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Choosing the best bulk email sender is a critical step in building your lead gen agency.
Sure, it doesn’t automatically guarantee a constant stream of leads – but you’re far more likely to succeed with the right software in your corner.
To help you out, we’ve rounded up the 12 best bulk email services for agencies and compared:
Key features
Agency pricing
User feedback
Let’s get into it…
#1. QuickMail
Key Features
Deliverability Solutions
QuickMail's bulk email marketing platform helps agency users keep on top of email deliverability with zero effort.
All agency plans include free access to MailFlow, one of the best email warmup tools on the market.
One of our most advanced features is our proprietary inbox rotation tool, Deliverability AI, which automatically swaps accounts with low deliverability rates for higher-performing ones.
Another unique QuickMail tool, Reword with AI, rewrites every email you send (without changing the meaning) – so you’ve got less chance of landing in the spam folder.
Beyond that, our tools to enhance deliverability of emails include:
Spintext
Blacklist monitoring
Variable time delays between emails
Maximum emails sent per day
MX bounce protection
Unsubscribe headers
Text-only messages
All of which means our users are seeing a 98% average inboxing rate (the percentage of emails that don’t bounce). In turn, this helps them generate high conversion rates.
Learn more: 10 Best Email Deliverability Tools
Advanced Analytics
QuickMail offers all the fundamental lead gen metrics, like…
Opens
Clicks
Replies
Bounces
Unsubscribes
…and more.
Beyond the basics, we’re the only cold email platform to share time-based data. That means your results – like opens or replies – are tracked back to the day you sent the email. That way, it’s easy to see if your deliverability has dropped or a specific email subject line performed well.
With QuickMail, you can also build your own customizable agency dashboard incorporating up to 20 custom tiles, allowing you to track the metrics that matter most to you and your clients:
We even let you segment results by email service provider.
Learn more: How To Choose the Best Sales Analytics Tools for Your Agency
Outreach Workflows
QuickMail offers various features to streamline your cold outreach processes.
For instance, our unified inbox allows you to:
Read, label, and triage replies (without having to mark them as “read”)
See how long replies have been waiting for follow-ups
Assign follow-ups to the most appropriate rep
Reply from any inbox
Meanwhile, our changelog helps you keep track of any changes to cold email marketing campaigns, including who made an edit, what they did, and when they did it.
So, as an agency sales leader, you’ll never be in the dark about what your reps are doing.
Pricing
All QuickMail agency plans include our full suite of performance-driving tools (like Deliverability AI and advanced analytics). Because we don’t believe you should have to pay more for agency-critical functionality.
Plus you can add unlimited team members and inboxes at no extra cost.
QuickMail prices start at $399 per month for up to 100,000 leads and 300,000 monthly email sends. For more details, check out our pricing page.
What Do Users Say?
“QuickMail offers me an interactive interface where I can organize my work, constant agency support, inbox rotation, and even the ability to integrate QuickMail with GSM’s systems. This has helped me align my operations and improve the quality of the leads I generate.”
— Andre Domanski, founder and sole operator, Get Sales Meetings
#2. Instantly
Key Features
Validate an email address without leaving the platform.
Build multichannel outreach sequences across cold email, cold calling, SMS, and LinkedIn.
Add unlimited email addresses on all plans.
Pricing
Pricing for Instantly's mass email software starts at just $37 per month – but that only includes 1,000 uploaded email contacts and 5,000 monthly emails.
For a more agency-friendly email volume, you’ll likely need the top-tier Light Speed plan, which costs $358 per month and includes up to 100,000 uploaded contacts and 500,000 monthly email sends.
Challenges
No option to create your own agency dashboard.
No built-in deliverability data or monitoring.
No unified inbox on the entry-level plan.
Warmup email pool mostly includes custom SMTP inboxes (not Gmail or Outlook).
#3. Smartlead
Key Features
Automatically categorize leads based on contextual reply sentiment.
Allow clients to view reports, access campaigns, and even send email replies through your own white-labeled portal.
Use the Smartlead API to manage email automations, leads, meeting bookings, and more.
Pricing
Smartlead pricing starts at $39 for up to 2,000 active leads and 6,000 emails per month (or roughly 200 emails per day).
Most agencies will need to choose a custom plan, starting at $174 per month and including up to 60 million monthly email credits and 12 million active leads (although their pricing information isn’t super transparent, so it’s not totally clear exactly how much you’ll be paying).
