One approach is unrivaled in the vast universe of corporate outreach today, where every lead and every relationship matters. As most of you likely have guessed by now, the answer is cold emailing. With so many options, though, how do you sift through them to find one that fits the bill?
Indeed, the best cold emailing tools will definitely change your outreach strategy and deliver leads as you never had before. These tools enable you to send individualized emails to individuals and to remain on track with all the cold email strategies. Considering this, we are about to start an incredible journey in finding the best outreach resources that will make you win even more.
This means that, prior to selecting the best cold email application, you have to consider each feature that matters the most: automation, deliverability rates, and native integration into existing tools.
For this blog, We have compared 15 Best Cold email outreach tools to help you determine the right tool to boost your cold outreach campaigns.
Cold Emailing: What is it?
In simpler words, it is the sending of cold emails to people. A cold email is an email sent to a recipient to whom you had never talked previously or with whom you had no prior contact. The recipient was taken by surprise by the receipt of your email. For salespeople, this is an ideal and a safe mode of communication.
How to Choose the Best Cold Email Automation Tool?
Choosing the best cold email software is a challenging task, as everyone is aware. Therefore, the following are some things you should take into account while choosing cold email sales prospecting tools:
- Determine Your Requirements: Start by figuring out what you need specifically.
- Campaign sizes: It really depends on how much you are willing to automate, some special features you are offering, and special integrations your business has.
- Budget: Your budget in relation to what you are prepared to spend for the cold emails, as costs range so broadly that it will narrow the options with an idea of your budget.
- Features: Those are the features that support your needs. For example, consider email tracking, A/B testing, and personalization
- Deliverability: The characteristics or recommendations that a good solution must possess in order to boost email deliverability are SPF, DKIM, DMARC authentication, and anti-spam laws.
- Usability: The application must have an interface easy to use so that you and your team can navigate without any issues.
- Integration: To optimize your workflow, find out if the product easily connects with your current marketing automation, CRM software, or other software platforms.
- Trial Period: Try to choose a tool that offers a free trial period. Before you commit, this allows you to test its functionality and whether it will suit your needs.
- Customer Support: Think about the quality of the client service provided. When issues come up or you have questions, responsive and reliable customer service can be very useful.
- Reviews and Recommendations: Search for web reviews and request recommendations from your colleagues or the professionals in that field who already used the tool you are thinking of.
- Security of Data: If you manage sensitive consumer information, ensure the tool prioritizes data security and complies with data protection law.
- Scalability: Select the technology that could grow with your business. But as your email marketing is growing now, it should be able to scale up to keep pace with varying demands.
List of the 15 Best Cold Email Tools
1. Instantly
Instantly.ai is a sales engagement platform focused on automating the scale of cold email outreach. It provides unlimited email accounts, warmups, advanced deliverability tools, and AI-powered CRM to help maximize your outreach efforts and avoid spam filters. It began in 2021 when Raul Kaevand recognized that almost all cold email tools out there were way too costly and didn’t tailor to the necessities of lead generation agencies.
Strengths:
- Nice, modern UI and ease of use
- Advanced (and exclusive) features such as an advanced email service provider matching option
- Pricing works very well for agencies managing a lot of email accounts (they don’t charge per email account)
- Support team is responsive and professional
- They even provide a B2B sales leads database (a recent addition, I haven’t tested it yet)
Weaknesses:
- Instantly’s pricing structure is limiting if you have a lot of active leads
- They don’t have any native integrations, so you’ll have to rely on Zapier to sync your data to your CRM and for other use cases
Pricing:
Instantly is available from $37/month and offers a free trial.
2. Lemlist
Lemlist is a sales engagement platform focused on personalized cold email outreach.
It makes it easier to design and personalize highly multichannel campaigns by email, LinkedIn, or phone. It gives users an AI-powered B2B database of over 450M contacts that lets you narrow your search with more than 20 filters and find profitable prospects in just seconds.
Lemlist was founded in 2018 by Guillaume Moubeche with a very specific mission of making cold emails. They’ve spearheaded mainstream features that include email warmups and image personalization.
Strengths:
- Advanced personalization options, such as personalized pictures and landing pages
- An easy way to source leads and find their email addresses directly from LinkedIn
- AI copy generation tool that helps fight writer’s block
- Great training material
- Native 2-way sync with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive
Weaknesses:
- Lemlist can be a bit difficult to use at first
- User reviews mention that the UI can be difficult to navigate
- Pricing can get expensive, especially if you want to send emails from multiple inboxes
Price:
- Free Trial: Forever with basic features
- Email Starter Plan: $49/month
- Email Pro Plan: $50/month
- Multichannel Expert Plan: $79/month
- Outreach Scale Plan: $129/month
3. MailShake
Mailshake is a sales engagement and cold email platform that helps companies automate, personalize, and boost outreach efforts.
