The ColdSEO Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about ColdSEO in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
ColdSEO
The Insider’s Guide
Cold email outreach for link building with placed-link tracking
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among link building tools, read from ColdSEO’s own pages.
Made by ColdSEO · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from ColdSEO’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on ColdSEO’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 13 of the 50 other link building tools we grade
ColdSEO is a web-based outreach tool for link builders. It finds prospect sites by keyword, competitor backlinks or topic, writes a personalized first line for each email with Claude, rotates sends across your own mailboxes and sorts the replies. It then checks the sites that replied for a link to your target page, so each campaign shows the links it produced. Plans are sized by email sends, prospect credits and inboxes.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about ColdSEO, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You connect your own mailboxes, let warmup run and build sequences before the first campaign goes out.
- 1
Best for budget cold outreach that counts links won
ColdSEO finds prospects, has Claude write a first line for each email, rotates sends across your inboxes and checks which replies turned into links.
- 2
Paid plans start at $63 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $63 per month for 5,000 sends, billed annually ($79 billed monthly).
- 3
There is a free plan
1 connected inbox, 1 active campaign, and 100 email sends, 50 prospect credits and 25 AI personalizations a month. No credit card needed.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Prospect Finder
Search by keyword, competitor backlinks or content topic, or upload a domain list, then filter by domain authority, traffic, language, country and spam score and pull emails.
- 6
AI-written first lines
Claude writes an opening line for each prospect that refers to something on their site; personalization can be switched on or off per sequence step.
- 7
Inbox rotation and warmup
Sends go round-robin across your connected Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or SMTP inboxes, with daily caps per inbox, automatic warmup and unsubscribe headers.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 13 of 50
That is against the other link building tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace ColdSEO you would be making a network of real inboxes that open and answer your emails. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
ColdSEO at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $63 per month for 5,000 sends, billed annually ($79 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- ColdSEO, since 2025
- Category
- Backlinks & Link Building
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for budget cold outreach that counts links won
ColdSEO finds prospects, has Claude write a first line for each email, rotates sends across your inboxes and checks which replies turned into links. It's new (founded 2025), the free plan stops at 100 sends a month, paid plans have no trial, and extra seats, the API and AI reply sorting are held back for Agency.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Pro is $63 a month billed annually ($79 monthly) for 5,000 sends, 5 inboxes and 2,000 prospect credits, inside this category's usual range. Running short means one-time packs, such as $10 for 1,000 sends. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Free for good with no card, but 100 sends, 50 prospect credits and 25 AI first lines a month from 1 inbox is a taste you'll use up fast. Paid plans have no trial, just a full refund if you downgrade within 14 days. |
| Features | C | A prospect finder, AI first lines, inbox rotation with warmup, a reply inbox, sequence templates and a scan for links from sites that replied. Outreach end to end, but AI reply sorting waits for Agency and nothing shows links being re-checked later. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. You connect your own mailboxes, let warmup run and build sequences before the first campaign goes out. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, sending through the Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or SMTP inboxes you connect. The API comes only with Agency at $159 a month billed annually. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who ColdSEO is for
- Fits if you do your own link outreach on a small budget
- Works for judging a campaign by the links it produced
Who it is not for
- Tight if you're staying free: 100 sends, 50 prospect credits and 25 AI first lines a month, from 1 inbox and 1 campaign
- Not for you if you want a trial of a paid plan: billing starts on day one, with a refund only if you downgrade within 14 days
- Pricey if you need more than one seat, the API or white-label exports, which come only with Agency at $159 a month
- Watch out: monthly credits don't roll over, and top-up packs cost extra, such as $15 for 500 prospect credits
- Skip it if you don't have mailboxes of your own to send from
Good to know
Good for
- SEO consultants doing their own link outreach on a small budget
- Link builders who want each campaign judged by the links it produced
- Agencies spreading outreach across many client inboxes
Worth knowing
- The free plan stops at 100 email sends and 50 prospect credits a month, from 1 inbox and 1 campaign.
- Paid plans have no free trial: they are billed from day one, with a full refund if you downgrade within 14 days.
- Monthly credits do not roll over; one-time packs cost $15 for 500 prospect credits, $10 for 1,000 sends and $8 for 500 AI personalizations.
- More than one seat, API access and white-label exports come only with Agency, and sending needs mailboxes of your own.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$63
A month to start. There is a free plan too
ColdSEO has a free plan. Paid plans start at $63 per month for 5,000 sends, billed annually ($79 billed monthly).
Free
$0
1 inbox, 1 active campaign, and 100 sends, 50 prospect credits and 25 AI personalizations a month.
Pro
$63
per month for 5,000 sends, billed annually ($79 billed monthly)
5 inboxes, 10 active campaigns, 2,000 prospect credits and 1,000 AI personalizations a month, the warmup engine and full reply detection.
Agency
$159
per month for 25,000 sends, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
25 inboxes, 5 seats, unlimited campaigns, 10,000 prospect credits and 5,000 AI personalizations a month, AI reply sorting, the API and white-label exports.
The free plan
1 connected inbox, 1 active campaign, and 100 email sends, 50 prospect credits and 25 AI personalizations a month. No credit card needed.
