Is It the Right Tool for You in 2025?

If you’re looking for a complete review of Instantly.ai, good luck finding it!

I say this because there are a ton of user reviews available on G2, Trustpilot, Reddit, and other platforms.

Going through each of them and checking if Instantly.ai fits your use case is a challenge, which is why I’ve done it for you!

I have gone through various user reviews and tested the platform myself.

Here’s what you’ll get from this Instantly.ai review blog:

• What users have to say about Instantly.ai.
• Where it delivers and where it falls short
• Some alternatives to Instantly.ai
• A final verdict on whether it’s worth it in 2025

Keep reading to find out whether it’s worth adding to your outreach stack.

TL;DR: My Take on Instantly.ai – Is It the Right Cold Email Tool for You?

Instantly.ai is a great platform for scalable cold email outreach.

It has solid features that support deliverability and campaign automation.

However, it’s expensive — and users have flagged issues with support and reliability.

There are other alternatives that offer similar features, better support, and more flexible pricing — making them a better fit for many teams.

Saleshandy is one such Instantly.ai alternative that balances high scalability, deliverability, and cost-effectiveness.

What Real Users Are Saying About Instantly.ai?

Instantly.ai has built quite a reputation across review platforms — especially among sales teams and cold outreach pros.

Here’s a quick snapshot:

• G2 – 4.8⭐/5 (3.6K+ reviews)
• Trustpilot – 4.0⭐/5 (660K+ reviews)

But numbers don’t tell the full story.

What’s Happening on Reddit

Recently, there’s been a spike in Reddit posts calling out specific problems with Instantly.ai:

• DFY email accounts getting flagged.
• Warmup and inbox placement scores not reflecting actual performance.
• Campaigns are failing to send without warning.
• Poor or delayed support responses.

User Reviews From TrustPilot

If you think Reddit is not a trustworthy source for platform reviews… Trustpilot backs it up.

Recent reviews tell a very different story — and they align closely with the complaints seen on Reddit.

Most of the frustration revolves around three things:

• Poor customer support
• Deliverability issues despite using warm-up
• Ongoing charges even when accounts stop working

Here are a few recent Trustpilot reviews that stood out:

User Reviews From G2

While on G2, the reviews are a bit more balanced.

Instantly.ai’s users love the simplicity and results, but often bring up pricing and support as weak spots.

My Hands-On Experience With Instantly.ai: Features and Functionality Breakdown

If you want a serious, in-depth review of Instantly.ai, I suggest you grab a coffee — I went all in, and there’s a lot to share.

That said, I’ve kept things super simple and easy to follow, so you’ll get a clear view of what Instantly.ai brings to the table — and what it doesn’t.

I will share my experience with these Instantly.ai features in detail below

1. Cold Email Campaign Automation
2. Email Warm Up
3. Lead Database
4. Centralized Reply Management – Unibox
5. Analytics and Reporting
6. Inbox Placement Tests
7. DFY Email Account Setup
8. CRM
9. Website Visitor Identification

1. Cold Email Campaign Automation

The core functionality of a cold email automation software is to help you reach more people faster without having to sound like a bot or look like a spammer.

On that front, Instantly.ai performs well.

I was able to set up cold email sequences with personalized messaging quickly.

What stood out to me were the AI features in Instantly.ai.

One such feature is the AI Sequence Generator, which can easily help you create entire sequences complete with email copies!

That said, getting the right prompt was a bit of a challenge, and the quality of AI-generated copy varied quite a bit.

Another useful feature is Subsequences, which lets you create conditional follow-ups.

For example, if a prospect opens but doesn’t reply, you can trigger a different path.

This way, you can create more personalized and relevant follow-ups based on user behavior.

2. Email Warm Up

Coming to the deliverability side of Instantly.ai, you can easily warm up your email accounts on the platform.

The built-in warm-up feature has been the talk of the town, especially on Reddit.

Everyone seems to have something to say — some good, some bad, and some questioning whether warm-up even makes sense 😶.

From what I experienced, though, it does what it claims — and does it fairly well.

The system automatically sends emails, gets replies, and engages with inboxes to gradually build your sender reputation.

 What I liked:
✅ Simple, beginner-friendly setup
✅ Works well in the background — truly “set it and forget it”
✅ Saves you from relying on third-party warm-up tools

What could be better:
❌ Analytics could be more detailed (no inbox vs. spam tracking)
❌ No real-time alerts if warm-up performance drops

My take:

If you’re working with fresh domains or new accounts, Instantly.ai’s warm-up is a good built-in solution — just don’t expect deep diagnostics or analytics.

