Discover the best cold email software to reach potential customers and grow your business.
Cold emailing can be an effective way for businesses to build relationships with potential customers. However, sending countless sales email sequences can be time-consuming for your team. That's where cold email software comes into play.
Thanks to cold email software, you can automate repetitive tasks and personalize emails at scale. With the right tool, you can significantly improve your cold email campaigns.
To help you out, we've gathered the best cold email software, comparing factors such as features, ease of use, and pricing.
Table of contents
Cold email software: Key features
Cold email software ranges from basic mass email tools to robust sales engagement platforms, so the feature set can vary significantly between tools.
Still, there are key features that set top tools apart, and you’ll find some or most of them present in the software on our list.
Deliverability optimization tools
Every cold email tool should include features that improve your chances of landing in leads' inboxes rather than spam folders. These may include easy email authentication, messaging APIs for large-scale sends, dedicated IPs, and strong anti-spam policies.
Keep in mind that not all popular cold email tools are reliable at hitting inboxes. Tools commonly used by spammers may harm your deliverability due to their poor reputation. So, it’s best to avoid software that closes eyes to anti-spam measures or makes it easy to blast unverified addresses.
Automated sequences
Good cold emailing software should allow you to create automated email sequences so leads are contacted at the right moments without you having to manage each message.
Ideally, you should be able to set up triggers based on specific lead actions — like visiting your website or opening an email — or schedule follow-up emails within custom time frames.
Cross-channel engagement
While not essential if you’re focusing solely on email, cross-channel engagement is a valuable feature if your sales team reaches leads through multiple channels.
Many cold outreach tools now offer options like cold calling, SMS marketing, and others so you can manage all your engagement efforts in one place. Just think about which additional channels you need from the get-go, and you’ll likely find software that offers the right mix for your strategy.
AI assistance
Gartner predicts that by 2028, 60% of B2B sales work will be done through generative AI, so chances are, many of your competitors are already using or planning to implement AI to streamline their sales processes. You can stay ahead by choosing software with AI-powered features that speed up your outreach.
Most cold emailing platforms have already implemented AI assistance tools like AI-powered email and subject line writing, analytics, or send time optimization. We made sure our list included tools powered by these helpful features.
11 Best cold email software compared
Discover 11 best cold email platforms, each with unique features to support a range of business goals — from startups to large sales teams.
1. Brevo
Brevo is a robust sales and marketing automation suite with excellent deliverability tools for cold email outreach.
If you’re seeking a platform to manage cold email campaigns with the potential for ongoing lead nurturing, Brevo is a great choice. It includes reputation and list management features to help ensure your emails reach inboxes, a built-in CRM to organize and segment contacts, and multi-channel engagement tools to support lead and customer relationships throughout their journey with your brand.
Complete with marketing tools like lead capture forms and landing pages, Brevo is a perfect choice for those who need a turnkey lead generation and outreach solution. And if all you need is cold email sending, Brevo’s bulk email service will perfectly fit your needs.
Pros
- Top-notch email deliverability. “Based on my experience of using Brevo for a long time, the email deliverability rate is outstanding,” Mridul A.
- Solid sender reputation, even on shared IPs. “Sendinblue [now Brevo] IP reputation is way better than competitors…” Daniel G.
- Easy domain authentication. “The process of domain verification and authentication is clear and very explanatory,” Ifeaniy C.
- Dedicated IPs for improved deliverability. “With a dedicated IP and good list management, I have achieved excellent opening rates…” Matteo C.
- Multi-channel marketing and sales engagement, including email, SMS, calls, WhatsApp campaigns, and more. “Now with the integration of Whatsapp and Facebook messages, it is becoming more and more complete,” Antonio L.
- Build-in CRM for list management. “Very seamless, now has calls as well, and a great free CRM,” Alex W.
- AI-assisted email writing and sending. “... the AI tools help in this process,” Aditi W.
- Value for the price. “It's affordable and very comprehensive,” Jordan C.
Cons
- Extensive features. “There are so many features that I don’t need, which makes it feel a bit overwhelming,” Gumento D.
- Basic email templates. “I'm not sure if the templates are as fancy as some other platforms,” Lisa S.
Brevo pricing
- Free plan: Up to 300 emails/day.
