Best AI Tools for Sales Managers in 2026
Short answer: Gong is the AI tool a sales manager should buy in 2026 when the company will sign a quote. Licenses are per user, a platform fee scales with supported users, and Gong publishes no dollar. Salesforce Sales Cloud Core is $195 per user a month, billed annually, when the forecast has to stay in the CRM. Scratchpad Team is $49 per user a month, billed yearly, when the Monday commit is a Salesforce sheet. Salesloft now sells Clari Forecast after the December 2025 merger, and it prints no list price.
Ranked for the person who owns the forecast call, the coaching queue, and the slipped deal.
A sales manager should buy the tool that changes the number on the forecast call. A prettier call recap belongs with the closer, and it will not defend the commit the manager has to stand behind.
Gong is that forecast-and-coaching buy when someone will sign a quote. The public page gives the shape and withholds the dollar: licenses are per user, a platform fee depends on how many users the contract supports, and integrations are free. The quote form splits teams into 1 to 50, 51 to 1,000, 1,001 to 9,999, and 10,000 and up, so a peer company's contract is not a number you can paste into your own budget.
Toolradar data: of the 42 revenue intelligence tools we track, 2 are free and 7 are freemium (21% with a free or freemium plan), while 32 are paid only (76%). A free listing in that set is often a recorder, so it will not produce a forecast a manager can defend in a board meeting.
How we chose: these 9 were ranked for a manager who coaches reps and calls a number, against the 42 tools in the revenue intelligence category. Prices were verified on vendor pages in September 2026, in USD, with no paid placement. The method is on how we rate.
The wider catalog is the revenue intelligence platforms guide. Closers belong in the account executive guide, and email-sending agents belong in the AI sales agents guide. Routing and enrichment sit on the RevOps guide, and the CRM under all of them is the AI CRM guide.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gong | Quote only, per user | 4.77,281 reviews | Managers who coach from calls and will sign a company quote. |
| Salesloft (Clari Forecast) | Publishes no list price | 4.44,535 reviews | Managers who want a board-level forecast and live call coaching from one vendor. |
| Salesforce | From $195/user/mo yearly | 4.444,685 reviews | Teams that already keep opportunities in Salesforce and want the forecast there. |
| Scratchpad | From $49/user/mo yearly | 4.61,560 reviews | Managers who run Monday's commit on a Salesforce sheet with a public price. |
| Weflow | From $79/user/mo yearly | 2.8144 reviews | Salesforce teams that want an AI forecast without waiting on a Gong quote. |
| Backstory | Publishes no list price | 4.5629 reviews | Managers who need deal answers while viewers stay off the invoice. |
| Outreach | Quote only, per user | 4.33,902 reviews | Teams already running Outreach sequences that need forecast rollups on Pro. |
| Chorus | Custom quote | 4.52,994 reviews | Managers who want inbox coaching prompts rather than a full forecast suite. |
| Avoma | From $29/seat/mo yearly | 4.61,370 reviews | Managers who need scorecards before they wait on a Gong or Chorus contract. |
Managers who coach from calls and will sign a company quote.
Gong is the dominant revenue intelligence platform, but its pricing is deliberately opaque and expensive.
Watch out
Standard contracts are 2-3 years with annual upfront payment, no monthly billing option exists. Early termination means forfeiting the remaining contract value
Managers who want a board-level forecast and live call coaching from one vendor.
Watch out
Add-ons increase total cost
Teams that already keep opportunities in Salesforce and want the forecast there.
Salesforce is the most powerful CRM on the market, but the sticker price is a fraction of what you will actually pay.
Watch out
Premier Support: 30% surcharge on total license fees. Without it, you get no phone support and 2-day response SLAs. Most orgs need it.
Managers who run Monday's commit on a Salesforce sheet with a public price.
Scratchpad's pricing is fair, offering a generous Free tier with 10 hours of call recording and 100 AI credits.
Salesforce teams that want an AI forecast without waiting on a Gong quote.
This pricing structure is best suited for established sales teams with significant budgets looking for comprehensive Salesforce automation and AI insights.
