- Instantly Growth is $47 a month with 1,000 uploaded contacts and 5,000 emails; Hypergrowth is $97 with 25,000 contacts and 125,000 emails.
- Our pick is Smartlead on its published pricing: Base lists 2,000 contacts and 6,000 sends at $39 a month ($32 billed yearly) with unlimited email accounts; none of these tools were tested by us.
- Smartlead Base billed yearly plus three Google mailboxes comes to $559 a year by our arithmetic, against at least $564 for Instantly Growth before mailboxes.
- All prices and limits were read from each vendor's page on 2026-10-08.
Instantly alternatives are worth a look when its plan shape does not match how you send. Instantly's pricing page, read on 2026-10-08, lists Growth at $47 a month with 1,000 uploaded contacts and 5,000 emails a month, Hypergrowth at $97 with 25,000 contacts and 125,000 emails, and Light Speed at $358. That is a fair ladder for volume senders. For someone who sends a few hundred emails a week, or wants more contacts on the first plan, the next tool may fit better. Everything below comes from each company's own page, checked 2026-10-08, and none of these tools were tested by us.
- Why people look past Instantly, from its own page
- How we checked
- Side-by-side table (checked 2026-10-08)
- Smartlead: our pick, not tested by us
- Apollo: database plus sequences, not tested by us
- lemlist: adds LinkedIn and SMS steps, not tested by us
- Gmail mail merge: the free option, not tested by us
- 12-month cost for a small sender
Part of our complete guide: how to find vending machine locations.
The short answer
- Pick Smartlead if you want twice the contacts on the first paid plan: Base lists 2,000 contacts and 6,000 sends a month at $39 ($32 billed yearly), with unlimited email accounts on every plan. Not tested by us; chosen on published pricing.
- Pick Apollo if you also want its contact database in the same account: Basic is $49 per seat per month billed annually.
- Pick Gmail mail merge if you send under about 50 a day on an eligible Google Workspace plan and want no new tool.
- Stay with Instantly if you already have warmed mailboxes there, you like its workflow, or you need its lead database and CRM in the same account.
Affiliate link. We earn a commission if you sign up through it, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which tool we recommend.
VendBuddy is our product and is a tool for finding vending locations, not for sending email. We mention it once near the end. We have not run Instantly, Smartlead, Apollo or any of these senders, so every number below is a published one.
Why people look past Instantly, from its own page
We will not invent complaints. These are things the pricing page shows that matter for a small sender:
- The first plan caps contacts at 1,000. Growth lists 1,000 uploaded contacts and 5,000 emails a month. A list of a few thousand properties forces Hypergrowth at $97.
- The jump is steep. Going from Growth to Hypergrowth takes you from $47 to $97 a month, a 106 percent increase, for 25 times the contacts.
- It sells more than outreach. The page covers plans for outreach, a B2B lead database and a CRM. If you only want to send, you are reading past products you do not need.
- A clear yearly price was not in the page text we read. We quote the monthly figures and tell you to check yearly billing on the page yourself.
None of that makes Instantly a poor tool. It means a plan shape that suits some senders and not others.
How we checked
On 2026-10-08 we read Instantly's pricing page, Smartlead's pricing page, Apollo's pricing page, lemlist's pricing page and Google's Gmail mail merge help page and copied plan names, prices and limits. We did not sign up, connect a mailbox or send an email. We cannot speak to inbox placement, warmup quality or support, and we give no scores, since a score for a tool we have not used would be invented.