- Paid plans: From $9/month for 5,000 emails/month, no daily sending limit.
2. Woodpecker
Woodpecker is a cold emailing tool that’s great for B2B businesses focused on bulk outreach.
While it may not have the extensive features of larger email service providers, it offers a solid set of tools to ensure your messages reach leads’ inboxes and are well-suited to small businesses.
Pros
- Beginner-friendly. Woodpecker has a straightforward, user-friendly design, making it easy for teams to start using quickly without the need for extensive training.
- Deliverability-focused. Woodpecker helps users reach inboxes by filtering out invalid emails and prioritizing features that improve inbox placement and help you avoid spam filters. It also supports automated email warm-up.
- Follow-up sequences. Senders can easily set up automated drip campaigns and nudge leads until they reply.
Cons
- Lack of flexibility. The downside that comes with the simplicity and user-friendliness is that it can feel restrictive for teams needing more options to create custom workflows.
- Limited integration with CRM systems, particularly with HubSpot. Without a built-in CRM, Woodpecker relies on third-party integrations, which may not fully support certain systems.
- Limited automation. Automation options are restricted to email sequences; there’s no support for multi-channel workflows, task automation, or meeting scheduling without additional integrations.
Woodpecker pricing
- Free plan: 7–day free trial.
- Paid plans: From $29/month for up to 500 contacted prospects and 6,000 emails/month.
3. Lemlist
Lemlist is a feature-rich cold outreach tool ideal for businesses that rely on high-volume, multi-channel outreach.
Known for its robust email authentication and powerful LinkedIn integration, Lemlist offers an all-in-one solution for managing every stage of the outreach process—from initial prospecting to nurturing leads.
Users can also access the Chrome extension that allows them to add leads to any Lemlist campaign while browsing LinkedIn.
Pros
- Integrated lead database. With a built-in database of over 450 million leads, Lemlist also allows you to skip the lead generation process and get right to lead qualification and nurturing.
- Multi-channel engagement. Lemlist supports email, LinkedIn, and even cold calling, allowing users to centralize outreach and connect with leads across multiple channels.
- Advanced personalization. The platform includes tools to create highly personalized messages at scale.
- AI assistance. AI tools are particularly helpful for sorting leads and personalizing email content.
- Email deliverability. Lemlist’s suite of deliverability tools, including email warm-up, inbox rotation, and send-time optimization, enhances the likelihood of reaching leads’ inboxes.
Cons
- Setup complexity and performance issues. Lemlist can be challenging and time-consuming to set up initially, and some users report that it can be slow to load.
- Email account limitations. Each user seat has a cap on the number of email accounts, which can be limiting as you scale your outreach.
Lemlist pricing
- Free plan: Basic prospecting and verification tools.
- Paid plans: From $32/user/month, including increased limits on email finding and verification, with unlimited customizable campaigns.
4. Mailshake
Mailshake is a sales engagement platform offering robust automation tools and reliable LinkedIn integration.
Much like Lemlist, Mailshake combines email automation, LinkedIn tools, and deliverability management into one platform. While it may have a slightly leaner feature set than Lemlist, it’s known to have a more user-friendly interface and easier setup.
Pros
- Easy-to-use. Setting up and updating campaigns is straightforward, and even non-technical users find the initial setup a breeze.
- Top-notch support. Mailshake offers excellent customer support that helps senders with onboarding and troubleshooting.
- LinkedIn automation and dialer. With built-in LinkedIn automation and a phone dialer, Mailshake enables sales teams engage leads across multiple channel from one platform.
- List-cleaning feature. It automatically removes unqualified or invalid contacts, helping to keep your lists healthy.
- AI email writing assistance. Mailshake’s SHAKEspeare AI assistant can generate email copy from scratch, create additional variations for A/B testing, and provide suggestions to enhance the deliverability of your messages.
Cons
- Data Finder limitations. The lead data finder feature is often inaccurate and insufficient, frequently struggling to provide the level of data needed compared to other tools on the market.
- No free trial. Mailshake doesn’t currently offer a free trial, so you can’t test the platform’s features before committing to a paid plan.
Mailshake pricing
- Free plan: Not provided.
- Paid plans: From $29/month for one email account and up to 1,500 email sends per month.
