The best cold email software in 2026, compared
Nine cold email tools, with each one's free plan or trial, starting price, strengths and weak spots, taken from their own pricing pages. We make Terlido, so it is on the list. It does not win every category, and each section says where another tool is the better pick.
At a glance
| Platform | Best for | Free plan | Free trial | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terlido | Outbound agencies running cold email for clients, with a few warmed mailboxes per client | 1 mailbox and 50 leads per workspace | 14 days at Multichannel limits | $39 (~€34)/seat/month (Email Pro) |
| Instantly | High-volume senders with many mailboxes who want a lead database in the same tool | None listed | 14 days | $47 (~€40)/month (Growth) |
| Lemlist | Teams that want LinkedIn steps that run on their own and calling inside the app | None listed | 14 days | $69 (~€59)/month (Email) |
| Smartlead | Agencies and high-volume senders running many mailboxes | None listed | 14 days | $39 (~€34)/month (Base) |
| Apollo | Sales teams that need a contact database, a dialer and CRM sync in one place | No time limit. Email campaigns from Gmail accounts only | 14 days | $65 (~€56)/seat/month (Basic) |
| Reply.io | Teams that want LinkedIn automation, SMS and a dialer, or an AI SDR | None listed | 14 days | From $59 (~€51)/month (Email Volume) |
| Woodpecker | High-volume senders who want simple pricing by emails sent, or white label for clients | None listed | 14 days | $39 (~€34)/month (5,000 emails) |
| Saleshandy | High-volume senders who want lead data and sending in one plan | None listed | 7 days | $41 (~€35)/month (Starter) |
| Salesforge | Teams that want mailboxes, warmup, sending and an AI SDR from one vendor | None listed | 14 days | $48 (~€41)/month (Pro) |
Prices are in US dollars, billed monthly unless a plan says otherwise; the euro value in brackets is a rough guide. Prices change, so check each pricing page before you buy.
How we chose
These are the cold email platforms people compare most when they pick an outreach tool. We judged each one on the same five things:
- What the free plan or trial lets you do before you pay.
- What the cheapest paid plan costs, and its limits: contacts, emails a month, users.
- How many mailboxes you can connect, and whether warmup comes with them.
- Channels beyond email: LinkedIn, calls, WhatsApp, SMS.
- Lead data, CRM sync, the API and AI agents.
Every price and limit comes from the tool's own pricing page or help center, linked in its section. We did not rate or score the tools, and nobody paid to be listed.
1. Terlido (ours)
Best for: Outbound agencies running cold email for clients, with a few warmed mailboxes per client.
- Free plan
- 1 mailbox and 50 leads per workspace, warmup on one mailbox forever. Campaigns need the trial or a paid plan.
- Paid from: $39 (~€34)/seat/month (Email Pro)
- 5 mailboxes, 5,000 leads and 10 active campaigns per workspace. No API or MCP access.
- Free trial
- 14 days at Multichannel limits, no card needed. If it ends without a paid plan, the workspace moves to Free
Where it is strong
- Warmup and campaign email share one enforced daily send budget per mailbox, and a mailbox that starts landing in spam stops sending campaigns on its own while it keeps warming up.
- A Free plan that never expires: warmup on one mailbox, plus SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX checks and a domain health score.
- Email, WhatsApp, LinkedIn task and call steps in one sequence on Multichannel ($79 (~€68)/seat/month). WhatsApp sends on its own; LinkedIn steps become prepared tasks for a person.
- Client sub-workspaces and cross-client reporting on the Agency plan.
- An MCP server for AI agents where your approval is bound to one version of a campaign. If the copy, senders, schedule or audience change after you approve, the launch fails.
Watch out for
- Priced per seat, with mailboxes capped per workspace: 5 on Email Pro and 15 on Multichannel; only Agency ($149 (~€128)/seat/month) is unlimited. If you run many mailboxes, a tool with unlimited accounts may cost less.
- No API or MCP access on Email Pro. Both start on Multichannel at $79 (~€68)/seat/month.
- No contact database of its own, no LinkedIn automation, no SMS and no auto-dialer.
- CRM sync is two-way with HubSpot only. There is no Salesforce or Pipedrive integration.
- Terlido is new and has no customer logos or reply-rate numbers to show you yet.
