Instantly vs Smartlead
Which sales engagement tool is right for you? Compare features, pricing, and user reviews to make the best choice.
Instantly
Teams and agencies that want to connect many mailboxes and warm them all for one flat monthly fee.
Smartlead
Agencies and high-volume senders who want unlimited mailboxes, warmup and client workspaces at a flat price.
Side by side
| Instantly | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $37.60/month billed yearly ($47 month to month); 14-day trial | From $32.50/month billed yearly ($39 month to month); trial |
| G2 Rating | Not yet verified | Not yet verified |
| Best For | Teams and agencies that want to connect many mailboxes and warm them all for one flat monthly fee. | Agencies and high-volume senders who want unlimited mailboxes, warmup and client workspaces at a flat price. |
Pros and cons
Instantly
Pros
- Unlimited mailboxes and warmup on the $47 plan
- Flat fee, no per-seat or per-mailbox charges
- Built-in lead database and AI agents if you add credits
- Can buy ready-made and pre-warmed mailboxes in-app
Cons
- Growth plan is capped at 5,000 emails and 1,000 contacts a month
- Replying from Unibox and webhooks need the $97 plan
- Lead data is a second subscription, so the real bill is often $94+ a month
- Credits expire after 2 months on monthly billing
Smartlead
Pros
- Unlimited mailboxes and warmup from $39
- Built for agencies: client workspaces and whitelabel
- Dedicated IPs and placement testing available in-app
- 17% annual discount, no lock-in contract
Cons
- Base plan lacks API, webhooks and CRM access
- Many useful pieces are add-ons (verified leads, SmartDelivery, servers)
- Trial length is not stated on the pricing page
Related comparisons
Best Cold Email Software
Instantly is the best cold email software for most teams: unlimited mailboxes and unlimited warmup on every plan from $47/month ($37.60 yearly), with a shared inbox and in-app mailboxes. Pick Smartlead for agency work, lemlist when LinkedIn belongs in the sequence, Saleshandy for built-in lead data, or Woodpecker for low volume on a small budget.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026lemlist alternatives
Reply.io is the best lemlist alternative if you want to keep email, LinkedIn and calls in one sequence: its per-user Multichannel plan works the same way for $99 a month ($89 yearly). Pick Instantly for email-only sending across many mailboxes, Apollo.io for included lead data, Smartlead for agencies or Woodpecker for small budgets.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026