There’s a flat $29 per month fee for each additional client you manage. Smartlead also charges extra for features like email verification (from $16.50 for 6,000 credits) and email placement support (from $49 per month).
Challenges
Smartlead doesn’t have any native integrations, so you’ll have to rely on Zapier (which is glitchy at scale).
No way to check performance across all your clients from a single view.
No option for creating prospects manually, adding them to campaigns in bulk, or verifying email addresses within the platform.
Some Smartlead users report experiencing regular errors:
*Quote from unaffiliated agency owner, March 2024
#4. Woodpecker
Key Features
Use Woodpecker’s dedicated agency dashboard to manage client campaigns and view results.
Access 24/7 email deliverability reports – and share the results with clients via pdf.
Create your own white-labeled reporting app featuring your agency’s branding and domain.
Pricing
Woodpecker's cold email marketing software pricing starts at $29 per month for 6,000 monthly emails, 500 contacted prospects, and 2,000 stored prospects – plus a further $27 per month for each active client in your agency panel.
All but the smallest agencies will need to choose the Scale plan, which includes 100,000 contacted prospects, 400,000 stored prospects, and 1.2 million monthly emails for a cool $1,354 per month.
You’ll also have to pay extra for email warmup ($5 per inbox per month), white-labeled reporting ($5 per active client per month), and integrations ($20 per month).
Challenges
No way to triage replies or assign them to a different team member.
No access to positive reply rate or unsubscribe rate reports.
Sentiment analysis is pretty basic, only marking replies as “positive”, “negative”, or “neutral”.
Offers built-in email warmup – but it doesn’t work for Gmail accounts.
#5. Lemlist
Key Features
Build multichannel campaigns spanning email, LinkedIn, and cold calling.
Use smart logic to create dynamic outreach campaigns.
Send personalized emails with text variables and build dynamic landing pages.
Pricing
Lemlist is one of the more expensive bulk email service providers, with prices starting at $69 per user per month for three sending emails per user. This includes unlimited campaigns, emails, and follow-ups. Additional sending emails cost $9 per email per month.
Challenges
No way to categorize replies by client or campaign.
Email deliverability with Lemlist can be hampered by messy html.
Per-user pricing makes Lemlist an expensive choice for most agencies.
Multichannel unified inbox only available on top-tier Enterprise plans.
#6. Saleshandy
Key Features
Access a range of email deliverability features, including sender rotation, ramp-up, and sending intervals.
Manage clients through the dedicated agency portal.
Build a white-labeled reporting app featuring your own domain, logo, and brand assets.
Add unlimited clients and team members on all plans.
Pricing
Saleshandy pricing starts at $36 per month for 6,000 monthly emails, 2,000 total prospects, and 1,100 email verification credits.
Most agencies will need either the Outreach Scale or Outreach Scale Plus plans, which range from $199 – $299+ per month. Outreach Scale includes 60,000 total prospects, 200,000 monthly emails, and 12,000 email verification credits.
Email verification costs a further $79 for 25,000 recipients.
Challenges
No way to assign replies or respond from different accounts in the unified inbox.
No Google Drive integration.
Some users say Saleshandy damaged their sender reputation:
#7. Mailshake
Key Features
Clean your contact list with built-in email validation.
Build dynamic automated follow-up sequences based on user behavior.
Add automated LinkedIn profile views, connection requests, and messages to your campaigns (top-tier Mailshake plan only).
Pricing
Mailshake charges per user, with prices ranging from $29 – $99 per user, per month.
This pricing model is so expensive that Mailshake suggests agency users should ask their clients to pay for Mailshake, then add them as a user:
As you can likely imagine, this approach isn’t scalable – who wants to manage a bunch of clients, all via separate accounts?
Challenges
Per-user pricing makes Mailshake an expensive option (and the features don’t justify the cost).
Each seat only includes up to five email addresses.
LinkedIn automation and unified inbox access are only included on higher-tier plans.
#8. Reply.io
Key Features
Control who can view/edit reports by setting roles and permissions.
Segment reports by team member/client.
Leverage unlimited contacts, mailboxes, clients, users, and email warmup on all agency plans.