2. Instantly
Best for: High-volume senders with many mailboxes who want a lead database in the same tool.
- Free plan
- No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- Paid from: $47 (~€40)/month (Growth)
- 1,000 uploaded contacts, 5,000 emails a month
- Free trial
- 14 days, no card required, with 250 uploaded contacts and 1,000 emails
Where it is strong
- Unlimited email accounts and warmup on every plan. Terlido caps mailboxes per workspace by plan (5 on Email Pro, 15 on Multichannel), so a team with many mailboxes may pay less on Instantly.
- Plans sized for high volume, up to 500,000 emails a month on Light Speed.
- A built-in B2B lead database (SuperSearch), paid with Instantly Credits from $9 (~€8) a month. Terlido has no contact database of its own.
Watch out for
- Growth stops at 1,000 uploaded contacts and 5,000 emails a month; more means a higher plan.
- The lead database (SuperSearch) is a separate product, paid with Instantly Credits from $9 (~€8) a month.
Terlido vs InstantlyInstantly pricing page (instantly.ai/pricing.md)
Instantly details checked in November 2026.
3. Lemlist
Best for: Teams that want LinkedIn steps that run on their own and calling inside the app.
- Free plan
- No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- Paid from: $69 (~€59)/month (Email)
- 50,000-email tier, unlimited senders per account, warmup included ($55 (~€47)/month billed yearly)
- Free trial
- 14 days, with the Multichannel plan's features except in-app calls, plus 200 credits to find emails and phone numbers
Where it is strong
- Automated LinkedIn steps (visits, invites and messages). Terlido deliberately does not automate LinkedIn accounts.
- In-app calling on Multichannel, with calling minutes included on Enterprise. Terlido calls always have you on the line, from the browser or through your own phone, and there is no auto-dialer.
- Unlimited senders on the Email plan, priced by volume rather than per seat.
- A built-in lead database, paid with credits. Terlido has no contact database of its own.
Watch out for
- LinkedIn automation and in-app calling are on Multichannel, priced per user ($109 (~€94)/user/month).
- WhatsApp is a paid add-on, and more lead data is bought with credits.
Terlido vs LemlistLemlist pricing pageLemlist help center: plans and pricing
Lemlist details checked in November 2026.
4. Smartlead
Best for: Agencies and high-volume senders running many mailboxes.
- Free plan
- No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- Paid from: $39 (~€34)/month (Base)
- 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails a month, no API or webhooks
- Free trial
- 14 days, no credit card needed to start
Where it is strong
- Unlimited email accounts on every plan. Terlido caps mailboxes per workspace by plan (5 on Email Pro, 15 on Multichannel), so a team with many mailboxes may pay less on Smartlead.
- Plans sized for high volume, up to 500,000 emails a month on Unlimited Prime, with unlimited contacts on both Unlimited plans.
- Agency options such as client workspaces (a $29 (~€25)/month add-on on Pro).
- Verified prospect emails included on the Unlimited plans.
Watch out for
- Base has no API or webhooks, and stops at 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails a month.
- Client workspaces for agencies are a $29 (~€25)/month add-on on Pro.
Terlido vs SmartleadSmartlead pricing page (smartlead.ai/pricing.md, as of 2 November 2026)
Smartlead details checked in November 2026.
5. Apollo
Best for: Sales teams that need a contact database, a dialer and CRM sync in one place.
- Free plan
- No time limit. Email campaigns from Gmail accounts only
- Paid from: $65 (~€56)/seat/month (Basic)
- Email sequencing and core integrations ($49 (~€42)/seat/month billed annually)
- Free trial
- 14 days, with 75 credits and most features of the plan you pick
Where it is strong
- A built-in database of 240M contacts and 30M companies, with emails and phone numbers paid in credits. Terlido has no contact database of its own: you import your lists and enrich them through provider integrations.
- A parallel dialer and call recording. Terlido has no auto-dialer: every call has you on the line.
- CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot and more. Terlido syncs both ways with HubSpot only.
- A free plan with no time limit that includes the database and email campaigns from Gmail.
Watch out for
- Emails, phone numbers, email warmup and mailboxes all spend credits, which are pooled across the team and do not roll over.
- Every seat on an account is on the same plan, and the Free plan sends campaigns from Gmail accounts only.
