Cold emailing can feel like sending messages into the void. You write thoughtful emails, personalize them, and send them off, only to be met with silence. What gives? The real challenge isn’t writing engaging emails; it’s getting the right emails to the right inboxes. Cold email software can help with this process by improving cold email deliverability, automating outreach, and tracking engagement. In this blog, we’ll explore Mailreef, a tool that helps cold emailers reach their goals by improving email infrastructure. 

Table of Contents

• What is Mailreef and Why Do Users Seek Alternatives?

• 23 Mailreef Alternatives for Cold Email Infrastructure

• 6 Must-Have Features of Great Cold Email Software

• Start Buying Domains Now and Setup Your Email Infrastructure Today

What is Mailreef and Why Do Users Seek Alternatives?

Mailreef is one of the most capable cold email infrastructure tools on the market. It enables users to scale unlimited email mailboxes quickly. Its features support users in managing and optimizing cold email campaigns to improve: 

• Deliverability

• Get past spam filters

• Avoid damaging IP reputations

Mailreef offers features like: 

• 1-click domain and mailbox creation

• Automatic SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup

• Unlimited inboxes

• Dedicated IP addresses

• Spam screening

• Integration with cold email tools

If you want to run sizeable cold email outreach campaigns, Mailreef can help. 

The Hidden Truth About Mailreef’s “Unlimited” Features

While Mailreef markets its services as “unlimited,” certain features are limited. For example, you can send up to 100,000 emails monthly; additional costs apply if you exceed this limit. This can be misleading for users who expect accurate unlimited access. 

Mailreef’s Pricing is Confusing 

Mailreef's pricing can be confusing, especially with its combination of a flat monthly fee and a per-email cost. This may be better for businesses looking for simple, transparent pricing. The additional fees for exceeding limits can add up quickly, making it less predictable. 

Mailreef Pricing

Mailreef positions itself as an “unlimited” solution for scaling cold email infrastructure, but it’s important to examine the details to understand what you’re actually getting. While the Mailreef pricing structure seems straightforward at first, you should be aware of some limitations and additional costs.

Base Monthly Fee 

Mailreef starts at $249 per month for unlimited mailbox creation. This flat fee covers the platform’s primary use, including setting up multiple mailboxes and domains. This “unlimited” offering comes with certain restrictions that aren’t immediately apparent.

Per-Email Sending Cost

In addition to the monthly fee, you are charged $0.001 per email sent. This might seem negligible, but these costs can quickly add up if you send large emails. For example, sending 100,000 emails would cost an additional $100.

Domain Costs 

Each domain purchased through Mailreef costs $19. If you’re running multiple campaigns and need several domains to maintain deliverability, these costs can also stack up.

“Unlimited” Isn’t Truly Unlimited 

Although Mailreef promotes “unlimited” mailboxes and sending limits, there are actual caps. For instance:
Email Sending Limit: You can send up to 100,000 emails per month. Beyond that, you’ll need to pay the per-email fee, and you may need to upgrade your plan if you’re consistently sending more.
Mailbox and Domain Caps: You’re allowed a maximum of 50 domains and 200 mailboxes. If you exceed these limits, you’ll have to pay an additional $249 for another server to expand. So, while Mailreef advertises “unlimited” features, they are only unlimited within these boundaries.

Mailreef Can Get Expensive for Large-Scale Campaigns 

Due to its pricing model, Mailreef can become expensive if you run large-scale campaigns. For instance, you might need to spin up additional servers after a certain point, which means paying the monthly fee again. This could lead to higher costs than initially anticipated. 

Practical Example: Understanding Mailreef Pricing 

Let’s break down a practical example to make things clearer. Imagine you run a cold email campaign where you plan to use:

• 10 domains (each costing $19) = $190

• 50 mailboxes (included in the base fee)

• You send 80,000 emails in a month

Here’s how the cost would look:

• Base Monthly Fee: $249 

• Per Email Cost for 80,000 emails: 80,000 x $0.001 = $80

• Domain Cost for 10 domains: 10 x $19 = $190

• Total Monthly Cost: $249 (base fee) + $80 (per email cost) + $190 (domain cost) = $519 

Now, consider that you want to increase your scale. You'd need another server if you send 120,000 emails and need 60 mailboxes (exceeding the 50-domain limit). That’s another $249 added to your total, plus the extra cost of 20,000 more emails:

• Additional Cost for Server: $249

• Per Email Cost for Extra 20,000 emails: 20,000 x $0.001 = $20

• New Total Monthly Cost: $519 (initial total) + $249 (extra server) + $20 (extra emails) = $788 

Mailreef offers robust tools for scaling cold email campaigns, but the pricing isn’t as unlimited as it first appears. Costs can increase substantially depending on the number of emails sent and domains needed. 

Manage Your Own IP Reputation

Having a dedicated IP address can be a double-edged sword. While it provides control, it also means that you risk damaging your IP's reputation if you don’t manage your campaigns properly. This could lead to lower deliverability rates and impact your campaign’s effectiveness.

Limited to Cold Email Use Cases 

Mailreef is specifically designed for cold email campaigns, meaning it might not be as versatile for other types of cold email outreach. If you need a more comprehensive outreach solution that handles both cold and warm emailing or other marketing tasks, Mailreef might not be the best fit.

