Best Cold Email Software in 2026: 8 Tools Priced From Their Own Pages

You have a list of a few hundred companies, a new sending domain and twenty tabs of "best cold email software" lists. They disagree on the order, and more often than you would hope, on the prices.

Cold email software sends personalized emails and automatic follow-ups to people who have not signed up for your list, from mailboxes you connect. Most of the tools here also warm those mailboxes up before you send, and several rotate sending across them so one address does not carry every email.

On 10 November 2026, six of Google's top ten US results for "cold email software" sat on a cold email vendor's own domain. The lists from lemlist and Instantly each put their own tool first, and Instantly's quotes an older price for its own Hypergrowth plan. This guide prices eight cold email tools from their own pages, and my own product, which does not send at volume, sits last.

I read every pricing page and the sender rules on 10 November 2026. Nothing was sent and no trial account was opened, so each feature below is described the way the vendor describes it.

Two exits before you start. If your list opted in, you want email marketing software for people who opted in instead. If you do not know who to email yet, begin with finding who to email in the first place.

How I compared the cold email tools

Every one of these email outreach tools got the same five questions, asked of its own pricing page:

• What does the plan meter? Emails a month, contacts or "active prospects", connected mailboxes, warm-up slots, seats, and lead data priced in each vendor's own credits (Apollo's, Hunter's, Saleshandy's). The mix of units differs by vendor, so compare the unit before the price.
• Is the price on the page, and in which billing state? Five of the eight opened on annual or yearly billing, and Instantly and Woodpecker opened on monthly. GMass's default for a US visitor could not be determined, so I give both of its states.
• Does it warm up and rotate mailboxes? Cold email warmup comes with most plans here. Two of the eight name no warm-up feature at all.
• Can one person run it, and what does a second seat cost?
• What is free? Two of the eight send on a free plan; most of the rest offer a trial.

Software that writes and sends for you is a different category, and AI SDR tools that write and send for you has its own guide.

Quick comparison

Prices read on each vendor's own page on 10 November 2026, in USD; the first price is the billing state the page opened with (GMass's default could not be determined). Mailboxes and domains are extra on most tools; see each section and the sending rules.

1. Instantly: unlimited mailboxes on one flat fee

Instantly pricing starts with Growth at $47 a month billed monthly, or $37.60 a month on yearly billing, as of November 2026. Growth includes unlimited email accounts, unlimited warmup, 1,000 uploaded contacts and 5,000 emails a month.

One subscription. Any number of sending accounts. The volume grows with the plan: Hypergrowth is $107 a month billed monthly for 125,000 emails and 25,000 contacts, and Light Speed is $358 a month for 500,000 emails, 100,000 contacts and the "SISR System", which assigns dedicated server and IP blocks and rotates them automatically.

Mailboxes and warmup are unlimited, and the leads database is a second bill.

Instantly's B2B leads database lives on a separate tab called Instantly Credits, with its own subscription. Growth Credits is $47 a month billed monthly ($37.60 yearly) for 1,500 to 2,000 Instantly Credits a month, and the Instantly Credits plans also list an AI email writer agent and a web researcher agent. If you want the data as well as the sender, budget for two plans.

You can sign up without a card. The page states no trial length and shows no free plan.

Best for

Many mailboxes on one flat fee.

Pricing

Growth $47 a month billed monthly ($37.60 yearly), as of November 2026.

Verdict

The simplest bill if you plan to spread sending across many addresses.

2. Smartlead: four plans and automatic rotation

Smartlead counts two things, contacts stored and emails sent, and lets every plan connect as many mailboxes as you like. Its page opened on yearly billing, where Base is $32 a month ($39 billed monthly); yearly saves 17%. As of November 2026:

• Base: $39 a month billed monthly, $32 on yearly billing, for 2,000 contacts and 6,000 email sends.
• Pro: $94, or $78 yearly, for 30,000 contacts and 90,000 sends.
• Unlimited Smart: $174, or $144 yearly, with unlimited contacts and 150,000 sends. Smartlead labels it the most popular plan.
• Unlimited Prime: $379, or $315 yearly, with 500,000 sends and 3 SmartServers included.

Every plan connects unlimited mailboxes, and verified emails cost extra on the two cheaper ones.

The FAQ is plain about the core feature: "Smartlead automatically rotates sending across all connected mailboxes within a campaign." Every plan includes a warmup pool, with a better tier on the higher plans. The catch sits in the plan grid, where the verified-email allowance is a $59 a month add-on on Base and Pro and free on the two Unlimited plans.