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Start building free →Side-by-side table (checked 2026-10-08)
| What you care about | Instantly | Smartlead | Apollo | lemlist | Gmail mail merge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First paid price | Growth $47/mo | Base $39/mo; $32 billed yearly | Basic $49 per seat per month billed annually | Email $69/mo, $55 billed yearly, per user | No extra charge on an eligible Workspace plan |
| Contacts on first plan | 1,000 uploaded contacts | 2,000 contacts | Not capped on sequences; credits apply to lookups | Unlimited contacts | Up to 1,500 recipients a day |
| Emails per month on first plan | 5,000 | 6,000 | 250 a day on Basic | Not stated as a cap on the page text we read | Daily cap only |
| Mailboxes | Unlimited email accounts | Unlimited email accounts | 1 per user on Basic | Unlimited senders on Email plan | One account |
| Next step up | Hypergrowth $97: 25,000 contacts, 125,000 emails | Pro $94: 30,000 contacts, 90,000 sends | Professional $79: unlimited daily sends | Multichannel $109, $87 billed yearly | Not applicable |
| Tested by us? | No | No | No | No | No |
Sources: the five pages linked above, read 2026-10-08. Plans change often; confirm before you buy.
Smartlead's free trial needs no card, per its FAQ, so you can try a sequence before committing to either tool.
Affiliate link. We earn a commission if you sign up through it, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which tool we recommend.
Smartlead: our pick, not tested by us
Best for: a small sender who wants more contacts on the first paid plan and unlimited email accounts. Price: Base $39 a month ($32 billed yearly) with 2,000 contacts and 6,000 sends; Pro $94 ($78 yearly) with 30,000 contacts and 90,000 sends; Unlimited Smart $174; Unlimited Prime $379.
From its page: unlimited email accounts, AI warmups, a master inbox, rotation of sends across your mailboxes, a free trial with no card and no lock-in contract. Mailboxes bought inside the tool are listed at $4.50 each per month plus $13 per domain per year for a Google provider. Verification and white-label workspaces are extras.
Most first agreements are two pages, not twenty. The contracts walkthrough lays out the clauses that actually matter for the contract, including the termination language operators forget about until they need it.
Downsides from the page: the first-plan send limit is only 1,000 higher than Instantly's, and mailboxes, domains and verification add cost. Skip it if you send fewer than a hundred emails a month. The wider comparison is in best cold email software.
Apollo: database plus sequences, not tested by us
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Best for: someone who wants contacts and sending together. The free plan lists 2 sequences, 250 emails a day and one mailbox per user. Basic is $49 per seat per month billed annually with unlimited sequences, 250 emails a day and a US dialer that draws on credits. Professional is $79 with unlimited daily sends and unlimited Google and Microsoft mailboxes. Organization is $119 with a 3-seat minimum.
Downside from the page: one mailbox per user on the first two paid tiers and a 250-a-day cap on Basic. Lookups and dialer minutes use credits.
lemlist: adds LinkedIn and SMS steps, not tested by us
Best for: sequences that mix email, LinkedIn and SMS. The Email plan is $69 a month ($55 billed yearly) per user with unlimited contacts, unlimited senders and lemwarm included. Multichannel is $109 ($87 billed yearly) with LinkedIn and SMS automation and a built-in call dialer. The 14-day trial includes 200 credits. Downside: per-user pricing climbs with a team. See lemlist alternatives.
Gmail mail merge: the free option, not tested by us
Best for: a small batch from a spreadsheet. Google's help page says mail merge works on eligible Workspace plans, lets you add up to 1,500 recipients per message and send to 1,500 recipients a day, and uses tags like @firstname. Downside: the page lists no tracking, warmup or automatic follow-ups. It sends from your main address, so use a separate one for cold outreach.
12-month cost for a small sender
Our arithmetic for one user, with 3 mailboxes on one domain for the Smartlead lines at Smartlead's listed Google price ($4.50 per mailbox per month, $13 per domain per year, $175 a year for the three). We did not check mailbox costs for the others.
| Option | Software, 12 months | Total with mailboxes where checked |
|---|---|---|
| Instantly Growth (monthly) | $47 x 12 = $564 | At least $564 |
| Instantly Hypergrowth (monthly) | $97 x 12 = $1,164 | At least $1,164 |
| Smartlead Base billed monthly | $39 x 12 = $468 | $468 + $175 = $643 |
| Smartlead Base billed yearly | $32 x 12 = $384 | $384 + $175 = $559 |
| Smartlead Pro billed yearly | $78 x 12 = $936 | $936 + $175 = $1,111 |
| Apollo Basic, billed annually | $49 x 12 = $588 | At least $588 |
The takeaway is not that one is cheaper. At Growth-sized volume, Instantly and Smartlead are close once mailboxes are counted. The gap opens in contacts: Smartlead Base allows 2,000, Instantly Growth 1,000. If your list is under 1,000, you will not feel it.
