Instantly vs Smartlead.
Both give you unlimited inboxes and warm-up on every plan. Smartlead is built for client work and costs less to start. Instantly sends more on its $97 plan and states a 14-day trial.
Instantly
Pick it if you send for your own business and need 100,000 emails a month for $97.
Visit InstantlyAdSmartlead
Pick it if you send for clients, or want the cheapest start: 6,000 emails a month for $39.
Visit SmartleadAdOn this page
The question that decides it
Do you send for clients? Smartlead lets an agency keep each client in a separate workspace, from its Pro plan, and brand it as its own for $29 a month per client. Instantly’s pricing page doesn’t list client workspaces.
If you send for your own business, the two are close. Both include unlimited email accounts and warm-up on every plan. Then the price at your volume decides it, so try the calculator below.
Side by side
Read on both pricing pages on 30 October 2026. The row that decides it is highlighted.
Swipe the table sideways to see both tools.
| Compared on | Instantly | Smartlead |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | Growth: $47 a month, or $37.60 billed yearly. 5,000 emails a month to 1,000 contacts. | Base: $39 a month, or $32 billed yearly. 6,000 emails a month to 2,000 contacts. |
| Middle plan | Hypergrowth: $97 a month, or $77.60 billed yearly. 125,000 emails a month to 25,000 contacts. | Pro: $94 a month, or $78 billed yearly. 90,000 emails a month to 30,000 contacts. |
| Biggest listed plan | Light Speed: $358 a month, or $286.30 billed yearly. 500,000 emails a month to 100,000 contacts. | Unlimited Prime: $379 a month, or $315 billed yearly. 500,000 emails a month, no contact limit. |
| Client workspaces | Not listed on its pricing page | From Pro, at $29 a month per client, with white-label. Unlimited Prime includes 3. |
| Accounts and warm-up | Unlimited email accounts and warm-up on every plan | Unlimited email accounts and warm-up on every plan. The warm-up pool tier rises with the plan. |
| Team | Team invites from Hypergrowth | Not priced per user |
| Shared inbox | Preview only on Growth. Reply from it on Hypergrowth and above. | Master Inbox, with replies from every campaign and client |
| Finding leads | A separate subscription, Instantly Credits, with 450M+ B2B contacts | Verified emails: a $59 a month add-on on Base and Pro, included on the Unlimited plans |
| LinkedIn steps | Its Outreach page says it runs email, LinkedIn and webhook sequences | Not listed |
| API | On every plan. Webhooks from Hypergrowth. | API and webhooks from Pro |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card, with 250 contacts and 1,000 emails | On every plan, no card. The page doesn’t say how long. |
Prices in US dollars before VAT. Instantly’s plan card says Hypergrowth sends 125,000 emails a month, and its comparison table says 100,000. Smartlead has a fourth plan between Pro and Unlimited Prime: Unlimited Smart, $174 a month for 150,000 emails with no contact limit. The calculator below uses every plan.
Price both at your volume
Type how many emails you send a month and how many people are in your campaigns. It finds the cheapest plan on each that covers both.
Plans only, in US dollars before VAT, read on 30 October 2026. Each tool counts contacts a little differently. It runs in your browser and nothing is sent.
Where they differ
- Client work
- Smartlead adds client workspaces from Pro, at $29 a month per client, with white-label so your clients see your brand. Unlimited Prime includes 3. Instantly’s pricing page doesn’t list client workspaces.
- Starting small
- Smartlead Base costs $8 a month less than Instantly Growth, with 1,000 more emails and twice the contacts. Base has no CRM, API or client workspaces. Growth has an API, but no team invites, and you can’t reply from its shared inbox.
- The middle
- Instantly Hypergrowth sends 100,000 or more emails a month for $97. Smartlead Pro sends 90,000 for $94. Past 90,000, Smartlead’s next plan is Unlimited Smart at $174, with 150,000 emails and no contact limit.
- Finding leads
- Instantly sells lead data as a separate subscription, Instantly Credits. Smartlead sells verified prospect emails as a $59 a month add-on on Base and Pro, and includes them on Unlimited Smart (50,000 a month) and Unlimited Prime (170,000).
- Trying first
- Instantly’s trial lasts 14 days, with 250 contacts and 1,000 emails, and needs no card. Smartlead has a free trial on every plan with no card, but its pricing page doesn’t say how long it lasts.
Which one to pick
Pick Instantly if
- You send for your own business, not for clients.
- You need more than 90,000 emails a month. Hypergrowth sends 100,000 or more for $97, where Smartlead’s next plan costs $174.
- You want a trial with a stated length: 14 days, with no card.
Pick Smartlead if
- You send for clients. Workspaces start on Pro, at $29 a month per client.
- You’re starting small. Base sends 6,000 emails to 2,000 contacts for $39.
- You want verified lead emails in the plan. Unlimited Smart includes 50,000 a month.
More on each: our Instantly review and Smartlead review.
Sources
We read these pages on 30 October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you buy.
- Instantly pricing and its plain-text version: plans, limits, the Outreach add-on, team invites, the shared inbox and the trial.
- Instantly Outreach: email, LinkedIn and webhook sequences.
- Smartlead pricing and its plain-text version: plans, limits, client workspaces, verified emails and the trial.
- Smartlead’s homepage: Master Inbox.
We haven’t tested either tool hands-on yet. Read how we review tools.
