Free tool
Cold email cost calculator: mailboxes, domains and monthly cost
1,000 cold emails a day needs 40 mailboxes at 25 emails each, on 8 domains with 5 mailboxes per domain, and 14 days of warm-up before the first cold email. At 3 emails per lead that is 7,333 new leads a month on 22 sending days.
The monthly cost of mailboxes, warm-up and a sequencer for that volume: $100 on Outreach2day, $297 on Instantly with its Google accounts, $274 on Smartlead with SmartSenders and $377 on Google Workspace with Instantly, at list prices. Change the volume below; the formula and every price source are under the table.
40 mailboxes on 8 domains with warm-up and the sequencer, set up in one order.
Create 40 mailboxesMonthly cost of the same volume, side by side
1,000 cold emails a day on 22 days = 22,000 a month. Mailboxes, warm-up and a sequencer in every row; mailbox-only vendors use Instantly. List prices, monthly billing, domains left out.
- Outreach2day$100
40 mailboxes, 8 domains, $4.55 per 1,000 emails
40 mailboxes × $2.50, warm-up and sequencer included: $100
- Instantly + Instantly accounts$297
40 mailboxes, 8 domains, $13.50 per 1,000 emails
40 Google accounts × $5: $200; Instantly Hypergrowth: $97
- Smartlead + SmartSenders$274
40 mailboxes, 8 domains, $12.45 per 1,000 emails
40 SmartSenders mailboxes × $4.50: $180; Smartlead Pro: $94
- Google Workspace + Instantly$377
40 mailboxes, 8 domains, $17.14 per 1,000 emails
40 Workspace users × $7: $280; Instantly Hypergrowth: $97
- Maildoso + Instantly$264.50
67 mailboxes, 14 domains, $12.02 per 1,000 emails
67 Maildoso mailboxes × $2.50: $167.50; Instantly Hypergrowth: $97
- Mailforge + Instantly$217
40 mailboxes, 8 domains, $9.86 per 1,000 emails
Mailforge 40 slots: $120; Instantly Hypergrowth: $97
- Zapmail + Instantly$228.50
40 mailboxes, 8 domains, $10.39 per 1,000 emails
Zapmail Growth + 10 extra mailboxes: $131.50; Instantly Hypergrowth: $97
The formula
- Emails a month = emails a day × sending days; new leads a month = emails a month ÷ emails per lead (sequence steps)
- Mailboxes = emails a day ÷ cold emails per mailbox a day, rounded up (Outreach2day bills at least 12)
- Domains = mailboxes ÷ mailboxes per domain, rounded up
- Warm-up: 14 days before the first cold email, then a week of ramp from about 10 to the full daily number
- Monthly cost = mailboxes × the vendor's mailbox price + the cheapest sequencer plan that covers the emails a month; warm-up comes with the sequencer plan or the mailbox price
- Maildoso caps cold email at 15 a mailbox a day, so its row counts the mailboxes needed at that cap
- Domains, taxes, annual discounts, lead data and verification are left out of every row
Example: 1,000 cold emails a day on 22 days is 22,000 emails and 7,333 new leads a month at 3 emails each, 40 mailboxes at 25 a day on 8 domains. On Outreach2day that is $100 a month with warm-up and the sequencer included. From 1,000 mailboxes the price per mailbox is quoted on a call.
Sources
- Outreach2day: $2.50 per mailbox a month, warm-up and the sequencer included, 12 mailboxes minimum; volume price on a call from 1,000 mailboxes. Checked 2026-10-09
- Instantly plans: Growth $47 (5,000 emails), Hypergrowth $97 (125,000 emails), Hypergrowth + add-on $184 (250,000 emails), Light Speed $358 (500,000 emails) a month, warm-up included. Checked 2026-10-09
- Instantly accounts: $5 per done-for-you Google account a month. Checked 2026-10-09
- Smartlead plans: $39 (6,000 sends), $94 (90,000 sends), $174 (150,000 sends), $228 (240,000 sends), $282 (330,000 sends), $336 (420,000 sends), $379 (500,000 sends) a month, warm-up included. Checked 2026-10-09
- Smartlead SmartSenders: $4.50 per Google or Outlook mailbox a month. Checked 2026-10-09
- Google Workspace: Business Starter $7 per user a month on the 1-year commitment (US). Checked 2026-09-28
- Maildoso: $75 a month for 30 mailboxes, counted at $2.50 a mailbox; up to 15 cold emails per mailbox a day; no warm-up or sequencer. Checked 2026-10-09
- Mailforge: $3 per slot a month, 10 slots minimum, lower per slot above 100 add-on slots; warm-up and sending are separate products. Checked 2026-10-09
- Zapmail: Starter $39 for 10 (extra $3.50), Growth $99 for 30 (extra $3.25), Pro $299 for 100 (extra $3.00) a month; no sequencer. Checked 2026-10-09
USD list prices on monthly billing, except Google Workspace (its 1-year commitment price, the one Google shows in the US).
