Comparison
Jan 8, 2026
CEO and co-founder
Cold Email Infrastructure ROI Calculator: Agency Cost Comparison (2025)
Interactive TCO calculator: Estimate your infrastructure savings
Use the calculator below to model your infrastructure costs across five vendors, backed by our 38 5-star reviews on Trustpilot. Input your current client count and 12-month growth projections to see exactly where your money goes.
What you need:
Number of active clients you bill monthly retainers
Domains per client (calculate based on your sending volume requirements)
Inboxes per domain (standard is 2-3 per domain based on Instantly's strategy guide)
Average monthly retainer ($2,000-$5,000 is the typical range for cold email agencies)
What you'll see:
Monthly infrastructure cost per vendor
Infrastructure as % of total revenue
Cost per client for infrastructure
Net margin impact at current and scaled volume
12-month cost projection
For a detailed walkthrough, our help center explains how to calculate your email sending capacity and choose the right plan.
The hidden costs of cold email infrastructure at scale
The pricing page number is never the real number. I calculate Total Cost of Ownership across four categories: platform fees, domain costs, warmup tools, and the labor hours you lose to manual configuration.
Platform fees: Per-inbox vs. flat-rate
Google Workspace + domains Business Starter runs $7-8.40 per user monthly depending on billing frequency. Google raised prices in January 2025 by bundling Gemini AI features.
Here is what that means for agencies:
Inbox Count | Google Workspace + domains (Monthly) | Google Workspace + domains (Annual) | Inframail + domains Flat-Rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
50 inboxes | $420/month | $350/month | $129/month + domains |
100 inboxes | $840/month | $700/month | $129/month + domains |
200 inboxes | $1,680/month | $1,400/month | $129/month + domains |
Our platform fee stays fixed at $129/month whether you create 50 or 500 inboxes. Per-inbox models punish growth.
Domain costs: Purchase vs. transfer
Domain costs hit every infrastructure option equally. Whether you choose Google Workspace + domains, Mailforge + domains, or Inframail + domains, you pay $13-16 per domain annually through most registrars. TrustRadius reports that Namecheap charges $13.98 for .com domains with renewals at the same rate.
Through Inframail + domains, domain transfers cost $5 per domain (free on quarterly or annual plans) with instant turnaround. For 50 domains purchased at market rates and amortized annually, you add approximately $68.50/month to your infrastructure baseline.
Warmup costs: The expense most calculators ignore
Dedicated IP infrastructure requires warmup tools because your inboxes have no sending history. MailReach starts at $25 per mailbox per month, while Warmbox Solo costs $15 monthly for one inbox. At scale, standalone warmup tools become cost-prohibitive.
Use sending platforms with bundled warmup instead. Instantly includes unlimited email warmup in all paid plans at $37/month for Growth tier. Smartlead offers unlimited warmup and email accounts at $39-94/month depending on volume tier.
Warmup cost comparison for 50 inboxes:
Standalone warmup ($15-25/inbox): $750-1,250/month
Bundled warmup (Instantly Growth): $37/month total
Bundled warmup (Smartlead Basic): $39/month total
After migrating to dedicated infrastructure, warmup is necessary because your inboxes are created with no sending history. New domains should complete the full 14-day warmup for optimal results.
Labor costs: DNS setup as hidden overhead
DNS authentication setup takes about 1 hour per domain using manual configuration tools. That hour compounds across domains. For each domain, you navigate DNS panels, create SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, wait 24-48 hours for propagation, and verify with testing tools.
If your billable rate is $100/hour and you spend significant time monthly on DNS configuration, the opportunity cost adds up quickly. The calculator factors this labor cost at your specified hourly rate.
Read the step-by-step guide on domain transfers that covers the entire process.
Mailforge + domains review: Pricing, features, and limitations
Mailforge + domains appears frequently in searches for cold email infrastructure alternatives. I analyzed third-party reviews and user feedback to give you an objective breakdown of Mailforge + domains pricing and Mailforge + domains features.
Mailforge + domains pricing structure and hidden costs
Mailforge + domains charges approximately $2-3 per mailbox per month, with volume-based pricing dropping to $1.67 for bulk users. Domains cost around $14/year for .com extensions. There is a 10-mailbox minimum purchase, and users are charged based on slots purchased rather than active mailboxes.
