Head to head

Artisan vs Needle

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Autonomous AI BDR (Ava): find, enrich, outbound, replies, meetings. Listed around $600/mo; the vendor does not publish a price grid.

Where Artisan fits

  • GTM teams replacing an SDR with an agent
  • HubSpot or Salesforce shops
  • Companies that will buy credits plus a mailbox stack
  • Buyers comparing AiSDR and Ava

Needle

$199/agent/mo 7 day free trial

AI revenue agents that work across CRM, email and calendar. Needle Pro is $199 per agent per month, billed yearly, after a one-week free trial.

Where Needle fits

  • Revenue teams that want an always-on agent per rep
  • Orgs with existing LLM contracts (BYOK skips credits)
  • Companies planning a fleet of agents
  • Teams that want a one-week trial first

At a glance

DetailArtisanNeedle
Starting price600$199/agent/mo
Free tier–No–No
Free trialNot on record7 day free trial
MCP server–No✓Yes
Public API–No✓Yes
Listed underLead generation, OutreachLead generation, LinkedIn, Outreach

Where they pull apart

Artisan

Stands out: Ava as an AI employee for outbound (HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack named), sold like headcount, not like Instantly.

Watch out: Pricing is not published. Confirm the current credit pack on a demo before you budget.

Not the right fit for

  • People who need a $29 sequencer
  • Teams that refuse autonomous outbound
  • Buyers who need a published price today

Needle

Stands out: One plan with every frontier model included, and bring-your-own LLM keys that do not use credits.

Watch out: Billing is yearly per agent, and sign-up goes through a sales conversation. Pro includes 20,000 credits; extra usage is sold in 10,000-credit packs.

Not the right fit for

  • Buyers who want a monthly self-serve plan
  • Recruiters looking for an ATS, not a sales agent

Pros and cons

Artisan

  • Full-cycle AI BDR rather than a sequencer with a writer
  • HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack named
  • Sold as headcount replacement, which is the honest frame
  • No published pricing grid
  • Credits and mailboxes will stack on top of $600
  • Not a cheap Instantly alternative

Needle

  • One-week free trial, no card
  • Every frontier model on one plan
  • BYOK calls do not use credits
  • Billed yearly per agent
  • Sign-up goes through sales
  • Onboarding package is an extra fee

What each one costs

Artisan

600

Credit-based plans scale with lead volume, mailboxes, and dialer seats. Third-party reporting places an Employee plan near $600/mo billed annually; higher volume and Enterprise tiers are sales-quoted. Confirm current packaging on artisan.co/pricing.

Checked 8 Sep 2026

Needle

$199/agent/mo

Needle Pro is $199 per agent per month with 20,000 credits, billed yearly. Extra credits come in 10,000-credit packs, and Enterprise deployments are quoted. A one-week trial is free with no card. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Is Artisan cheaper than Needle?
Needle starts lower, at $199/agent/mo against 600 for Artisan. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.
Can you try Artisan or Needle for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. Needle offers a 7 day free trial.
Does Artisan or Needle have an MCP server?
Needle ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Artisan alternatives All Needle alternatives Every Lead generation tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 8 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?