How Did We Choose the Cheapest Cold Email Software List?
To find the most affordable tools for outreach, we focused on a checklist that directly impacts usability, email deliverability, and long-term performance:
Whether the tool offers a genuinely low entry plan and keeps pricing transparent as you add more inboxes or domains.
How well the software supports essential outreach functions like automated sending, follow-up sequences, campaign analytics, and CRM integrations.
Whether freelancers, startups, and small teams can set it up quickly and run campaigns without technical barriers or steep learning curves.
How reliably the tool helps emails land in the inbox through warm-up options, inbox placement tracking, and domain health monitoring.
Whether the software fits leanteams and budgets while still being scalable as outreach grows.
Here’s How AKOOL Reached 214K Prospects With a 16%+ Reply Rate
AKOOL partnered with Let’s Fearlessly Grow and used Infraforge, Mailforge, and Salesforge to build strong infrastructure, keep inboxes warm, and automate campaigns at scale - turning outreach into consistent pipeline growth.
Infraforge is a budget-friendly cold email tool built for freelancers, small teams, and growing agencies who want powerful features without a hefty price tag.
This image shows the Infraforge home page
It gives you enough automation, analytics, and email infrastructure control, and a dedicated IP for scaling safely, so you don’t feel like you're sacrificing quality for cost.
Deliverability monitoring with inbox placement reports and blacklist alerts
Multi-domain and multi-inbox support with scaling options
CRM and Zapier-style integrations for seamless workflow
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
Unlike other infrastructure-heavy tools that charge premium rates, Infraforge starts at $33/month for 10 inboxes, a much lower entry cost, making it accessible to freelancers and small teams while still offering advanced features for agencies.
Infraforge gives you all the essentials, warm-up, automation, analytics, and integrations, so you’re getting full campaign capabilities without breaking your budget.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Very affordable per-mailbox pricing
Full deliverability infrastructure (DNS, monitoring, warm-up)
Scales well for agencies with many inboxes
Cons:
Slightly technical setup for beginners
No free plan, only paid slots
Pricing
This image shows the Infraforge pricing
Per Mailbox Slot: Starts at around $3–$4 per mailbox/month, depending on the plan.
Domain Support: Flexible pricing if you scale with more domains and inboxes, without sudden jumps in cost.
How many emails can I send per plan?
A single warmed-up inbox can safely send 40-100 cold emails per day.
With multiple slots, agencies can scale to hundreds of cold emails daily across domains while maintaining deliverability.
2. Instantly
Instantly is a popular cold email platform built for sales teams, agencies, and solo founders who want to send at scale.
This image shows the Instantly home page
Unlike smaller tools that limit volume, Instantly gives you unlimited email accounts, fast campaign setup, and AI-powered deliverability controls.
It’s best suited for users who want to run large-volume outreach while still keeping things easy to manage.
Key features
Unlimited email account connections for higher outreach volume
Smart deliverability tools with automatic warm-up and inbox rotation
Advanced campaign analytics with open, click, and reply tracking
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
Instantly’s Growth plan starts at $37/month and already includes unlimited inboxes, AI warm-up, and campaign tracking. You can also test it with a free trial, making it one of the most budget-friendly ways to scale cold email without hitting enterprise costs.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Unlimited account connections
Powerful analytics and campaign tracking
Smart deliverability features built in
Cons:
Higher learning curve compared to simpler tools
No true free plan, only paid options
It can feel overwhelming for very small-scale users
Pricing
This image shows the Instantly pricing
Growth Plan: Starts at around $37/month, suitable for individuals or small teams.
Hypergrowth Plan: Costs more but allows scaling campaigns across unlimited accounts.
How many emails can I send per plan?
Growth users can send 160 emails per inbox per day after warm-up.
With unlimited accounts, agencies can scale to thousands of daily emails, spread safely across multiple inboxes.
3. Mailreach
Mailreach is a specialized cold email deliverability platform that gives users automated inbox warm-up, daily reputation monitoring, and spam filter testing to keep campaigns safe.
This image shows the Mailreach home page
It’s built for sales teams, agencies, and growing businesses that already run outreach but need a reliable way to make sure their emails actually reach the inbox instead of spam.
