Instantly vs Smartlead
We give Instantly and Smartlead the same GPA: 2.6 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Instantly
Cold email from unlimited inboxes, priced by emails and contacts
Smartlead
High-volume cold email with unlimited mailboxes and client workspaces
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAInstantlyGood | 2.6GPASmartleadGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AA team of five needs Hypergrowth, since Growth's 1,000-contact total and read-only inbox won't stretch that far: $77.60 a month billed yearly for everyone, about $15.52 a head. That's under 60% of the cheaper quarter's $32.50 in this category. | ABase's 6,000 emails and 2,000 contacts won't carry five people, so the team plan is Pro: $78.30 a month billed yearly for everyone, about $15.66 a head. That's under 60% of the cheaper quarter's $32.50. Watch the add-ons, though. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with no card. It stops at 250 uploaded contacts and 1,000 emails, which is enough to warm up and send a small first campaign, and not much more. | CNo free plan. The 14-day trial needs no card and allows 2,500 sends and 1,250 contacts, with the AI agents switched on, but white labeling stays locked. |
| Features | CThe email side is complete: unlimited inboxes and warm-up, multi-step campaigns, A/Z tests, one inbox for replies and automations. But there are no LinkedIn steps at all, and lead search and the AI agents need a separate credits plan from $9 a month. | CUnlimited mailboxes with warm-up and rotation, a master inbox sorted by intent, AI agents, and an API and MCP from Pro. The gap is LinkedIn: there are no LinkedIn steps, so you'd pair it with something like Expandi, and verified leads cost $59 a month extra on Base and Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. You'll be connecting mailboxes and waiting on warm-up before the first real send, and actually replying from the Unibox needs Hypergrowth. | CNo App Store rating on record. Expect to connect mailboxes, wait for warm-up and set up rotation before real sending starts, though the AI assistant helps with campaign setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but with HubSpot, Slack, Zapier, Findymail, RB2B and ChatGPT links, webhooks from Hypergrowth and a public API. No phone or desktop app on record. | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps for answering replies, with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Clay, Zapier, Slack and Expandi links, and an API and webhooks from Pro. No desktop app on record. |
| Best for | cold email from as many inboxes as you like | high-volume cold email, and agencies |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Instantly and Smartlead. How we grade
Price against what you get
Instantly starts at $37.60 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Smartlead starts at $32.50 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Smartlead starts $5.10 a month lower. Of the other cold outreach tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Instantly for less, and 1 scores higher than Smartlead for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Instantly starts at $37.6 per month for 5,000 emails, billed yearly ($47 monthly). Smartlead starts at $32.50 per month for 6,000 emails, billed yearly ($39 monthly).
- Only Smartlead lists iOS and Android apps.
- Instantly also covers workflow automation.
- Smartlead also covers sales pipeline.
At a glance
| Instantly | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $37.6 per month for 5,000 emails, billed yearly ($47 monthly) | $32.50 per month for 6,000 emails, billed yearly ($39 monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no card required, with 250 uploaded contacts and 1,000 emails | 14-day free trial, no card required, with 2,500 email sends and 1,250 contacts |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Foo Monk, LLC (Instantly) | 521 Products Pty Ltd (Smartlead) |
| Price read from | instantly.ai | smartlead.ai |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Instantly
- Agencies and teams spreading volume across many mailboxes
- Senders who want warmup included rather than bought per inbox
- Buyers who want a lead database and sending in one account
Smartlead
- Lead generation agencies running outreach for several clients
- High-volume senders spreading campaigns over many mailboxes
- Teams that answer replies from a phone
Worth knowing
Instantly
- There is no free plan; the 14-day trial stops at 250 uploaded contacts and 1,000 emails.
- The uploaded-contact limit is a total across all campaigns, not a monthly one. On Hypergrowth and up, 25,000 more contacts cost $87 a month.
- Lead data and the AI agents need an Instantly Credits plan, from $9 a month for 150 credits; the CRM is a separate add-on from $47 a month.
- Replying from Unibox, webhooks and full A/Z testing need Hypergrowth, $97 a month billed monthly.
Smartlead
- Base has no CRM, API or webhooks and stores only 2,000 contacts.
- Verified lead emails cost $59 a month extra on Base and Pro, and email verification is sold separately in credit packs from $32.
