France verdict (TL;DR)
Verified 2026-05-17France has the strictest cold-outreach regime in continental Europe alongside Germany. RGPD (GDPR transposed into French law) combined with CNIL guidance on B2B prospecting requires a documented legitimate interest basis for cold email; emailing to personal professional addresses (name@company.fr) without prior consent is legally contested and CNIL has acted against companies doing it at scale. Cold calling to professionals is permitted if Bloctel-registered numbers are excluded. Salesloft and Outreach dominate French B2B SaaS (BlaBlaCar, Doctolib, Contentsquare-tier). Locally: Datananas (Paris) is the France-specific B2B prospecting + email sequencing default for SMBs. No CRM (Paris) is a lightweight CRM often paired with outreach tools by French startups.
Picks for France
- French B2B SaaS enterprise (100+ reps): salesloft The French enterprise SaaS default. Used by Contentsquare, Doctolib, and Mirakl for their SDR operations. EU data residency. RGPD-documented legitimate interest workflows.
- French enterprise on Salesforce (multi-country): outreach Deepest workflow customization for multi-country French enterprise (SFDC + HubSpot). Used by BlaBlaCar and Criteo SDR teams. EU data residency available.
- French teams needing RGPD-compliant EU B2B data: cognism Strongest RGPD-safe European data. French B2B contact database with documented legitimate interest basis. CNIL-aware data sourcing. Better for French outbound than Apollo's US-centric database.
- French B2B SMB cold email: lemlist Paris-adjacent (Lemlist is Lyon-founded). GDPR-native product design. Strong French user community. Best EU-built cold email for French SMB teams at €39-€99/seat/mo.
- French startup multichannel outbound at low cost: apollo Growing adoption in French SaaS seed-to-Series A. USD pricing but accessible (€70-€130/seat/mo equivalent). Better fit for French teams selling globally than selling domestically.
How the sales engagement software market looks in France
France is a concentrated market: the top French B2B SaaS companies (Doctolib, BlaBlaCar, Contentsquare, Mirakl, Kyriba, Talend) run on either Salesloft or Outreach for their enterprise SDR teams, and this duopoly holds even more firmly in France than in the US because the budget for a third "value alternative" is lower in French mid-market. French SaaS startups (Station F cohort, Kima Ventures portfolio) more commonly use Lemlist or Apollo.
The CNIL is the most active data-protection regulator in the EU after the Irish DPC. CNIL fines in 2024 included actions against B2B data brokers using web-scraped contact data without documented legitimate interest. For French sales teams, the practical implication is: (1) any cold email campaign to French professional contacts requires a CNIL-defensible legitimate interest assessment (LIA); (2) Bloctel registration check is mandatory before outbound calls; (3) email prospecting to personal professional addresses (name@company.fr) carries more legal risk than email to role-based addresses (sales@company.fr, contact@company.fr).
Datananas (Paris) is the most important local vendor to understand. Founded 2016, it is a B2B prospecting + email sequencing platform built specifically for the French market, with a CNIL-conscious data model and Bloctel-integrated calling. It is not in the global top 10 because it has negligible non-France footprint, but for French SMBs doing domestic outbound, Datananas competes directly with Apollo and Lemlist and often wins on compliance ease.
RGPD (GDPR as transposed in France) + CNIL enforcement: B2B cold email to personal professional addresses requires documented legitimate interest; CNIL has published specific guidance on B2B prospecting (CNIL délibération, 2021). Bloctel: the French Do Not Call register; commercial calls to Bloctel-registered numbers are prohibited for B2C; B2B professionals who register are also protected. Vendors must suppress Bloctel numbers before any outbound calling campaign. LCEN (Loi pour la Confiance dans l'Economie Numérique): opt-out link required in all commercial email. Data localization: French public-sector and regulated-industry buyers often require EU data residency (Salesloft and Outreach both offer this; verify at contract stage).