Terlido vs ApolloApollo pricing page (plans, credits, seats)Apollo: about credits
Apollo details checked in November 2026.
6. Reply.io
Best for: Teams that want LinkedIn automation, SMS and a dialer, or an AI SDR.
- Free plan
- No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- Paid from: From $59 (~€51)/month (Email Volume)
- 1,000 active contacts a month, unlimited mailboxes (fair use), warmup with every mailbox. From $49 (~€42)/month billed annually
- Free trial
- 14 days, with all core features
Where it is strong
- Automated LinkedIn steps, SMS and a built-in dialer. Terlido does not automate LinkedIn accounts and has no SMS and no auto-dialer.
- An AI SDR (Jason AI) that finds contacts and runs outreach for you, from $500 (~€430) a month. Terlido has no AI SDR service.
- Unlimited mailboxes on the Email Volume and Agency Core plans. Terlido caps mailboxes per workspace on Email Pro (5) and Multichannel (15); only Agency is unlimited.
- Live B2B contact data (50 credits a month included) and CRM integrations with Salesforce, Pipedrive and more. Terlido has no contact database and syncs with HubSpot only.
Watch out for
- On the Email Volume plan, LinkedIn automation ($69 (~€59) a month per account) and calls and SMS ($29 (~€25) a month per account) are add-ons.
- WhatsApp is listed as semi-automated tasks, and the Jason AI SDR starts at $500 (~€430) a month billed annually.
Terlido vs Reply.ioReply.io pricing page
Reply.io details checked in November 2026.
7. Woodpecker
Best for: High-volume senders who want simple pricing by emails sent, or white label for clients.
- Free plan
- No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- Paid from: $39 (~€34)/month (5,000 emails)
- 3 free warm-ups, 100 Lead Finder credits, unlimited email accounts and team members
- Free trial
- 14 days, on every plan
Where it is strong
- Unlimited email accounts and team members on every plan, priced by emails sent. A team with many mailboxes may pay less on Woodpecker.
- Automated LinkedIn steps, as a $29 (~€25) a month add-on per LinkedIn account. Terlido does not automate LinkedIn accounts.
- An Agency Panel add-on ($27 (~€23) a month per active client) with central billing, view-only client access and white label.
- Unlimited catch-all email verification on every plan.
Watch out for
- The entry tier includes 3 warm-ups; each extra one is $5 (~€4) a month.
- LinkedIn automation ($29 (~€25) a month per account), the API ($20 (~€17) a month) and the Agency Panel ($27 (~€23) a month per active client) are add-ons billed on top.
Terlido vs WoodpeckerWoodpecker pricing (woodpecker.co/pricing.md, last updated 22 October 2026)
Woodpecker details checked in November 2026.
8. Saleshandy
Best for: High-volume senders who want lead data and sending in one plan.
- Free plan
- No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- Paid from: $41 (~€35)/month (Starter)
- 2,000 active prospects, 6,000 emails a month, 1 user, rotation across 10 email accounts. $34 (~€29)/month billed annually
- Free trial
- 7 days, on each plan
Where it is strong
- Unlimited email accounts and unlimited warmup on every plan. Terlido caps mailboxes per workspace on Email Pro (5) and Multichannel (15); only Agency is unlimited.
- Plans sized for volume, up to 200,000 emails a month on Scale with unlimited active prospects.
- Lead finder credits every month (1,500 on Starter). Terlido has no contact database of its own.
- White label for agencies on Enterprise.
Watch out for
- Starter is 1 user, 2,000 active prospects and 6,000 emails a month.
- No free plan, a 7-day trial, and white label only on Enterprise.
Terlido vs SaleshandySaleshandy pricing page
Saleshandy details checked in November 2026.
9. Salesforge
Best for: Teams that want mailboxes, warmup, sending and an AI SDR from one vendor.
- Free plan
- No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- Paid from: $48 (~€41)/month (Pro)
- 1,000 active contacts, 5,000 emails a month, unlimited mailboxes and warmup, 1 user, 1 LinkedIn sender ($40 (~€34)/month billed annually)
- Free trial
- 14 days
Where it is strong
- Unlimited mailboxes and warmup on every plan. Terlido caps mailboxes per workspace on Email Pro (5) and Multichannel (15); only Agency is unlimited.
- Unlimited workspaces on both plans, so keeping clients apart does not need a higher tier. On Terlido, client sub-workspaces come with the Agency plan.