- Inbox placement tests (SmartDelivery, from $49 a month), dedicated servers ($39 each a month) and calling credits (from $9 a month) cost extra.
- There is no free plan; the 14-day trial allows 2,500 sends and 1,250 contacts and leaves out white labeling.
Key features
Instantly
- Unlimited sending accounts and warmup
- Every Outreach plan connects and warms up any number of email accounts from any provider; the plan limits emails sent and contacts uploaded instead.
- Sequences and A/Z testing
- Multi-step campaigns with sending schedules, a global block list and bounce detection. Growth gets basic A/Z testing; Hypergrowth and above test up to 26 variants.
- Unibox
- Replies from every connected account land in one inbox. It is preview-only on Growth; replying in the app and custom reply labels start at Hypergrowth.
- SuperSearch lead database
- Search more than 450 million B2B contacts and enrich them through several email providers, paid for with Instantly Credits, a separate subscription.
- AI Sales Agent and AI Reply Agent
- Agents that find and contact leads or draft answers to replies. Each lead or reply generated costs 5 credits from the credits plan.
- Automations
- A visual trigger-and-action builder routes and tags leads when they reply, visit your site or book a meeting, and is included on every Outreach plan.
Smartlead
- Unlimited mailboxes with rotation
- Every plan connects any number of email accounts, warms them up and spreads a campaign's sends across them to protect each sender's reputation.
- Unified master inbox
- Replies from all accounts land in one inbox sorted by intent, with bulk actions and Kanban deal tracking. CRM access starts at Pro.
- SmartProspect lead finder
- A built-in B2B lead finder. Verified prospect emails are included on Unlimited Smart and Prime and are a $59 a month add-on on Base and Pro.
- SmartAgents and SmartAssistant
- AI agents and an assistant create campaigns, watch warmup and mailbox health, find leads and sort replies, on every plan including the trial.
- Client workspaces and white labeling
- From Pro, agencies run each client in its own workspace under their own brand for $29 a month per workspace; Unlimited Prime includes 3.
- API, webhooks and MCP
- Pro and above include the API and webhooks, and an MCP server gives AI assistants such as Claude access to campaigns, mailboxes and leads.
Plans
Instantly
Growth$37.6
per month for 5,000 emails, billed yearly ($47 monthly)
1,000 uploaded contacts, unlimited email accounts and warmup, basic A/Z testing and a preview-only Unibox.
Hypergrowth$77.6
per month for 125,000 emails, billed yearly ($97 monthly)
25,000 uploaded contacts, replying from Unibox, webhooks, A/Z tests of up to 26 variants and premium live support.
Light Speed$286.3
per month for 500,000 emails, billed yearly ($358 monthly)
100,000 uploaded contacts and SISR, which rotates dedicated servers and IP addresses for sending.
EnterpriseCustom
More than 500,000 emails a month, a private deliverability network and a dedicated account manager.
Smartlead
Base$32.50
per month for 6,000 emails, billed yearly ($39 monthly)
2,000 stored contacts, unlimited mailboxes and warmup. No CRM, API or webhooks; 2,000 verified prospect emails are a $59 a month add-on.
Pro$78.30
per month for 90,000 emails, billed yearly ($94 monthly)
30,000 contacts, CRM, API and webhooks, and client workspaces at $29 a month each. 30,000 verified prospect emails are a $59 add-on.
Unlimited Smart$144.50
per month for 150,000 emails, billed yearly ($174 monthly)
Unlimited contacts, the premium warmup pool, calls with a customer success manager and 50,000 verified prospect emails included.
Unlimited Prime$314.60
per month for 500,000 emails, billed yearly ($379 monthly)
170,000 verified prospect emails, 3 dedicated SmartServers, 3 client workspaces, a dedicated manager and a private Slack channel.
Ways to pay less
Instantly
- Annual discount
About 20% off with yearly billing
Billed yearly, Growth is $37.6 a month instead of $47, Hypergrowth $77.6 instead of $97 and Light Speed $286.3 instead of $358.
Smartlead
- Annual discount
Save 17% with yearly billing
Billed yearly, Base is $390 a year ($32.50 a month) instead of $39 monthly, and Pro $939.60 a year ($78.30 a month) instead of $94.
- Other savings
50% off the first month
The pricing page offers new sign-ups 50% off their first month on any plan, with no end date shown.