It supports email campaigns, phone calls, and social media outreach to create a multichannel strategy. MailShake is a pioneering dedicated cold email software. The company was started in 2015 and began by offering promotional tools for content creators. MailShake grew into a sales engagement platform that had the capabilities of multichannel outreach over the years.
This is excellent software, only if you operate in a small or medium-sized business. Its primary focus is on sending personalized emails to people. The tool has a broad outreach worldwide with over 49,000 companies on board. This will be your perfect choice if you want to prevent landing in the spam folders.
Strengths:
- Great features for agencies (reporting, client onboarding)
- Robust native CRM integrations
- Unique calendar view that lets you check exactly when your emails will go out
- Many users praise the quality of MailShake’s customer support
- Native integrations with Pipedrive, HubSpot, and Salesforce
Weaknesses:
- MailShake can get expensive if you manage multiple email accounts
- The lack of a free trial and the yearly commitment make it difficult to start
- UI feels a bit outdated and clunky, especially since they added many sales engagement features (dialer, tasks, etc.)
Price:
- Free Trial: No free trial option
- Starter Plan: $25/month
- Email Outreach: $58/month
- Sales Engagement: $83/month
4. Woodpecker
It is a sales outreach and a cold email platform for companies that look to automate and personalize email campaigns. It boasts high deliverability in managing outreach, follow-up, and lead nurturing. Woodpecker.co is the brainchild of Matt Tarczynski, who founded the tool in 2015 as an in-house product for his lead generation agency.
He eventually made it public when he found that people outside his company were interested in what he had built. The email outreach automation software tool allows you to develop, personalize and send your cold marketing and sales emails. It also follows the rate-tracking and maintains a record of opened, clicked deliverability, bounce, and replied rates of each email.
Strengths:
- Includes everything you would expect from a good cold email software: A/B testing, reporting, native CRM integrations, etc.
- Reviewers emphasize the ease of adoption
- Advanced personalization lets you create different email sequences based on your recipients’ actions (opens, clicks, etc.)
- Native CRM integrations with HubSpot and Pipedrive
Weaknesses:
- The product can be a bit costly if you handle multiple email addresses
- Some customers complain about the rigidity of their customer support team on their Trustpilot page
Price:
- Free Trial: Start with a free test of all the plans
- Cold email: $29/month
- Agency: $49/month
- Custom: Book a call
5. Quickmail
In 2014, Quickmail was founded by Jérémy Chatelaine to help meet his needs for an email account rotation solution. The product has since become loved by email outreach agencies, especially after they created the email account rotation as a way of increasing the emails that could be sent from the pool since it spreads the sending across several email accounts.
It is cloud-based software meant to automate the sales team’s usage of email marketing strategies. It includes all the features of cold email marketing software such as importing lists of cold prospects, creating customized email templates, and sending automatic follow-up emails.
Strengths:
- Advanced features like email account rotation and detailed reporting
- Agency-specific features that make reporting to the client and account management easier
- Native 2-way HubSpot and Pipedrive integrations
- According to most reviewers, the product is easy to use
- Plenty of users praise the quality of their support team
- Multichannel capabilities (you can automate LinkedIn connection requests and send text messages)
Weaknesses:
- The UI feels a bit outdated
- The warmup feature depends on a third-party partner
Price:
- They have a starter plan for $59 per month
- They have a pro plan for $79 per month
6. Smartlead.ai
Smartlead was launched only last year, 2022, but it already has a lot of raving fans. Maybe that’s because its founder, Vaibhav Naibhuri, seems very focused on serving lead generation agencies.
Smartlead has its optimization done so that more and more emails are sent out. Therefore, it is continuously fighting the limitations of deliverability caused by bulk sending.
Smartlead.ai is a cold email outreach tool that is designed to help you scale your lead-generation efforts.
It offers unlimited mailboxes, automated email warming, and a multichannel outreach infrastructure.
Strengths:
- Advanced deliverability optimization features
- Aggressive pricing makes it the cheapest option if you want to scale your outbound strategy
- According to user reviews, their customer service is very responsive
- Some of their clients also praised their agency management features
Weaknesses:
- On it’s own, it’s not enough – you need other tools to run your outreach
- Based on some conversations I had, the tool can be buggy, but given how new it is, these issues should slowly get resolved
Price:
- Free Trial: Yes
- Basic Plan: $34/month
- Pro Plan: $79/month
7. Gmass
Ajay Joel has invented Gmass in the year 2015. Now marketers can even send mass mails directly from Gmail and Google Sheets with this Gmass tool. Maybe the most popular email cold tool to date with a 300,000 users basis in the Chrome store.
This is the best automated program for cold emailing from your Gmail account while keeping things very simple. It makes it easier to schedule outreach efforts, personalize emails, and then classify the answers that come from your potential customers.
