Comparison
Jan 8, 2026
CEO and co-founder
Mailscale vs Mailforge: Feature & Price Breakdown
Core differences in infrastructure and pricing
Before diving into specifics, here's how these platforms stack up:
Feature | Mailscale | Mailforge | Inframail (Flat-Rate) |
|---|---|---|---|
Pricing Model | Tiered ($79-$249/mo) + domains | Per-mailbox ($3/slot) + domains | Flat-rate ($129/mo) + domains |
IP Type | Shared pool | Shared pool | Dedicated (1-3 IPs) |
Inbox Limits | 15/50/200 by tier | Minimum 10 slots | Unlimited |
DNS Automation | Automated SPF/DKIM/DMARC | Automated setup | Automated setup |
Warmup Included | Yes | Yes | No (external required) |
Domain Costs | $9-15/year | $14/year (.com) | $9.44-$16.44 |
The fundamental split: Mailscale structures pricing in tiers (15/50/200 account caps) with shared IP infrastructure, while Mailforge uses a shared IP pool distributing mailbox accounts among millions of businesses. Both approaches mean your sending reputation depends partially on other users' behavior.
We take a different approach with dedicated US-based IPs where your sending behavior alone determines ESP trust. This matters when you're managing client campaigns and can't afford reputation contamination from other senders.
Cost analysis: Tiered plans vs. per-mailbox scaling
Mailscale pricing structure
Mailscale offers three pricing tiers:
Solopreneur Plan: $79/month ($63/month annual) for up to 15 email accounts
Business/Agency Plan: $119/month ($95/month annual) for up to 50 email accounts
Enterprise Plan: $249/month ($199/month annual) for up to 200 email accounts
For Enterprise plan users, each additional email account beyond the plan limit costs $1 per month. The platform recommends sending no more than 20-30 emails per email account per day to maintain deliverability.
The pricing jump from tier to tier creates awkward break points. If you need 16 inboxes, you're paying $119/month instead of $79. Need 51 inboxes? That's $249/month. This stepped structure works against agencies adding clients incrementally.
Mailforge pricing structure
Mailforge plans require a minimum of 10 mailbox slots. Mailbox pricing starts at approximately $3 per mailbox per month, with discounted rates as low as $1.67/month for bulk users.
The slot-based model means you're paying for capacity whether you use it or not. However, you can delete and create new mailboxes without additional cost since charges are based on slot count rather than active mailbox count.
Domain costs add up: .com domains are priced at $70 per year for five domains, working out to $14 per domain annually.
Warmup tools: A key cost difference
One major distinction: both Mailscale and Mailforge include built-in warmup functionality, while we require external warmup tools.
Mailscale warmup: Not included
Mailforge warmup: The platform includes automated warmup as part of their all-in-one deliverability tool, plus access to Warmforge for dedicated warmup services.
Inframail warmup: We focus on infrastructure provisioning and do not include built-in warmup. You'll need external warmup tools, which adds cost:
Warmup Tool | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
$15/inbox | 50 warmup emails daily | |
$15-19/inbox | $15 for annual, $19 monthly | |
$29/inbox | Flat rate |
At 50 inboxes using Warmup Inbox's annual rate, warmup costs $750/month. This is a real cost consideration when comparing our flat-rate model against competitors with included warmup.
Calculating total cost of ownership at 50+ inboxes
Here's the infrastructure cost breakdown for an agency scaling from 50 to 200 inboxes. Note: these calculations use platform fees and domain costs only. For Inframail, add warmup tool costs separately.
Assumptions:
2-3 mailboxes per domain (recommended for best deliverability)
Mailscale domains: $13/domain/year average
Mailforge domains: $14/domain/year
Inframail domains: $9.44-$16.44/domain/year
Infrastructure cost comparison (excluding warmup)
Scale | Mailscale | Mailforge | Inframail |
|---|---|---|---|
50 inboxes | ~$1,270/year | ~$1,940/year | $1,548/year |
100 inboxes | ~$2,388/year | ~$3,740/year | $1,548/year |
200 inboxes | ~$2,988/year | ~$5,808/year | $1,548/year |
Mailscale: Annual billing rates. Mailforge: Based on $3/mailbox rate. Inframail: $129/month flat rate.
The break-even analysis is straightforward. With Mailforge at approximately $3.00/slot, the break-even point against our $129 plan is around 43 mailboxes. Above 43 mailboxes, flat-rate pricing wins on infrastructure costs alone.
However, factor in warmup: Mailscale and Mailforge include warmup. We don't. At 50 inboxes with external warmup at $15/inbox/month, add $9,000/year to our infrastructure cost. This narrows the gap significantly and makes the true comparison more nuanced.
When flat-rate wins: If you're scaling to 100+ inboxes and can optimize warmup costs (using sending platform warmup features, for example), our model provides the clearest cost advantage.
For a detailed walkthrough of setting up infrastructure at scale, watch this video demonstrating the actual workflow.
Deliverability infrastructure: Shared pools vs. dedicated IPs
The shared IP problem
A shared IP is an IP address used by multiple senders at the same time. Since the IP is shared, the sending reputation is shared too. Your email deliverability rate doesn't depend only on your behavior. It's affected by everyone else sending from that IP.
The primary risk is the "bad neighbor" effect. If another sender in your shared pool suddenly sends spam, it can hurt the shared IP's reputation, affecting your own deliverability.
Mailscale uses a pool of shared IPs and does not offer dedicated IPs, so your reputation hinges partially on what other users on the platform are doing.
Mailforge operates on a shared IP infrastructure distributing mailbox accounts among millions of businesses. While designed by cold outreach experts with infrastructure optimized for deliverability, you still lack full control over your sending reputation.