- LinkedIn automation through social action credits (300 a month on Pro). Terlido does not automate LinkedIn accounts.
- Mailboxes, domains and an AI SDR from the same company. Terlido does not sell mailboxes or domains.
Watch out for
- Pro is 1 user, 1,000 active contacts and 5,000 emails a month.
- Mailboxes (Mailforge, Infraforge) and the Agent Frank AI SDR are separate subscriptions.
Terlido vs SalesforgeSalesforge pricing page
Salesforge details checked in November 2026.
Questions people ask
What is the best cold email software?
There is no single best one; it depends on how you sell. Terlido: outbound agencies running cold email for clients, with a few warmed mailboxes per client. Instantly: high-volume senders with many mailboxes who want a lead database in the same tool. Lemlist: teams that want LinkedIn steps that run on their own and calling inside the app. Smartlead: agencies and high-volume senders running many mailboxes. Apollo: sales teams that need a contact database, a dialer and CRM sync in one place. Reply.io: teams that want LinkedIn automation, SMS and a dialer, or an AI SDR. Woodpecker: high-volume senders who want simple pricing by emails sent, or white label for clients. Saleshandy: high-volume senders who want lead data and sending in one plan. Salesforge: teams that want mailboxes, warmup, sending and an AI SDR from one vendor.
Which cold email tools have a free plan or a free trial?
Two have a free plan: Terlido (warmup on one mailbox, forever; campaigns need the trial or a paid plan) and Apollo (email campaigns from Gmail accounts only). Free trials as of November 2026: Terlido 14 days at Multichannel limits, Instantly 14 days, Lemlist 14 days, Smartlead 14 days, Apollo 14 days, Reply.io 14 days, Woodpecker 14 days, Saleshandy 7 days, Salesforge 14 days.
What is the cheapest cold email software?
Cheapest paid plans, as listed on each pricing page: Terlido (Email Pro) $39 (~€34)/seat/month, Smartlead (Base) $39 (~€34)/month, Woodpecker (5,000 emails) $39 (~€34)/month, Saleshandy (Starter) $41 (~€35)/month, Instantly (Growth) $47 (~€40)/month, Salesforge (Pro) $48 (~€41)/month, Reply.io (Email Volume) from $59 (~€51)/month, Apollo (Basic) $65 (~€56)/seat/month, Lemlist (Email) $69 (~€59)/month. The cheapest plans have tight limits, so compare contacts, emails a month and mailboxes too, not only the price.
Which cold email tools allow unlimited email accounts?
Instantly, Smartlead, Woodpecker, Saleshandy and Salesforge on every plan; Lemlist on its Email plan (unlimited senders); Reply.io on Email Volume and Agency Core (fair use). Terlido caps mailboxes per workspace (5 on Email Pro, 15 on Multichannel) and is unlimited only on Agency.
Instantly or Smartlead: which is better?
Both have unlimited email accounts on every plan. Instantly Growth is $47 (~€40)/month for 1,000 uploaded contacts and 5,000 emails a month, and Instantly sells a lead database (SuperSearch) paid with credits. Smartlead Base is $39 (~€34)/month for 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails a month, with no API or webhooks; Pro adds them, and client workspaces are a $29 (~€25)/month add-on. Pick by how many contacts you upload and whether you need lead data.
Which cold email tools automate LinkedIn?
Lemlist (Multichannel), Reply.io (Multichannel, or a $69 (~€59) a month add-on per account), Woodpecker (a $29 (~€25) a month add-on per LinkedIn account) and Salesforge (social action credits). Terlido does not automate LinkedIn: LinkedIn steps become prepared tasks for a person.
Can an AI agent run my cold email campaigns?
In Terlido, yes, from the Multichannel plan: an agent works through Terlido's MCP server, and your approval is bound to one version of a campaign, so if the copy, senders, schedule or audience change after you approve, the launch fails. Email Pro has no API or MCP access.
Try Terlido free
Start with a 14-day trial at Multichannel limits, no card needed, and keep warmup running on one mailbox on the Free plan after it. Connect a spare mailbox and watch warmup and the domain checks. If you send high volume across many mailboxes, look at Instantly or Smartlead instead; if you need a contact database, look at Apollo.
Try Terlido free