The mailboxes themselves are sold separately. Smartlead's SmartSenders add-on sells fresh Google or Outlook mailboxes at $4.50 a mailbox a month plus $13 a domain a year, and other providers' mailboxes at $3.99 to $9. Agencies can add white-label client workspaces at $29 a month each, from Pro up. Every plan comes with a free trial that needs no card, and the FAQ says there are no lock-in contracts.

Best for

Multi-inbox senders and agencies.

Pricing

From $32 a month on yearly billing ($39 billed monthly), as of November 2026.

Verdict

Pick it when you run many mailboxes or several client accounts at once.

3. Woodpecker: a $39 plan with warm-ups counted in

Woodpecker's Email plan is sized for a small team that sends a steady 5,000 emails a month. It costs $39 a month billed monthly, or $26 a month on annual billing, in USD as of November 2026. Only the default 5,000-email step of its volume slider was read, so do not assume $39 at any other volume.

Three warm-ups and unlimited teammates come in the $39 plan.

The Email plan lists these inclusions:

• Unlimited contacts storage and unlimited email verification.
• 3 warm-ups.
• 100 Woodpecker Lead Finder credits.
• Unlimited team members and unlimited email accounts, so a second person costs nothing extra.

Its deliverability list adds free warm-up, inbox rotation, adaptive sending and a domain audit that checks SPF and DKIM. Multichannel costs $68 a month billed monthly or $55 on annual billing, and it adds one LinkedIn account to the same 5,000 emails.

The free trial runs for 14 days or 500 cold emails, whichever limit you reach first, with no card. Past the emails-sent limit, Woodpecker's FAQ says, "the campaign won't send new emails to new prospects."

Best for

A small team on a fixed volume.

Pricing

Email $39 a month billed monthly or $26 on annual billing, at 5,000 emails; Multichannel $68 or $55, as of November 2026.

Verdict

Buy it for a steady, modest volume and a team that shares the work.

4. Saleshandy: leads and sending on one bill

Saleshandy's Starter plan is $34 a month billed annually ($408 a year), or $41 if you pay monthly, as of November 2026. It covers 2,000 active prospects, which Saleshandy defines as "Contacts you can keep in live sequences at once", plus 6,000 emails a month and sender rotation across 10 email accounts.

Lead data comes in the box, but Starter is a single seat.

One user. Pro is $76 a month billed annually ($99 monthly) for 10 users, and Scale is $149 ($189 monthly) for unlimited users and 200,000 emails a month.

Every plan carries Saleshandy's lead finder credits: 1,500 a month on Starter, or all 18,000 upfront if billed annually. One Saleshandy credit reveals a verified email and six reveal a phone number, spent only when Saleshandy returns a verified result. Saleshandy's headline says you can warm up inboxes "with no metered credits"; its lead data is still metered in credits on every plan.

Mailboxes are unlimited on every plan, warmed "at no extra cost" and with no per-inbox fees. New ones cost $2.99 a mailbox a month on Saleshandy's annual fixed add-on, plus $14 a year per domain. The trial lasts 7 days and needs no card.

Best for

A solo sender who wants leads in the same bill.

Pricing

Starter $34 a month billed annually ($41 monthly), as of November 2026.

Verdict

Good value for one person, until a second person needs a login.

5. lemlist: priced by volume, with data on the side

On yearly billing, lemlist's Email plan is $55 a month, or $69 billed monthly, as of November 2026. That price is for the default volume of 50,000 emails a month; the other steps on its volume menu were not read.

The Email plan prices volume, not people, and data is an add-on.

Users and email senders are both unlimited on Email. The plan includes the lemwarm warm-up and a deliverability hub, an email and phone finder, CRM integrations and the API, plus lemAgent and lemlist's signal, enrichment and messaging AI agents. Its FAQ says lemwarm and the built-in deliverability protections "are included in all plans".

The finder runs on lemlist's credits, charged only for successful results. The data add-on is $16 a month on yearly billing ($20 monthly) for 2,000 lemlist credits a month, enough for 400 emails or 100 phone numbers, and unused credits roll over while your subscription stays active.

Multichannel is $87 a user a month on yearly billing ($109 monthly), with five senders per user, LinkedIn and SMS automation and a built-in call dialer. There is no free plan on lemlist's pricing page; the 14-day trial opens the Multichannel features except in-app calls and includes 200 free lemlist credits for finding emails and phone numbers. Start on Email if LinkedIn is a maybe, and move up when it becomes a yes.