Watch out
Add-ons for past activity sync and reporting.
Managers who need deal answers while viewers stay off the invoice.
Teams already running Outreach sequences that need forecast rollups on Pro.
Outreach's pricing structure, while not publicly disclosed with specific dollar amounts, appears to be expensive given its modular, per-user, and usage-based model for different functionalities.
Managers who want inbox coaching prompts rather than a full forecast suite.
However, custom pricing often indicates a higher cost, likely positioning it as an expensive option compared to market alternatives that offer transparent pricing.
Managers who need scorecards before they wait on a Gong or Chorus contract.
Avoma's pricing is fair, offering a generous free Basic tier.
What an AI tool for a sales manager is
An AI tool for a sales manager is software that inspects the forecast, the pipeline, or the calls a manager cannot attend, and flags the deal to coach before the commit.
The bill rarely matches the login, which is how a cheap manager seat still hides an expensive team. Gong charges a license plus a platform fee, and a teammate with no seat is a free Collaborator with limited access, so listening is not the same purchase as submitting the number. Backstory, formerly People.ai, charges for people whose customer activity is ingested and does not charge managers, finance, deal desk, or ops to view. Avoma charges recorder seats and leaves viewers free, while Chorus charges recorder seats and, in ZoomInfo's implementation guide, leaves listeners free.
Clari and Salesloft closed a merger on December 3, 2025, and Clari Forecast is now a Salesloft product. The merger FAQ says existing contracts, prices, and renewal dates do not change, and that no product is being force-migrated. The public forecast page is now written as Salesloft, so a new quote is one company's paperwork and you still have to ask which login you are buying.
Why the manager seat is often the free one
The expensive seat is usually the rep who is recorded, connected, or licensed to submit a forecast. A manager who only listens can look cheap on Gong, Avoma, Chorus, and Backstory, then discover that coaching, deal inspection, or forecast submission is a second product that still has to be bought.
On Gong's current model, Foundation is the core license, Enable Essentials is coaching, and Gong Forecast is the full submission product. Gong's renewal example turns 20 old Pro seats into 20 Foundation seats plus 20 Forecast Essentials seats, so a renewal is a new mix of products. Seats added after that renewal are a separate purchase if those people also need Deals.
Salesforce is the path with a printed user price. Twelve months of Max, at the published rate, is $6,600 per user before add-ons, and twelve months of Core is $2,340, so the edition is the budget decision before any dashboard. The Revenue Intelligence dashboards are a further line, and Salesforce does not name which suites include them.
If the CRM is still undecided, settle HubSpot vs Salesforce before you price a forecast tool, and use the sales engagement platforms guide when the gap is sequences rather than the commit, and read Gong alternatives if Gong will not quote.
Key Features to Look For
Where the forecast number is allowed to live (Essential)
Name the system that holds the commit before you compare stickers, or you will pay for a second forecast nobody opens. Salesforce Core's FAQ includes advanced pipeline management and forecasting, opportunity scoring, and conversation intelligence. Salesloft's Clari Forecast page filters by bookings, renewals, region, segment, account size, or time period, and trains Forecast AI on historical deal data. Outreach puts forecast projection, rollups, and a scenario planner on Amplify Pro only, so a cheaper package will not run that meeting. Scratchpad and Weflow write the commit on Salesforce records.
Who actually pays for a seat (Essential)
A manager login is not the same invoice as a recorded rep, and budgeting only the listener will understate the bill. Gong Collaborators are free and limited, and Backstory does not charge viewers, and the fee sits on connected customer-facing people plus consumed answers. Avoma charges recorder seats only, and Chorus's implementation guide charges recorders and not listeners. Outreach is per user with no platform fee, and listener licenses are an unpriced add-on. Weflow's Revenue AI bundles list a minimum of 10 users, which rules out a team that cannot put ten people on the order.
