Compare / Instantly vs Smartlead
Sales.co vs Instantly vs Smartlead
Updated October 8, 2026. Instantly and Smartlead prices read October 8, 2026.
Instantly and Smartlead are cold email sending software. You pay a monthly subscription, from $47 at Instantly and $39 at Smartlead, and your team runs the campaigns. Sales.co is a managed service: its team builds the list, writes the emails, sends them and answers replies for a flat fee from $2,000 a month.
Sales.co is our own service, so read this page with that in mind. Every Instantly and Smartlead figure below comes from its own pricing page on monthly billing, read October 8, 2026.
| Sales.co | Instantly | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Managed service: Sales.co runs the campaigns | Sending software that you operate | Sending software that you operate |
| Published price | $2,000/mo (up to 10,000 emails); $2,500/mo (up to 15,000); $3,000/mo (up to 20,000) | Growth $47/mo; Hypergrowth $97/mo; Light Speed $358/mo; Enterprise custom | Base $39/mo; Pro $94/mo; Unlimited Smart $174/mo; Unlimited Prime $379/mo |
| Emails per month | Up to 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 | 5,000; 125,000; 500,000 | 6,000; 90,000; 150,000; 500,000 |
| Contacts | List building is included | 1,000; 25,000; 100,000 uploaded contacts | 2,000; 30,000; unlimited on both Unlimited plans |
| Yearly billing | None; month-to-month | $37.6, $77.6 and $286.3 a month | 17% off every plan |
| Free trial | None stated | 14 days, no card required (250 contacts, 1,000 emails) | On every plan, no card required |
| Setup fee | None | None listed | None listed |
| Contract | Month-to-month, cancel anytime | Monthly or yearly subscription; cancellation terms are not on the pricing page | Monthly or annual; "no lock-in contracts", cancel anytime |
| Mailboxes and domains | Included in the fee | Connect unlimited accounts; done-for-you accounts from $4/mo each and domains at $15/yr | Connect unlimited accounts; mailboxes from $3.99/mo each and domains from $13/yr from the providers on its pricing page |
| Lead list | Built and validated by Sales.co, in the fee | A separate Instantly Credits subscription: $9/mo for 150 credits, $47/mo for 1,500 | Verified prospect emails: a $59/mo add-on on Base and Pro, free on the Unlimited plans |
| Who writes the emails and answers replies | Sales.co | You; its AI reply agent draws 5 credits per reply | You |
| Managed option | The whole service | VIP Service, custom pricing | None on the pricing page |
| Time to launch | 7 days to live | Self-serve signup | Self-serve signup |
What a software plan leaves to you
Every Sales.co plan includes strategy, list building, data enrichment and validation, copywriting, sending infrastructure, campaign execution and a personal follow-up on every positive reply (sales.co/pricing). A sending subscription covers the sending. The rest is your team's work or a separate purchase:
- The list. Instantly sells lead data as a second subscription, Instantly Credits: $9 a month for 150 credits, $47 for 1,500, $97 for 5,000. Smartlead charges $59 a month for verified prospect emails on Base and Pro and includes them on its Unlimited plans.
- Mailboxes and domains. Both let you connect unlimited email accounts, but you supply them. Instantly sells done-for-you Google accounts at $5 a month each and domains at $15 a year. Smartlead's pricing page lists mailboxes from $3.99 to $9 a month each and domains from $13 to $19 a year, depending on the provider.
- Copy and replies. You write the sequences and answer the replies. Instantly's AI agents draw credits: 5 per lead generated and 5 per reply generated.
What the monthly fee covers
Sales.co's smallest plan is $2,000 a month for up to 10,000 emails. Instantly's Hypergrowth plan is $97 a month for up to 125,000 emails, and Smartlead's Pro plan is $94 a month for up to 90,000. Sales.co's fee is about twenty times either subscription and allows about a ninth to a twelfth of the volume. The fee covers the people who do the work, which neither subscription includes.