Mailreef offers several compelling features for businesses focused on cold emailing, such as automated setup, dedicated IPs, and spam screening. It also has certain limitations, including complex pricing and hidden caps that could affect cost-effectiveness. Weighing these pros and cons can help you decide if Mailreef aligns with your email outreach needs and budget.

Related Reading

• Automated Lead Generation
• Email Prospecting
• How to Generate B2B Leads
• How to Warm Up Email Domain
• How Many Emails Can You Send Before Considered Spam
• Best Time to Send Cold Emails
• How to Cold Email
• Best Cold Email Templates B2B
• Email Outreach Best Practices
• Email Outreach Strategy

23 Mailreef Alternatives for Cold Email Infrastructure

1. Inframail: Speedy Email Setup and Unlimited Mailboxes

Inframail.io is a pioneer in the cold email infrastructure providers market. It offers a 5000% faster email setup with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records set up, along with domain redirects and email forwarders within seconds. What sets Inframail apart from other cold email infrastructure providers is it allows you to create unlimited email accounts at one flat price that are ready to use. The process to set up mailboxes is quite simple. You must: 

• Sign up

• Choose a plan

• Create your inboxes in the dashboard

In short, if you want to set up a reliable cold email infrastructure, Inframail provides a professional-grade infrastructure and ensures that your emails are delivered reliably. 

Maximizing Efficiency with Inframail: Leveraging Automation and Monitoring for Scalable Cold Email Campaigns

Key Features of Inframail: 

• Automated Email Setup: With Inframail’s automated setup feature, you can quickly configure multiple email addresses without the hassle of manual entry. This ensures that you can start sending emails efficiently right away. 

• Unlimited Inboxes: Inframail allows you to create unlimited inboxes, which is helpful when you want to scale your cold email outreach campaigns. 

• Advanced Monitoring Tools: Inframail offers a specialized tool to monitor the delivery of your outreach emails so that you can quickly identify and resolve any issues. 

Evaluating Inframail: Balancing Costs, Features, and Scalability for Effective Email Outreach

Pros 

• Automates the process of configuring email accounts. 

• Provides advanced email management to organize and prioritize emails. 

• Offers 24/7 customer support to resolve issues promptly. 

Cons 

There are storage limitations despite offering unlimited inboxes. 

Pricing: 

• Unlimited Plan – $99 per month 

• Agency Pack – $249 per month 

Simplifying Email Infrastructure: How Inframail Empowers Agencies, Recruiters, and Sales Teams

InfraMail provides the robust email infrastructure you need without the usual technical headaches and per-inbox costs, whether you're: 

• An agency looking to scale outreach

• A recruiter connecting with candidates

• An SDR driving sales

Start buying domains now and set up your email infrastructure today with our email infrastructure tool.

2. Mailforge: Robust Features and Ease of Use

Mailforge is a cold email infrastructure tool that provides a reliable and robust way to manage your cold email campaigns. The tool is well-known for its strong deliverability rates and user-friendly interface. Unlike some other tools, Mailforge focuses on simplifying the setup process while offering powerful features that help you scale your outreach smoothly. 

Optimizing Email Outreach with Mailforge: Advanced Features for Tracking, Authentication, and Analytics

Key Features: 

• Email Tracking: This allows you to monitor who opens your emails and clicks on your links. This helps you understand which emails are performing well and which need improvement. 

• Bulk Email Campaigns: This enables you to send emails to hundreds or thousands of recipients simultaneously without compromising performance or deliverability. 

• Automated DNS/DKIM/SPF Setup: This service automatically configures essential authentication protocols to ensure your emails are seen as legitimate, reducing the risk of ending up in spam folders. 

• Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into your email campaigns allowing you to optimize your strategy, including: 

  • Open rates

  • Click-through rates

  • Response rates

• Domain Transfer: This service offers a seamless process for transferring your existing domains, making it easier to manage multiple email campaigns from one platform. 

Is Mailforge Worth the Investment? A Closer Look at Pricing and Value for Email Campaigns

Pricing: 

• Mailforge’s pricing starts at $3 per month per mailbox, with discounts available for bulk purchases. Thus, it is a flexible option depending on your needs. 

• While it might be slightly more expensive compared to other ESPs, it justifies the cost because of its: 

  • Robust features

  • Ease of use

  • Reliable deliverability

Weighing the Benefits and Drawbacks of Mailforge: Is It the Right Email Service for You?

Pros 

• Robust Features: Provides comprehensive tools for email tracking, automated setups, and detailed analytics. 

• Easy to Use: The intuitive interface makes setting up and running campaigns simple, even for non-tech-savvy users. 

• Automated Setup: Automated DNS/DKIM/SPF setup saves you from the technical hassles often associated with cold email infrastructure. 

• Good Deliverability: High deliverability rates help ensure your emails land in the inbox rather than the spam folder. 

Cons

Slightly Higher Price: Compared to other ESPs, Mailforge is a bit more expensive. The robust features and ease of use may justify the cost for many users. ‍ 

3. Infraforge 

Infraforge provides a private email infrastructure with dedicated IPs, so you are not sharing your email reputation with other users. Think of it like owning your own house rather than living in an apartment complex; your actions determine your email reputation alone. This is crucial if you are serious about maintaining high deliverability rates and avoiding spam folders. 