Key features
Automated inbox warm-up with real human-like interactions
Deliverability monitoring with inbox placement reports
Daily health checks to keep domains and mailboxes safe
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
Mailreach starting at $25/month per inbox, cheaper than most enterprise deliverability tools, while still giving you reliable monitoring and automated warm-up.
This makes it effective for teams that need consistent inbox placement without investing in heavy infrastructure.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Affordable entry point for warm-up and monitoring
Trusted deliverability features with daily health reports
Scales well for multi-inbox setups
Cons:
Focused mainly on warm-up, not full outreach automation
Costs add up if you need many inboxes
Limited campaign management features
Pricing
This image shows the Mailreach pricing
Starter Plan: Starts at around $25/month per inbox, good for individuals or small teams.
Business Plan: Supports multiple inboxes at a discounted rate, ideal for agencies managing client accounts.
How many emails can I send per plan?
A warmed-up inbox can send 40–100 cold emails per day safely.
Agencies using multiple accounts can scale to hundreds of cold emails daily while keeping deliverability high.
4. Lemwarm
Lemwarm is a cold email warm-up tool built into the Lemlist ecosystem. It’s tailored for salespeople, startups, and small teams who already use Lemlist for outreach and want a built-in way to improve deliverability.
This image shows the Lemwarm home page
Instead of being a standalone outreach platform, Lemwarm focuses entirely on making sure your inbox gains trust before sending real cold emails.
Key features
Automated warm-up using real inbox interactions inside the Lemlist network
Gradual email volume ramp-up to avoid spam filters
Reputation tracking to show how safe your inbox is for cold outreach
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
As a $15/month add-on to Lemlist, Lemwarm gives you automated warm-up and reputation tracking. It’s cost-effective because you don’t need a separate tool if you already run campaigns in Lemlist.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Directly integrated into Lemlist
Affordable as an add-on for existing users
Reputation tracking makes progress easy to follow
Cons:
Not available as a standalone tool (requires Lemlist)
Limited to warm-up only, no infrastructure features
Less flexible compared to dedicated warm-up platforms
Pricing
This image shows the lemwarm pricing
Essential plan: At around $24/month per inbox when added to a Lemlist subscription.
Bundled Option: Included in higher Lemlist plans, making it cost-effective if you’re already paying for outreach.
How many emails can I send per plan?
Warm-up accounts gradually build up to 20–100 safe emails per day.
Once warmed, you can send regular cold email campaigns through Lemlist without damaging deliverability.
5. Warmforge
Warmforge is an email warm-up and deliverability platform designed for agencies, sales teams, and businesses that want more than basic warm-up.
This image shows the Warmforge home page
It’s built for users who care about inbox placement accuracy, domain health monitoring, and long-term sending reputation.
If your cold email campaigns are hitting spam or promotions, Warmforge gives you the infrastructure to fix it.
Key features
AI-driven warm-up that uses real inbox activity to simulate human sending and replies
Inbox placement testing to check whether emails land in the inbox, promotions, or spam
Domain and DNS monitoring with alerts for blacklists and reputation issues
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
Warmforge’s plans begin at $12/month per inbox, with AI-powered warm-up and placement testing included. For agencies, this is one of the cheapest ways to keep multiple inboxes healthy without extra tools.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Includes inbox placement testing (not just warm-up)
Proactive domain and blacklist monitoring
Strong fit for agencies that manage multiple clients
Cons:
More expensive than ultra-basic warm-up tools
Some features may be overkill for very small campaigns
No true free plan, only paid tiers
Pricing
This image shows the Warmforge pricing
Starter Plan: From $12/month per inbox, ideal for freelancers or single users.
Agency Plan: Supports multiple inboxes with monitoring and testing, cost-effective for teams managing client outreach.
How many emails can I send per plan?
A warmed-up inbox can safely handle 50-100 cold emails per day without hitting spam.
With agency-level setups, teams can scale to hundreds of daily cold emails across multiple accounts while monitoring placement.
6. TrulyInbox
TrulyInbox is a peer-to-peer email warm-up platform designed for agencies and power users who manage many inboxes.
This image shows the TrulyInbox home page
Instead of relying on a shared warm-up network, it connects real inboxes together to send and reply naturally, making it harder for spam filters to detect automated patterns.
It’s best for teams that want control over multiple accounts without spending heavily on complex infrastructure.
