Artisan Just Launched Ava 2.0. Is It Actually Autonomous?
Artisan released Ava 2.0 -their AI BDR that claims to run your entire outbound on autopilot. We break down what's new, what's real, and how it compares to Gelee.
Ava 2.0 just dropped. Here's what you need to know.
Artisan recently launched Ava 2.0, positioning it as "the only AI BDR that runs your entire outbound on autopilot." It is a significant update -expanded contact database (250M+ contacts, 22+ data sources), multi-channel campaigns across email, social, and phone, and autonomous objection handling.
It is an ambitious product. Let's break down what Ava 2.0 actually does and how it compares to a LinkedIn-focused AI SDR like Gelee.
Different philosophies
Artisan built Ava as an all-in-one AI BDR -contact database, email outreach, social touches, and reply handling in a single platform. The pitch is "replace your entire outbound stack."
Gelee built a LinkedIn-native AI SDR -deep on one channel, handling outreach, replies, objections, content creation, and meeting booking. The pitch is "your AI SDR for LinkedIn."
Breadth vs depth. Both are valid approaches. The right choice depends on what you need.
The comparison
| Artisan (Ava) | Gelee AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary channel | Email + social | |
| Contact database | 250M+ B2B contacts built-in | Uses LinkedIn search |
| AI reply handling | Yes | Yes (trained on your voice) |
| LinkedIn depth | Social touches, not full conversations | Full AI SDR -outreach, replies, objections, booking |
| Content creation | No | Yes |
| Meeting booking | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Custom (contact sales) | $800/mo (transparent) |
| Contract | Annual | Month to month |
| Setup | Multi-week onboarding | 15 minutes |
| Self-serve | No | Yes |
What Artisan does well
Artisan has invested heavily in building a comprehensive platform:
Where the tools differ
Channel depth vs channel breadth. Artisan covers email, social, and phone. Gelee goes deep on LinkedIn only -but that depth includes voice training, objection playbooks, content creation, and fully autonomous conversations.
Data sourcing. Artisan has a built-in contact database. Gelee uses LinkedIn's own search and your imported lists. If you need a database, Artisan bundles that in. If your prospects are on LinkedIn, Gelee finds them natively.
Pricing transparency. Artisan requires a sales conversation to get pricing. Gelee is $800/mo on the website. Whether pricing transparency matters to you is personal, but it is a difference worth noting.
Setup speed. Artisan typically involves a multi-week onboarding. Gelee is designed for 15-minute setup -connect LinkedIn, fill out intake form, launch.
The channel question
Artisan's primary strength is email outreach with social touches. Gelee's primary strength is LinkedIn conversations.
If your buyers respond best to cold email, Artisan gives you a full-stack solution. If your buyers respond best on LinkedIn, Gelee gives you deeper capabilities on that specific channel.
For most B2B founders selling to other founders and executives, LinkedIn reply rates (12-18%) significantly outperform cold email reply rates (under 2%). But the right channel depends on your specific audience.
When to choose each
Choose Artisan if you want an all-in-one platform with built-in contact data, multi-channel outreach, and you prefer email as your primary channel. The bundled database removes the need for separate prospecting tools.
Choose Gelee if LinkedIn is where your buyers respond, you want deep AI capabilities on that channel (voice-matched replies, objection handling, content creation), and you want to start fast with transparent pricing.
Bottom line
Artisan is building the all-in-one AI BDR. Gelee is building the best LinkedIn AI SDR. If you want breadth across channels, Artisan is worth evaluating. If you want depth on LinkedIn -the channel with the highest B2B reply rates -Gelee is purpose-built for exactly that.