Pricing
Reply.io’s agency plans start at $210 per month, including unlimited email sequences, inboxes, and email warmup. However, there are a lot of extras – for instance, LinkedIn automation costs an additional $49 per month per account, while cold calling and SMS steps are an extra $29 per user per month.
Challenges
No centralized dashboard to view results across multiple clients.
Limited options for customizing reports.
Interface can be challenging for new users.
#9. Snov.io
Key Features
Boost reply rates by targeting prospects via email and LinkedIn.
Leverage built-in email warmup and email placement tools.
Get unlimited campaigns, seats, sender accounts, follow-ups, and more on all agency pricing plans.
Pricing
Snov.io’s pricing is based on the number of email recipients and “credits” you need. Credits can be spent on prospect search, email search, and email verification.
Lead gen agencies will need to choose a Pro plan, starting at $99 per month for 5,000 credits and 10,000 recipients. The top-tier option includes 100,000 email recipients and 100,000 credits for $738 per month.
Challenges
No client reporting portals.
No agency dashboard.
No unified inbox.
#10. Apollo
Key Features
Leverage pre-built outreach templates including emails, calls, automated LinkedIn tasks, and more.
Improve email deliverability with guided mailbox setups, DMARC and DKIM authentication checks, one-click unsubscribes, and deliverability scoring.
Get AI-powered recommendations on email copy and personalization.
Find verified prospect phone numbers and call them using the built-in dialer.
Pricing
Apollo is another cold outreach solution that charges per user, starting at $59 per user per month for unlimited emails, two sequences, and a single mailbox.
Most agencies will need the Organization plan, which offers unlimited sequences and 15 mailboxes per user for $149 per user per month.
Challenges
No email warmup functionality.
No unified inbox, so you can’t manage client replies in one place.
No client portals to share results with clients.
Custom agency dashboards aren’t organized by client.
Per-user pricing is unaffordable for most agencies.
#11. Outreach.io
Key Features
Automatically pause sequences after receiving an out-of-office reply, then restart on their prospect’s return date.
Create multichannel outreach campaigns comprising cold email activity, cold calls, and LinkedIn messaging.
Optimize campaigns with machine learning-powered A/B testing.
Prioritize follow-ups based on AI-powered sentiment analysis.
Book meetings for your clients with the built-in call and meeting scheduler.
Pricing
Outreach.io doesn’t publish pricing information, so you’ll have to reach out for a custom quote. However, they charge per user, making the platform an expensive choice for larger agencies.
Challenges
No inbox rotation.
No client reporting portals.
No agency dashboard.
No unified inbox.
#12. Salesloft
Key Features
Optimize your outreach sequences by tracking views, clicks, and responses.
Save time by automating repetitive processes like sending follow-ups and updating deal stages.
Leverage generative AI and buyer data analysis to craft personalized messages at scale.
Call prospects from within the platform or via a third-party dialer.
Pricing
Salesloft offers two price tiers – Advanced and Premier – but it doesn’t publish pricing information, so you’ll have to get in touch for a quote.
Challenges
No built-in email verification.
No inclusive email warmup functionality.
No inbox rotation to swap out accounts with poor deliverability.
No agency reporting portal or unified inbox.
Generate More Cold Email Leads With QuickMail
There’s no shortage of mass email services out there – but most aren’t designed with lead gen agencies in mind.
QuickMail is a clear exception.
All our tools are built to help agencies like you generate more leads for your clients. That’s why all QuickMail agency plans include…
Email warmup
Unlimited email addresses and team members
Deliverability-enhancing tools like Deliverability AI and Reword with AI
Advanced analytics
…and much more besides.
Find out what we can do for your lead gen agency by booking your QuickMail demo call.
FAQs
What is bulk emailing?
Bulk email campaigns – also known as mass email campaigns and email blasts – involve sending a single email message to a large number of email accounts at once. Examples include sales outreach, marketing campaigns, and newsletters.
Is it legal to send bulk emails?
Yes, it’s legal to send bulk email marketing messages, although the specific laws vary from one country to the next. For instance, in the US, you can send unsolicited bulk emails – but you must follow certain rules, like providing an opt-out option and sharing accurate sender information.
What features should I look for in bulk email software?
When considering bulk senders, look for features and benefits like:
High email deliverability
Advanced email list management
Email content personalization tools to boost engagement rates
Automation capabilities
Advanced analytics and detailed reporting features
A/B testing