Switching checklist
- Do not move your warmed mailboxes in the middle of a campaign. Finish or pause the sequences first, then disconnect and reconnect each mailbox.
- Export your lead lists and replies, including who unsubscribed or bounced. Do not email them again.
- Keep the sending domain and its DNS records. SPF, DKIM and DMARC stay as they are; changing domains resets your reputation.
- Warm any new mailbox before you send in volume, whichever tool you use.
- Run both for a week at low volume, then cancel on a date you write down.
When to stay with Instantly
Stay if your mailboxes are warmed and sending well, because moving them costs weeks. Stay if you use its lead database or CRM and a move would split your tools. And stay if you are under 1,000 contacts and 5,000 sends a month, where the first plan already fits and a switch buys nothing.
How to choose
Ask how many contacts you will upload this month. Under 1,000 and Growth is enough. A few thousand and you are comparing Hypergrowth, Smartlead Base or Pro. Ask how many mailboxes you will run: both lists say unlimited on their first plan, so the mailbox cost is the hosting, not the tool. And ask if you need more than email. Apollo adds contacts, lemlist adds LinkedIn and SMS.
Whatever tool you pick, the rules that matter most are not in the tool. Send from a separate domain, warm the mailboxes, include an unsubscribe link and your mailing address, and write to a named person with a reason to care. The message itself is in cold email scripts for vending contracts. A newsletter is a different tool for a different list; see best newsletter platform for small business.
The better the list, the less you need to send. Need someone to email first? Find them with VendBuddy, our product. Best for: finding local businesses near you (offices, apartments, gyms, medical) and the person who decides there. Searching a ZIP is free, and one credit gets the best contact on file for one business. It is built for vending operators. If you are a software sales team that needs technographics, intent data or 100,000-contact exports, it is not for you.
More cold email guides
- Best cold email software: the full comparison with Gmail mail merge.
- lemlist alternatives: when per-user pricing does not fit.
- Cold email scripts for vending contracts: what to write.
- How to find business owner contact information: who to write to.
Try the free trial with one inbox on a separate domain and send 20 emails before you spend more.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Instantly alternative?
On published pricing we pick Smartlead, because Base lists 2,000 contacts and 6,000 sends a month at $39 ($32 billed yearly) with unlimited email accounts on every plan. We have not tested it. Apollo is the pick if you want its contact database in the same account. Prices were read from each vendor's page on 2026-10-08.
How much does Instantly cost?
From its pricing page on 2026-10-08: Growth is $47 a month (1,000 uploaded contacts, 5,000 emails a month), Hypergrowth $97 (25,000 contacts, 125,000 emails) and Light Speed $358 (100,000 contacts, 500,000 emails). The page also shows lead database and CRM plans.
Is Smartlead cheaper than Instantly?
On first-plan list prices, yes: $39 a month for Smartlead Base against $47 for Instantly Growth, with 2,000 contacts against 1,000. Smartlead mailboxes bought in the tool are extra at $4.50 each per month. We have not tested either tool.
Can I switch from Instantly without losing my warmed mailboxes?
You can disconnect a mailbox and reconnect it to another tool, but pause live campaigns first and keep the sending domain and DNS records unchanged. Run low volume for a week before you cancel the old plan.
Is there a free Instantly alternative?
Gmail mail merge costs nothing extra on an eligible Google Workspace plan and allows up to 1,500 recipients a day, per Google's help page, but it lists no tracking or automatic follow-ups. Apollo's free plan lists 2 sequences and 250 emails a day.
What is selling, which buildings say yes, and the numbers before you buy a machine. Free, confirm from your inbox, unsubscribe in one click. Refer one friend and get 25 VendBuddy credits.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change, so check the official source. Revenue and income figures are examples, not promises. See our terms.