Enhancing Email Deliverability with Infraforge: Key Features for Streamlined Campaign Management

Key features: 

• Dedicated IPs: Unlike tools that rely on shared IP systems, Infraforge gives you your dedicated IP. This helps maintain a strong sender reputation by avoiding risks associated with other users’ actions. 

• Quick Setup: With automated DNS and SPF/DKIM configuration, you can create multiple domains and mailboxes in minutes, saving you time and hassle. 

• Multi-IP Provisioning: Scale your email infrastructure by adding multiple IPs to improve email distribution and deliverability. 

• Easy Domain Creation: Quickly set up domains with an auto domain generator or select from a list. You can complete the setup process in just a few steps.

• Total Control: Manage your domains and mailboxes with complete autonomy, ensuring maximum inbox placement and better control over cold email campaigns. 

Flexible Pricing for Every Business: Analyzing Infraforge.ai's Cost Structure

Pricing: 

Infraforge’s pricing is designed to provide flexibility for businesses of all sizes: 

• Per Domain Cost: 

  • $13 per domain per year

  • Allowing you to manage multiple domains affordably. 

• Per Mailbox Cost: 

  • Ranges from $2.5 to $4 per mailbox monthly

  • With discounts for larger volumes

Evaluating Infraforge: The Trade-Off Between Cost and Control in Email Campaigns

Pros 

• Robust Control: Dedicated IPs fully control your email reputation and deliverability.

• Enhanced Security: Reduced risk of emails landing in spam due to other users' poor practices.

• Scalable Infrastructure: Add multiple IPs and domains to scale your cold email efforts. 

• Automated Setup: Quick setup with automated DNS and SPF/DKIM configurations. 

Cons 

Higher Initial Cost: Infraforge can be more expensive upfront than shared IP systems. It pays off for high-stakes campaigns needing reliable deliverability. 

4. MailScale 

Mailscale is an email infrastructure tool that automates the creation of up to 1,000 email accounts, enabling you to send bulk emails without hitting spam traps. Suppose you’re worried about getting flagged as spam for sending too many emails from a single account. In that case, Mailscale addresses this issue by allowing you to distribute your email volume across many accounts. 

Scaling Cold Email Campaigns with Mailscale: Key Features for Efficient Outreach and Deliverability

Key Features: 

• Scalability: Mailscale supports the creation of up to 1,000 email accounts, enabling you to scale your cold email campaigns effectively. This ensures that you can send many emails without compromising on deliverability. 

• Automated Setup: It automates technical setups like DNS records (DKIM, DMARC, SPF), which reduces the time and complexity involved in setting up multiple email accounts. 

• Email Warm-Up: The tool includes an email warm-up feature that gradually increases the number of emails sent from each account, helping build a good reputation and avoid spam folders. 

• Domain Management: Mailscale simplifies managing multiple domains, ensuring all DNS records are configured correctly for optimal performance. 

• Integration and Support: Integrates easily with other tools like Instantly and Smartlead. It also offers: 

  • Personalized support 

  • Deliverability consultants

  • Access to a free cold email course

Choosing the Right Mailscale Plan: A Guide to Pricing and Features for Your Email Outreach Needs

Pricing: 

Mailscale provides three pricing plans tailored to different levels of email outreach: 

• Solopreneur Plan: 

  • $79/month 

  • Up to 15 email accounts ($5.26 per account) 

  • Automated DNS/DKIM/SPF setup 

  • Setup in 5 minutes with 24-hour delivery 

  • Limited access to new features 

• Business Plan: 

  • $119/month 

  • Up to 50 email accounts ($2.38 per account) 

  • Includes priority support

  • A free cold email course

  • Deliverability consultant

  • Plug & play email scripts 

  • Automated DNS/DKIM/SPF setup 

• Enterprise Plan: 

  • $249/month 

  • Up to 200 email accounts ($1.20 per account) 

  • Includes everything in the Business Plan, plus priority access to new features and upgrades at $1/month per additional email account 

  • Yearly Plans (Save 20%) 

  • Prices for each plan are discounted when billed annually. 

Weighing the Benefits and Drawbacks of Mailscale: Is It Worth the Investment for Scaling Your Email Campaigns?

Pros 

• High Scalability: Easily scale your email outreach by creating up to 1,000 email accounts. 

• Automated Technical Setup: Saves time by automating the setup of DNS records (DKIM, DMARC, SPF). 

• Cost-Effective at Scale: Offers significant cost savings, especially for larger operations managing hundreds of accounts. 

• Email Warm-Up Feature: Helps build a strong sender reputation and improves deliverability. 

Cons 

Higher Initial Costs: Small operations may seem costly compared to some competitors. 

5. Maildoso 

Maildoso is an email infrastructure tool that makes outbound cold email campaigns more accessible and practical. It automates the setup of domains and email accounts and handles essential DNS settings like: 

• SPF

• DKIM

• DMARC

It also ensures high deliverability by sending low volumes of emails from multiple domains. This setup minimizes the risk of your emails ending up in spam folders, a common challenge in cold emailing. 

