Who is CIENCE?
CIENCE is a US outbound appointment setting company that rents you SDRs who call, email and message your buyers on LinkedIn, then put qualified meetings on your calendar.
The basics, as of November 14, 2026:
- Founded: 2015, per its Clutch profile.
- Headquarters: Denver, Colorado, with offices in Kyiv, Ukraine and Guadalajara, Mexico, per Clutch.
- Size: 1,000 to 9,999 employees, per Clutch.
- Parent group: its homepage says CIENCE sits in "the graph8 group" next to Tenbound and graph8. graph8 is the software platform its SDRs run on.
- Claims: 2,500+ B2B clients over 10+ years, 115+ public case studies, and 5 to 20+ qualified meetings a month per SDR, depending on industry and target, per its homepage.
One flag for careful readers. Its outbound SDR page quotes 2,500+ clients in one place and 1,500+ companies in another. Probably different counting windows. Ask which one is current.
So CIENCE is big, established and still trading. No acquisition, no shutdown. The question isn't whether it exists. It's whether its reviews and its model fit YOU.
What CIENCE sells: SDR teams, data and the graph8 platform
CIENCE sells done-for-you sales development: human SDRs for conversations and qualification, with AI handling research, follow-up and scheduling, per its outbound SDR page.
The menu on its homepage:
- Teams: Outbound SDR, Inbound SDR, Scaled Outbound, Local SDR and Inside Sales.
- Scope: sales outsourcing, cold email, cold calling, appointment setting and telemarketing.
- GTM work: playbook, setup, revenue system setup and enterprise teams.
- Data: B2B data, audience data, local data and lead generation lists.
Channels are phone, email, social and LinkedIn. SDRs are vetted with mock call recordings and background checks, and graph8 tracks their activity, per the same page.
Translation? You're buying a staffed outbound desk plus the software it runs on. Not a funnel. Not ads. People reaching out to people who didn't ask.
CIENCE pricing in 2026: what it actually costs
CIENCE publishes its pricing: a $2,000 monthly campaign team fee, a $499 monthly graph8 platform fee, and SDRs from $1,750 (offshore) or $3,500 (US and Europe) per person per month, per its pricing page on November 14, 2026.
| Line item | Price | Notes (per CIENCE's pricing page) |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign team | $2,000 a month | Flat, whatever the SDR count. Runs campaigns, reviews SDR work, reports held meetings monthly |
| graph8 platform | $499 a month | Contact data, email, calls, workflows. 75,000 credits a month |
| Offshore SDR | From $1,750 a month each | English-speaking, outside the US and Europe |
| US or Europe SDR | From $3,500 a month each | In your time zone |
| Performance bonus | On top of the fee | Paid per SDR against a monthly held-meeting target |
| Setup | Not listed | One-time fee. Go-live in under 14 days |
| Contract | Month to month | No long contract. Add or remove SDRs monthly |
Here's the maths for the smallest realistic setups, before bonus and setup:
- 1 offshore SDR: $2,000 + $499 + $1,750 = $4,249 a month.
- 1 US SDR: $2,000 + $499 + $3,500 = $5,999 a month.
- 5 offshore SDRs (CIENCE's own example): $11,249 a month.
Now the bonus. Below 60% of an SDR's held-meeting target, no bonus. From 60% to 99%, it's base x percent of target x 0.35. At 100% and up, base x percent of target x 0.7.
The page doesn't define "base." So run an illustrative case, NOT a quote: if base were the $3,500 US SDR fee and the SDR hit exactly 100%, the bonus would be $3,500 x 1.0 x 0.7 = $2,450. That month costs $8,449 for one SDR.
Credit where due. Tying the bonus to HELD meetings, not booked ones, is the right incentive. Most outbound shops bill on bookings. Ask CIENCE to define base, target and "held" in writing before you sign.
CIENCE reviews: Clutch, Trustpilot and what reviewers say
CIENCE's reviews are split: 4.2 out of 5 on Clutch from 142 reviews, but 1.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 21 reviews, both checked on November 14, 2026.