Quick comparison, ranked for France
| Product | Best for | Starts at | 10-emp/mo* | Pricing | G2 | Geo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Salesloft | Mid-market sales orgs on Salesforce | Quote | - | 4.5 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK | |
| 1 Outreach | Enterprise sales orgs | Quote | - | 4.3 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK | |
| 5 Cognism | European outbound teams | Quote | - | 4.6 | Global; strongest in UK, EU, expanding US | |
| 3 Apollo.io | SMB-mid-market outbound teams | $0 + $0/emp | $0 | 4.7 | Global; strongest in US; data weaker in EU | |
| 9 Lemlist | Cold-only outbound teams | $39 | $39 | 4.5 | Global; strongest in EU, US, UK | |
| 8 Reply.io | AI-first outbound teams | $59 | $59 | 4.6 | Global; strongest in US, EU | |
| 4 Groove (Clari) | Salesforce-anchored mid-market | Quote | - | 4.6 | Global; strongest in US, UK | |
| 7 Mixmax | SMB sales teams | $0 + $0/emp | $0 | 4.6 | Global; strongest in US, EU | |
| 6 ZoomInfo Engage | Enterprise outbound on ZoomInfo | Quote | - | 4.0 | Global; strongest in US | |
| 10 Yesware | Solo reps and very small teams | $19 | $19 | 4.4 | Primarily US, UK |
*10-employee monthly cost = base fee + (per-employee × 10) using the lowest published tier. For opaque-pricing vendors, no value is shown.
What buyers in France actually pay
Median annual deal size by employee band, in EUR. Crowdsourced from anonymized buyer disclosures.
| Product | Employee band | Median annual (EUR) | Sample | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salesloft | 50-200 reps (French SaaS enterprise) | €62,000 | 22 | Advanced tier; EUR billed via EU entity |
| Outreach | 100-500 reps (French enterprise) | €110,000 | 14 | Enterprise tier; EUR at spot rate |
| Cognism | 10-50 reps (French SMB) | €24,000 | 31 | Diamond tier; EUR billed |
| Lemlist | 5-25 reps (French startup) | €7,200 | 88 | Email Pro; EUR billed from Lyon entity |
| Apollo.io | 5-50 reps (French scale-up) | €11,000 | 43 | Professional; USD to EUR |
France-built or France-strong vendors worth knowing
Not yet ranked in our global top 10, but credible options for France buyers and worth a shortlist.
Datananas
Visit ↗Paris-based B2B prospecting + email sequencing platform. CNIL-conscious data model, Bloctel-compatible calling features. The French SMB default for domestic outbound. €49-€149/seat/mo.
No CRM (noCRM.io)
Visit ↗Paris-based lightweight CRM focused on prospecting pipelines. Often paired with Lemlist or Datananas by French startups. Not a sequencing tool but a complementary pipeline layer.
Hunter.io
Visit ↗Paris-built email finder (now broader). Used by thousands of French SMB sales teams for prospecting. Pairs with Lemlist for end-to-end French cold email.
All 10, ranked for France
Same intelligence as the global ranking, vendor trust, review patterns, verified pricing, compliance, reordered for the France market.
Salesloft
Salesforce-anchored mid-market sales engagement default.
Salesloft is the mid-market sales engagement default for Salesforce-anchored teams. Acquired Drift (conversation AI) and now bundles Cadence + Dialer + Conversations + Deals into one platform. The product's strengths: cleanest Salesforce integration, mid-market price point ($125-$165/seat/mo), and one-platform consolidation. Trade-offs: pricing creep post-Vista acquisition (2022), some Drift integration friction, and AI features less mature than Apollo or Reply.io.
Mid-market sales orgs (50-500 reps) anchored on Salesforce, wanting one-platform consolidation (cadence + dialer + conversations + deals).
Enterprise (1,000+ reps) needing deepest workflow customization (Outreach better), HubSpot-anchored teams (Apollo better fit), or SMB under 25 reps (Mixmax/Yesware cheaper).
Strengths
- Cleanest Salesforce integration in category
- Mid-market price point ($125-$165/seat/mo)
- One-platform: Cadence + Dialer + Conversations + Deals
- Mature integration ecosystem (250+)
- Best for SFDC-anchored mid-market
- Drift acquisition added conversational AI
Weaknesses
- Pricing creep post-Vista acquisition (2022)
- Drift integration still has friction
- AI features less mature than Apollo/Reply.io
- Support response times vary
- Analytics depth thinner than Outreach Pro+
Pricing tiers
opaque- Essentials~$75-$125/seat/mo typicalQuote
- Advanced$125-$165/seat/mo with dialerQuote
- Premier$200+/seat/mo with ConversationsQuote
- · Implementation fee ($5K-$25K)
- · Annual price increases
- · Conversations (Drift) at higher tier
- · Deals module separate
Key features
- +Cadence/sequence builder
- +Dialer with local presence
- +Conversations (Drift) for call recording
- +Deals (forecasting)
- +Analytics dashboards
- +Salesforce-native architecture
- +250+ integrations
- +Mobile apps
Outreach
Deepest cadence and analytics for enterprise sales orgs.
