Mailforge vs Premium Inboxes (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mailforge and Premium Inboxes share a 1.6 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Mailforge starts cheaper, at $3 a month against $3.50 a month.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
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.
Mailforge
Shared-IP domains and mailboxes built for cold email sending
Premium Inboxes
Done-for-you Google and Microsoft inboxes for cold email
Which one is for you
Pick Mailforge if
- Fits if you want cheap mailboxes for a sequencer you already pay for
- Works for small senders happy on shared IPs
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a tool that sends campaigns, as it doesn't
- Not for you if you want a trial, since there isn't one
- Watch out: slots are charged whether or not a mailbox is created
- Pricey if you add domains and masking: .com is $14 a year and masking is $2 per domain a month
Pick Premium Inboxes if
- Fits if you want 30 or more inboxes set up and handed over
- Works for agencies that already have a sequencer
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you need fewer than 30 inboxes, because both plans have a 30-inbox minimum
- Skip it if you want a trial, as there is none
- Watch out: domains are not in the price, so you buy them yourself
- Pricey if you want an account manager, a Slack channel or 24-hour monitoring, since all three need the $4.50 tier
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAMailforgeWeak | 1.6GPAPremium InboxesWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$3 a slot a month billed monthly, with a 10-slot minimum, so $30 at the floor. Just above the category's cheaper quarter ($25), before domains. | C$3.50 an inbox a month with a 30-inbox minimum, so $105 a month at the floor. $4.50 on the dearer tier. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial. You can look around after signing up, but sending means buying domains and mailboxes. | FNo free plan and no trial is listed, so you pay before you try it. |
| Features | DDomains, mailboxes and DNS only. It needs a separate sender to be useful, and shared IPs share a reputation. | DInbox setup, replacements and a sequencer upload. It needs a sequencer, and the domains are yours to buy. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. DNS is automated, but domains, slots and a sender all have to be put together. | CNo store rating on record. You hand over domains and connect a sequencer. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb with an API, and Salesforge, Infraforge, Warmforge and Primeforge from the same maker. | BWeb dashboard, with uploads to Instantly, Smartlead, Apollo, Lemlist, Reply.io and Bison. |
| Best for | bulk mailboxes for cold email on shared IPs | done-for-you Google and Microsoft inboxes |
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: Mailforge and Premium Inboxes. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mailforge starts at $3 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Premium Inboxes starts at $3.50 a month and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Mailforge starts $0.50 a month lower. Of the other cold outreach tools on the chart, none scores higher than Mailforge for less, and none scores higher than Premium Inboxes 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
At a glance
| Mailforge | Premium Inboxes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $3 per mailbox slot / month, billed monthly, with a 10-slot minimum | $3.50 per inbox / month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Mailforge | Premium Inboxes |
| Price read from | mailforge.ai | premiuminboxes.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mailforge
- Slots are billed whether or not a mailbox is created in them, and the minimum purchase is 10.
- Domains are bought separately; the calculator prices .com at $14 a year, charged once, with no annual discount on domains.
- There is no free trial; the app can be explored after sign-up, but domains and mailboxes must be purchased to send.
- Each Forge product is a separate subscription, and SSL and domain masking costs $2 per domain a month.
Premium Inboxes
- You supply the domains; the site does not list domain purchase in the price.
- Both plans start with a minimum order of 30 inboxes.
- It provides mailboxes only; you need a separate sequencer to send campaigns.
- Account manager, Slack channel and 24-hour monitoring come only with the $4.50 tier.
Key features
Mailforge
- Automated DNS setup
- Each domain added gets DMARC, SPF, DKIM and custom domain tracking configured, with bulk DNS updates in the app.
- Shared IP pool
- Mailboxes are spread across a shared IP pool, in contrast with Infraforge's dedicated servers.
- Pre-warmed domains and mailboxes
- The page says domains and mailboxes can be bought pre-warmed so sequences can start right away.
- Workspaces and domain transfers
- Projects can have their own workspaces, and domains can be transferred in or out.
- Works with any sending tool
- Mailboxes connect to any sending software, including Salesforge from the same vendor.
- SSL and domain masking
- An add-on that redirects securely while masking the domain behind a branded website.
Premium Inboxes
- Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
- Inboxes are business accounts on either provider, and the pricing page has a toggle for each.
- Technical setup handled
- The vendor says it configures DNS with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, creates the inboxes, sets up profiles and enables warmup.
- Sequencer upload
- Inboxes are uploaded directly to the sequencer. The site lists Instantly, Smartlead, Apollo, Lemlist, Reply.io and Bison.
- Unlimited replacement inboxes
- Both plans include replacement inboxes when one is lost or flagged, with a priority queue on the higher plan.
- Slack support channel
- The higher plan adds a dedicated Slack channel and account manager, and the site says the founder joins customer channels.
- Infrastructure calculator
- A calculator turns a daily send volume into a number of inboxes, domains and a monthly cost.
Plans
Mailforge
Mailbox slots$3
per mailbox slot / month, billed monthly, 10-slot minimum
Slots are the capacity to create mailboxes and are charged whether used or not. The calculator shows 25 slots at $75 a month, or $60 a month billed yearly.
Premium Inboxes
Start Up$3.50
per inbox / month, for 1 to 249 inboxes
No monthly commitment, dashboard, full technical setup, upload to your sequencer and unlimited replacement inboxes. Orders start at 30 inboxes.
Insured Infrastructure$4.50
per inbox / month
Adds a dedicated account manager and Slack channel, advanced analytics, priority support and build queue, and 24-hour monitoring.
Ways to pay less
Mailforge
- Annual discount
Two months free on annual mailbox billing
The FAQ says annual billing for mailboxes gets 2 months free automatically; there is no discount on domains.
Premium Inboxes
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mailforge or Premium Inboxes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mailforge is cheaper to start with: $3 a month, against $3.50 a month for Premium Inboxes. Mailforge starts at $3 per mailbox slot / month, billed monthly, with a 10-slot minimum, and Premium Inboxes starts at $3.50 per inbox / month.
Which has a free plan, Mailforge or Premium Inboxes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Mailforge nor Premium Inboxes has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.