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clutch | 4.2 | 142 | Quality 4.2, schedule 4.4, cost 4.0, willing to refer 4.3. Profile unclaimed |
| Trustpilot | 1.6 | 21 | 95% 1-star. Only 1 review in the last 12 months. Company hasn't invited reviews recently |
| CIENCE's own reviews page | 4.4 average | Counts not shown | Lists UpCity 4.8, Clutch 4.4, CrowdReviews 4.8, GoodFirms 4.8, G2 4.0, TrustRadius 4.3, Google 4.0 |
| G2 | Not verified | G2 blocked our fetch. Check it directly |
Notice the gap? CIENCE's own page shows Clutch at 4.4. Clutch itself showed 4.2 the day we checked. Ratings drift. Always read the live profile.
What reviewers praise. On Clutch, the most common tags are communicative (25 mentions), great project management (24) and high-quality work (21). Clients credit adaptability and organised campaigns.
What reviewers flag. Results are mixed. Several Clutch and Trustpilot reviewers report few or no meetings, poor lead quality, SDR and account manager turnover, and refund disputes. A few go further and allege fabricated leads. Those are reviewers' claims, not verified findings, and Trustpilot's sample is old and small.
The fair read? CIENCE runs a lot of campaigns. Some land. Some don't. Clutch reviewers suggest results depend on how sharply the client defines its target market and message. That's true of EVERY outbound vendor, and it's exactly what you should pressure-test on the sales call.
Is CIENCE worth it? Who it suits
CIENCE suits B2B teams that want staffed outbound on a month-to-month contract, can define a tight target list, and want transparent, published pricing they can model before the first call.
- Good fit: a company with a proven sales process, a clear ideal customer profile and deal sizes that can carry $4,249 to $6,000+ a month per SDR seat.
- Good fit: teams that want to scale SDR headcount up or down monthly without hiring.
- Weaker fit: anyone who needs a guaranteed outcome. Its outbound SDR page calls 30 days an early results window, not a promise.
- Weaker fit: brands whose buyers already search for the solution. Outbound reaches people who aren't looking. That demand already exists for some markets, and cold outreach ignores it.
Quick test. Do you know your best 2,000 accounts by name? Outbound can work. Do buyers come to you when the problem hits? Then paying SDRs to interrupt strangers is the long way round.
CIENCE vs insaneX: rented SDRs vs buyers who book themselves
CIENCE sends SDRs to find buyers. insaneX runs ads so buyers find you and book the call themselves. Same goal, a sales call. Opposite direction.
| CIENCE | insaneX | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Outbound: phone, email, LinkedIn | Inbound: Meta and Google ads to a cold traffic offer |
| Who starts it | A CIENCE SDR | The buyer, after clicking an ad |
| Qualification | SDR qualifies on the conversation | 7-question quiz, about 30 seconds, before the calendar shows |
| Booking | SDR books the meeting | Calendar inside the quiz, buyer self-books |
| After booking | SDR hands off to sales | CRM, email and SMS follow-up plus a VSL |
| Reporting | Held meetings reported monthly | Held and qualified calls reported separately |
| Launch | Under 14 days (its claim) | Built and live in 14 days |
| Published pricing | Yes, per line item | Not listed on this page |
| Track record | 2,500+ clients claimed | $54.3M+ client revenue, 85+ SaaS and B2B brands |
Why does direction matter? Intent.
An outbound meeting happens because an SDR was persistent. An inbound call happens because the buyer picked the time. Different energy on the call. Different close rate. Measure both on held calls and let the numbers decide.
How to compare a CIENCE quote: cost per held meeting
Compare any CIENCE quote on cost per held, qualified meeting, never on the monthly fee alone.
Use CIENCE's own range: 5 to 20+ qualified meetings a month per SDR. Take one US SDR at $5,999 a month, before bonus and setup.
| Held meetings a month | Cost per held meeting | Read it as |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | $1,200 | Bottom of CIENCE's stated range |
| 10 | $600 | Middle of the range |
| 20 | $300 (plus any bonus) | Top of the range, and the bonus kicks in |
Illustrative maths from CIENCE's published fees, not a quote. Same invoice. A 4x swing in what each meeting costs you.