Outreach is the enterprise sales engagement leader, founded 2014, last valued $4.4B (2021). The product's strengths: deepest cadence and sequence customization, strongest analytics depth, and the largest installed base in enterprise (5,000+ customers). Best fit for sales orgs with 100+ reps requiring workflow customization. Trade-offs: pricing escalated meaningfully ($130-$230/seat/mo typical mid-market), AI features arrived later than Apollo and Reply.io, and customer support quality has declined as the company scaled.
Enterprise sales orgs (100+ reps) requiring workflow customization, deep analytics, and proven enterprise scale.
SMB sales teams under 50 reps (Apollo/Mixmax cheaper), Salesforce-native teams (Groove cleaner integration), or AI-first cold outbound (AI SDR agents better).
Strengths
- Deepest cadence and sequence customization
- Strongest analytics and reporting depth
- Largest enterprise installed base (5,000+ customers)
- Strong workflow customization for complex orgs
- Mature integration ecosystem (300+)
- Established AI features (Outreach Kaia, Outreach AI)
Weaknesses
- Pricing escalated meaningfully ($130-$230/seat/mo)
- AI features arrived later than challengers
- Customer support quality declined as company scaled
- Implementation complexity meaningful for mid-market
- Dialer requires separate purchase for some tiers
Pricing tiers
opaque- Standard~$100-$130/seat/mo typicalQuote
- Professional$160-$200/seat/mo with analyticsQuote
- Enterprise$200-$280/seat/mo with custom workflowsQuote
- · Implementation fee ($10K-$50K)
- · Annual price increases of 8-12%
- · Outreach Kaia (conversation AI) separate
- · Dialer add-on at lower tiers
Key features
- +Cadence/sequence builder
- +Dialer (most tiers)
- +Email tracking and templates
- +AI features (Kaia, Outreach AI)
- +Analytics and reporting
- +Workflow customization
- +300+ integrations
- +Mobile apps
Cognism
European-leading B2B contact data + engagement.
Cognism is the European-leading B2B contact data platform with sales engagement features. Founded 2015 in London. The product's strengths: GDPR-compliant European contact data, strong mobile number coverage in EMEA, and integrated cadence + dialer. Best fit for European outbound teams or US-based teams selling into EMEA. Trade-offs: US contact data quality not as deep as Apollo/ZoomInfo, pricing higher than Apollo, and engagement depth thinner than Outreach.
European outbound teams or US-based teams selling into EMEA, prioritizing GDPR-compliant data and mobile number coverage.
US-only outbound (Apollo cheaper, deeper US data), enterprise (Outreach/Salesloft better), or budget-conscious SMB (Apollo Free tier cheaper).
Strengths
- GDPR-compliant European contact data
- Strong mobile number coverage in EMEA
- Integrated cadence + dialer + intelligence
- Works for European outbound
- Founder-led; product velocity strong
Weaknesses
- US contact data quality less deep than Apollo
- Pricing higher than Apollo
- Engagement depth thinner than Outreach
- Smaller integration ecosystem (~120)
- Support depends on tier
Pricing tiers
opaque- Platinum~$1,500-$2,500/seat/year typicalQuote
- Diamond$2,500-$4,000/seat/year with dialerQuote
- · Implementation fee ($5K-$15K)
- · Per-contact credits at lower tiers
- · Dialer minutes overage
Key features
- +GDPR-compliant B2B contact data
- +Mobile number coverage (EMEA strongest)
- +Cadence/sequence builder
- +Dialer
- +Intent data
- +120+ integrations
Apollo.io
All-in-one sales intelligence + engagement at $79-$149/seat.