What shows up without a rep typing it (Essential)
These tools matter when they log the update the rep skipped, because a forecast on blank fields is the spreadsheet you already have. Backstory ingests email, calls, and meetings, including into Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Oracle. Scratchpad prices a call summary or a single-call field suggestion at 1 AI credit, and a multi-call question at 5, so a cross-call review spends the pool much faster. Weflow syncs email and calendar into native Salesforce objects, Salesloft writes CRM updates from the call and can score calls, and Chorus syncs relationship data back to the CRM.
Coaching that lands before the 1:1 (Important)
A library of recordings is not coaching until a manager is told which call to open. Gong sells that nudge as Enable Essentials, separate from the core license, so a Foundation-only quote will not queue the 1:1. Chorus sends coaching recommendations to an inbox, and Salesloft puts battlecards on the live call. Avoma's conversation intelligence add-on scores calls against SPICED, Sandler, and MEDDICC, which helps only if the team already uses one of those frameworks. Revenue.io stays off this list: Moments guidance is on every package, including Activate, and the company asks for Salesforce teams of 15 seats or more.
What happens when usage runs past the pack (Important)
Some products stop when the pack runs out, and some keep going and settle later, which decides whether a heavy coaching week breaks Monday. Scratchpad turns AI off at zero credits, leaves the workspace usable, and does not roll credits over. Backstory's True Forward model does not shut off mid-term and does not back-bill, and the next renewal is sized to actual use. Gong lets eligible admins buy more seats in product, prorated, with the invoice in 2 to 3 days, but a license cut needs the Revenue Architect. Outreach sells extra credit packs and does not print the pack price.
What you already own after the merger and the CRM (Important)
Do not buy a second forecast because the logo changed. The December 3, 2025 merger FAQ says the merger does not rewrite a current contract, does not force a move off Groove, and does not include the other product free. Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Gong were left in place. Max lists Agentforce for Sales, and the grid marks that agent as available for purchase on Core and Advanced, so a Core demo is not proof the agent is included.
What to weigh before the forecast vendor gets a meeting
Ask Salesloft for Clari Forecast alone, conversation intelligence alone, and the bundle on one sheet. The December 2025 FAQ says you do not get the other platform free because the companies combined, so one signature can still be two invoices.
On Salesforce, read Core's included forecasting against the Revenue Intelligence add-on, because they are different lines. The add-on page says some editions already include the dashboards and does not name those editions, so leave the line in the model until the order form removes it.
If the team is under 10 people, Weflow's Revenue AI bundles are the wrong row, because those three bundles list a 10-user minimum. Scratchpad Team can start at one license, while Revenue.io says it is built for Salesforce teams of 15 seats or more, and it publishes no list price, so a smaller team should not wait on that quote.
Evaluation Checklist
Run one real forecast call in the tool: submit a number, roll it to a manager, and change a close date. If that takes a second system, the product is a recorder.
On Salesforce, match the edition on the order form to Core, Advanced, or Max, then ask whether Revenue Intelligence at the add-on rate is already inside it.
For Salesloft, get Clari Forecast alone, Conversation Intelligence alone, and the bundle priced in writing. The merger FAQ does not make one of them free.
On Scratchpad, spend a multi-call question (5 credits) and a one-call summary (1 credit) and see whether the Team pool survives a week of coaching.
On Weflow, confirm the Q2-26 analytics labels are actually live, and confirm you are on the enterprise bundle if you expected an AI-predicted number rather than a submitted call.
Turn on Chorus's 180-day auto-delete only if legal wants it. The default is to keep recordings until someone deletes them.
Pricing Overview
Quote, then a platform fee
Gong, when call review and forecast submission have to be company software, and the quote form's team band matches the org you will actually license.
No public dollar
CRM edition
Salesforce, when the opportunity already lives there. Budget Core for advanced forecasting, and a separate line if you need the Revenue Intelligence dashboards.
Core, then an add-on
Salesforce sheet with a list price
Scratchpad Team for the Monday commit, or Weflow's enterprise bundle when the AI forecast prediction has to be written into the contract.
Tens of dollars per user
One company, two jobs
Salesloft, with Clari Forecast for the forecast narrative and Conversation Intelligence for live call coaching. Ask for both prices, and do not assume the merger merged the invoice.