Key features
Peer-to-peer warm-up with natural sends and replies
Unlimited inbox connections for scaling outreach
Dashboard to monitor warm-up progress and deliverability health
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
At $22/month, TrulyInbox offers peer-to-peer warm-up with unlimited inbox connections.
TrulyInbox stands out because it offers unlimited warm-up capacity at a lower cost compared to per-inbox pricing models. For agencies managing dozens of accounts, this makes it one of the cheapest ways to prepare inboxes at scale.
Scales well for agencies managing client campaigns
Cons:
No advanced deliverability monitoring, like blacklist alerts
Focused only on warm-up, not full campaign management
The learning curve when setting up multiple inboxes
Pricing
This image shows the TrulyInbox pricing
Starter Plan: At $22/month, suitable for individuals or small setups.
Unlimited Plan: Affordable pricing for agencies, with unlimited inbox connections.
How many emails can I send per plan?
Warm-up inboxes can build safely to 100+ daily emails each.
With unlimited connections, agencies can prepare hundreds of inboxes simultaneously, scaling outreach capacity massively.
7. Mailforge
Mailforge is a cold email infrastructure tool built for startups, agencies, and growth teams that want more than just sending software.
This image shows the Mailforge home page
It gives you control over domains, inbox warm-up, and IPs, making sure your outreach doesn’t get stuck in spam filters. It’s best suited for teams that need affordable, reliable infrastructure to scale campaigns without deliverability issues.
Key features
Automated domain setup with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication
AI-powered warm-up with real inbox interactions
IP rotation support to spread sending volume safely and protect the sender's reputation
Deliverability analytics to track inbox placement and domain health
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
Mailforge pricing starts at $13–15 per mailbox/month with a 10-slot minimum, plus $70 per domain yearly.
Mailforge combines affordable per-mailbox pricing with advanced infrastructure features like IP reputation tracking and automated DNS setup.
This makes it cheaper and simpler than building everything manually, while still strong enough for agencies handling multiple campaigns.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Low-cost entry with infrastructure-level features
Built-in DNS, warm-up, and IP monitoring in one place
Scales well for agencies with multiple clients
Cons:
Reporting is more basic compared to enterprise tools
Some DNS setup knowledge may still be required
No free plan, only paid tiers
Pricing
This image shows the Mailforge pricing
Domains
Each domain is charged $70 per year (for a .com).
Example: If you need 5 domains, that’s $350/year in domain costs.
Mailboxes
Mailforge sells a minimum of 10 mailbox slots.
Pricing:
$13 per mailbox/month if billed yearly.
How many emails can I send per plan?
A single inbox can safely send 170 cold emails per day after warming.
Agencies using multiple inboxes with IP rotation can scale to hundreds of daily emails across domains without burning domain reputation.
8. Saleshandy
Saleshandy is a cold email outreach platform designed for sales teams, freelancers, and small businesses that want automation with strong personalization.
This image shows the Saleshandy home page
Unlike pure warm-up tools, Saleshandy focuses on building and scaling campaigns with detailed tracking and follow-up automation.
It’s a good fit if you need both outreach and deliverability features in a single tool.
Key features
Multi-step email sequences with automated follow-ups
Mail merge for personalized outreach at scale
Email tracking with real-time open, click, and reply analytics
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
Saleshandy starts at $24/month per user, offering multi-step sequences, mail merge, and analytics. It’s budget-friendly for sales teams that want automation and tracking in one place.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Affordable pricing with outreach and tracking in one tool
Easy setup for multi-step campaigns and follow-ups
Detailed analytics that show engagement clearly
Cons:
No built-in advanced warm-up like Infraforge or Warmforge
Per-user pricing can get expensive for bigger teams
Limited deliverability monitoring compared to infrastructure-focused tools
Pricing
This image shows the Saleshandy pricing
Outreach starter Plan: Starts at around $25/month per user, suitable for freelancers and solo users.
Plus Plans: Higher-tier plans with bulk sending and advanced analytics, aimed at teams scaling outreach.
How many emails can I send per plan?
A single account can typically send 200–300 cold emails per day, depending on your warm-up and domain reputation.
Teams on higher plans can expand across multiple inboxes to handle thousands of emails daily while tracking performance.