3. Lead Database – Supersearch

Instantly.ai also comes with a built-in lead database that you can use to prospect and find the right people for your outreach.

The database (claims to) offer access to over 450 million B2B contacts — and it comes with a decent set of advanced filters like:

• Location
• Technology
• Employee Headcount
• Company Revenue
• Role, etc.

Besides manually searching, you can use AI Search to speed things up.

Just type something like “CEOs of Fintech startups in Europe with less than 200 employees”, and it’ll generate a list for you.

Moreover, Instantly.ai has just launched waterfall work email enrichment with over 5 providers to ensure you receive only valid emails.

My take:

With the new AI search and waterfall enrichment, Instantly.ai’s lead database feels much more complete.

Earlier, the pricing felt steep.

But with these upgrades, it’s easier to justify the cost—especially if speed and simplicity are your priorities.

4. Centralized Reply Management – Unibox

If you’re sending emails from multiple accounts associated with multiple domains, managing replies can be a huuuuge headache.

Thankfully, Instantly.ai has a centralized reply management system called Unibox — and it genuinely makes life easier.

In Unibox, you can see all your conversations in one clean, unified dashboard. You can view, filter, and respond to conversations from all your sending accounts in one place.

What I like very much is again Instantly.ai’s AI features like:

• AI reply suggestions – Offers reply suggestions using ChatGPT integration
• AI Inbox Manager (Early Access) – Useful for engaging with leads who have replied positively.

Apart from these, I also liked the clean interface and the smart filters, which make it super easy to sort, prioritize, and manage replies.

5. Analytics and Reporting

I was genuinely looking forward to the analytics and reporting section.

Why? 

Because a lot of cold emailers and lead gen. experts have been sharing their campaign results on LinkedIn and Reddit — often with very aesthetic-looking screenshots.

Naturally, I was curious to see if Instantly.ai lived up to the hype.

Here is what you get — The analytics is divided into 2 main categories such as,

• Campaign Analytics – Where your campaign data will be shown.
• Account Analytics – Where your account’s performance will be shown.

You can filter reports based on campaign status — active, paused, or completed. This makes it easy for you to find exactly what you are looking for.

Additionally, you can compare performance across different time periods — whether it’s week-over-week, month-over-month, or a custom date range.

Personally, I loved the graphical view. It’s clean, visual, and pretty great if you want to flex your results in a case study or LinkedIn post.

6. Inbox Placement Tests

So far, everything I’ve covered falls under the core features you’d expect from any solid cold email tool.

From here on, I’ll cover the nice-to-haves — not essential, but good to have if you use them right.

Let’s start with one that’s underrated but actually useful: Inbox Placement Tests.

What it does:
It tells you where your emails are landing — Primary inbox, Promotions, Updates, or Spam — across different email service providers.

How it works:
Instantly.ai runs a deliverability check across key areas:

• Your email content
• Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• IP and domain reputation (against 90+ blacklists)

You get a report with clear insights and AI-suggested fixes to improve deliverability.

What’s my take?
Is it essential? No.

Is it valuable when needed? Definitely.

7. DFY Email Account Setup

If you need new secondary domains and inboxes for cold outreach, Instantly.ai offers a Done-For-You (DFY) setup service.

Instantly.ai will handle everything — domain purchase, email account creation, DNS configuration, and connecting everything to your Instantly dashboard.

I didn’t try this myself, but here’s what I got from their support:

• $5 per DFY email account per month
• $15 per domain per year
• $10 per Pre-warmed email account per month

Setup typically takes 24–72 hours, including DNS propagation.

My take:
If you want to skip the hassle of buying domains, setting up inboxes, and configuring DNS — this is a solid option.

Great for teams that want to move fast or don’t have the tech know-how.

8. CRM

Instantly.ai also offers an in-built CRM.

Again, this is separately charged, and I haven’t tried it. 

But based on my chat with the support team, you can actually make calls and send SMS from the CRM!

Now, this is interesting — because Instantly.ai is no longer just a cold email platform. It’s more like a multichannel sales engagement tool.

I also got to know that with the CRM you can:

• Track lead stages through various stages — from interested to meetings booked, won, or even custom stages based on your sales flow.
• Assign new opportunities to team members.
• Create custom sales flows.

So, it does look good on paper — especially if you don’t have a CRM and want an all-in-one tool to handle outreach, follow-ups, and light pipeline tracking.

Note: Instantly also offers native CRM integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive. You can also integrate with other CRMs through Zapier. 

9. Website Visitor Identification

This might not be something you see every day — but Instantly.ai comes with a Website Visitor Identification feature that’s honestly quite interesting.