6. Apollo: the contact database that also sends

Apollo pricing, as of November 2026: Basic is $49 a seat a month billed annually, or $65 billed monthly. Every seat on an account sits on the same plan, and Organization needs at least three seats. Apollo marks the prices as "Introductory pricing" and notes that "features and pricing may change."

The contact data is the product, and sending stops at 250 a day on the two cheaper plans.

Apollo's credits pay for the data: 1 credit per email, 8 per phone number and 1 per AI research run. The Basic plan comes with 30,000 credits per seat a year upfront on annual billing, or 2,500 a month on monthly, and Apollo's unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle. Its Basic and higher plans add a "Deliverability Suite & Email Warmup".

The Basic and Professional plans come with a 14-day trial. After it, Apollo says you can move to its free plan, which "stays free with no time limit".

Best for

Teams that need the data more than the sender.

Pricing

From $49 a seat a month billed annually ($65 monthly), as of November 2026.

Free tier

Yes: 2 sequences, 1 Gmail mailbox, 250 emails a day.

Verdict

Buy Apollo for the database, and pay for Professional only if it must also carry your volume.

7. Hunter: a free plan that can send

Hunter finds and verifies email addresses, and its outreach feature, Sequences, sends from the accounts you connect. As of November 2026, the Free plan is $0 with 50 Hunter credits a month, one connected email account and up to 500 recipients per sequence.

The free plan sends, and paid plans are sized by connected mailboxes.

• Starter: $34 a month paid yearly ($408 a year), or $49 billed monthly, for 3 connected accounts and 2,500 recipients per sequence.
• Growth: $104 a month paid yearly ($149 monthly) and 10 accounts.
• Scale: $209 a month paid yearly, $299 monthly. It connects 20 accounts and allows 15,000 recipients per sequence.

Hunter's credits pay for Email Finder, Email Verifier and Domain Search. On monthly billing they reset each month and do not roll over, while yearly plans get the whole year's Hunter credits upfront. Users are unlimited on every plan, extra connected accounts cost from $10 a month each, and Hunter sells custom domains and email accounts from $6 a month per account. The pricing page names no warm-up feature.

Best for

Finding and verifying emails, with light sending.

Pricing

Free; Starter $34 a month paid yearly ($49 monthly), as of November 2026.

Free tier

Yes: 1 connected account, 500 recipients per sequence, 50 Hunter credits a month.

Verdict

Start on Free if you send a little and need the addresses more than the volume.

8. GMass: cold email from the Gmail you already have

If you would rather not leave Gmail, GMass works inside it. It prices by country, and these are its US dollar prices for an individual as of November 2026. The default billing state for a US visitor could not be determined, so both states are below:

• Standard: $29.95 a month billed monthly, or $249 a year. Mail merge with personalization and free address verification, but no sequences.
• Premium: $39.95 billed monthly or $349 a year. This is where sequences and follow-ups start, along with A/B tests and the API.
• Professional: $59.95 billed monthly or $599 a year, adding inbox rotation, which GMass calls MultiSend.

It sends from the Gmail you already have, so Gmail's limits are yours.

Standard promises "Send unlimited emails" with an asterisk. Read the asterisk: "Breaking limits depends on individual account configuration." Google Workspace caps a user at 2,000 messages a day, or 1,500 for mail merge, and after reaching a limit, "users can't send new messages for up to 24 hours."

The page has a "Try GMass for free" link but no free plan card and no trial terms. For one person sending from their own address, pick Premium if you want follow-ups; Standard sends each email once.

9. Gravity: finds who to email and drafts it, but does not send at volume

Gravity is my product, so weigh this section with that in mind. It is an AI agent platform: you type the task you need done, and it matches an expert-built agent that runs it. It does not send cold email at volume, which is why it sits last.

For AI cold email work, the November 2026 catalog has a Lead gen agent. Its description reads: "Finds companies that would buy what you sell, the right person at each (checked against their own profile), their email with how it was found, something real they recently did, and a first email in two versions."

It finds the people and drafts the first email, and it stops before volume sending.

• It reads your Gmail and Google Calendar.
• Hourly, it sees who replied and drafts answers and follow-ups.
• It sends only what you approve, by email. LinkedIn and X messages are written for you to send yourself.
• The leads come back as a CSV spreadsheet you can download.

