---
title: "Cold email software by price and limits"
url: "https://coldmeetings.com/blog/best-cold-email-software.md"
canonical_url: "https://coldmeetings.com/blog/best-cold-email-software"
last_updated: "2026-10-20"
type: "guide"
summary: "Four cold email tools set side by side on the monthly prices and limits printed on their own pricing pages, read on 2026-10-19, plus ColdMeetings."
related: ["https://coldmeetings.com/blog/cold-email-metrics.md", "https://coldmeetings.com/blog/cold-emails-going-to-spam.md", "https://coldmeetings.com/blog/cold-calling-vs-cold-email.md"]
---

# Cold email software by price and limits

> **For AI agents:** the complete index of ColdMeetings pages is [llms.txt](https://coldmeetings.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md.

Four cold email tools set side by side on the monthly prices and limits printed on their own pricing pages, read on 2026-10-19, plus ColdMeetings.

Most comparison pages for cold email software rank tools by opinion. This one does something narrower: it copies down what each vendor prints on its own public pricing page, shows the arithmetic you can do from those numbers, and leaves the judgment to you.

ColdMeetings is one of the products in the table, so you should weigh it the way you weigh any seller describing its own product. Every vendor row below cites the page it came from and the day it was read. Pricing pages change, so check the live page before you buy.

## What each vendor lists on its pricing page

The table keeps to three facts per plan: the monthly price shown, how many emails the plan sends per month, and how the page describes connected mailboxes. A blank means the page did not state it in a form we could quote. Where a page shows both a monthly price and a lower yearly price, the monthly figure is the one used.

Plan names are the vendors' own. Some vendors sell data, a phone dialer or a multichannel add-on on top of what is listed here; those are left out so the rows stay comparable.

Listed monthly prices and limits, read from each vendor's pricing page on 2026-10-19

| Vendor and plan | Monthly price shown | Emails per month | Mailboxes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Instantly, Growth | $47 | 5,000 | Unlimited email accounts |
| Instantly, Hypergrowth | $97 | 125,000 | Unlimited email accounts |
| Instantly, Light Speed | $358 | 500,000 | Unlimited email accounts |
| Smartlead, Base | $39 | 6,000 | Unlimited email accounts (FAQ) |
| Smartlead, Pro | $94 | 90,000 | Unlimited email accounts (FAQ) |
| Smartlead, Unlimited Smart | $174 | 150,000 | Unlimited email accounts (FAQ) |
| Smartlead, Unlimited Prime | $379 | 500,000 | Unlimited email accounts (FAQ) |
| lemlist, Email | $69 ($55 on yearly billing) | 50,000 | Unlimited senders |
| Mailshake, entry plan | $29 | 1,500 | 1 email address per account |
| Mailshake, Email Outreach | $49 | Unlimited | 2 email addresses per account |
| Mailshake, Sales Engagement | $99 | Unlimited | 10 email addresses per account |
| ColdMeetings, Professional | $495/month | Set by your mailboxes and campaigns | Up to 30 mailboxes on 12 domains |

## What the table does not tell you

The vendors sell different things under similar names. Instantly and Smartlead list their sending tools with credits, contact limits and add-ons around them. lemlist lists multichannel steps such as LinkedIn and calling on its higher plan. Mailshake lists a phone dialer on its top plan. ColdMeetings runs email only: it sets up sending domains and DNS records, creates mailboxes, imports and verifies lists, runs sequences, handles replies and books meetings, and it is also available as an API.

On the Professional plan, ColdMeetings lists 10,000 verified prospect imports a month, up to 5 active campaigns, and domain, mailbox and sending-software suppliers billed to you directly at cost. The plan price is for the software; supplier costs come on top. Full plan details are on the pricing page.

## A way to compare sending cost per thousand emails

Dividing a plan's listed price by its listed monthly email cap gives a price per 1,000 sends at full use. It is arithmetic on two printed numbers, nothing more: it ignores contacts, seats, data, mailbox costs and whatever you actually send. Plans with an unlimited cap have no figure.

Listed price per 1,000 sends at the full monthly cap, computed from the table above

| Plan | Price per 1,000 sends at the cap |
| --- | --- |
| Instantly, Growth | $9.40 |
| Instantly, Hypergrowth | $0.78 |
| Instantly, Light Speed | $0.72 |
| Smartlead, Base | $6.50 |
| Smartlead, Pro | $1.04 |
| Smartlead, Unlimited Smart | $1.16 |
| Smartlead, Unlimited Prime | $0.76 |
| lemlist, Email | $1.38 |
| Mailshake, entry plan | $19.33 |

## Software is the small line in cost per meeting

A sending tool is one input to the cost of a meeting. People time, domains, mailboxes and data usually weigh more. The example below is made up: a fictional company, Cedar Ridge Freight Software, spends part of a salesperson's month on outbound, pays a tool plan, and pays for domains and mailboxes.

Example inputs: $1,200 of people time, a $97 software plan (the Instantly Hypergrowth price listed above) and $150 of domains and mailboxes, which is $1,447 in total. The month produced 6 booked meetings, 5 held meetings and 2 qualified opportunities.

Worked example from costPerMeetingBreakdown. Inputs are examples, not benchmarks.

| Measure | Result |
| --- | --- |
| Total monthly spend | $1,447 |
| Cost per booked meeting | $241.17 |
| Cost per held meeting | $289.40 |
| Cost per qualified opportunity | $723.50 |

## Questions to settle before you pick a tool

Use these on any vendor, ColdMeetings included.

1. Which channels do you actually run? If you only send email, a multichannel plan pays for steps you will not use.
2. Who sets up domains, DNS records and mailboxes, and who pays those suppliers?
3. Is the volume cap per month, per mailbox or per contact, and what happens when you reach it?
4. Does the plan verify lists, or do you buy verification separately?
5. Can you export your contacts, replies and suppression list if you leave?
6. Is there an API, and is it on every plan?

## Sources and corrections

Spot something wrong or out of date? Write to hello@meralume.com and we will review it.

## Questions

### Why are there no rankings or ratings?

A ranking needs a measure. The only measures we can state honestly are the prices and limits the vendors print, so that is what the tables use.

### Are the prices current?

They are the prices shown on each page on 2026-10-19. Vendors change plans and prices, so confirm on the live page before buying.

### Does ColdMeetings run calling or LinkedIn?

No. ColdMeetings runs email only, as software and as an API.

## Where to go next

- [ColdMeetings pricing](https://coldmeetings.com/pricing.md)
- [Domains and inboxes](https://coldmeetings.com/product/domains-and-inboxes.md)
- [Cost per meeting calculator](https://coldmeetings.com/tools/cost-per-meeting.md)
- [Cold email, defined](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/cold-email.md)

## Sources

- [Instantly pricing page](https://instantly.ai/pricing), read 2026-10-19
- [Smartlead pricing page](https://www.smartlead.ai/pricing), read 2026-10-19
- [lemlist pricing page](https://www.lemlist.com/pricing), read 2026-10-19
- [Mailshake pricing page](https://www.mailshake.com/pricing), read 2026-10-19

## Related

- [Cold email metrics: formulas and tables](https://coldmeetings.com/blog/cold-email-metrics.md)
- [Cold emails landing in spam: find the cause](https://coldmeetings.com/blog/cold-emails-going-to-spam.md)
- [Cold calling or cold email: workflow compared](https://coldmeetings.com/blog/cold-calling-vs-cold-email.md)