AI SDR handles top-of-funnel outbound and qualification. AI BDR specializes in early-stage pipeline development (post-MQL, pre-AE). Some teams use both; others use only the SDR variant. The distinction matters most in larger orgs with formal SDR/BDR splits.
AI SDR — what it does
The AI SDR runs outbound prospecting end-to-end: ICP-matched account discovery, contact enrichment, multi-channel sequences, reply handling, qualification questions, and meeting booking. It's the most-deployed agent because outbound is most teams' first use case.
AI BDR — what it does
The AI BDR works the layer between marketing-qualified leads and AE-ready opportunities. It picks up MQLs from your marketing automation, qualifies them with a few outreach touches, and either escalates to an AE (if qualified) or returns them to nurture (if not). It's the right agent if your team has a formal BDR/AE handoff.
When to use only the AI SDR
Smaller teams (under ~50 reps), pure outbound motions, or teams without a formal SDR/BDR/AE split. The SDR agent handles everything from cold to qualified-meeting-booked, then hands to an AE.
When to use both
Larger teams with formal role splits. The AI SDR runs cold outbound; the AI BDR handles inbound MQL qualification. Together they cover both pipeline-generation motions without overlap.
How they coordinate
If both are deployed, they share the same Golden DB and signal layer. If the AI SDR's prospect becomes an MQL (e.g. downloads content), the orchestrator hands the prospect to the AI BDR for inbound-style qualification. The transition is invisible to the prospect.
