Cold email still works for founders, provided it's personal, relevant and honest. We know because we've been reaching out to founders this way for years, without a single complaint. It's an approach we believe in, and one that's worked well for us.
But what about tools?
Well, the tools below range from $39 a month to a few hundred, and the right one depends far more on how many emails you send than on how many features it lists.
We Are Founders runs its own founder outreach at about five emails a day, so we care about the low-volume end of this market as much as the high-volume end. If you plan to send thousands of messages a week, the picture changes, and we flag that where it matters.
Quick picks
- Best all-in-one for solo founders: Instantly
- Best for technical teams and agencies: Smartlead
- Best for personalized, multichannel outreach: lemlist
- Best for finding contacts: Apollo
- Best for light prospecting: Hunter
What to know before you pick a tool
Volume decides everything. Instantly and Smartlead price by account with unlimited inboxes, so they suit people sending at scale. lemlist prices per seat. If you send a handful of emails a day, a simple sequencer is plenty.
Vendor blogs are biased. Several of the comparison posts ranking these tools are published by the vendors themselves, or by companies with a commercial partnership with one of them. The prices below come from those posts and may have moved, so check each pricing page before you buy.
The tools
1. Instantly
Instantly is the most complete package for a solo founder. Pricing starts around $47 a month (about $30 a month billed annually), with unlimited email accounts and warmup, and a built-in lead database. Higher tiers add features such as IP rotation and A/Z testing.
2. Smartlead
Smartlead starts around $39 a month ($32.50 billed annually) and includes unlimited accounts, warmup and team seats. It has strong API and white-label options but no lead database, so you bring your own list.
3. lemlist
lemlist is built around personalization. Email plans start at about $69 per user per month, and multichannel plans with LinkedIn steps cost more, with extra fees for additional mailboxes.
4. Apollo
Apollo combines a large contact database with sequencing and integrations with CRMs such as HubSpot and Salesforce. Paid plans start around $49 per user per month on annual billing.
5. Hunter
Hunter finds and verifies email addresses and has basic campaigns. It has a free tier and paid plans from about $34 to $49 a month.
6. Reply.io
Reply.io offers multichannel sequences from about $49 per user per month on annual billing, with LinkedIn automation as an add-on.
7. Mailshake
Mailshake bundles warmup, verification and list cleaning from about $45 per user per month on annual billing.
8. Sequenzy
We love Sequenzy because it's one of the most cost-effective options out there, without sacrificing the flexibility or features you'd expect from the bigger players. There's no built-in contact database, but that's hardly a dealbreaker when there are plenty of other ways to source leads.
What really stands out is the lovely UX. It's clean, intuitive and easy to get to grips with, making it a great choice for founders who want a capable email platform without the hefty price tag.
Price comparison
| Tool | Starting price (approx.) | Pricing model | Lead database |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instantly | $47/mo ($30 annual) | Per account | Yes |
| Smartlead | $39/mo ($32.50 annual) | Per account | No |
| lemlist | $69/user/mo | Per seat | Yes |
| Apollo | $49 to $59/user/mo | Per seat | Yes |
| Hunter | $34 to $49/mo | Per plan | Finder tool |
| Reply.io | $49/user/mo (annual) | Per seat | Limited |
| Mailshake | $45 to $59/user/mo | Per seat | No |
UK cold email rules
If you email people in the UK, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and UK GDPR apply. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the regulator, and its guidance is the source to trust over any blog post, including this one.
- Corporate subscribers. Messages to limited companies, LLPs and government bodies are treated more leniently than messages to individuals.
- Sole traders and some partnerships. These are treated like individuals, which generally means you need their consent before sending marketing email.
- Always identify yourself and offer an opt-out. Say who you are, give a way to reach you, and honor opt-outs quickly.
- Keep a suppression list. Anyone who says no should never be emailed again.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the ICO's direct marketing guidance before launching a campaign.
Deliverability basics
- Send from a domain you can afford to damage, and set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
- Warm up new inboxes for two to three weeks before sending much.
- Start small. Around 10 emails a day per inbox is a common starting point.
- Verify addresses before sending, and stop if bounces or complaints appear.
- Plain text emails with no tracking pixels tend to land better.
FAQ
Is cold email legal in the UK?
It can be, depending on who you email. Corporate recipients are treated more leniently than sole traders and individuals. Always identify yourself and offer an opt-out, and check the ICO guidance.
Do I need a separate domain for cold email?
At high volume, yes. At a handful of emails a day, many founders use their main domain carefully, though a secondary domain protects your primary one.
How many cold emails can I send a day?
Most guides suggest starting around 10 a day per inbox and building up slowly. Smaller is safer.
What is the cheapest way to start?
Hunter's free tier for finding addresses plus a low-cost sequencer.