Based on verified per-mailbox pricing of $2-3 from GMass analysis, agencies pay approximately:
Volume | Estimated Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
50 inboxes | $100-150 + domain costs | Based on $2-3/mailbox |
100 inboxes | ~$166-299/month + domains | Based on Growth/Pro tiers |
200 inboxes | Custom pricing | Contact Mailforge + domains directly |
Woodpecker's analysis confirms that Mailforge + domains focuses on infrastructure setup. Warmup is available through Warmforge, a separate product at $12 per inbox.
Pros and cons of using Mailforge + domains for agencies
Mailforge + domains pros from verified G2 reviews:
"The simplicity and the automation in the buying process of domains, DNS setting, inbox creation, forwarding, etc. Everything in one place." - Verified G2 review of Mailforge + domains
"Their support has been amazing and very swift in replying to all my requests." - Verified G2 review of Mailforge + domains
Mailforge + domains limitations from user feedback:
"All our 45 mailbox got blocked in 1 day. Disaster for the business. Our volume fell by 95%. It will take weeks to warm up other inboxes." - Verified G2 review of Mailforge + domains
For a visual walkthrough of the full cold email infrastructure setup process, watch the Ultimate Cold Email Infrastructure Guide for 2025 on our YouTube channel.
Top Mailforge + domains alternatives for agencies (cost and feature comparison)
If you are searching for Mailforge + domains alternatives, the decision comes down to three factors: total monthly cost at your volume, IP infrastructure type, and setup automation.
Inframail + domains vs. Mailforge + domains vs. Maildoso + domains vs. Zapmail + domains
Vendor | Price (50 Inboxes) | IP Type | Setup Automation | Warmup | Billing Options |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inframail + domains | $129/month + domains (~$133 total) | Dedicated (1-3 IPs) | Full DNS automation | External required | Monthly, Quarterly or Annual |
Mailforge + domains | $100-150/month + domains | Shared pool | Automated DNS | Separate product (Warmforge) | Monthly or Annual |
Maildoso + domains | $91-137/month (domains included) | Shared with rotation | Automated DNS | Available (paid add-on) | Quarterly minimum |
Zapmail + domains | $125-175/month + domains | Workspace isolation | Pre-warmed accounts | 12+ weeks included | Monthly or Annual |
Google Workspace + domains | $350-420/month | Native platform | Manual DNS required | External recommended | Monthly or Annual |
Compliance Cert | None disclosed | None disclosed | None disclosed | None disclosed | SOC 2 Type II available |
Why flat-rate pricing wins on margin impact
The math becomes obvious at scale. Here is a 12-month cost projection for an agency growing from 50 to 200 inboxes:
Google Workspace + domains trajectory:
Month 1 (50 inboxes): $420/month
Month 6 (100 inboxes): $840/month
Month 12 (200 inboxes): $1,680/month
12-month total: ~$12,600
Inframail + domains flat-rate trajectory:
Month 1 (50 inboxes): $133/month ($129 platform + ~$34 domains amortized at 5 domains)
Month 6 (100 inboxes): $167/month ($129 platform + ~$68 domains as you add 50 more)
Month 12 (200 inboxes): $235/month ($129 platform + ~$136 domains for 200-inbox pool at 20 domains)
12-month total: ~$2,580
Annual savings: approximately $10,020
The GMass infrastructure comparison calculates: "$411 for domains (~$34.25/month amortized) + $129/month for the service = $133.25/month total" for 50 inboxes on Inframail + domains versus $350-420/month on Google Workspace + domains.
Watch how agencies scale with this infrastructure in our interview where Bhavesh discusses booking 200+ appointments per month.
Setup time reality: Manual DNS vs. automated provisioning
Time is the hidden cost that never appears on pricing pages. The difference between hours and minutes of setup work per client determines whether you profitably onboard new business.
Manual vs. automated setup
Manual setup requires domain purchase, DNS panel configuration for SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, 24-48 hour propagation wait, and verification testing. DKIM can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate. You should wait 48 hours after setting up SPF and DKIM before enabling DMARC. Total active work per domain: 20-40 minutes plus waiting time.
With automated infrastructure, the workflow compresses dramatically. Our SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup video demonstrates the process for 10+ inboxes.