Apollo.io is the strongest all-in-one sales intelligence + engagement platform. Combines a 275M+ B2B contact database with cadence + dialer + email tracking + AI features at $79-$149/seat/mo, meaningfully cheaper than Outreach/Salesloft for comparable depth. Best fit for SMB-mid-market outbound teams (10-200 reps) wanting consolidated tooling. Trade-offs: contact data quality variable in non-US markets (Cognism better in EU), some advanced cadence features thinner than Outreach, and the Apollo AI add-on is the AI SDR product (covered separately as `apollo-ai`).
SMB-mid-market outbound teams (10-200 reps) wanting consolidated sales intelligence + engagement at sub-Outreach pricing.
Enterprise (500+ reps) needing deepest workflow customization (Outreach better), EU-anchored outbound (Cognism better data), or Salesforce-native teams (Groove better fit).
Strengths
- All-in-one: contacts + cadence + dialer + email
- Best value at $79-$149/seat/mo
- 275M+ B2B contact database built in
- Strong AI features (Apollo AI for SDR)
- Mature integration ecosystem (200+)
- Free tier with 50 sequences/mo
Weaknesses
- Contact data quality variable in non-US markets
- Cadence depth thinner than Outreach Pro+
- Apollo AI sold as separate product (AI SDR)
- Support is hit-or-miss
- Per-seat scaling adds up at higher tiers
Pricing tiers
public- FreeUp to 50 sequences/mo, 10K contact credits$0+$0 /mo +/emp
- BasicPer seat; basic cadence$49 /mo
- ProfessionalPer seat; dialer, AI features$79 /mo
- OrganizationPer seat; advanced reporting, SSO$149 /mo
- · Per-contact credit limits
- · Apollo AI (SDR agent) separate product
- · Dialer minutes overage
Key features
- +275M+ B2B contact database
- +Cadence/sequence builder
- +Dialer with local presence
- +Email tracking
- +AI writing features
- +Chrome extension
- +200+ integrations
- +Mobile apps
Lemlist
Cold email + image personalization for cold-only outbound.
Lemlist is the cold-email-focused engagement platform built in France. The product's strengths: image and video personalization in cold emails (the original Lemlist differentiator), warming network (Lemwarm), and lempod community engagement. Best fit for cold-only outbound teams (1-50 reps) prioritizing creative personalization. Trade-offs: cadence depth thinner than Outreach, no built-in dialer, and engagement layer narrower than Apollo.
Cold-only outbound teams (1-50 reps) prioritizing creative image/video personalization and warming network.
Multi-channel outbound (Reply.io/Outreach better), enterprise (Outreach/Salesloft better), or all-in-one buyers (Apollo cheaper with contacts).
Strengths
- Image and video personalization in cold emails
- Lemwarm email warming network
- Fits cold-only outbound
- Affordable pricing ($55-$129/seat/mo)
- European-built, GDPR-native
Weaknesses
- Cadence depth thinner than Outreach
- No built-in dialer
- Engagement layer narrower than Apollo
- Smaller integration ecosystem (~50)
- AI features less mature than Reply.io
Pricing tiers
public- Email StarterPer seat; basic cold email$39 /mo
- Email ProPer seat; campaigns, AI$69 /mo
- Multichannel ExpertPer seat; LinkedIn, calls$99 /mo
- Outreach ScalePer seat; advanced features$159 /mo
- · Lemwarm add-on for warmup
- · Annual billing for discount
Key features
- +Image and video personalization
- +Cold email campaigns
- +Lemwarm email warming
- +Multi-channel (Pro+)
- +AI features (Pro+)
- +50+ integrations
Reply.io
AI-led outbound automation at $59-$99/seat.
Reply.io is the AI-first sales engagement challenger. The product moved aggressively into AI features (AI sequence generation, AI replies, AI SDR agent) earlier than Outreach/Salesloft. Best fit for outbound teams wanting AI-led automation at $59-$99/seat/mo. Trade-offs: cadence depth thinner than Outreach, contact data not built in (must integrate Apollo/Cognism), and Support inconsistency reported.
AI-first outbound teams (5-100 reps) wanting AI-led automation and multi-channel cadence at sub-Outreach pricing.
Enterprise needing deepest workflow customization (Outreach better), all-in-one buyers (Apollo includes contacts), or Salesforce-native teams (Groove better).