How it works
How the cost is calculated
- Every row prices the same thing: mailboxes for your daily volume, warm-up and a sequencer to send from them; domains are left out because every vendor bills them yearly
- Outreach2day: $2.50 per mailbox a month with warm-up and the sequencer (campaigns with steps, contacts, schedules, sending, stats and one inbox for replies) included, minimum 12 mailboxes; from 1,000 mailboxes the price is quoted on a call
- Instantly and Smartlead sell their own mailboxes: their rows add the done-for-you Google accounts or SmartSenders to the cheapest plan that covers your emails a month
- Google Workspace, Maildoso, Mailforge and Zapmail sell mailboxes only: their rows add the sequencer you pick, Instantly or Smartlead, on its cheapest plan for the volume; both plans include warm-up
- Maildoso allows up to 15 cold emails per mailbox a day, so its row needs more mailboxes for the same volume
- New leads a month = emails a month divided by emails per lead; pick "new leads a month" as the unit to start from a list size
Background
What the numbers mean for your budget
The mailbox count drives everything else. At 5,000 cold emails a day the same math gives 200 mailboxes on 40 domains; at that size Outreach2day quotes a volume price below the list prices in the table on a call.
Keep 25 cold emails per mailbox a day when you compare vendors: a stack that looks cheaper at 50 a day carries more risk per mailbox and per domain. Why 25: cold emails per mailbox per day. The worked examples by daily volume are in how many mailboxes do I need, and the 5-per-domain limit in mailboxes per domain.
To size spare mailboxes and a week-by-week warm-up timeline for a monthly volume, use the cold email capacity calculator. Lead data and verification are the other line items in how much cold email costs; the sequencer plans are broken down in Instantly pricing and Smartlead pricing.
Free guide19 min read
Send 100,000 cold emails a month
Domains and mailboxes you need, DNS, warm-up, lists, copy and follow-ups, with a launch checklist, sent to your inbox.
Questions
How many mailboxes do I need for 1,000 cold emails a day?
40 mailboxes at 25 cold emails each a day, on 8 domains with up to 5 mailboxes per domain. Add about 20% spare mailboxes if you want replacements already warmed up.
How much does it cost to send 1,000 cold emails a day?
On Outreach2day $100 a month for 40 mailboxes with warm-up and the sequencer included, plus about $13 a year per .com domain. On Instantly with its Google accounts the same volume is $297 a month at list prices, on Smartlead with SmartSenders $274.
How many leads a month can I contact?
Emails a month divided by the emails each lead gets. 1,000 cold emails a day on 22 sending days is 22,000 emails, or 7,333 new leads a month at 3 emails per lead.
How long before new mailboxes can send cold email?
Warm-up takes at least 14 days, then a week of ramp from about 10 to 25 cold emails per mailbox a day. Keep warm-up running while you send.
Do I still need a sequencer with Outreach2day?
No. Campaigns, steps, schedules, sending, stats and the reply inbox are part of the $2.50 per mailbox. If you already use Instantly or Smartlead, the mailboxes sync to it by API key.
In your AI assistant
Run the same checks in Claude or ChatGPT
Free SKILL.md files with the rules behind this tool. Install them in Claude or Claude Code, or paste them into ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok or Cursor.
Mailboxes, warm-up and sending in one place
$2.50 a mailbox a month. DNS records are set for you, and every mailbox shows its warm-up numbers from day one.
Deliverability call
Talk to our deliverability team
Book a call with the people who run our mailbox infrastructure. We look at your current setup and tell you what to change. Running 1,000+ mailboxes? We also quote a volume price below every vendor list price in our comparisons, warm-up and sending included.
- Review your domains, DNS records and current inbox placement
- Size the setup: domains, mailboxes per domain and daily volume per mailbox
- Plan warm-up and the move from your current provider or sequencer
- 1,000+ mailboxes: a volume price per mailbox for your setup
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