reviews exists, read directly off Clutch and linked. There are no paid placements or affiliate links. We publish this list and we are on it; we do not rank ourselves first, and we say where we are not the fit.
About the author
Kshitij Maheshwari
Co-founder of Real Good GTM. He builds and runs signal-based outbound for seed to early Series A B2B startups. This comparison comes from working alongside and against agencies like these on live outbound programs, and from verifying every claim here on each agency's own site, not a directory listing.
Book a fit check. We'll look at your ICP, your stage, and how you sell today, then tell you straight which of these agencies fits, whether that is us or not, and whether outbound is even the right move right now.
