Instantly vs Smartlead: The Real Comparison for Cold Email

You're trying to scale cold email outreach and narrowed it down to two of the most popular tools in the space: Instantly and Smartlead. Both promise unlimited email accounts, solid deliverability, and the ability to send at scale. But which one actually delivers?

I've dug into both platforms, compared their pricing (including the hidden costs), tested their features, and read through hundreds of user reviews. Here's my honest take on which tool makes sense for different situations.

Quick Verdict

Choose Instantly if: You want easier setup, need a built-in lead database, prefer a more polished UI, or you're a solo operator/small team just getting started with cold email.

Choose Smartlead if: You're an agency managing multiple clients, need white-labeling, want more advanced deliverability controls, or you're sending seriously high volume and need granular control.

Pricing Comparison: What You'll Actually Pay

Both tools have similar base pricing, but the real costs diverge quickly depending on your needs.

Instantly Pricing

Instantly structures pricing across three separate product categories: Sending & Warmup, Leads, and CRM. This means you might end up paying for multiple subscriptions.

Sending & Warmup Plans:

Leads Plans:

Annual billing gets you 20% off these prices. Instantly also offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Smartlead Pricing

Smartlead keeps things simpler with three main tiers:

The agency catch: Smartlead charges $29/month per client for white-labeling. If you're managing 10 clients, that's an extra $290/month on top of your plan. Instantly's flat-fee model can be cheaper for agencies at scale.

Real-World Cost Comparison

For a solo founder or small team just starting out:

For an agency managing 10 clients:

The pricing advantage shifts depending on your use case. Agencies with multiple clients will find Instantly's flat-fee model more predictable.

Features: Where Each Tool Shines

Email Sending & Campaigns

Both platforms offer unlimited email accounts and auto-rotating inboxes, which is table stakes for cold email at scale. The differences are in the details.

Instantly:

Smartlead:

Instantly wins on user experience. Smartlead wins on campaign sophistication.

Deliverability

This is where things get interesting. Both platforms take deliverability seriously, but approach it differently.

Instantly:

Smartlead:

In testing, Instantly showed higher open rates (better first-touch visibility), while Smartlead showed higher click rates (suggesting better mid-funnel engagement). Both are solid for deliverability—you won't go wrong with either.

Lead Database

Here's a major differentiator: Instantly has a built-in B2B lead database; Smartlead does not.

Instantly's SuperSearch gives you access to 160M+ verified contacts with advanced filters for job title, industry, location, and keywords. You can find leads and send campaigns from the same platform.

Smartlead requires you to bring your own data. You'll need a separate tool like Clay, Sales Navigator, or RocketReach to build your lists before importing them.

If prospecting and outreach in one tool matters to you, Instantly has a clear advantage here.

Agency Features

For agencies, both tools offer client management, but with different approaches:

Smartlead:

Instantly:

Smartlead's white-labeling is nice for agencies who want to brand the platform as their own. But Instantly's flat-fee model means you don't pay more as you add clients—which can save serious money at scale.

Integrations

Both tools integrate with the major CRMs and have API access:

Instantly: Zapier, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Google Sheets, Slack, Discord

Smartlead: API and webhooks on all plans, but native integrations are limited on the Basic plan. Pro plan adds more CRM connections.

Smartlead's ChatGPT-4 integration requires you to bring your own API key and set it up manually—not ideal if you're not technical.

Support Quality

G2 ratings tell the story here:

Instantly users consistently praise support responsiveness. Smartlead support gets mixed reviews—some users report great experiences, others cite slow responses for complex issues.

Instantly's Growth plan includes chat support. Premium support requires the Hypergrowth plan ($97/month).

The Downsides

Instantly's Weaknesses

Smartlead's Weaknesses

Who Should Choose What

Choose Instantly If:

Try Instantly Free for 14 Days →

Choose Smartlead If:

Try Smartlead Free for 14 Days →

Bottom Line

For most users, especially those new to cold email or scaling up from small volume, Instantly is the better choice. The interface is cleaner, the built-in lead database saves you from juggling multiple tools, and the flat-fee pricing is more predictable.

But if you're an agency that needs white-labeling, or you're a power user who wants granular control over deliverability and complex sequences, Smartlead is worth the steeper learning curve.

Both tools offer free trials—I'd recommend testing your actual workflow in each before committing. Set up a campaign, import some leads, and see which interface clicks for you. The best cold email tool is the one you'll actually use consistently.

Related Comparisons

Looking at other tools in your stack? Check out our comparison of Close CRM for managing deals, or see our full breakdown of Instantly pricing if you want more detail on their plans.