How this page was made. Every price and claim below was read from each vendor's own pages on 19 September 2026 and is linked to its source; where a vendor does not publish a figure we say so. emailcampaign.ai is one of the alternatives listed and we say where it fits and where it does not. Prices change; check the linked pages before buying.
Instantly is the most-reviewed tool in cold email, with unlimited email accounts and warm-up from $37.60 a month, a large template library and community, and pre-warmed Google accounts sold as an add-on. People look for alternatives when they want Microsoft 365 mailboxes (the add-on is Google only), when they want to own the domains the vendor provisions, when they need a real white-label door for clients rather than a branded portal, or after meeting features that only appear behind a paywall once inside.
Why people look for a Instantly alternative
- Pre-warmed accounts are Google only, sold in batches of five, and Instantly retains domain ownership and administrator access (source)
- Trustpilot withholds Instantly's score and a quarter of its 1,165 reviews are one-star; recurring themes are features behind paywalls not shown until purchase, charges after cancellation and AI-only support (source)
- White-label is a branded client portal on the two upper plans, and a client with campaign access sees every campaign in the workspace (source)
- Reviewers report pre-warmed domains arriving with poor reputation and dashboard scores that disagree with measured placement (source)
The alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Starting price | Provisions mailboxes and domains | Warm-up | White-label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instantly | $37.60 a month annual ($47 monthly) for 5,000 emails and 1,000 contacts | Yes, Google only: pre-warmed accounts with DNS pre-configured; Instantly retains domain ownership and administrator access | Included, unlimited | Hypergrowth ($77.60) and Light Speed plans: custom domain and logo for a client portal; clients with campaign access see every campaign in the workspace |
| Smartlead | $32.50 a month annual ($39 monthly) for 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails | Yes via partners: Google $13 a domain a year plus $4.50 a mailbox a month; Outlook via Zapmail or InfraInbox; pre-warmed $18 plus $9 | Included, unlimited, private pool | Pro and above, enabled by support: app on your own domain, client access to reports and campaigns; $29 a client workspace |
| Saleshandy | $34 a month annual ($41 monthly) for 2,000 prospects and 6,000 emails | Yes: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Azure mailboxes, pre-set with SPF, DKIM, DMARC and a tracking domain | Included through its partner TrulyInbox | Scale plan and above ($149 a month annual): custom domain and logos |
| Salesforge | $40 a month Pro (1,000 active contacts, 5,000 emails); $80 Growth (10,000 contacts, 50,000 emails, unlimited users, API); two months free on annual | Through sibling products: Primeforge $4.50, Mailforge $3, Infraforge $4 per mailbox a month billed yearly; domains $14 a year | Included, unlimited, through Warmforge | Reseller programme: 20 percent revenue share under your own domain, Stripe only, Warmforge excluded |
| lemlist | $55 a month billed annually for Email (one account); Multichannel $87 a user a month annual, five senders a user; monthly billing higher | No mailbox or domain provisioning found on its pages; you connect what you have | Included through lemwarm; standalone lemwarm sold separately | None at any tier; the agency page leads to a partner waitlist |
| Woodpecker | $35 a month for 500 contacted prospects; annual billing charges eight months for twelve | Yes: Google or Microsoft addresses $6 a month each, Maildoso, Mailforge, Infraforge or Azure $4; new domains about $1 a month billed annually; an Infraforge dedicated server $59 a month | Free slots per plan, then $5 a mailbox a month; wait three to five days before starting warm-up on new addresses | Client reporting app on your domain, $5 a month per active client, plus the $27 agency panel |
| emailcampaign.ai | Free 14-day trial; Basic $39 a month; Pro $94 a month | Yes: domains (about $12 a year), Google Workspace seats ($8.40 a month), Microsoft 365 seats at Microsoft's rate, or self-hosted servers from $39 a month; you own the domains and accounts | Included, unlimited, with a maintenance level after the ramp; never reaches your inbox | Yes: a complete webmail and admin console on the client's own domain, plus dashboard branding |
