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Choosing between Lemlist vs Instantly isn’t just about features—it’s about how you run your cold outreach.
These tools are leading platforms in the cold email space, a niche within outreach and email marketing focused on scaling and optimizing cold email campaigns.
Do you want volume? Deeper personalization? Or a tool that does most of the work for you?
Each of these platforms approaches cold email differently. Lemlist focuses on visuals and personalization.
Instantly is all about sending at scale.
In this breakdown, I’ll cover:
Now, let’s look at side-by-side comparison of Lemlist vs Instantly.
If you’re trying to get accurate results from cold outreach, here are a few things you should consider before investing in an email outreach tool.
Deliverability: - Nothing else matters if emails don’t land in the inbox.
Personalization: - People can tell when your email is generic.
Automation: - Manual follow-ups are easy to forget and are time-consuming.
Integrations: - If your outreach tool doesn’t connect with your CRM or LinkedIn, you’re going to waste time copying data around.
Get these four things right—deliverability, personalization, automation, and integrations—and your outreach will start working.
Once you know what to look for, the next step is figuring out which tool actually does it best. When choosing an outreach tool, it's crucial to consider how efficiently you can manage campaigns, as this impacts your ability to organize, oversee, and track multiple outreach sequences.
Let’s see each of these tools and compare how Lemlist, Instantly, and Salesforge stack up in real-world use.
Your outreach tool should save time, not add more work. The easier it is to create campaigns and follow-ups, the more consistent your outreach will be.
It doesn’t matter how good your message is—if it lands in spam, it’s a lost opportunity. Here’s how each tool helps you land in the inbox:
When it comes to cold email outreach, landing in the inbox—not the spam folder—is half the battle.
That’s where email warm up capabilities come in.
The reality of cold email outreach is that most prospects won’t reply to your first message.
That’s why follow up emails and automated sequences are so important—they keep your outreach campaigns moving and dramatically increase your chances of getting a response.
If you plan to grow, your tool needs to connect with your CRM and scale alongside your team. Here's how they compare:
Each of these tools is built with a different user in mind:
Next, let’s see how they compare pricing—because the best tool is only helpful if it fits your budget, too.
Below is the pricing breakdown for Lemlist, Instantly, and Salesforge, along with what you get in each plan.
Understanding lemlist's pricing plans and instantly's pricing is crucial for making an informed decision when choosing the right tool for your needs.
Lemlist users can choose from these plans based on their outreach needs and benefit from advanced personalization features designed to improve campaign performance.
Note: Lemlist offers a 14-day free trial for the Email Pro and Multichannel Expert plans. Additional sending emails can be added for $9/month per email.
All Instantly plans provide access to a B2B lead database, making it easier to find and manage new leads.
Note: Instantly offers a 14-day free trial for these plans.
Note: Salesforge offers a free trial for its plans. Annual billing options also provide cost savings (you only have to pay for 10 months, so you get two months for free).
Pricing gives you a rough idea, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
To really understand what it’s like to use these tools, you need to look at how real users feel about them—what’s working, what’s frustrating, and what’s worth the cost.
Let’s break down the pros and cons of Lemlist, Instantly, and Salesforge based on actual feedback from users(like me) who’ve run campaigns with them.
Not all cold outreach tools are built for the same kind of team.
Whether you’re a startup with a small list, an agency handling multiple clients, or a large team scaling fast, you need the right fit.
Here’s a simple breakdown to help you decide based on your team size and goals.
If you're just getting started or running a lean operation, you likely care most about affordability, ease of use, and features that deliver without complexity.
If your goal is basic outreach with a touch of personalization, Lemlist or Instantly work well.
If you want to automate intelligently from the start, consider Salesforge.
Agencies handle many client campaigns at once. You need tools that help you scale, automate, and save time.
If you're running creative, multichannel campaigns—Lemlist fits.
For volume-heavy clients, Instantly wins.
Salesforge is best for agencies juggling many clients and needing automation.
Bigger teams don’t have time for manual work. You need full automation, CRM integration, and systems that scale with you.
If you need to scale intelligently and automate at every step, Salesforge leads. Lemlist is good for tailored outreach. Instantly works if all you need is volume.
All three tools—Lemlist, Instantly, and Salesforge—can help you with cold outreach. But the best choice depends on what your team really needs.
But if your goal is to grow fast, save time, and let automation do the work, then Salesforge is the stronger choice.
It’s built to handle more leads with less manual effort. You don’t need to write every follow-up or worry about deliverability—Salesforge’s AI takes care of it.
If you’re ready to scale your outreach without all the busy work, give Salesforge a try. It’s a smart tool that grows with you.
1. Which tool is best for bulk cold emails?
Instantly is the best option if your main goal is to send large volumes of emails. It’s affordable, supports unlimited sending accounts, and includes warm-up features to help avoid spam folders.
2. Which tool should I choose as a beginner?
If you're starting out and need something simple and affordable, Instantly is easy to set up. But if you want better results with less effort, Salesforge is also beginner-friendly thanks to its AI-powered setup.
3. Is Salesforge worth the higher price?
Yes, if you're scaling and want to automate follow-ups, writing, and deliverability. Salesforge uses AI to handle tasks most teams do manually, saving time and helping you grow faster.
4. Can I use these tools with LinkedIn outreach too?
Lemlist and Salesforge both support multichannel outreach including LinkedIn. Instantly is focused only on email, so you’d need separate tools for LinkedIn integration.
5. Which tool has better reporting and analytics?
Salesforge provides behavior-based insights and AI-optimized campaign tracking. Lemlist offers visual campaign reports. Instantly gives basic metrics, but advanced reporting may require integrations.
6. Do I need a technical background to use these tools?
Not really. Instantly is very beginner-friendly. Lemlist has a slight learning curve due to multichannel features. Salesforge automates the process, though new users may need a few days to get familiar.
7. What if I need leads too—not just email sending?
Instantly comes with a built-in B2B lead database. Salesforge helps generate and enrich leads via AI prompts. Lemlist focuses more on personalization than sourcing leads.
8. Do any of these tools offer a done-for-you service?
Salesforge offers Agent Frank—an AI assistant that runs the entire outreach cycle for you, including writing, sending, and follow-ups. Lemlist and Instantly require more hands-on work.
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