5. Snov.io
Snov.io is another go-to platform for those looking to blend email and LinkedIn outreach.
Beyond the basics—like email warmup, deliverability tools, and automated sequences—Snov.io includes a built-in CRM so users can keep all their sales processes connected under one roof.
Pros
- LinkedIn prospect finder. With LinkedIn and Sales Navigator integration, Snov.io pulls leads and their emails right from LinkedIn.
- Built-in sales CRM. It has a CRM to manage contacts, track interactions, and keep everything organized, which is a big plus if you don’t want to juggle multiple tools.
- Helpful customer support. Snov.io’s support team is responsive and easy to work with.
Cons
- Not the friendliest interface. The user interface (UI) and features can feel a bit overwhelming, especially when you’re new to it.
- Mixed email data quality. Like many tools with lead databases, Snov.io’s email data can often be hit-or-miss.
Snov.io pricing
- Free plan: Up to 100 email recipients, 1 mailbox warm-up, and 50 credits for prospect search and email verification.
- Paid plans: From $39/month for up to 5,000 email recipients, 3 mailbox warm-ups, and 1,000 credits.
6. Instantly
Instantly.ai is a cold outreach platform that’s great for anyone who wants an easy-to-use, straightforward solution to ramp up lead generation and outreach.
It handles processes critical for successful cold outreach like email warmup and multivariate testing without overwhelming you with extra features. Plus, you can manage unlimited email accounts, which makes scaling up campaigns easier without added costs.
Like Lemlist, Instantly offers a B2B lead database, but it comes in a separate package.
Pros
- Unlimited email accounts and warmup. Perfect for large-scale outreach and lead generation agencies.
- Focused on essentials. Instantly doesn’t offer multi-channel outreach tools, but it can be a plus for many.
- Email automation and A/Z testing. Instantly automates the key steps in the cold outreach process and lets you test different versions of your cold emails against similar lead segments.
- Optional CRM add-on. You can manage contacts directly in Instantly without needing to integrate the platform with a third-party system.
Cons
- Deliverability concerns. Some users feel Instantly’s warmup pool impacts deliverability since scammers often abuse the system by adding and removing emails.
- No API access. This lack of an API can limit flexibility for teams needing more advanced customization.
Instantly pricing
- Free plan: Free trial available.
- Paid plans: From $37/month for warm-up and email sending. Lead discovery and a CRM system come in separate packages starting at $47/month each.
7. Close
Close is primarily a sales CRM with handy tools for outbound outreach. It combines email, cold calling, and SMS messaging in one platform, making it easy to manage different channels in one place.
While it lacks some deliverability tools like automated warmups or dedicated IPs, Close does support bulk email sending, power dialing, call recording, and cross-channel workflows, so you can create smooth, efficient outreach processes.
Pros
- Cold calling support. Close has strong features for outbound calling, including call recording, coaching, transcribing (add-on), and coaching.
- Automated multi-channel workflows. You can set up smooth workflows across email, calls, and SMS, automating follow-ups, lead re-engagement, and more.
- Integrated CRM. Close brings CRM capabilities together with cold outreach tools.
Cons
- Limited deliverability tools. Close doesn’t offer automated warmups, email list cleaning, and other features focused on improving your sender reputation and email deliverability.
- Basic email capabilities. Since Close prioritizes calling, its email features aren’t as robust as dedicated email outreach platforms.
Close pricing
- Free plan: 14-day free trial.
- Paid plans: From $59/user/month for 25,000 stored leads and 50,000 contacts.
8. Artisan
Artisan is an AI-powered sales assistant designed to handle most of the outbound sales process—from finding leads to crafting messages to scheduling meetings.
It learns your goals, positioning, and ideal customer profile (ICP), then searches its database for potential leads and generates personalized messages for each. Sales reps can step in anytime to review, edit, or create custom sequences for a more hands-on approach.
Pros
- AI-powered personalization. Artisan analyzes lead data collected from social media and hundreds of other sources and tailors cold emails using the most relevant data on each lead.
- Deliverability and performance optimization tools. Along with email warmup and mailbox health monitoring, Artisan dynamically adjusts sending volume and timing based on real-time deliverability data, placement tests, and performance metrics like open rates and response rates.