It helps you identify who visited your website (US visitors only), along with details like:

• Business email
• Job title
• Company name
• Pages they viewed

Why does this matter?
Because now you’re not just cold-emailing random people.

You’re reaching out to people who are already interested in what you offer.

You can tailor your emails based on their behavior — like which page they visited — and their role, making your messaging feel way more relevant.

It’s a nice touch for turning warm signals into direct conversations.

Instantly.ai Pricing Plans – Cost for Value?

Instantly.ai has a lot of add-ons and multiple pricing plans — and if you’re not careful, the costs can pile up fast.

Let me break them down for you and share whether they’re cost-effective — and if there’s a better option out there.

1. Sending and Warm Up
2. Leads (Database)
3. Inbox Placement
4. CRM
5. Website Visitor Identification

1. Sending and Warm Up

You get 4 annual plans:

• Growth – $30/month, 5k Emails Monthly, 1k Uploaded Contacts
• Hypergrowth – $77.6/month, 100k Emails Monthly, 25k Uploaded Contacts
• Light Speed – $286.3/month, 500k Emails Monthly, 100k Uploaded Contacts
• Enterprise – Custom, 500k+ Emails Monthly, 100k+ Uploaded Contacts

In all plans, you can connect unlimited email accounts for scaling and also get unlimited email warm-ups.

Is It Cost-Effective?

Not really…

While you do get unlimited account connections and warm-ups, the plans are structured with big jumps in sending volume: from 5k → 100k → 500k emails/month.

If you fall anywhere in between, you’re either overpaying or underutilizing — not the most flexible setup.

For agencies, it gets worse — you have to create separate workspaces (with separate subscriptions) for each client, which can get expensive quickly.

Is There a More Cost-Effective Option?

Yes — if you’re looking for more flexibility without compromising on core features, Saleshandy is a strong contender.

You get:

• Flexible pricing plans that scale with your needs — no massive jumps in sending volume
• As an agency, you can add unlimited clients at no additional cost and give them separate view, read, and edit access to their campaigns.
• All essential features at a much more affordable price

It’s a better fit for businesses and agencies of all sizes that want scalability without the heavy price tag.

2. Leads (Database)

Here, you also get 4 paid plans

• Growth Leads – $37.6/month, 1k Verified Leads Monthly
• Supersonic Leads – $77.6/month, 4.5k Verified Leads Monthly
• HyperLeads – $157.6/month, 10k Verified Leads Monthly
• LightSpeed Leads – $492/month, 25k Verified Leads Monthly

Is It Cost-Effective?

There aren’t many platforms that are on par with Instantly.ai when it comes to offering a built-in lead database directly within your cold email tool.

Yes, It’s definitely convenient — you can find leads and launch campaigns from one place without switching tools.

That said, the pricing feels a bit steep, especially as you scale. While the data is decent, it’s not always the most accurate or comprehensive.

If you ask me, there are more cost-effective tools out there with better data quality and filtering.

Is There a More Cost-Effective Option?

Definitely – Saleshandy Lead Finder.

Let me tell you why:

• You get access to a much bigger database with over 700 Million B2B contacts from 60 Million+ companies.
• You can get both email addresses and phone numbers of your prospects.
• The pricing is much more affordable.
• Accuracy is over 95% for Grade A email addresses and 85% in general.
• If a valid email address isn’t found, your credit will be refunded.
• Any unused credits will be rolled over to the next month.

I guess these points should be more than enough — Saleshandy just makes more sense if you’re serious about cost-effective prospecting at scale.

3. Inbox Placement

You get 2 paid plans

• Growth Inbox Placement – $37.6/month, unlimited one-time deliverability tests, unlimited sending accounts per test.
• Hypergrowth Inbox Placement – $77.6/month, unlimited automated and recurring tests.

Is It Cost-Effective?

It depends!

If you’re scaling across multiple domains or agencies, the automated tests are handy.

But if you’re just running a few campaigns a month, you can easily skip this or use one-off free tools for similar insights.

4. CRM

There are 2 paid plans

• Growth CRM – $37.6/month, Unlimited Seats, Integrations, 
• Hyper CRM – $77.6/month, Calling & SMS, Salesflows, Website Visitors inside CRM

Is It Cost-Effective?

Only if you don’t already have a CRM — and you’re looking for a basic multichannel setup.

It’s a decent add-on if you want to handle calls, SMS, and email follow-ups from one place without switching tools.

But let’s be honest — the CRM features are still fairly limited compared to platforms like HubSpot or Pipedrive.