Streamlining Cold Email Outreach with Maildoso: Key Features for Efficient Management and High Deliverability

Key Features: 

• Automated Domain and Mailbox Setup: Maildoso handles the complex setup for you, including DNS settings such as:

  • SPF

  • MX

  • DKIM

This automation saves you time and ensures everything is configured correctly for effective cold email outreach. 

• Master Inbox Management: You can manage thousands of email accounts from a single inbox. This feature automatically identifies the correct sending account based on the conversation history, simplifying your workflow. 

• High Deliverability Through IP Rotation: Maildoso uses IP rotation to maintain high deliverability. Sending small batches of emails from multiple domains avoids spam filters and improves open rates. 

• Domain Forwarding and Ownership: Domains registered with Maildoso can automatically redirect traffic to your leading site. You can also transfer domain ownership at any time without additional charges. 

• Compliance and Security: The platform uses its own SMTP servers and only allows emails to verified domains, helping you maintain compliance and protect your sender’s reputation. 

• Flexible Management for Agencies: If you are an agency, Maildoso will enable you to delete and create new email accounts under the same licenses, which is helpful if your client base changes. 

• Integration Support: Maildoso supports easy integration with popular cold email tools, offering import-ready CSV files for seamless setup. 

Choosing the Right Maildoso Plan: A Comprehensive Guide to Pricing and Features for Cold Email Campaigns

Pricing: 

Each plan includes the same core features for email management, but they scale based on the number of: 

• Accounts

• Domains

• Master inboxes provided

Here’s a breakdown of the Maildoso pricing plans to help you understand them better: 

• Small Package: 

  • Ideal for beginners or small-scale cold email campaigns. 

  • It includes 12 email accounts and 3 free domains, as well as basic features like out-of-office filters and automatic setup of SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records. 

• Starter Package: 

  • With 40 email accounts and ten free domains for moderate use. 

  • This plan is great for businesses needing more extensive outreach within a controlled environment. 

• Growth Package: 

  • Aimed at growing companies or agencies. 

  • It offers 140 email accounts and 35 free domains. 

  • It also includes more master inboxes to manage your outreach efficiently. 

• Pro Package: 

  • Best for large-scale operations or enterprise-level use

  • Featuring 400 email accounts and 100 free domains. 

  • It provides the highest level of control and scalability for extensive cold email campaigns. 

Is Maildoso the Right Choice for Your Cold Email Campaigns? Pros, Cons, and User Feedback

Pros 

• Ease of Setup: Many users highlighted how quick and straightforward it is to set up domains and mailboxes, saving time and effort. 

• High Deliverability: Users frequently mentioned improved email deliverability rates, a significant benefit for cold email outreach. 

• Responsive Customer Support: Positive feedback on the support team’s responsiveness and helpfulness. 

• Cost-Effectiveness: Users appreciate the affordability of Maildoso compared to alternatives like Google Workspace or Outlook. 

• All-in-One Service: The platform automates complex tasks (e.g., SPF, DKIM setups), making it easier for users who lack technical expertise. 

Cons 

• Domain Management: Some users expressed difficulty managing domains, such as transferring or customizing email profiles. 

• User Interface and Features: A few users suggested that the UI could be more intuitive and that account settings should be better visible. 

• Limited Customization Options: Certain users mentioned the lack of features like adding profile pictures to email accounts. 

• No Monthly Payment Option: Users expressed a desire for more flexible billing options, as only quarterly or yearly plans are currently available. 

6. Close 

Over 6,500+ happy customers agree that Close is a powerful CRM software that is worth looking at. Close comes with advanced cold email automation options that save you time and help you reach more prospects. With our Smart Views, you’ll build segmented contact lists that you can later put into Workflows. A Workflow can also include calls, SMS, and tasks to add more touchpoints to your emailing efforts. With its user-friendly interface and various options to manage and engage leads, you’ll improve your cold outreach campaigns and drive more sales. 

Close Pricing: Affordable Plans for Small Businesses to Streamline Sales and Outreach

Pricing 

• Close offers small-business-friendly pricing, 

• Starting with a Startup plan that costs $49 per month (billed annually). 

Leveraging Close for Effective Cold Emailing: Key Features and User Feedback

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Customizable sales email templates for quick and personalized outreach 

• Automated Workflows to create follow-up emails and nurture leads with drip campaigns 

• Easily connect to your Gmail account or other email service providers for synced email sending and receiving 

• Sales funnel report helps verify the outcomes of email outreach campaigns 

What people are saying about Close: 

• “Keeps all my information in one place. The integrations with different software work seamlessly. And whenever I need help, I get a reply from support within a few minutes!” (G2 review) 

• “I absolutely like the Email sequence (now Workflows) feature where you can create and send a sequence of emails until the sequence finishes or the contact replies to your email. You can also pause the sequence manually.” (G2 review) 

7. Outreach 

Pricing: 

• There are two tiers: Standard and Professional. 

• The pricing is hidden. 

• Outreach is best for enterprise-level companies that need a sales engagement platform. 

The tool combines: 

• CRM

• Sales forecasting

• Conversation intelligence

• Sales coaching (among other aspects). 