Quote only
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Best for a manager | Entry price | Who is free | Try before pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gong | Calls plus forecast seats | No public dollar | Collaborators, limited | Quote form |
Forecast plus live coaching | No list price | Not stated | Demo | |
Salesforce | Forecast in the CRM | $195/user/mo Core | No free forecast seat | 30-day trial |
Scratchpad | Monday commit sheet | $49/user/mo Team yearly | Free plan, capped | Free plan |
Weflow | AI forecast bundle | $79/user/mo yearly | Not stated as free | 14-day trial |
Backstory | Deal answers | No list price | Manager viewers | Demo |
Outreach | Forecast on Pro only | No public dollar | Listener add-on, unpriced | Quote |
Chorus | Inbox coaching prompts | Custom quote | Listeners, per the guide | Demo |
Avoma | Printed scorecards | $29/seat/mo add-on yearly | Viewers and collaborators | 14 days, no card |
USD prices verified September 2026 on vendor pages: Gong pricing, Gong plans, Clari and Salesloft merger FAQ, Clari Forecast on Salesloft, Salesloft pricing, Salesforce Sales pricing, Salesforce Revenue Intelligence, Scratchpad pricing, Weflow pricing, Backstory pricing, Outreach pricing, Salesloft conversations, Chorus pricing, Avoma pricing.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Buying a meeting recorder the account executive team likes, then finding the forecast call still lives in a spreadsheet. The account executive list covers a different job from this commit.
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Assuming Core's forecasting FAQ includes the Revenue Intelligence dashboards. Salesforce sells those dashboards as their own add-on and does not name the suites that already contain them.
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Letting every rep buy Scratchpad Solo, which is one license per person, while a shared credit pool and a Gong connection start on Team.
- ×
Treating Outreach Essentials as the manager package because it mentions coaching. Forecast projection, rollups, and the scenario planner are on Pro, two packages up.
Expert Tips
- →
Put the manager on the free listener seat and spend the paid seats on the reps whose calls change the number. Then buy the smallest forecast or scorecard module the Monday meeting actually opens.
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On Gong, name the application in the quote: Enable Essentials for coaching, Forecast Essentials or Gong Forecast for the number. Gong on a slide is not a product name.
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Ask Salesforce whether the $220 Revenue Intelligence add-on is already inside the edition you pay for, and get the answer on the order form, because the product page will not tell you.
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If you already pay Clari or Salesloft, take the December 2025 promise in writing at renewal: price, renewal date, and no forced migration. Then price the missing half as its own line.
- →
For a team under 10, start on Scratchpad Team or Avoma Organization rather than a Weflow bundle. The bundle minimum is 10 users, and Revenue.io's own page says 15 Salesforce seats.
Red Flags to Watch For
- !
A quote that prices the platform after the Clari and Salesloft merger without splitting forecast and conversation intelligence.
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A Salesforce demo of Agentforce for Sales on a Starter or Pro Suite org. The grid marks that agent as a purchase on Core and Advanced, and includes it in the Max list.
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A Gong renewal that adds headcount and assumes the new people inherit Deals. Gong's own example says seats added after renewal are purchased separately.
- !
A Weflow order for Deal Intelligence at the lower module price when the team asked for AI forecast prediction, which the page puts on the enterprise bundle.
- !
An Outreach Plus signature when the manager needed forecast rollups, which are listed on Amplify Pro.
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A Backstory order still written only as People.ai, or the reverse, so procurement and security review different vendors.
The Bottom Line
Gong is the tool to request a quote for when the manager's week is call review plus a forecast submission, and you accept that the dollar is not public. Salesforce Core is the printed path when the pipeline already lives in that CRM, with Max as the edition that lists Agentforce for Sales and a separate Revenue Intelligence add-on you should not assume is included. Scratchpad Team and Weflow's enterprise bundle are the Salesforce layers with a price on the page. Salesloft has sold Clari Forecast since the December 3, 2025 merger, and the forecast and the call coach are still two line items until a quote says otherwise.