Strengths:
- If you’re using Gmail, you’ll love being able to send your cold emails directly from there
- Includes many options you find in advanced cold email tools like A/B testing, a spam checker, etc.
- A lot of their users praise the reporting options included in the tool
Weaknesses:
- As it’s a complete tool, many users complain that there’s a steep learning curve before you can actually start using Gmass (this is something our tests confirmed)
- The UI and their onboarding content are a bit confusing
Price:
- They have a basic plan for $19.95 per month
- They have an upgraded plan for $29.95 per month
- And they have an enterprise plan for $49.95 per month.
8. SalesHandy
Dhruv Patel founded SalesHandy in 2015. From the early days, the company was engineered for sales teams. It remains one of the few cold email tools that could also be seen as a comprehensive sales interaction platform.
This is an email outreach tracker that automates all the actions taken. You may use this feature-rich software as an add-in for Outlook. It lets you create tailored templates for your emails, automates sending and receiving emails, and sends follow-up emails. Features include automated follow-ups, tracking of sent emails, and connectivity with major CRMs.
Strengths:
- Lot of advanced features like spintax (that allows you to make your emails more unique and can help escape spam filters), A/B testing, and email warm-up (via a partner)
- Entry-level plan priced at $36 (making it the cheapest option among sales engagement platforms)
Weaknesses:
- Compared to other sales engagement platforms, it lacks multichannel capabilities
- Some reviews pointed out that the time difference with the support team (based in India) can be an issue
- 1-way CRM integrations only
Price:
- Free Trial: 7-day free trial on all the plans
- Outreach Starter: $27/month
- Outreach Pro: $74/month
- Outreach Scale: $149/month
- Outreach Scale Plus (starting at 100K): $219/month
9. Reply.io
Oleg Bilozor founded the company in 2014. Similar to SalesHandy, it aims to help sales teams automate tedious manual work. It does not restrict itself to cold email and is chock-full of features that excite sales.
Reply.io is an interaction platform with sales that integrates multichannel outreach and automation using AI.
Users will be able to manage calls, texts, and LinkedIn inboxes as well as emails related to marketing all through one channel.
Reply.io is among the popular cold email services with multi-channel outreach. Getting the best and highest conversion rates from prospects is what it does. It automates follow-up emails to your marketing campaign, which makes your whole campaign doable, from the delivery of emails, clicks, opens, and answers down to unique bounce rate tracking. Its best feature about this software is that it facilitates validating the prospect list so your email only through valid email IDs and sender’s reputation too does not suffer.
The tool also offers AI-powered CRM, email warm-up services, and advanced analytics to optimize sales efforts.
Strengths:
- True multichannel capabilities with LinkedIn automation options, support for automated SMS and Whatsapp messages, and a feature to place your calls directly from within the app
- Lead database (it’s a recent addition, though, and I spotted some data quality issues)
- Plenty of comments praise their responsive and helpful customer service
- Native 2-way integrations with HubSpot, Close, Copper CRM, Salesforce, and Pipedrive
Weaknesses:
- The tool includes numerous features and can be overwhelming initially
- Their advanced features (LinkedIn automation, additional email accounts, etc.) require paid add-ons
Price:
- Free Trial: 14-day trial for each plan
- Email Volume: $49/month
- Multichannel: $89/month
- Agency: $166/month
- AI SDR: $259/month
10. Outreach
Outreach establishes a large-scale connection between the sales team and the target audience with the use of multichannel sales sequences. Outreach is an abbreviation for outbound, so it is intended for the outbound sales staff. It makes transaction completion fast and increases larger pipelines for the sales team.
Sales teams may automate and maximize their multi-channel prospecting efforts with the help of an outreach sales execution software.
It gives customers the ability to manage email campaigns, phone conversations, and social media outreach, allowing them to monitor interaction in real time.
Strengths
- Multichannel platform
- Personalized cold outreach messages
- Detailed analytics on the team to spot both low and high performers
Weakness
- Third-party training is mandatory
- Has a busy interface
- A free trial is not available
Pricing:
- Twenty seats are going to cost around $130 per month. Later on, per the usage and requirements, the price can range from $1000 to $8000.
11. Close
Close is a comprehensive CRM that offers lead tracking, automation, and communication capabilities for expanding sales teams.
With integrated call, cold email, and SMS capabilities, it optimizes processes and automates tedious chores, freeing up your staff to concentrate on completing transactions.
With the help of the well-known sales platform Close, you can quickly send and manage your prospecting emails, set assignments, and even conduct cold calls to potential customers straight from your dashboard. It also facilitates the reuse of email templates and the creation of customized email campaigns. Known for its ease of use and quick setup, Close is ideal for small to midsize businesses.