On top of their CRM, they offer advanced features for emailing: 

• Sequencing

• Email templates

• Reply rate tracking

• Advanced analytics

Maximizing Cold Email Outreach with Outreach: Key Features and User Feedback

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Personalization tools that help better tailor messages to the recipients

• Automated follow-up sequences that help engage leads

• Analytics that let the sales team get insights about what content, workflows, and sequences lead to the best opportunities 

What people are saying about Outreach: 

• “Easy to navigate set up and user interface, but prospecting platform still has lack of customization” (G2 review). 

• “It helps to keep track of your prospects, to have all your contact attempts in one place, automatic sequences, and snippets save you a lot of time.” (G2 review) 

8. Smartlead.ai 

Best for: 

Small businesses that want to improve cold email deliverability and warmup email accounts. Smartlead.ai is a modern cold email software that uses AI to optimize email deliverability and help warm up email accounts. Thanks to Smartlead, you can improve your sender's reputation and email engagement. As a result, cold outreach campaigns should reach your recipients' main inbox more often (instead of landing in a spam folder). 

Smartlead Pricing and Features: Boosting Cold Email Performance with AI and Email Warming

Pricing: 

Basic plan starts at $33/month (billed annually). 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Advanced email warming to improve deliverability 

• AI-powered email analytics for detailed insights 

• Automated email list cleaning to maintain a healthy sender score 

What people are saying about Smartlead: 

• “[...] the unlimited emails, centralized master inbox, the AI-optimized sending, the email warmup features have significantly improved our results and the way we work.” (G2 review) 

• “Sometimes the UI isn't great, but it's an annoyance rather than a deterrent, and they have plans to fix it in the upcoming future.” (G2 review) 

9. Mailshake 

Best for: 

Salespeople and marketers who want to improve their email outreach and cold emailing campaigns. Mailshake is an easy-to-use tool that offers advanced cold emailing features. These features are designed to help you improve your outreach activities, like: 

• Personalization

• A/B testing

• Automated follow-ups 

The tool can pause a sequence when a prospect: 

• Replies

• Unsubscribes

• Bounces.

With a customizable sending schedule, you can improve response rates, and with native integrations, your leads land in your CRM. 

Mailshake Pricing and Features: Optimizing Cold Email Campaigns with Automation and Personalization

Pricing: 

Plan for sales folks starts at $83/month, billed annually (Sales Engagement Plan) 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Email sequencing to automate follow-ups 

• Personalization tokens for individualized messages 

• A/B testing to optimize email performance 

What people are saying about Mailshake: 

• “I like that I manually enter a contact in a campaign, and the email goes out directly. I also appreciate that we can create many segments in the campaign and send them for a long time.” (G2 review) 

• “It's very hard to customize the emails, and it's a very dated product with no roadmap.” (G2 review) 

10. Mixmax 

Best for: 

Mixmax is a solid cold emailing software that offers automation and scheduling capabilities. Sales, customer success, and account execs can send: 

• Personalized emails

• Track engagement

• Automate follow-ups

You can do it all from within your Gmail inbox. 

Mixmax Pricing and Features: A Comprehensive Tool for Customizing and Automating Cold Email Campaigns

Pricing: 

The tool has five tiers; 

• Free Plan

• SMB Plan starts at $29 per monthly user (email campaigns). 

• Sales automation is available in a Growth Plan for $49 per monthly user

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Customize any email with more individual messages within the sequence 

• Easy scheduling to: 

  • Send calendar invites

  • Meeting notifications

  • Reminders 

• Option to: 

  • Embed polls and surveys

  • Track open rates

  • Bounce rate

  • Click tracking and more 

What people are saying about Mixmax: 

• “The sequences are the best part of Mixmax; you can create a message to send to customers after a meeting, and should there be no answer, it will send a follow-up message you created previously.” (source) 

• “At first, I thought it was quite complicated to understand because I was not used to seeing a new platform on which I would have to manage everything, so getting the hang of it seemed hard.” 

11. Drip 

Best for: 

E-commerce businesses and marketing campaign managers who want to use email marketing automation for cold and warm leads. 

Drip is a marketing automation platform that helps: 

• Grow e-commerce brands

• Drive repeat purchases

• Increase conversion rates

You can create dynamic segments that engage customers with single emails or automated campaigns. 

Drip Pricing and Features: Leveraging Automation and Behavioral Insights for Effective Cold Emailing

Pricing: 

• Pricing depends on how many contacts are on the list

• Their pricing starts at $39 for 2500 contacts

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Automated workflows for targeted outreach 

• Behavioral triggers to personalize cold emails 

• Advanced email analytics for actionable insights 

What people are saying about Drip: 

• “I believe that Drip has the best-in-class library/collection of templates and layouts well suited for various campaigns. It saves a lot of hassle designing specific templates from scratch.” (source) 

• “The learning curve for new users is quite complex and not that much straightforward than other software.” 

12. HubSpot 

Best for: 

Sales and marketer teams that want to collaborate on the same platform. HubSpot is a feature-rich marketing automation platform that offers a variety of tools to help businesses grow and engage with their audience. While HubSpot primarily focuses on inbound marketing, it also provides features that can be used for cold email campaigns. 

HubSpot Sales Hub Pricing and Features: Streamlining Cold Email Outreach with Personalization and Automation

Pricing: 

Sales Hub starting at $20 per month (billed annually). 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Personalization and segmentation for targeted outreach 

• Detailed reporting and real-time tracking of email metrics for campaign optimization 

• Email automation workflows for follow-ups 

What people are saying about HubSpot Sales Hub: 

• “HubSpot Sales Hub helps us manage all of our sales operations and automate workflows, which helps us do more with less. It's easy to use, the deployment is quick, and the results are powerful.” 