Strengths
- Aggressive AI-led product (sequences, replies, SDR agent)
- Affordable per-seat pricing ($59-$99/seat/mo)
- Multi-channel: email + LinkedIn + calls
- Right call for AI-first outbound teams
- Clean modern UX
Weaknesses
- Cadence depth thinner than Outreach
- Contact data not built in
- Support response times vary
- Smaller integration ecosystem (~70)
- Some AI features oversold vs reality
Pricing tiers
public- Email VolumePer seat; multichannel sequences$59 /mo
- MultichannelPer seat; AI features, calls, LinkedIn$99 /mo
- AgencyCustom; multiple workspacesQuote
- · Annual billing for discount
- · AI Agent add-on costs
- · Email warmup add-on
Key features
- +AI sequence generation
- +AI replies
- +Multi-channel: email + LinkedIn + calls
- +AI SDR agent (separate add-on)
- +Email warmup
- +70+ integrations
Groove (Clari)
Salesforce-native sales engagement (no sync architecture).
Groove is the Salesforce-native sales engagement platform, built directly on Salesforce architecture rather than syncing to it. Acquired by Clari in 2022, now positioned as part of the Clari Revenue Platform. The product's strengths: zero sync issues with Salesforce, native security model, and tight Clari forecasting integration. Best fit for sales orgs deeply anchored on Salesforce (50-500 reps). Trade-offs: outside Salesforce ecosystem the product is meaningfully weaker, post-Clari direction has shifted toward enterprise, and pricing has escalated.
Sales orgs deeply anchored on Salesforce (50-500 reps) wanting native architecture and tight Clari forecasting integration.
Non-Salesforce shops (Apollo/Outreach better), AI-first outbound (Apollo AI/Reply.io better), or budget-conscious SMB (Mixmax/Yesware cheaper).
Strengths
- Salesforce-native architecture (no sync)
- Tight Clari forecasting integration
- Native Salesforce security model
- Right call for SFDC-anchored mid-market
- Established brand with 1,500+ customers
Weaknesses
- Outside Salesforce ecosystem weaker
- Post-Clari direction shifted to enterprise
- Pricing escalated post-acquisition
- Product velocity slower than Apollo/Reply.io
- AI features less mature
Pricing tiers
opaque- Groove Plus~$95-$125/seat/mo typicalQuote
- Groove Premier$125-$170/seat/mo with dialerQuote
- Groove Enterprise$170+/seat/mo with Clari integrationQuote
- · Implementation fee ($5K-$25K)
- · Clari Revenue Platform separate
- · Annual price increases
Key features
- +Salesforce-native architecture
- +Cadence/sequence builder
- +Dialer
- +Email tracking
- +Clari forecasting integration (Premier+)
- +Analytics dashboards
- +150+ integrations
Mixmax
Lightweight Salesforce-native engagement at $34-$69/seat.
Mixmax is the lightweight Salesforce-native sales engagement platform at SMB pricing. Founded 2014 in San Francisco. The product's strengths: clean Gmail-native UX, Salesforce sync, calendar scheduling, and affordable per-seat pricing ($34-$69/seat/mo). Best fit for SMB sales teams (5-50 reps) wanting basic cadence without Outreach/Salesloft complexity. Trade-offs: feature depth limited vs Outreach, scaling above 50 reps gets challenging, and AI features less mature.
SMB sales teams (5-50 reps) wanting basic cadence + calendar scheduling at SMB pricing without Outreach/Salesloft complexity.
Enterprise (Outreach/Salesloft better), AI-first outbound (Apollo/Reply.io better), or Salesforce-anchored requiring native architecture (Groove better).
Strengths
- Clean Gmail-native UX
- Salesforce sync (not native architecture)
- Calendar scheduling built in
- Affordable per-seat pricing ($34-$69/seat/mo)
- Best for SMB sales teams
- Free tier available
Weaknesses
- Feature depth limited vs Outreach
- Scaling above 50 reps challenging
- AI features less mature
- Salesforce sync (not native like Groove)
- Smaller integration ecosystem (~80)
Pricing tiers
public- Free100 emails/day, basic tracking$0+$0 /mo +/emp
- SMBPer seat; cadence + scheduling$29 /mo
- GrowthPer seat; Salesforce sync, AI$49 /mo
- Growth + SalesforcePer seat; advanced Salesforce features$69 /mo
- EnterpriseCustom; advanced securityQuote
- · Annual billing for discount
- · Per-seat scaling adds up
Key features
- +Gmail-native UX
- +Cadence/sequence builder
- +Calendar scheduling
- +Email tracking
- +Salesforce sync
- +Dialer add-on
- +80+ integrations
ZoomInfo Engage
Engagement bundled with ZoomInfo intelligence.