1. Smartlead · Outreach software with partner-supplied mailboxes and a per-client white-label workspace.
| Price | $32.50 a month annual ($39 monthly) for 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails |
| Model | Plan by contacts and emails; unlimited mailboxes and warm-up; client workspaces $29 a month each on Pro and above; SmartServers $39 a server |
| Provisioning | Yes via partners: Google $13 a domain a year plus $4.50 a mailbox a month; Outlook via Zapmail or InfraInbox; pre-warmed $18 plus $9 |
| DNS | SPF, DKIM, DMARC and tracking records configured automatically on partner mailboxes |
| Warm-up | Included, unlimited, private pool |
| White-label | Pro and above, enabled by support: app on your own domain, client access to reports and campaigns; $29 a client workspace |
| Placement test | SmartDelivery from $49 a month for 120 tests |
| Reviews | G2 4.6 from 306; Trustpilot 3.0 from 141 with 46 percent one-star |
Best for: Agencies running many clients from one account who are comfortable with partner-supplied mailboxes
Watch out for: Reviews cite support response of two to three days, cancellation friction, and warm-up pausing without warning
Sources: Pricing · White-label · Trustpilot
2. Saleshandy · Outreach software with unusually cheap provider mailboxes attached.
| Price | $34 a month annual ($41 monthly) for 2,000 prospects and 6,000 emails |
| Model | Plan by prospects and emails; unlimited email accounts and warm-up mailboxes; infrastructure add-on at $2.99 to $3.99 a mailbox a month plus $14 a year per domain |
| Provisioning | Yes: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Azure mailboxes, pre-set with SPF, DKIM, DMARC and a tracking domain |
| DNS | Included with provisioned mailboxes |
| Warm-up | Included through its partner TrulyInbox |
| White-label | Scale plan and above ($149 a month annual): custom domain and logos |
| Placement test | None found |
| Reviews | G2 4.6 from 773; Capterra 4.5 from 126 |
Best for: Price-sensitive teams that want sequencing and mailboxes from one vendor
Watch out for: Reviews mention charges after cancellation, marketing about daily caps, and bugs after releases
Sources: Pricing · Infrastructure
3. Salesforge · The sequencer of the Forge group, with unlimited mailboxes and Warmforge warm-up included.
| Price | $40 a month Pro (1,000 active contacts, 5,000 emails); $80 Growth (10,000 contacts, 50,000 emails, unlimited users, API); two months free on annual |
| Model | Plan by active contacts and emails; unlimited mailboxes, workspaces and warm-up; infrastructure through Primeforge, Mailforge and Infraforge as separate subscriptions |
| Provisioning | Through sibling products: Primeforge $4.50, Mailforge $3, Infraforge $4 per mailbox a month billed yearly; domains $14 a year |
| DNS | Automatic on the sibling products |
| Warm-up | Included, unlimited, through Warmforge |
| White-label | Reseller programme: 20 percent revenue share under your own domain, Stripe only, Warmforge excluded |
| Placement test | Through Warmforge from $39 a month |
| Reviews | G2 4.5 from 86 at product level (4.6 from 255 across the group); Trustpilot 3.4 from 30 |
Best for: Teams that want sequencer, mailboxes, warm-up and placement tests from one group and do not mind four brands
Watch out for: G2 reviewers call the split between Salesforge, Mailforge and Infraforge confusing; a Trustpilot review describes friction when downgrading or leaving
Sources: Pricing · Reseller programme
4. lemlist · Multichannel outreach from Paris with lemwarm included, a 650-million-contact database, and per-seat pricing.
| Price | $55 a month billed annually for Email (one account); Multichannel $87 a user a month annual, five senders a user; monthly billing higher |
| Model | Per user or account; lemwarm included on every plan; lemwarm standalone $24 to $40 per email address a month |
| Provisioning | No mailbox or domain provisioning found on its pages; you connect what you have |
| DNS | Guides only |
| Warm-up | Included through lemwarm; standalone lemwarm sold separately |
| White-label | None at any tier; the agency page leads to a partner waitlist |
| Placement test | lemwarm deliverability score; no seed-list placement product found |
| Reviews | G2 4.4 from 271; Capterra 4.6 from 391; Trustpilot 3.4 from 148 |
Best for: Small teams that want polished multichannel sequences with LinkedIn steps and warm-up in one subscription
Watch out for: Per-seat cost grows with the team; Trustpilot reviewers report features removed without warning and credits charged when data is not found
Sources: Pricing · Trustpilot
5. Woodpecker · Outreach priced by contacted prospects, from a listed Polish company, with mailboxes and domains as add-ons.