• “Since the level of customization is very high, the users have to be very familiar with the changes you make to the platform. Also, if you enable contact association by domain, the platform will create multiple company records that will need to be merged, and that is a manual task.” 

13. Woodpecker 

Best for: 

Salespeople from SMBs that want to personalize and automate cold outreach. Woodpecker is an automated cold email software that simplifies and optimizes outreach campaigns. With its intelligent follow-up system and personalized email automation, Woodpecker helps you reach more prospects and increase response rates. The tool integrates well with Gmail and Outlook. 

Woodpecker Pricing and Features: Streamlining Cold Email Campaigns with Automation and Customization

Pricing: 

Woodpecker offers pricing plans starting at $39 per month per email slot (without A/B testing, API, and integrations)

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Email verification to check for invalid email addresses before you send your campaign 

• Condition-based campaigns that let you do customized follow-up sequences that automatically respond to prospect actions 

• Templates to make your work easier and faster 

What people are saying about Woodpecker: 

• “It's intuitive, easy to use, has a great support team, organizes very interesting webinars... and, simple. Works perfectly!” 

• “I enjoy my experience with Woodpecker. I would only add an option to customize not only the first message for a particular prospect but follow-ups as well. More granularity with reporting would also be an advancement.” 

14. Reply.io 

Best for: 

Sales and marketing professionals working for SMBs involved in outbound sales and email outreach. Reply.io is the AI-first sales engagement platform that helps SDR teams find new prospects, engage them through multiple channels, and create new opportunities at scale while keeping every touchpoint personal. 

Reply.io Pricing and Features: Optimizing Cold Email Campaigns with Multichannel Sequences and A/B Testing

Pricing: 

• Reply.io offers four pricing plans. 

• The Starter Plan costs $60 per monthly user, in addition to the free plan. 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Emails with dynamic conditional and custom variables 

• Advanced, multichannel sequences and many email templates 

• A/B testing for each email step 

What people are saying about Reply.io: 

• “Setting up email campaigns is incredibly easy. The UI is intuitive and easy to understand.” 

• “[...] the limited ability to add data in bulk from their extensive database of clients can be a bit tedious. Having to add data in tranches of 25 leads per transaction can slow down the process, especially when compared to similar services that allow bulk additions.” 

15. Instantly 

Best for: 

Sales and marketing teams working in small biz looking for personalized cold email outreach and follow-ups. Instantly is an email outreach platform that helps businesses send personalized and automated cold emails to prospects and leads. They help you find: 

• The best leads

• Create campaigns

• Automate workflows using AI

Instantly Pricing and Features: Cold Email Outreach with Personalization, Automation, and Lead Tracking

Pricing: 

The growth plan starts at $30 per month (paid annually)

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Building a list of ideal prospects based on: 

• Technology

• Headcount

• Revenue 

• Email personalization and customization 

• Automated follow-ups and scheduling 

What people are saying about Instantly: 

• “The range of features is pretty good. I like most things, from warmups to writing emails and sending them to all my leads. It's also great to have the tracking features included.”

• “One potential limitation of Instantly, however, is its current inability to facilitate the addition of team members and assign varying levels of access to different email campaigns.” 

16. Customer.io 

Best for: 

Businesses aiming to send behavior-based, targeted cold emails for customer engagement. Customer.io is a customer engagement platform designed for marketing teams to create data-driven campaigns that reach people across all messaging channels. They have Journeys for messaging automation and Data Pipelines, a customer data platform connecting the entire stack. 

Customer.io Pricing and Features: Advanced Behavioral Targeting and Automation for Effective Cold Emailing

Pricing: 

They have an Essential Plan that starts at $100 a month, billed monthly. 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Behavioral targeting for highly personalized emails 

• Automation based on user actions 

• A/B testing and analytics to optimize campaigns 

What people are saying about Customer.io: 

• “Super useful to create flows and trigger-based campaigns. It's almost like playing with Legos where once you have enough building blocks set it, the entire flow or campaigns will work like magic.” 

• “I'd love them to invest a bit more in the in-app popup feature that they launched this year, so I can also use customer.io for various in-app flows.” 

17. Overloop 

Best for: 

Sales teams (SMBs) looking for a platform to run multi-channel outbound campaigns. Overloop is an email outreach and engagement platform for sales teams. It offers: 

• Email tracking

• Templates

• Analytics 

Users can create: 

• Ultra-personalized campaigns and mix cold emails

• LinkedIn automation

• Phone calls.

Overloop also supports link-building activities. The product can be handy for agencies running campaigns for their customers. 

Overloop Pricing and Features: Streamlining Cold Email Outreach with Automation and LinkedIn Integration

Pricing: 

• Just one plan with all the features for $150 per user per month. 

• They also have an agency plan with hidden pricing. 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Email Finder that will find missing email addresses and automatically enrich contacts 

• Cold emails are sent at scale from Google or Microsoft accounts Templates and variables to send ultra-personalized messages to contacts 

What people are saying about Overloop: 

• “Data exporting facility is not very accurate and faster, needs some kind of improvement in it.” 