Then go one step further: cost per held meeting divided by your meeting-to-opportunity rate gives cost per opportunity. That's the number your CFO cares about.
Plug your real figures into the cost per held call guide. Then ask CIENCE three things in writing:
- What is the held-meeting target per SDR, and what is "base" in the bonus formula?
- How much is the one-time setup fee?
- Who decides whether a meeting was qualified, and does a no-show count?
The best CIENCE alternatives in 2026
The closest CIENCE alternatives are SalesHive, Leadium, SalesRoads and Belkins for outbound, Hyperke for high-volume cold email, and insaneX if you'd rather buyers book themselves from ads.
| Provider | Model | Published price | Rating (as of Nov 14, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIENCE | SDR teams plus graph8 platform | $2,000 team + $499 platform + SDRs from $1,750 a month (its pricing page) | Clutch 4.2 (142) |
| SalesHive | US SDRs, phone and email | Custom flat monthly fee, not published | Trustpilot 3.5 (35) |
| Leadium | Email, calling, LinkedIn, gifting | Not published, month to month | Clutch 5.0 (90) |
| SalesRoads | US phone-led SDRs | $11,950 per 4 weeks for 1 SDR (its pricing page) | Clutch 4.9 (69) |
| Belkins | Omnichannel outbound | From $5,000 a month (its Callbox comparison) | Clutch 4.9 (234) |
| Hyperke | High-volume cold email plus calling | Not published, fit guide of $5K+ a month after a pilot | Clutch: not yet reviewed |
| insaneX | Inbound: Meta and Google ads to a 7-question quiz | Not listed on this page | Not rated on this page |
- SalesHive. US-based core SDRs, a flat monthly fee, no setup fee, and no per-meeting pricing, per its pricing page. Mixed Trustpilot reviews. See SalesHive reviews.
- Leadium. Month-to-month contracts and a 5.0 Clutch score from 90 reviews. Prices aren't published. See Leadium reviews.
- SalesRoads. The clearest published SDR rate card in outbound, no long-term contract. See SalesRoads alternatives.
- Belkins. Top-rated on Clutch, retainer or pay-per-appointment. See Belkins alternatives.
- Hyperke. Built for markets with 50,000+ reachable prospects, per its homepage. See Hyperke reviews.
Before you sign anything, run the provider vetting checklist and compare the full field in best appointment setting companies.
Questions
How much does CIENCE cost?
Per CIENCE's pricing page in November 2026: $2,000 a month for the campaign team, $499 a month for the graph8 platform, plus SDRs from $1,750 a month offshore or $3,500 in the US and Europe. One US SDR comes to $5,999 a month before a one-time setup fee and any held-meeting bonus.
Is CIENCE legit?
Yes. CIENCE was founded in 2015, per Clutch, lists 1,000 to 9,999 employees, and holds 4.2 on Clutch from 142 reviews. Its Trustpilot score is much lower, 1.6 from 21 reviews, with only one review in the last 12 months, so read both before deciding.
Why are CIENCE reviews so mixed?
Praise centres on communication and project management. Complaints centre on few or no meetings, lead quality, staff turnover and refund disputes. Clutch reviewers suggest results depend heavily on how clearly the client defines its target market and messaging.
Does CIENCE have a long-term contract?
No. CIENCE's homepage and pricing page say month to month with no long contract, and you can add or remove SDRs monthly. There is a one-time setup fee whose amount is not published.
Does CIENCE guarantee meetings?
No guarantee is published. Its outbound SDR page describes 30 days as an early results window, and its homepage says 5 to 20+ qualified meetings a month per SDR depending on industry and target. A performance bonus is paid only when SDRs hit held-meeting targets.
What are the best CIENCE alternatives?
For outbound: SalesHive (US SDRs, flat fee), Leadium (month to month, 5.0 on Clutch), SalesRoads (published SDR rate card) and Belkins. For high-volume cold email: Hyperke. For inbound: insaneX, which books calls from ads and a 7-question quiz.
Is CIENCE the same as graph8?
They are linked. CIENCE's homepage places it in the graph8 group with Tenbound and graph8, and its SDRs work on the graph8 platform, which CIENCE bills at $499 a month.