ZoomInfo Engage (formerly Tellwise/Chorus engagement) is ZoomInfo's sales engagement layer, bundled with their B2B intelligence platform. The product's primary advantage: tight integration with ZoomInfo contact and intent data, a default choice for ZoomInfo-committed buyers. Trade-offs: outside the ZoomInfo ecosystem weaker, pricing meaningful (ZoomInfo bundles start $15K-$80K/year), product velocity has slowed post-MarketSource consolidation, and rep UX inferior to Outreach/Salesloft.
Enterprise outbound teams already on ZoomInfo wanting bundled intelligence + engagement (50-500 reps).
Non-ZoomInfo buyers (Apollo cheaper all-in-one), best-of-breed buyers (Outreach + ZoomInfo separate), or budget-conscious SMB.
Strengths
- Tight ZoomInfo intelligence integration
- Default choice for ZoomInfo-committed buyers
- Public company financial transparency
- Mature integration with Chorus (conversation AI)
- Made for enterprise outbound on ZoomInfo
Weaknesses
- Outside ZoomInfo ecosystem weaker
- Pricing meaningful ($15K-$80K bundled)
- Product velocity slowed post-consolidation
- Rep UX inferior to Outreach/Salesloft
- Customer support quality declined
Pricing tiers
opaque- EngageBundled with ZoomInfo SalesOS; $15K-$80K+/year typicalQuote
- Engage ProAdvanced cadence + dialerQuote
- · Bundled with ZoomInfo SalesOS subscription
- · Implementation fee
- · Annual price increases of 8-12%
Key features
- +Cadence/sequence builder
- +Dialer
- +ZoomInfo intelligence integration
- +Chorus conversation AI integration
- +Email tracking
- +180+ integrations
Yesware
Cheapest credible email tracking + sequences at $19-$65/seat.
Yesware is the cheapest credible email tracking + light sequences platform, founded 2010 in Boston, acquired by Vendasta in 2022. Best fit for solo reps and very small teams (1-10) wanting basic email tracking + sequences without paying Outreach/Salesloft prices. Trade-offs: feature depth significantly limited vs full sales engagement platforms, no dialer, no AI to speak of, and post-Vendasta acquisition product velocity has slowed.
Solo reps and very small teams (1-10 reps) wanting basic email tracking + light sequences at the lowest credible pricing.
Anyone needing real cadence depth (Mixmax/Apollo better), enterprise (Outreach/Salesloft better), or AI-first outbound (Reply.io better).
Strengths
- Cheapest credible email tracking + sequences ($19-$65/seat/mo)
- Built for solo reps and very small teams
- Gmail and Outlook native
- Email tracking and templates
- Established brand
Weaknesses
- Feature depth significantly limited
- No built-in dialer
- No AI features to speak of
- Post-Vendasta product velocity slowed
- Smaller integration ecosystem (~40)
Pricing tiers
public- ProPer seat; tracking, templates$19 /mo
- PremiumPer seat; campaigns, reports$35 /mo
- EnterprisePer seat; CRM sync, advanced$65 /mo
- · Annual billing for discount
Key features
- +Email tracking
- +Email templates
- +Light sequences (Premium+)
- +Gmail and Outlook native
- +40+ integrations
Frequently asked questions
The questions buyers actually ask before they sign.
Is cold email to French professional contacts legal under RGPD?
What is Bloctel and how does it affect sales call campaigns in France?
Outreach vs Salesloft, which one for mid-market?
How does sales engagement differ from AI SDR?
How much should I budget for sales engagement?
Will my sales engagement work with my CRM?
How long does sales engagement implementation take?
Should I use the dialer included or buy a separate one?
How does this overlap with conversation intelligence (Gong, Chorus)?
What about AI features in 2026?
Final word
Looking at a different market? See the global Sales Engagement Software ranking, or pick another country at the top of this page.
Last updated 2026-05-17. Local pricing reverified quarterly. Found something inaccurate? Tell us.