Instantly vs Lemlist: Which Cold Email Tool Should You Pick?

You're comparing two of the most popular cold email tools on the market, and honestly, the decision isn't straightforward. Instantly and Lemlist both do cold outreach well, but they're built for different types of users with different budgets and needs.

Here's the short version: Instantly is better if you want unlimited email accounts on a flat monthly fee and your focus is pure email outreach at scale. Lemlist is the move if you need multichannel outreach (email + LinkedIn + calls) and don't mind paying per seat.

Let me break down exactly what each offers so you can make the right call.

Pricing Comparison: The Real Numbers

This is where the two tools differ most dramatically.

Instantly Pricing

Instantly uses a flat-fee model with separate pricing for different products:

Sending & Warmup Plans:

Leads Plans (separate):

The key thing to understand: Instantly's sending plans include unlimited email accounts. That's huge for agencies and teams running multiple domains.

Lemlist Pricing

Lemlist uses per-seat pricing, which adds up fast:

Annual billing gets you 20% off, but the per-user model means costs scale linearly as your team grows. A 5-person team on Multichannel Expert is $495/month – and you still only get 5 sending addresses per person.

Pricing Verdict

For agencies and larger teams: Instantly wins. The flat-fee model with unlimited accounts is significantly cheaper at scale.

For a solo founder or small team doing moderate volume: The costs are comparable, but Lemlist gives you multichannel in the base package.

Try Instantly free for 14 days →

Lead Database: Finding Your Prospects

Both platforms have built-in lead databases, which saves you from paying for a separate tool like ZoomInfo or Apollo.

Instantly offers access to 160-280 million B2B contacts (sources vary on the exact number). You can filter by job title, industry, location, company size, technologies used, and more. The catch: there's a limit on active leads you can have at once. When you hit the cap, you need to remove old leads before adding new ones.

Lemlist claims a 450+ million contact database with similar filtering options – location, job title, number of LinkedIn connections, education, and more. No limit on active leads, which is a nice advantage.

Both charge credits for lead access. Lemlist includes credits in their plans (1,000-2,500 depending on tier), while Instantly prices leads separately. Extra credits on Lemlist run about $0.01 each.

The data quality is comparable. Neither replaces a dedicated data provider if you need enterprise-grade accuracy, but both work fine for most cold outreach.

Email Deliverability: Actually Landing in Inboxes

This is where Instantly really shines.

Instantly's approach:

Lemlist's approach:

Users consistently report 50%+ open rates with Instantly, which is strong. The platform was built with deliverability as a core focus, not an afterthought.

Lemlist's deliverability is solid too, but it lacks Instantly's automated placement testing and the dedicated infrastructure options for high-volume senders.

Outreach Channels: Email Only vs Multichannel

This is the biggest functional difference between the two.

Instantly = Email only. You can't do LinkedIn outreach, cold calls, or anything else from the platform. It's laser-focused on cold email.

Lemlist = Multichannel. On the Multichannel Expert plan ($99/user/month), you can:

If your outreach strategy relies on touching prospects across multiple channels, Lemlist is the obvious choice. The LinkedIn automation alone is worth the premium for many sales teams.

However, if you're running a pure email play (many agencies are), you're paying for features you won't use with Lemlist.

Try Lemlist free for 14 days →

Sequence Building and Automation

Both tools handle email sequences competently, but with different approaches.

Instantly offers:

Lemlist offers:

Lemlist's sequence builder is more sophisticated visually – you can see your entire campaign flow and how branches connect. Instantly's is more linear but gets the job done.

For AI features, both have them, but Instantly's are often locked behind higher-tier plans. Lemlist integrates AI more consistently across plans.

CRM and Integrations

Instantly includes a native CRM with their CRM plans (starting at $47/month). It's basic but functional. Integrates with Zapier, Slack, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, and Google Sheets.

Lemlist has native HubSpot and Salesforce integrations, plus API access and Zapier support. No built-in CRM, so you'll need to use an external one.

If you're already using a CRM like Close or HubSpot, both tools will sync fine. If you want everything in one place without extra subscriptions, Instantly's bundled CRM is a nice add-on.

Who Should Use Instantly?

Get started with Instantly →

Who Should Use Lemlist?

Get started with Lemlist →

What About Alternatives?

If neither tool fits perfectly, consider:

Smartlead – Similar to Instantly with unlimited accounts and strong deliverability focus. Slightly rougher UI but competitive pricing.

Reply.io – More advanced AI sales agent features, dedicated agency plans. Worth checking if you need more automation in response handling.

Both tools integrate with enrichment platforms like Findymail and Clay if you need better data than the built-in databases provide.

The Bottom Line

Choose Instantly if:

Choose Lemlist if:

Both offer 14-day free trials. The best approach: sign up for both, run a small campaign, and see which interface and workflow clicks for you. The feature differences are real, but sometimes it comes down to which tool your team actually enjoys using.

For most cold email agencies and high-volume senders, Instantly is the smarter bet. For multichannel B2B sales teams, Lemlist earns its higher price tag.