Instantly vs Smartlead on published numbers
| Tier | Instantly | Smartlead |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Growth: $47/mo, 5,000 emails, 1,000 contacts | Base: $39/mo, 6,000 emails, 2,000 contacts |
| Middle | Hypergrowth: $97/mo, 125,000 emails, 25,000 contacts | Pro: $94/mo, 90,000 emails, 30,000 contacts |
| Upper | No plan between $97 and $358 | Unlimited Smart: $174/mo, 150,000 emails, unlimited contacts |
| Top published | Light Speed: $358/mo, 500,000 emails, 100,000 contacts | Unlimited Prime: $379/mo, 500,000 emails, unlimited contacts |
| Above that | Enterprise, custom; an add-on gives 125,000 more emails and 25,000 more contacts for $87/mo | Not on the pricing page |
Instantly's page gives two figures for Hypergrowth: 125,000 emails on the plan card and in its pricing file, 100,000 in the feature comparison and the FAQ. Smartlead also sells whitelabeling to agencies at $29 a month per client workspace, from the Pro plan up.
Instantly also sells a managed service
Instantly lists a VIP Service at custom pricing. Its pricing file describes it as done-for-you setup and management, AI Sales Agent and Inbox Manager configuration and a dedicated GTM engineer. No price is published, so it cannot be set next to Sales.co's $2,000. Smartlead's pricing page lists software plans and add-ons only.
When Instantly or Smartlead is the better pick
- Someone on your team already owns list building, copy, mailboxes and replies every week.
- You send more than 20,000 emails a month. Sales.co's published plans stop there; both tools publish plans up to 500,000.
- You run an agency that sends for clients. Smartlead says its Unlimited plans are built for agencies and sells per-client workspaces.
- You want to try cold email for under $100 a month before you pay anyone to run it.
When Sales.co is the better pick
Nobody on your team has the hours to build lists, write sequences, look after mailboxes and answer replies, and you want sending to start within 7 days on a month-to-month fee with no setup fee. Sales.co is built for B2B companies with 1 to 50 employees. More on the trade-off: cold email tools vs a managed service.
Sources
- Instantly: instantly.ai/pricing, instantly.ai/pricing.md, instantly.ai/vip, read October 8, 2026.
- Smartlead: www.smartlead.ai/pricing, read October 8, 2026.
- Sales.co: sales.co/pricing, sales.co/faq and sales.co/cold-email-agency-cost, read October 8, 2026.
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FAQ
Is Sales.co an alternative to Instantly or Smartlead?
Only if you want the work done for you. Instantly and Smartlead are software: you subscribe and run the campaigns. Sales.co is a managed service that builds the list, writes the emails, sends them and answers replies, on software it built and runs itself.
How much do Instantly and Smartlead cost?
On monthly billing, Instantly's outreach plans are $47, $97 and $358 a month, and Smartlead's are $39, $94, $174 and $379 a month. Sales.co costs $2,000 a month for up to 10,000 emails, $2,500 for up to 15,000 and $3,000 for up to 20,000, with no setup fee and a month-to-month term (sales.co/pricing).
Do Instantly and Smartlead build the lead list?
Not inside the sending plan. Instantly sells lead data through a separate Instantly Credits subscription ($47 a month for 1,500 credits). Smartlead sells verified prospect emails as a $59 a month add-on on Base and Pro and includes them free on its two Unlimited plans. Sales.co builds and validates the list in every plan.
Is there a contract with any of the three?
Sales.co is month-to-month and you can cancel anytime. Smartlead's pricing page says it has no lock-in contracts and you can cancel anytime. Instantly bills monthly or yearly; its pricing page does not state cancellation terms.
Does Instantly offer a done-for-you service?
Yes. Instantly lists a VIP Service at custom pricing that covers done-for-you setup and management, AI Sales Agent and Inbox Manager configuration and a dedicated GTM engineer. It does not publish a price for it.
How current is this page?
Instantly and Smartlead figures were read from their pricing pages on October 8, 2026, and Sales.co's from its own pricing page the same day. Prices change: check the source before you buy.