- LinkedIn integration. Artisan supports LinkedIn outreach and allows you to create multi-channel sequences.
Cons
- Limited flexibility. The AI assistant follows a set process, leaving minimal room for customizing workflows.
- Higher cost. Artisan is pricier than basic cold email outreach tools.
Artisan pricing
- Free plan: Not provided.
- Paid plans: Custom pricing.
9. HubSpot
HubSpot is a CRM platform that excels in inbound marketing and sales, but it can also be used for cold email marketing. With its all-in-one approach, HubSpot makes it easy to manage outreach campaigns while keeping everything organized in one place.
The comprehensive feature set can be both a strength and a drawback for those focused on cold outreach. If you don’t require its CRM capabilities or extensive automation workflows, the learning curve may not be worth the effort.
Pros
- Workflow automation. HubSpot allows you to create automated workflows from simple follow-up campaigns to complex customer journeys.
- Integrated CRM. You’ll access a range of contact and pipeline management tools in the platform to smoothly manage your leads all the way through the funnel.
- Customization. HubSpot is one of the most flexible systems on the list, allowing you to create workflows of any complexity.
- Scalability. HubSpot has everything you need if you're looking to expand beyond cold email outreach. You can easily add marketing workflows, customer service tools, and more as your business grows.
Cons
- Not specifically built for cold outreach. While it works well for integrating inbound and outbound strategies, it’s overkill if cold outreach is your sole focus. Moreover, unsolicited email sending goes against HubSpot’s guidelines; you need to obtain consent from your leads to send them your emails.
- Learning curve. To fully take advantage of all the features HubSpot offers, you’ll need to invest time in learning the platform.
HubSpot pricing
- Free plan: Basic CRM and marketing tools are available for free.
- Paid plans: From $20/user/month.
Related: Discover the top HubSpot competitors
10. Hunter Campaigns
Hunter Campaigns is designed to complement Hunter's suite of email outreach tools, including Email Finder and Email Verifier.
The platform is a great option for freelancers or those with smaller cold email needs due to its simplicity and generous free plan.
Pros
- Extensive free plan. Hunter offers a generous free plan that allows you to test out a 500-recipient campaign, giving you access to analytics, browser extensions, and CRM integrations without any cost.
- User-friendly interface. The platform features a clear and intuitive interface that includes essential email and lead generation tools such as a lead searcher, campaign creator, lead verifier, and campaign manager.
- Native integration with the rest of the Hunter.io suite. Hunter Campaigns is built into Hunter’s toolset, letting you find and validate email addresses before launching your outreach—all without paying extra fees.
Cons
- Limited automation options. While Hunter provides a solid foundation for cold email outreach, it lacks advanced features and AI capabilities found in some competitors.
- Lacking email optimization tools. Hunter doesn’t include deliverability and engagement optimization tools like email warm-up, A/B testing, and spintax.
Hunter Campaigns pricing
- Free plan: Up to 500 recipients per campaign.
- Paid plans: From $49/month.
11. Saleshandy
Saleshandy is an easy-to-use cold email outreach tool particularly popular with those who are new to cold emailing.
The platform offers essential features that support your outreach strategy while keeping things simple.
Pros
- Good email deliverability. Saleshandy includes tools like warm-up, dynamic IP addresses, and email validation to help ensure your messages land in the inbox.
- Multi-step email sequences with A-Z testing. You can create automated email sequences and test up to 26 different email versions to see which performs best.
- Unlimited email accounts and warm-up. A significant advantage for power senders.
- Option to access a lead database (add-on). Users can tap into a robust B2B lead database for an additional fee.
Cons
- No AI features for email writing and deliverability optimization. Unlike some competitors, Saleshandy lacks AI-driven tools to assist you through cold outreach efforts.
- Email setup can be challenging. Particularly for non-technical users, configuring settings like SPF and DMARC records isn’t very intuitive.
- Limited overall functionality. Saleshandy focuses on cold email outreach, which means it lacks advanced automation, multi-channel triggers, and CRM features.
Saleshandy pricing
- Free plan: 7-day free trial.
- Paid plans: From $36/month for up to 10,000 emails per month, 2,000 total prospects, and 100 Lead Finder credits.
