Mailshake vs Respona (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Mailshake if

• Fits if you want cold email sequences sent from your own mailbox
• Works for reps who call and email the same leads, with the dialer on Sales Engagement at $85 a user

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there's no trial or free plan and payment is up front
• Not for you if you want LinkedIn steps, which Mailshake doesn't do
• Tight if you're on Starter, at 1,500 sends a month, one address and no CRM integrations
• Pricey if you need calls, as the dialer needs Sales Engagement at $99 a user billed monthly, with free minutes for North America only
• Watch out: more Data Finder credits are an add-on from $17 a month billed yearly

Pick Respona if

• Fits if you want to buy links on a plan and not run outreach yourself
• Works for planned link building where 28 days is fine

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want software you run yourself, since the self-serve tool isn't on the page
• Pricey if you need many links: each one is $100 to $500
• Not for you if you need a quick campaign, as placements take 28 days
• Watch out: express turnaround and domain pre-approval are extra fees with no price shown

Mailshake

• There is no free trial or free plan: Mailshake takes payment up front.
• Starter connects 1 email address and stops at 1,500 sends a month; rotation, the unified inbox and CRM integrations need Email Outreach.
• Calling needs Sales Engagement, $99 per user a month billed monthly, and its free minutes cover North American numbers only.
• More Data Finder credits are an add-on from $17 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly).

Respona

• This is a managed placement service billed per result, not outreach software you operate yourself.
• Express turnaround and domain pre-approval are extra fees whose prices the page does not give.
• Placements take 28 days by default, which suits planned link building rather than quick campaigns.
• The page says placements are guaranteed to go live within the agreed timeframe.

Mailshake

Sequences and follow-ups

Automated email sequences with follow-ups, advanced scheduling and throttling, A/B tests and spintax to vary parts of each email.

Deliverability tools

Free warm-up, unlimited email verification and list cleaning, a spam-word copy analyzer and a domain setup assistant come with every plan.

SHAKEspeare AI writer

Generates several versions of email copy from a short description of your business, on every plan.

Lead Catcher and analytics

Engaged leads and replies are gathered in one place, and team dashboards track opens, replies, clicks and each rep's activity.

Power dialer

Sales Engagement adds browser calling with 5 phone numbers, phone scripts and unlimited free minutes to North American numbers.

Data Finder

Search for prospects' business contact details by role, location or company. Sales Engagement includes 2,500 credits; the other plans get 50.

Respona

Managed placements

Respona finds publishers, writes content and gets it published; the page says placements include content, outreach and publishing.

Publisher tiers

Five tiers are defined by the publisher's domain rating and monthly traffic, from DR 20+ to DR 60+.

Control over anchors

You set the landing pages, anchor text and URLs, and can choose formats such as listicles, reviews or comparison guides.

Domain approvals

By default Respona picks sites; pre-approving every domain or setting rules such as country domains costs an extra fee.

Turnaround options

Standard delivery is 28 days, and an Express option shortens it to 14 days for an additional fee.

Volume discounts

Monthly spend of $3,000 earns 10% off and $5,000 earns 20%, rising to as much as 60% at the highest spend.

Mailshake

• Starter$25

  per user / month, billed yearly ($29 monthly)

  1 email address, 1,500 sends a month, unlimited contacts, warm-up and verification, A/B tests and the SHAKEspeare AI writer.

• Email Outreach$45

  per user / month, billed yearly ($49 monthly)

  2 email addresses, unlimited sends, email rotation, a unified inbox, Salesforce, Pipedrive and HubSpot, Zapier and the browser extension.

• Sales Engagement$85

  per user / month, billed yearly ($99 monthly)

  10 email addresses, 2,500 Data Finder credits, a power dialer with 5 numbers, phone scripts, lead temperature, tasks and a 1:1 onboarding call.

• AgencyCustom

  Everything in Sales Engagement with unlimited email addresses, sold through sales.

Respona

• Starter placement$100

  per placement, ordered as needed

  Publishers with domain rating 20+ and 100 to 5,000 monthly visits.

• Standard placement$160

  per placement, ordered as needed

  Publishers with domain rating 30+ and 100 to 10,000 monthly visits.

• Authority placement$240

  per placement, ordered as needed

  Publishers with domain rating 40+ and 500 to 20,000 monthly visits.

• Power placement$400

  per placement, ordered as needed

  Publishers with domain rating 50+ and 1,000 to 30,000 monthly visits.

• Elite placement$500

  per placement, ordered as needed

  Publishers with domain rating 60+ and 1,000 to 100,000 monthly visits.

Mailshake

• Annual discount

  Lower per-user rates with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Starter is $25 per user a month instead of $29, Email Outreach $45 instead of $49 and Sales Engagement $85 instead of $99.

Respona

• Other savings

  Volume discounts on monthly spend

  Respona's pricing page lists 10% off at $3,000 a month and 20% off at $5,000, rising to 60% at the highest monthly spend.