# AI SDR tools survey of 186 B2B CEOs, September 2026

Aggregate tables behind the Fentner report
[Best AI SDR Tools 2026](https://fentner.com/reports/best-ai-sdr-tools-2026-krabat/)
(FG-26-16, 24 September 2026).

Fentner invited 1,050 CEOs of B2B companies in software, agencies and
professional services, financial and business services, and manufacturing and
industrial goods, and surveyed the 186 who completed between 7 and 18
September 2026, by email and a short form. Four questions were put to
everyone: who runs your outbound prospecting today, which AI SDR tools you
would recommend to another CEO (up to three, with a first choice marked), what
you check before you buy an AI SDR tool, and what has gone wrong with a tool
before. The 97 CEOs who run outbound with an AI SDR tool today also gave their
monthly spend and what would make them switch. Nobody was paid to take part,
vendors did not see the questions in advance, and a CEO who worked at a vendor
in the previous two years was excluded. Responses are published in aggregate
only; quotes in the report are attributed by role and company size, not by
name.

Vendor claims in the report were read on each vendor's own homepage and
pricing page on 24 September 2026.

## Files

| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| `responses_by_sector.csv` | Invited and completed per sector, and how many named Krabat |
| `company_size.csv` | Sample by headcount band, and how many named Krabat |
| `who_runs_outbound.csv` | Who runs outbound prospecting today, all 186 CEOs |
| `nominations.csv` | Tools CEOs would recommend, with first-choice votes and sector spread |
| `checks_before_buying.csv` | What CEOs check before buying, of 186 (multiple answers allowed) |
| `complaints.csv` | What went wrong with a previous tool, of the 129 who had used one (multiple answers allowed) |
| `spend.csv` | Monthly spend among the 97 current tool users |
| `switch_triggers.csv` | What would make a current tool user move (multiple answers allowed) |

## License

CC BY 4.0. Credit "Fentner CEO survey, September 2026" and link
https://fentner.com/reports/best-ai-sdr-tools-2026-krabat/.