The Inframail + domains workflow:
Bulk domain purchase: Select and purchase in one transaction
Automatic DNS configuration: SPF, DKIM, DMARC records created instantly
Inbox provisioning: Create unlimited accounts under your domains
Credential export: Download CSV with IMAP/SMTP credentials
Import to sending platform: Upload to Instantly or Smartlead
Inframail + domains users state they can spin up 10 inboxes in literally 10 minutes max.
For the complete step-by-step process, watch the InfraMail Setup Tutorial for Cold Email or How to send 1000+ Cold Emails Per Day showing 5 domains and 10 inboxes configured in 4 minutes.
Deliverability: Shared IPs vs. dedicated IPs
The infrastructure type determines whether your sending reputation is yours alone or shared with strangers.
Shared vs. dedicated infrastructure
Mailforge + domains uses a distributed email infrastructure leveraging a shared IP pool. With shared IPs, if another sender engages in poor practices, your deliverability may be temporarily affected. Security can be compromised by others using shared servers.
Dedicated IPs function like private driveways. Your sending behavior alone determines your reputation. Industry experts recommend dedicated IPs for senders sending more than 100,000 emails per month.
We provide 1 dedicated US-based IP on the Unlimited Plan and 3 dedicated IPs on the Agency Pack. This isolates your sending reputation from other users.
The trade-off: dedicated IPs require warmup. For optimal deliverability, an initial warm-up period of at least two weeks is recommended. Integrate with platforms that work with Inframail + domains: Instantly, Smartlead, ReachInbox, Plusvibe, SalesHandy, Reply.io, or Woodpecker.
For strategies on how to improve email deliverability, our blog covers the technical and operational factors.
Choosing the right infrastructure for growth
I recommend choosing based on three factors: your inbox volume, margin targets, and deliverability needs.
Choose flat-rate infrastructure (Inframail + domains) when:
You manage 50+ inboxes and plan to scale
You need dedicated IPs for reputation isolation
You want to eliminate DNS configuration bottlenecks
You are comfortable using external warmup tools
Choose Google Workspace + domains when:
You need native Google deliverability for Google-centric audiences
Budget is not a constraint
Use the calculator at the top of this article to model your specific scenario. Input your client count, domains per client, and retainer value to see exact monthly costs and margin impact across all five vendors.
For a complete video overview, watch My Full Cold Email Setup And Strategy demonstrating the Instantly + Inframail + domains workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main alternatives to Mailforge + domains?
The primary Mailforge + domains alternatives are Inframail + domains ($129/month flat-rate with dedicated IPs), Maildoso + domains ($91-137/month with shared IPs and quarterly billing), and Zapmail + domains ($125-175/month with workspace isolation). View our FAQ documentation for details.
How does Mailforge + domains pricing compare to competitors?
Mailforge + domains charges $2-3 per mailbox per month with a 10-slot minimum, plus $14/year per domain. At 50 inboxes, Mailforge + domains costs approximately $100-150/month plus domain costs versus $143/month total for Inframail + domains.
Does Inframail + domains include warmup?
Only on our "DFY Email Campaign Setup" package. Otherwise, use Instantly ($37/month with unlimited warmup) or Smartlead ($39/month with unlimited warmup) for bundled warmup. See our warmup guide.
Can I use my domains from Google on Inframail + domains?
Yes. You can bring your domains over from anywhere.
What is the difference between shared and dedicated IPs?
Shared IPs pool your sending reputation with other users. Dedicated IPs isolate your reputation so only your behavior affects deliverability. Mailtrap's comparison explains the technical differences.
Key terminology
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): The complete cost of infrastructure including platform fees, domain costs, warmup tools, and labor hours for setup and maintenance.
Deliverability: The percentage of emails reaching the recipient's primary inbox versus spam folder or bounce. Industry benchmark for cold email is 70-85% inbox placement with Mail-Tester scores of 8.5+/10.
DNS Configuration: The process of creating SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records in your domain's DNS settings. These authentication protocols verify your sending legitimacy.
Email Warmup: The gradual process of building sending reputation on new domains and IPs by slowly increasing send volume over 14-30 days. Required for dedicated IP infrastructure.
Cold Email Infrastructure: The technical foundation (domains, inboxes, IPs, DNS records) that enables sending cold outreach at scale. Distinct from sending platforms (Instantly, Smartlead) that manage campaign execution.