• “Overloop allows me to create an automated sales outbound campaign using LinkedIn and email. Just had to set it up, sit back and watch the leads come in. Also, the Google Chrome extension allows you to add contacts from LinkedIn on the spot.” (source) 

18. Lemlist 

Best for: 

Sales and marketing professionals in SMB seeking a tool for personalized, creative cold email campaigns. Lemlist is an advanced AI-powered sales engagement platform. It’s all-in-one, offering: 

• Prospect lists with details

• Discovering valid emails

• Organizing personalized multichannel campaigns.

Emails in Lemlist can have: 

• Custom intro lines

• Images

• Dynamic landing pages

Lemlist Pricing and Features: Enhancing Cold Email Campaigns with Personalization and Automated Follow-ups

Pricing: 

Email Outreach Plan costs $50 a month (billed annually). 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Personalization that lets you customize: 

• Intro lines

• Pitch

• Call to action

• Image variables, etc. 

• Automated follow-ups with six to 12 touches (includes different follow-up methods and spaced steps) 

• Gradually increase the number of emails sent from your account to protect your sender's reputation 

What people are saying about Lemlist: 

• “It is extremely easy to use a great platform as well. This sequential work obliges you to fulfill every task before the next step is done in the sequence. This way, it helps you move forward very efficiently, and the only time you spend is with prospecting and phone calls (after you've created your campaign).” 

• “Depending on your usage and feature requirement. Lemlist pricing can be expensive as an individual and small business.” 

19. QuickMail: Cold Outreach Tool with Advanced Metrics and Great Deliverability 

Best for: 

• Small to mid-sized businesses aiming to simplify cold email outreach and follow-ups. 

• They also have options for agencies. 

QuickMail is an email automation platform designed to help businesses send cold emails and follow-ups more efficiently. It’s designed to build a predictable sales pipeline by reaching out to cold prospects by email. It has what most of the best sales tools have: 

• A follow-up option

• Custom tags

• Email deliverability reports. 

Integration with Close: 

Yes, third-party integration 

QuickMail Pricing and Key Features for Cold Email Outreach: Simplifying Campaigns with Automation and Detailed Reporting

Pricing:

A Basic Plan starts at $49 monthly and allows up to 30,000 mails and 10,000 active prospects. 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Bounce detection that stops campaigns immediately 

• Automated follow-up sequences and contact management + segmentation 

• Email deliverability report 

What people are saying about QuickMail: 

• “I really like the fact that it is incredibly easy and straightforward to use this tool. This is by far the best tool I've ever used to do cold email outreach. I also like the auto warmup feature, which I believe is absolutely necessary in this space. The reporting on the campaigns is extremely detailed, which makes it easier to make better data-driven decisions” (source) 

• “I dislike manually setting send schedules for each campaign. Running the math for # of inboxes, daily send limits, email steps, etc. is cumbersome. [...]” 

20. Constant Contact: Email Marketing and Automation Platform 

Best for: 

Small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals seek an easy-to-use email marketing and marketing automation platform. They also offer Lead gen & CRM. Constant Contact is an email marketing and marketing automation platform that simplifies creating, sending, and tracking email campaigns. It offers various tools to help businesses engage with their audience through email. Constant Contact is a better option for smaller campaigns targeted at generic audiences. 

Constant Contact Pricing and Features: Affordable Email Marketing for Beginners and Small Businesses

Pricing: 

• Email and Digital Marketing plans have three options. 

• The cheapest is Lite, which costs $12 per month for one user, email templates, and basic reporting. 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Email template library that offers a wide range of customizable templates 

• Email list management that lets you segment your email lists 

• Automation to schedule tasks and analytics for detailed reporting 

What people are saying about Constant Contact: 

• “Its user interface is incredibly intuitive; you barely need any "101" training as most of the features are so user-friendly and designed for the non-technical amongst us.” 

• “I think the only thing I would suggest is to make the formatting of newsletters a little more user-friendly. Maybe I haven't found it yet, but I would love to be able to save blocks and reuse them on different campaigns.” 

21. InsideSales (formerly Xant): The Enterprise Sales Engagement Platform 

Best for: 

Businesses operating in mid-market, enterprise and their sales teams that seek an advanced sales engagement platform for outreach and lead management. InsideSales offers Playbook, an enterprise-level sales engagement platform rather than a cold emailing tool. With Playbook, salespeople can increase: 

• Productivity

• Optimize customer interactions

• Connect to the right buyers 

They have sales engagement tools, including: 

• Email outreach

• Lead scoring

• Predictive analytics

InsideSales Features and Feedback: Dynamic Content and CRM Integration for Cold Emailing

Pricing: 

Hidden pricing—you have to meet with their team to learn more about pricing. 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Automating: 

  • Administrative tasks

  • Processes

  • Workflows

  • Data sync to CRM

  • Email sends, etc. 

  • Tracking of email opens, clicked links, downloads, and forwards from multiple recipients 

  • Personalization in email content based on recipient data and behavior (dynamic content insertion) 

What people are saying about InsideSales: 

• “Lack of transparency for support and updates. Support tickets remain open for days. There is constant unexpected downtime with no resolution for days without identification of the root cause. Support documents are out of date, and they don't ever get updated.”