Why dedicated IPs matter for agencies
Think of shared IP pools like carpool lanes. You're affected by other drivers. One bad actor gets the whole range flagged. Dedicated IPs function like private roads where your behavior alone determines reputation.
We provide 1 dedicated US-based IP on the Unlimited Plan and 3 dedicated IPs on the Agency Pack. Your sending behavior alone determines ESP trust.
Reputation isolation: When one client's campaign hits a spam trap, your other clients' campaigns continue unaffected because each runs on dedicated infrastructure rather than shared pools.
For guidance on how to improve email deliverability, our blog covers the technical factors beyond just IP type.
Workflow comparison: DNS automation and setup speed
Mailscale setup experience
Mailscale allows you to spend 60 seconds instead of 12+ hours to set up email accounts, with automated configurations for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Users report quick and easy setup with automated configurations.
The platform handles DNS configuration automatically. According to Mailscale's help center, you can bring your own domains by contacting their support team, though most customers purchase through Mailscale for automatic configuration.
Mailforge setup experience
Mailforge setup takes literal minutes, and you can set up domains and mailboxes in less than 10 minutes. The app guides you through each step and helps calculate how many domains and mailboxes you need.
Our setup benchmark
Our Cold Email Setup: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC video demonstrates 2-minute setup for 10+ inboxes. Customer testimonials report spinning up 10 inboxes in 2 minutes with no manual DNS panel work.
We auto-configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records without requiring access to DNS panels. Watch the full process in this InfraMail Setup Tutorial for Cold Email walkthrough.
Daily setup limits: Our Unlimited Plan allows 5 domain setups per day, while the Agency Pack allows 15 domain setups per day. Plan accordingly if you need to provision large numbers of domains quickly.
Support and reliability: Assessing vendor stability
Mailscale support assessment
Support has been quick to respond with questions answered promptly, with strong on-demand customer support available. The Business plan ($95/month annual) includes a deliverability consultant, while the Enterprise plan ($199/month annual) adds priority support.
Mailscale has 55 reviews on G2 and 77 customer reviews on Trustpilot. Reviews highlight quick setup with automated configurations.
Pricing transparency note: Some users report pricing discrepancies between FAQ-listed domain costs ($9-13) and checkout prices ($15). Verify current pricing before committing.
Mailforge support assessment
Customer support answers are fast and always available, with friendly, helpful responses. According to G2 reviews, support replies usually come within minutes, and they escalate fast when first-level support can't resolve problems.
However, Mailforge has only 7 reviews on Trustpilot and limited independent reviews compared to established alternatives. This sparse social proof creates evaluation risk for agencies committing significant infrastructure spend.
Common user complaints
Mailscale pain points from reviews:
Pricing surprises: Users reported domain pricing discrepancies between advertised and checkout rates
Limited inbox health visibility: Platform doesn't show ongoing status of each inbox, making it harder to catch problems early
Warmup reliability issues: Some users report warmup not working for weeks with no alerts
Mailforge pain points from reviews:
Mass blocking incidents: One user reported all 45 mailboxes blocked in 1 day
Cancellation difficulties: Requires going through chat with delayed responses
High initial costs: Expensive for small businesses considering warmup wait times before reaching maximum capacity
Both platforms lack public uptime data or status pages with historical incident reporting.
Choosing based on agency stage
Choose Mailscale if:
You need exactly 15, 50, or 200 inboxes (fitting cleanly into tiers)
Quick setup with included deliverability consulting fits your needs
Choose Mailforge if:
You need flexible scaling below 33 mailboxes
Per-mailbox pricing fits your current client count
You prioritize the slot-based model for testing different configurations
Choose us if:
You're scaling past 43+ inboxes and want capped costs
Client campaigns require dedicated IP isolation
You need predictable infrastructure spend for margin planning
You're comfortable adding external warmup tools
None of these platforms work for primary business email. All are designed specifically for cold outreach campaigns. Mailforge's guide explicitly recommends avoiding your primary business domain for cold emails because "cold outreach tends to have higher bounce and complaint rates" that can harm your main domain's reputation.
If you need transactional email, look at solutions covered in this Amazon SES vs SendGrid comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between shared and dedicated IPs?
Shared IPs are used by multiple senders simultaneously, so your deliverability depends on everyone's behavior. Dedicated IPs isolate your sending reputation entirely.
Do Mailscale and Mailforge include email warmup?
No, only Mailforge includes built-in warmup functionality. Inframail requires external warmup tools like Warmbox or Warmup Inbox, adding $15-29/inbox/month to your costs.
What's the break-even point between per-mailbox and flat-rate pricing?
At $3/mailbox (Mailforge), break-even against $129/month flat-rate is 43 mailboxes. Mailscale breaks even at tier transitions (16 inboxes jumps from $79 to $119).
Can I use these platforms for primary business email?
No. All three platforms are designed for cold outreach, not transactional or day-to-day business email.
How long does warmup take before sending campaigns?
Industry consensus recommends 4 weeks to 3 months of warmup before launching cold campaigns at full volume.
Key terminology
SPF/DKIM/DMARC: Email authentication protocols that verify sender identity. SPF specifies which IPs can send for your domain. DKIM adds cryptographic signatures. DMARC tells receiving servers how to handle failures.
Dedicated IP: An IP address used exclusively by one sender, giving full control over sending reputation without contamination from other users' behavior.
Inbox placement rate: The percentage of sent emails that land in the primary inbox versus spam or promotions folders. Industry benchmark is 85%+ for strong performance.
Warmup: The process of gradually increasing email volume from a new inbox to build positive sending reputation with email providers before running campaigns.