9. SmartReach.io
SmartReach.io is a B2B cold email and outreach tool that helps small teams and startups run campaigns safely without hitting spam filters.
This image shows the SmartReach.io homepage
What it really gives is automation for follow-ups, built-in spam testing before you send, and gradual sending to protect domain health. It also integrates with popular CRMs, so you can sync contacts and track conversations easily.
Key features
Automated follow-up sequences with personalized templates
Spam test and “slow ramp-up” sending to protect the domain reputation
Integrations with CRMs like HubSpot, Zoho, and Pipedrive
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
At just $19/month to start, SmartReach.io offers deliverability-focused features that many higher-priced tools skip. It’s cost-effective because you’re not just paying for automation; you’re also getting tools that actively reduce the risk of landing in spam.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Spam testing helps improve inbox placement
Affordable entry plan
CRM integrations make it team-friendly
Cons:
Limited advanced analytics
Not as customizable as larger enterprise platforms
Pricing
This image shows the SmartReach pricing
Sales engagement Plan: $39/month, ideal for freelancers and individuals
Business Plans: Higher tiers available for teams, with CRM integrations
How many emails can I send per plan?
Safe sending volume starts at 20–30 per day and can be scaled to 40–100 per day per inbox once warmed up.
10. Mailshake
Mailshake is a cold email automation platform built for salespeople, agencies, and marketers who need to personalize and track campaigns at scale.
This image shows the Mailshake homepage
What it gives is an easy way to create multi-step email sequences, run A/B tests to optimize subject lines and content, and monitor replies in one dashboard.
It also connects with Gmail, Outlook, and CRMs like HubSpot, making it simple to fit into existing workflows.
Key features
Automated outreach with mail merge for personalization
A/B testing for subject lines and email content
Campaign analytics with click, open, and reply tracking
Why it’s a cheap and effective option
Mailshake balances affordability and functionality, starting at $25/month. It offers professional-grade features like A/B testing and advanced tracking that many low-cost tools don’t include, making it a smart choice for small businesses and agencies.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Affordable with strong outreach automation
Built-in A/B testing for optimization
Detailed analytics dashboard
Cons:
No built-in warm-up (needs an external warm-up tool)
Higher-tier features require more expensive plans
Pricing
This image shows the Mailshake pricing
Starter Plan:$25/month when billed annually
Email Outreach Plans: Higher tiers for $45, $85 per month with advanced analytics and multi-channel outreach
How many emails can I send per plan?
After warming up, safe sending capacity is around 40–100 cold emails per inbox per day, scaling higher with established domains and multiple inboxes.
How to Choose the Right Affordable Tool for You
Picking the right cold email tool really depends on your setup. We’ve tested enough of these to know that what works for a solo freelancer isn’t always right for an agency running dozens of inboxes.
That’s why we broke it down by use case, so you can match the tool to your budget, volume, and goals instead of guessing.
Outreach Criteria Table
Outreach Criteria & Recommended Tools
Criteria
Best For
Suggested Tool(s)
Business size & outreach volume
Freelancers need light outreach; agencies/startups need scalable infra.
Infraforge (agencies), TrulyInbox (bulk inboxes)
Features vs budget
Balance automation, warm-up, and analytics with cost.
Infraforge, Saleshandy, Warmforge
Deliverability & inbox placement
Keep domains healthy with warm-up, blacklist checks, and placement reports.
Mailreach, Warmforge, Infraforge
Personalization & automation
Sequences, mail merge, A/B testing.
Mailshake, Saleshandy, Lemwarm
High-volume outreach
Thousands of safe emails per month.
Instantly, Mailforge, Infraforge
Conclusion
When it comes to affordable cold email software, the right choice really depends on how you plan to grow.
Some tools keep things simple with sequences and tracking, while others focus more on deliverability and scaling.
What matters most is finding something that not only fits your budget but also supports your long-term outreach goals.
If affordability matters but you also want the peace of mind that your infrastructure is handled, Infraforge is the option that quietly stands out.
Infraforge goes beyond just sending emails; it quietly handles the background work like DNS setup, inbox warm-up, IP rotation, and deliverability monitoring.
It means you can focus on campaigns while the technical side is already taken care of, making it easier to scale safely without overspending.