Smartlead vs. Instantly: What to choose?

Which cold email software reigns supreme in 2024: Smartlead or Instantly? Compare features, pricing, and customer reviews to make the best choice for your business.

Utkarsh Rana

7/25/20242 min read

cold email
cold email

Cold emailing remains a crucial strategy for businesses to generate leads and convert prospects into paying customers. With various cold email tools available, choosing the right one can be daunting. This article delves into a detailed comparison between two popular options, Smartlead and Instantly, alongside Saleshandy as a third alternative, to help you decide which software fits your needs best.

cold email
cold email

SmartLead vs Instantly – A Detailed Comparison

Key Features

SmartLead.AI Features
  • Automated Campaigns: Automate lead generation, including subsequences based on lead behavior.

  • Advanced Personalization: Use dynamic content insertion and Spintax for personalized emails.

  • Email Warm Up: AI technology simulates natural conversations to warm up email accounts.

  • Auto-Rotating Email Accounts: Maintain deliverability with unlimited mailboxes and rotating email accounts.

  • Unified Inbox: Manage all communications in one place.

  • Analytics and Reporting: Advanced analytics to track outreach performance.

Instantly.AI Features
  • Automated and Personalized Email Campaigns: Campaign builder and integrations for targeted communication.

  • Email Warm Up: Warmup pool with over 200,000 real accounts to improve deliverability.

  • Email Validation: Ensures emails are sent to valid addresses.

  • Unibox for Lead Management: Centralized email management for prospects.

  • Campaign Analytics: Detailed analytics for campaign performance.

Benefits

SmartLead.AI Benefits
  • User-friendly and handles large email volumes.

  • Unlimited email accounts for scaling outreach.

  • Collaboration features for teams.

  • AI-driven lead nurturing and predictive insights.

Instantly.AI Benefits
  • Simple interface and competitively priced plans.

  • Efficient email account management and warmup.

  • Pre-written templates and guides for cold email outreach.

Limitations

SmartLead.AI Limitations
  • Complex features and technical setup for integrations.

  • Requires careful list management to avoid spam filters.

Instantly.AI Limitations
  • Unreliable agency portal.

  • Primarily uses Zapier for integrations.

Pricing

SmartLead.AI Pricing
  • Basic Plan: $33/month

  • Popular Plan: $65/month

  • Pro Plan: $78/month

Instantly.AI Pricing
  • Growth Plan: $30/month

  • Hypergrowth Plan: $77.6/month

  • Light Speed Plan: $286.3/month

Customer Ratings

SmartLead.AI Ratings
  • G2: 4.8⭐/5 (67 reviews)

  • Capterra: 5⭐/5 (1 review)

Instantly.AI Ratings
  • G2: 4.9⭐/5 (1,600+ reviews)

  • Capterra: 3.5⭐/5 (4 reviews)

Smartlead vs Instantly: Making a Choice

Choosing between SmartLead and Instantly depends on your specific needs, budget, and team size. SmartLead is ideal for larger teams and complex workflows, while Instantly is suitable for small teams seeking personalized email outreach.