5. Website Visitor Identification

Instantly.ai offers 3 paid plans

• Hyper Visitors – $77.6/month, 500 Credits
• Lightspeed Visitors – $317.6/month, 5k Credits
• Enterprise – Custom

Is It Cost-Effective?

Well, seeing as there are no other cold email platforms that offer website visitor identification built-in — this feature definitely stands out.

If you’re targeting US-based B2B traffic, it can be a solid add-on for uncovering warm leads who are already engaging with your site.

Whether it’s cost-effective or not really depends on your use case.

If you have a good amount of US-based traffic and want to squeeze more value from your website visits, this feature could justify the price.

Apart from these, you can also get email verification credits on a monthly or one-time basis. 

You can use these credits to verify the email addresses of your prospects when you import them into Instantly.ai for outreach purposes.

Okay, next, I’ll share some of the user reviews I read.

Alternatives to Instantly.ai That Are Genuinely Better

I’ve shared what real users have to say about Instantly.ai.

You’ve seen my hands-on experience — the pros, the cons, and everything in between.

Now, here are a few Instantly.ai alternatives that are cost-effective, more reliable, offer better support, and are just as powerful when it comes to cold email outreach.

1. Saleshandy
2. Lemlist
3. Smartlead

1. Saleshandy

If you’re looking for an alternative that offers the same features as Instantly.ai but is more cost-effective, reliable, and has prompt support — Saleshandy is a great pick.

Moreover, Saleshandy is more apt for agencies than Instanly.ai.

Here’s where Saleshandy stands out:

• Reliable cold email infrastructure.
• Unlimited email warm-up with every plan.
• Add and manage unlimited clients from the base plan.
• B2B database with over 700M contacts from 60M+ companies.
• Advanced targeted follow-ups using Subsequence, based on user behavior.
• Detailed analytics and reporting to track opens, replies, and campaign performance.
• Fast, human support that actually resolves issues.

When it comes to scale and deliverability, you get almost everything Instantly.ai offers — unlimited accounts, sender rotation, and a full deliverability stack.

But where Saleshandy wins big is in how little you have to pay to get all this.

Overall, it’s a solid Instantly.ai alternative for agencies and teams that want scale, reliability, and support—without the extra cost.

2. Lemlist

Lemlist is a good Instantly.ai alternative if personalization is your top priority.

It’s known for dynamic image and video personalization, which helps emails stand out in crowded inboxes.

It also offers good deliverability tools and native integrations with CRMs.

Moreover, with Lemlist, you can also run multichannel campaigns — combining cold email with LinkedIn outreach and cold calling, all from one platform.

I’ve placed Lemlist after Saleshandy mainly due to its pricing.

The per-user, per-email account model can get expensive fast, especially for agencies or growing teams.

Moreover, agencies have to buy separate workspaces for each client, which adds up quickly.

All this said, Lemlist makes sense if you’re focused on hyper-personalized, multichannel outreach and don’t mind paying extra for it.

3. Smartlead

Smartlead is another viable competitor to Instantly.ai.

It’s built for scale — offering unlimited sending accounts, smart inbox rotation, and automated warm-ups across all plans.

Basically, you get the same offering as Instantly.ai.

It also supports behavioral follow-ups based on opens, replies, no response, etc. (Subsequence), which helps automate sequences without manual input.

Where Smartlead differs is its pricing flexibility and focus on deliverability out of the box. 

The UI can feel rough around the edges, but if you’re aiming for high-volume campaigns with minimal restrictions, it’s a strong pick.

My Final Verdict: Is Instantly.ai Worth the Spend in 2025?

Instantly.ai continues to be one of the more popular tools in the cold email space, and with good reason.

But popularity doesn’t always mean best fit for everyone.

After going through many user reviews and testing the platform for myself, I’d say this:

If your main goal is high-volume sending with a reliable cold outreach engine, Instantly delivers.

But if you also need stronger support, more flexible pricing, or built-in lead data, there are tools that offer a better deal.

If you’re looking for something equally powerful but easier on the budget, Saleshandy deserves a serious look.

It offers the same cold outreach capabilities, strong deliverability, and advanced follow-ups — but with better pricing, prompt support, and features that are more agency-friendly.

If cost, control, and support matter to you, Saleshandy might just be the smarter pick.

FAQs

1. Does Instantly.ai provide leads?

Yes. Instantly have a database of 160 million from where you can choose your leads.

2. What is better than Instantly.ai?

Well, it’s not easy to compare as it depends on what features the customer wants. But if affordability is your concern, there are other options you can look at. 

3. Does Instantly have CRM?

Yes, Instantly has a CRM system that is in beta form. CRM service is charged additionally.