A sales dialer is software that places outbound calls from a contact list for sales reps. It logs each call and moves to the next number, so reps spend time talking instead of dialing by hand. A dialer is usually one of five types: preview, power, progressive, predictive or parallel.
By Nabil Irfan, founder of Sales Montana · Updated
What is Sales Montana? Sales Montana is a power dialer and CRM for B2B teams. Montana, its AI head of sales, finds leads, reviews every interaction and tells each rep where to focus. One flat price for the platform: Engine $99 a month for up to 3 users, or Pro $297 a month for unlimited users, billed monthly. About us.
A sales dialer takes a list of contacts and works through it for the rep. It queues the records, places each call and stores the outcome, so a rep can stay in one place and keep talking. The exact feature list varies, but most dialers cover the same jobs.
Our outbound dialer page covers the types and the compliance rules in full. The type descriptions here follow the vendor and legal sources listed there, checked October 5 and October 12, 2026.
Sales dialers come in five common types. They differ in how many numbers they call for each rep, and whether a rep is free when someone answers.
| Type | How it dials | Who answers first | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preview | Shows the record first, then the rep dials | The rep is ready when it connects | Complex B2B accounts and enterprise sales |
| Power | Dials the next number as soon as the rep logs the last call | The rep is ready when it connects | B2B SDR and founder led teams |
| Progressive | Dials only when a rep is free, at a set number of lines per rep | The rep is ready when it connects | Mid volume teams that want a steady pace |
| Predictive | Dials ahead of free reps, predicting when each will finish | The prospect may answer before a rep is free | Large consumer call centers |
| Parallel (AI) | Calls a batch at once and bridges the first live answer to the rep | The first live answer is bridged to the rep | Large SDR teams on low connect lists |
The terms overlap. "Auto dialer" covers all five, and the names change between vendors. Our power vs predictive vs auto dialer page goes deeper on the two most common modes.
A short checklist for comparing tools:
Many sales dialers connect to a CRM you buy and pay for separately. You dial in one tool, keep the pipeline in another, and try to keep the two in sync.
Some products ship the dialer and the CRM in the same app. Sales Montana is one of them, and we make it. The call log, the contact record and the deal sit together, so a rep updates the pipeline from the same screen used for dialing. See the power dialer page, or the best power dialers list, for how that compares.
Sales dialer pricing differs by vendor and plan. Sales Montana's published price is Engine at $99 a month for up to 3 users, or Pro at $297 a month for unlimited users, billed monthly. See pricing and the cheapest power dialers list for the detail.
What is a sales dialer?
A sales dialer is software that places outbound calls from a contact list for sales reps. It logs each call and moves to the next number, so reps spend their time talking instead of dialing by hand.
What is the difference between a sales dialer and a power dialer?
A sales dialer is the general term for any software that places calls from a list. A power dialer is one type: it calls one number per rep and starts the next call as soon as the rep logs the last one. Other types include preview, progressive, predictive and parallel dialers.
Do I need a CRM to use a sales dialer?
No. Many sales dialers connect to a CRM you already pay for. Some products, including Sales Montana, build the CRM into the same app, so the call log and the pipeline live together.
Is a sales dialer legal to use?
Generally yes in the US, with rules. Calling hours, the National Do Not Call Registry, limits on abandoned calls and consent for prerecorded calls can all apply, and most business-to-business calls are exempt from the telemarketing rules. This is a summary, not legal advice, so check with counsel. Our outbound dialer page lists the sources.
How much does a sales dialer cost?
Prices differ by vendor and plan. Sales Montana charges a flat $99 a month for Engine, up to 3 users, or $297 a month for Pro, unlimited users, billed monthly.
See also: outbound sales glossary · outbound dialer · Sales Montana power dialer · best power dialers · Sales Montana pricing.
Engine is $99 a month for up to three users, and Pro is $297 for unlimited users, with Montana reviewing every connected call. Start with a 14-day trial.