• “User Interface and ease of finding information on latest news updates. Provides insight on sales analytics with historical trending data. An end-user can configure snapshots without the need for IT support.” 

22. Yesware 

Best for: Sales and marketing professionals looking for advanced email outreach:

• Email tracking

• Analytics

• Templating

• It’s for small and mid-sized businesses

Yesware is an email productivity and analytics tool that integrates with popular email platforms. Suppose your team wants to drive more revenue through email outreach without complex enterprise-level software. In that case, the tool can be helpful. Yesware will help your sales team build a better pipeline and increase conversions. 

Yesware: Affordable Email Tracking and Analytics for Sales Campaigns

Pricing: 

• The Free Plan includes basic email open tracking and ten monthly campaign recipients.

• The cheapest plan (besides a free option) is a Pro Plan, which starts at $15 per user per month and has 20 campaign recipients monthly. 

Best features for cold emailing: 

• Campaign tracking to know when prospects open emails, click links, view attachments, etc. 

• Emailing templates (reusable) that let you adjust communication and add personalization 

• Campaign reporting and analytics that show daily and weekly performance and pinpoint the warmest leads 

What people are saying about Yesware: 

• “[...] Here are some of my favorite elements: The ability to attach PDFs to emails that open in the browser for the client when clicked. The Ability to capture when an email is opened, not only in my email client, but this data is also captured as an activity in my salesforce opportunities. The Email Campaign Tool is great and has significantly increased my ability to set up web demos.” 

• “Metrics are easy to see and allow you to benchmark each campaign (rates, clicks, replies). Exporting to .CSV requires practice, but once you have my KPIs clear, it is a lot easier to use.” 

23. Streak: CRM for Gmail 

Best for: 

Gmail users and small businesses looking for a CRM with email tracking and integration. Streak is more of a CRM tool rather than cold emailing. It integrates directly with Gmail and offers email tracking and pipeline management. Sales teams can manage workflows inside Gmail, including: 

• Sales

• Customer support

• Hiring

• Projects

The tool makes collaboration easier by automatically: 

• sharing emails

• Notes

• Call logs

Streak: Email Tracking and CRM Tools Integrated with Gmail

Pricing: 

• They offer a free plan

• The cheapest paid option starts at $15 per user per month

Best features for cold emailing: 

• CRM integration within Gmail Email tracking and scheduling 

• Pipeline management for sales and project tracking 

What people are saying about Streak: 

• “I started using Streak about a year ago. I use the free plan, and I find it useful to have a record of people reading my emails. With this tool, I can be sure people read and open my emails, and with this info, I can have better control in my communication” (source) 

• “At times it happens that when I send an email to the client, it doesn't land in their inbox but in spam due to streak extension, not sure why but if you can help with this it would be great.”

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6 Must-Have Features of Great Cold Email Software

1. Out-of-the-Box Automation: How Built-In Features Save You Time and Boost Efficiency  

Automation is key to: 

• Staying efficient

• Keeping your cold emailing strategy consistent

• Scaling your outreach

With Mailreef's built-in automation features, you can send personalized emails at scale, automatically follow up, and analyze your campaign performance.

2. Easy Integration with Your Existing Tools: Connect Mailreef to Your Favorite Apps for Smoother Cold Emailing  

It needs to play nicely with your email provider and collaboration tools to make the most of a cold email tool. Any issue with the integration can cost you: 

• Time

• Nerves

• Money

Mailreef lets you connect to your existing tools to streamline your operations.  

3. Personalization Features for Bulk Email: Make Your Cold Emails Stand Out   

Personalization in cold outreach improves lead generation efforts. The right tool should dynamically insert names and relevant information into your emails. Mailreef helps you create highly personalized cold emails to improve your response rates.  

4. Follow-Up and Email Sequence Tools: How to Keep the Conversation Going  

Look for tools that give you follow-up and email sequencing options. It should be based on specific triggers and actions—the more chances you have, the better you can maneuver. Mailreef lets you create follow-up emails that automatically go out based on recipient actions (or lack thereof) so you can stay on top of your outreach without lifting a finger.   

5. Cold Email Template Creation: Build Efficient Sequences with Templates  

Templates are the building blocks that help you build an entire sequence in minutes. Look for tools that either have templates to choose from or let you create your own. (Looking for ideas? Check out our free cold email generator tool.) With Mailreef, you can create cold email templates to streamline your outreach immediately.   

6. Essential Reporting Without Fluff: Keeping Track of Your Cold Email Campaigns  

One last thing is reporting. Look for metrics and data you need to track to track your and your team's progress. And be careful here with the variety of data you can get. In most cases, the more straightforward dashboard with key metrics is better than a complex dashboard of vanity metrics. Mailreef has simple reports that help you visualize your cold email performance and get back to what matters—chatting with your prospects.

Start Buying Domains Now and Setup Your Email Infrastructure Today

Inframail offers cold email infrastructure to help you reach more prospects with improved email deliverability. The service provides unlimited inboxes at a flat rate, automated technical setup and dedicated IP addresses. 

It scales its cold email outreach efforts efficiently:

• Agencies

• Recruiters

• SDRs

Inframail also provides Microsoft-backed deliverability and 16-hour priority support daily. 

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