Strengths:
- Many engaging CRM features help in managing the sales pipeline
- Share email templates with other team members too
- Also tracks the professional sales reps
Weakness:
- Not ideal for sending cold emails to people, as it is best only for post-contact follow-ups
- Gets a bit expensive when you try to get some advanced and powerful features
Price:
- Free Trial: You can start a free trial with your Google account
- Starter Plan: $49/month
- Professional Plan: $99/month
- Enterprise Plan: $139/month
12. Overloop
Overloop is a sales engagement solution that streamlines outbound initiatives through multichannel outreach. It involves adding cold calling, cold email, and LinkedIn messaging to personalized campaigns for the purpose of increasing engagement and conversion rates.
Overloop’s main objective is to make the cold email outreach process easier and less complicated. From finding email addresses to managing them in the CRM system, it supports the sales force in every aspect of prospecting. It tracks the development of the email and allows customization. The platform provides email discovery tools, CRM integration, and advanced analytics to optimize sales processes.
Strengths:
- Easy-to-use interface
- A free trial is available
Weakness:
- It slightly lacks some cold-calling features
Price:
- Free Trial: Only 30-day money-back guarantee
- Startup Plan: €58/month
- Growth Plan: €82/month
- Enterprise Plan: €125/month
13. Klenty
Klenty is a sales interaction platform that streamlines outreach over several channels, including LinkedIn, phone calls, and emails. This sales engagement tool may be able to help in automating the cold email outreach. It will personalize and also automate the follow-up emails; if needed, it can even be connected to other CRMs.It provides AI-powered sales playbooks, LinkedIn automation, LinkedIn marketing, email sequencing, and many more solutions that automate and customize sales campaigns.
Strengths
- It has a user-friendly interface
- It lets easy and powerful integrations happen
- Free trial is available for 14 days
Weakness
- It allows limited email sending
Price
- Free Trial: You can try for free all the plans
- Startup Plan: $50/month
- Growth Plan: $70/month
- Pro Plan: $100/month
- Enterprise Plan: Schedule a demo
14. Snov.io
Snov.io is an all-rounded sales automation tool for generating leads, emailing out, email warm-up, and managing customers and CRMs.Snov.io is among the leading cold email outreach tools, which focuses on user experience and powerful capabilities.
It does efficient email campaign work, especially through a Google Chrome extension that discovers email addresses. Beyond simple automation, this tool is truly great at verifying emails, tracking, integrations, and drip campaigns, meaning it’s pretty comprehensive for doing cold outreach work. It offers tools for finding and validating emails, automating cold email campaigns, and effectively managing sales processes.
Strengths:
- User-friendly interface
- Domain searching tool
- A/B testing feature
- Integrations with popular CRMs
Weakness:
- Complicated drip campaigns
- No click tracking
Price:
- Free Trial Plan: $0/month to try all the main features
- Starter Plan: $39/month
- Pro Plan: $99/month
15. Yesware
Yesware software describes your cold email automation tasks quite well. It even offers you a free version on its official website that can be tried out and tested by you. Curated in this way, you will find this tool making it very easy to reach your prospects.
Strengths:
- Available in both Outlook and Gmail inboxes
- Free version available with essential functions
- Provides articles and training on how to support and use this cold email platform
Weakness:
- The integration costs are extra
Price:
- Enterprise plan starts at $85 per month
Conclusion
Obviously, cold email solutions are the best marketing software that can make duties easier by sending emails to potential customers. Secondly, most sales prospecting tools in hundreds that exist in the market do not offer features you want for your outreach initiative. Therefore, 15 best cold email tools that have been listed above are among the best; you may review them and choose one of them. The features and costs can be compared to those that are appropriate for your campaign.
FAQs
1. How would you draft a cold email but not spam the recipients?
Instead of landing in their spam filters, proper personalization, making it relevant, and aligning your content with their current interests and needs is a must. Make sure that your subject line is clear and reflects the purpose of the email. It will be easy for recipients to opt out if you respect their preference and comply with the regulations surrounding email marketing, when necessary. Use a sender name that is recognizable and an email address that is legitimate enough to build trust. Avoid spamming the same recipient with multiple emails. In this way, you can increase the chances of getting a cold email well-received and avoiding spam flags.
2. How many times should you email a cold prospect?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but a common practice is a series of 3 to 5 emails spaced strategically over a few weeks. Introduce a general idea first, provide useful content second, and gradually make it more personalized. Change up your approach according to the response given by the prospect or even the lack of a response altogether. Respect what they want; when they indicate disinterest or request to be off the list, take them off right away.
3. What would a good cold email look like?
The correct cold email, being short yet personalized and on-point, leads with a nice subject line while addressing the user by name and providing value to or a solution to the current problem of his or her end. It excludes the general type of sales talk and instead talks to build something genuine. Finally, it ends with a defined call to action, well set out, with proper formatting but not disrespecting the time of the recipient through easy opt-outs or unsubscribing.