Backstory is the odd invoice: managers do not buy a seat, and there is still no list price. Outreach only becomes a forecast tool on Amplify Pro. Chorus is the inbox coach with free listeners and a custom quote. Avoma is the scorecard product you can price without a sales call, once the coaching and revenue add-ons sit on the recorder.
Cite this: Toolradar, "Best AI tools for sales managers 2026", September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best AI tool for sales managers in 2026?
Gong is the best fit when a sales manager needs call coaching and a forecast seat and the company will sign a quote. Gong publishes no dollar: licenses are per user, plus a platform fee based on supported users, so the shape is public and the invoice is not. Salesforce Core is the alternative when the forecast should stay in the CRM. Scratchpad Team is the alternative when you need a Salesforce commit sheet with a public price. Salesloft is the alternative when the forecast and live call coaching should come from one vendor, since it now sells Clari Forecast.
How much do AI tools for sales managers cost?
Salesforce Sales Cloud Core is $195 per user a month, billed annually. Max is a higher suite, and Revenue Intelligence is $220 per user a month, billed annually, unless your edition already includes it. Scratchpad Team is $49 per user a month, billed yearly. Weflow's Revenue AI Enterprise bundle is $79 per user a month, billed annually, with a 10-user minimum, so a smaller team cannot use that row. Avoma's coaching and revenue add-ons are each $29 per seat a month on annual billing, on top of a recorder plan. Gong, Salesloft, Outreach, Chorus, and Backstory publish no list price.
Is there a free AI tool for sales managers?
There is no serious free forecast suite in this ranking. What is free is the watcher, and a watcher cannot submit the number. Gong Collaborators pay nothing and get limited access. Avoma viewers are free, and the 14-day trial does not require a card. Chorus listeners are free in ZoomInfo's implementation guide, and their meetings are not recorded. Backstory does not charge managers to view. Scratchpad's Free plan includes 100 AI credits per user a month, 3 views, and 10 recording hours, and AI stops when credits run out. Salesforce's Free Suite is $0 and is not the Pro or Core forecast.
Should a sales manager choose Gong or Clari Forecast?
Choose Gong when the raw material is the call: coaching applications, deal inspection, and a forecast product you add as seats on top of Foundation. Choose Clari Forecast, now sold by Salesloft, when the raw material is the number: filters for bookings, renewals, region, and segment, week-over-week pipeline movement, and an AI Forecast Agent tied to live rep activity. Neither Gong nor Salesloft publishes a dollar. Many teams end up with both, which is a second quote rather than a feature toggle inside one login.
Do Clari and Salesloft still sell separately after the merger?
They are one company, and they still sell separate products. Clari and Salesloft completed their merger on December 3, 2025, and Salesloft's pricing page now lists Clari Forecast, Inspect, and Analytics next to Cadence and Conversation Intelligence. The customer FAQ says existing contracts, prices, and renewal dates do not change, and there is no required migration. Using one product does not grant free access to the other, so a new buyer should ask for each product as its own line on the order form.
Does Salesforce include AI forecasting for managers?
Pro Suite lists sales quoting and forecasting, which is a thinner commit than the advanced forecast on Core. Core's pricing FAQ goes further: advanced pipeline management and forecasting, opportunity scoring, and conversation intelligence. That is not the same line as Revenue Intelligence, the dashboard product with Forecast Insights and a Commit Calculator, priced as an add-on when the edition does not already include it. Agentforce for Sales is on the Max feature list, and the grid marks it available for purchase on Core and Advanced. A 30-day trial exists for the Sales Cloud editions.
What is the difference between a sales manager tool and an account executive tool?
A manager tool changes the forecast, the coaching queue, or the deal the manager will inspect on Monday. An account executive tool writes the note, the follow-up, or the proposal on one live deal, and that recap does not roll a number up to a board. Avoma can sit in both jobs: Startup is the recorder, and the scorecard and revenue add-ons are what make it a manager product. Recorders and proposal rooms are ranked in the account executive guide, while this page ranks the commit.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best AI Tools for Sales Managers in 2026", updated September 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-ai-tools-for-sales-managers