| Price | $35 a month for 500 contacted prospects; annual billing charges eight months for twelve |
| Model | Per contacted prospect ($7 per 100); unlimited team members and email accounts free; add-ons for warm-up beyond the free slots ($5 a mailbox), LinkedIn ($29), API and integrations ($20), agency panel ($27 a client) and white-label ($5 a client) |
| Provisioning | Yes: Google or Microsoft addresses $6 a month each, Maildoso, Mailforge, Infraforge or Azure $4; new domains about $1 a month billed annually; an Infraforge dedicated server $59 a month |
| DNS | SPF and DKIM set up on bought addresses; DMARC not stated; bought domains usable only inside Woodpecker |
| Warm-up | Free slots per plan, then $5 a mailbox a month; wait three to five days before starting warm-up on new addresses |
| White-label | Client reporting app on your domain, $5 a month per active client, plus the $27 agency panel |
| Placement test | None found; domain audit and deliverability monitoring |
| Reviews | G2 4.5 from 104; Capterra 4.5 from 33; Trustpilot 2.5 from 34 with 62 percent one-star |
Best for: Teams that think in contacted prospects rather than emails, and agencies wanting cheap client reporting
Watch out for: Reviews report charges after cancellation and multi-day support; the API is a paid add-on; bought domains cannot leave
Sources: Pricing · Buying domains and addresses · Trustpilot
6. emailcampaign.ai · Cold email software that provisions and warms its own infrastructure, with a white-label door for agencies.
| Price | Free 14-day trial; Basic $39 a month; Pro $94 a month |
| Model | Plan by emails per month; unlimited mailboxes and warm-up on every plan; infrastructure at cost plus $5 setup per mailbox |
| Provisioning | Yes: domains (about $12 a year), Google Workspace seats ($8.40 a month), Microsoft 365 seats at Microsoft's rate, or self-hosted servers from $39 a month; you own the domains and accounts |
| DNS | SPF, DKIM (selectors read from the provider), DMARC and postmaster records written through the registrar and shown before they go live |
| Warm-up | Included, unlimited, with a maintenance level after the ramp; never reaches your inbox |
| White-label | Yes: a complete webmail and admin console on the client's own domain, plus dashboard branding |
| Placement test | Yes, per mailbox at Gmail and Outlook |
| Reviews | New listing; reviews being gathered |
Best for: Teams that want the mailboxes, domains, DNS and warm-up done for them behind one approval, and agencies that need a client-branded door
Watch out for: The recommended 8 to 10 sends a day per mailbox means volume comes from fleet size; if you want 100 a day from one mailbox, nothing here will let you
Sources: Pricing · Infrastructure
How to choose
- Decide who owns the domains and accounts. Some vendors keep ownership or administrator access; if you may leave, you want yours in your own name.
- Count the year-two price, not the launch price. Several infrastructure vendors step prices up after twelve months or sell pre-warmed mailboxes that expire.
- Ask what happens when a domain burns. Replacement policy, and whether the vendor pauses the sender or quietly suppresses your recipients.
- Check the review sites for cancellation stories. They are the most consistent complaint in this category across vendors.
- Send at 8 to 10 a day per mailbox whatever you buy. No vendor's mailbox survives 100 a day to strangers.
Questions, answered straight
- What is the closest like-for-like Instantly alternative?
- Smartlead: the same plan shape (contacts and emails, unlimited mailboxes and warm-up), partner-supplied mailboxes for Google and Outlook, and a per-client white-label workspace at $29 a month. Its Trustpilot rating is lower than its G2 rating, with support speed the common complaint.
- Which alternative provisions Microsoft 365 as well as Google?
- Saleshandy ($2.99 to $3.99 a mailbox), Smartlead through partners, Salesforge through Primeforge ($4.50 a slot yearly), Woodpecker ($6 an address) and emailcampaign.ai, which creates the tenant and mailboxes under your ownership at Microsoft's seat rate plus a $5 setup.
- Is there an Instantly alternative where clients get their own branded webmail?
- emailcampaign.ai runs a complete webmail and administration console on the client's own domain, not only a branded dashboard: staff sign in there, the administrator controls Gmail linking, address masking, forward approval and the review of deleted mail. That is a different product from a client portal and is the reason to pick it; if you only need a branded report, Woodpecker's $5 a client is the cheapest option here.
Published 19 September 2026. Updated 19 September 2026. Written by the team that runs the infrastructure; numbers come from the platform's own provisioning and sending, and from the providers' published documentation at the time of writing.