Read from coldseo.com on Oct 23, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
ColdSEO's pricing page lists annual billing at 20% off: Pro is $63 a month ($758 a year) instead of $79 billed monthly.
Stated on coldseo.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Cold email outreach for link building with placed-link tracking. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, inbox warm-up, link outreach.
Outreach end to end, but AI reply sorting waits for Agency and nothing shows links being re-checked later.
- Prospect Finder
- Search by keyword, competitor backlinks or content topic, or upload a domain list, then filter by domain authority, traffic, language, country and spam score and pull emails.
- AI-written first lines
- Claude writes an opening line for each prospect that refers to something on their site; personalization can be switched on or off per sequence step.
- Inbox rotation and warmup
- Sends go round-robin across your connected Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or SMTP inboxes, with daily caps per inbox, automatic warmup and unsubscribe headers.
- Reply inbox
- Replies land in one inbox, sorted as interested, not interested, out of office or bounce. AI sorting of replies comes with Agency.
- Link placement tracking
- Set a target URL and ColdSEO scans the sites of prospects who replied for a backlink to it, so each campaign shows the links it earned.
- Sequence templates
- Ready-made sequences for guest posts, broken links and resource pages, or your own multi-step sequence.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Gmail
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Claude
ColdSEO is made by ColdSEO, and has been around since 2025.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
13/50
Other link building tools it is graded above
ColdSEO's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 13 of the 50 other link building tools we grade, and level with 12.
Its paid plans start at $63 a month, against a middle price of $49 for the category: 24 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 16 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 link building tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. ColdSEO’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 8 of 50
- CFree plan and trialAbove 20 of 50
- CFeaturesAbove 4 of 50
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 50
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 50
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 45 link building tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. ColdSEO is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace ColdSEO you would be making a network of real inboxes that open and answer your emails. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 25 of the 50 other link building tools grade higher. It costs $756 a year.
What you could make
- Link outreach: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A network of real inboxes that open and answer your emails.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. ColdSEO’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Pitchbox, BuzzStream, Uprankly and lemlist
The 4 tools ColdSEO is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Pitchbox
Free trial · from $210/mo
Outreach platform for link building and digital PR teams.
- ColdSEO has a free plan. Pitchbox does not, though it has a free trial.
- ColdSEO also covers inbox warm-up.
- Pitchbox also covers workflow automation and reports.
- 2.2GPA
BuzzStream
Free trial · from $49/mo
Outreach CRM for link building and digital PR.
- ColdSEO has a free plan. BuzzStream does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only BuzzStream lists a browser extension.
- ColdSEO also covers inbox warm-up.
- 1.6GPA
Uprankly
From $37 one-time
AI link building platform from prospecting to link monitoring.
- ColdSEO has a free plan. Uprankly does not.
- ColdSEO also covers inbox warm-up.
- Uprankly also covers AI agents, reports and backlink analysis.
- 2.8GPA
lemlist
Free trial · from $55/mo
Cold email and LinkedIn sequences with a built-in lead database.
- ColdSEO has a free plan. lemlist does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only lemlist lists a browser extension.
- ColdSEO also covers inbox warm-up and link outreach.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is ColdSEO free?
ColdSEO has a free plan. 1 connected inbox, 1 active campaign, and 100 email sends, 50 prospect credits and 25 AI personalizations a month.
How much does ColdSEO cost?
ColdSEO lists 3 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does ColdSEO work on?
ColdSEO is available on Web.
Does ColdSEO offer any discounts?
ColdSEO publicly lists the following: Save 20% with annual billing.
Does ColdSEO have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. ColdSEO is listed for Web.
Does ColdSEO have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. ColdSEO is listed for Web.
Is ColdSEO open source?
ColdSEO is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
What does ColdSEO integrate with?
ColdSEO's listing names Gmail, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Claude.
Who makes ColdSEO?
ColdSEO is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2025.
What are the alternatives to ColdSEO?
The closest alternatives to ColdSEO in our directory are Pitchbox, BuzzStream, Uprankly and lemlist.
How does ColdSEO compare with other link building tools?
ColdSEO's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 13 of the 50 other link building tools we grade, and level with 12.
Is ColdSEO good value for money?
ToolGPA grades ColdSEO C for value for money. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4.
Could I make my own version of ColdSEO?
To replace ColdSEO you would be making a network of real inboxes that open and answer your emails.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from ColdSEO’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from ColdSEO's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by ColdSEO. Prices change, so check coldseo.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- ColdSEO, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/coldseo
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "ColdSEO: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/coldseo
Know someone choosing between link building tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/coldseo/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded link building tools after ColdSEO, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Backlinks & Link Building Insider's GuideEvery one of the 51 link building tools we grade, compared
- LinkCheck Insider's GuideFree backlink monitor for up to 5,000 links you import3.0 GPA
- HARO Insider's GuideFree email digest of journalist requests for expert sources2.8 GPA
- Internal Link Juicer Insider's GuideWordPress plugin that builds internal links from your keywords2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what ColdSEO’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. ColdSEO is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by ColdSEO. Prices and plans change: check coldseo.com before you buy.