What it leaves out matters more on this page. There is no mailbox warmup, no mailbox rotation and no high-volume sequences. If you already know who to email, one of the eight above is the tool you want; if you do not, start one step earlier.

Best for

The list and the first emails, before you send at volume.

Pricing

The Free plan is $0 with your first 3 agent runs free, and Mini Pilot is $15 a month, as of November 2026 (pricing).

Free tier

Yes: 3 agent runs, no card.

Verdict

Use it to find who to email and draft the first message, then send at volume from one of the eight.

Snov.io, Reply.io and the free plans

Two more senders turn up on the ranking lists. Neither is numbered here, but both publish prices, read on 10 November 2026:

• Snov.io: Starter is $39 a month billed monthly, or $29.25 a month on annual billing (the page's default), for 5,000 recipients, 3 email warm-ups and unlimited team seats. Its free Trial plan renews every month with 100 recipients, 50 Snov.io credits and one warm-up slot, and Snov.io says it is "not meant to help grow sales".
• Reply.io: the Email Volume plan is $59 a user a month billed monthly, or $49 billed annually, with warmup included with every mailbox and a 14-day free trial. A Black Friday code was on the page when I read it, so check the price at checkout.

If you want to send without paying, three plans do it: Hunter Free, Apollo Free and Snov.io's Trial. None of the pricing pages I read offers a lifetime deal.

What Gmail, Yahoo and the law ask of a cold emailer

Cold email deliverability starts with rules the mailbox providers publish, and the law sits on top of them. Each item gives the source, its date and its status, as read on 10 November 2026. This page covers the US and the UK only.

• Gmail (Google's Email sender guidelines; required since February 1, 2024). Every sender needs SPF or DKIM, valid forward and reverse DNS, a TLS connection and a spam rate below 0.3%; Google's best-practice target is below 0.10%. At close to 5,000 messages a day to personal Gmail accounts, you also need SPF and DKIM, DMARC (p=none is enough), an aligned From: domain, and one-click unsubscribe plus a visible link on marketing mail.
• Gmail, scope and enforcement. Google's FAQ says the guidelines "don't apply to messages sent to Google Workspace accounts", and that "Starting November 2025, Gmail is ramping up its enforcement on non-compliant traffic," with temporary and permanent rejections. It recommends honoring unsubscribes within 48 hours.
• Yahoo (Sender Requirements and Recommendations; enforced from February 2024). SPF or DKIM and a spam rate below 0.3% for everyone. Bulk senders also need both SPF and DKIM, a DMARC policy of at least p=none, one-click unsubscribe and a visible unsubscribe link, and Yahoo tells them to "Honor unsubscribes within 2 days".
• US, CAN-SPAM (federal law; the FTC's compliance guide, edited January 2024). "The law makes no exception for business-to-business email." The guide asks for honest headers and subject lines, a message identified as an ad, your valid physical postal address and a clear opt-out honored within 10 business days, and it lists penalties of up to $53,088 per violating email. It lists no consent requirement before you send.
• UK, PECR (ICO guidance; under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act). You do not need consent under PECR to email a company, but you must not hide who you are, and you must give a valid address to opt out. The ICO treats sole traders and some partnerships as individuals, whom you can email only if they have "specifically consented", and UK GDPR still applies to named business contacts.

This is not legal advice; check the law where your recipients are. Treat Google's rules as good practice for every inbox you send to anyway.

Which one should you choose?

Search for sales outreach tools and you get whole sales suites. For the sender alone, match the tool to your volume and to what you are missing. Prices are as of November 2026.

• Many mailboxes on one flat fee: Instantly, from $47 a month billed monthly.
• Rotation across mailboxes, or several client workspaces: Smartlead, from $39 a month billed monthly.
• A fixed small volume with warm-ups and teammates included: Woodpecker.
• One person who wants leads in the same bill: Saleshandy Starter, $34 a month billed annually.
• A team that may add LinkedIn later: lemlist, starting on the Email plan.
• The contact data matters more than the sender: Apollo. Below Professional, sending stops at 250 emails a day.
• Mostly finding and verifying emails, sending a little: Hunter, starting on Free.
• One person sending from Gmail: GMass, on Premium if you want follow-ups.
• You do not yet know who to email: Gravity's Lead gen agent for the research and the first drafts, then one of the eight above for the volume.

The sender is one piece of outbound. AI agents for lead generation covers finding the people, and AI sales agents compared covers the rest of the sales funnel.

FAQ

Sources