Everything you Need to Know About the 8 Alternatives to Instantly

Since its launch in 2021, Instantly.ai has quickly established itself as an attractive automated emailing platform for companies looking to optimize their prospecting. Its main advantage? The ability to connect an unlimited number of email accounts with the basic package, which allows you to quickly increase the reach of your campaigns and accelerate sales growth.

Instantly offers robust features: automation of email sequences, tracking of opens and clicks, and integration with various CRMs. Its ease of use and attractive pricing make it an appealing choice for startups and small sales teams that want to get started with email prospecting without breaking the bank.

In addition, Instantly's clear and intuitive interface makes it easy to manage multiple campaigns in parallel, while providing detailed statistics to optimize your mailings. It's a tool that has responded to a real need: effectively managing multiple email accounts and centralizing prospecting efforts.

Despite its strengths, Instantly has one major limitation: the number of contacts and monthly emails is restricted. For example, with one or two email accounts, you can manage around 1,000 contacts and send up to 5,000 emails per month. This reduces flexibility and can be a hindrance for companies that really want to scale their campaigns without constraints.

Although Instantly remains a solid and effective solution for email prospecting, other alternatives go further by offering more flexibility, advanced features, and support, allowing sales teams to reach their full potential.

This is where some alternatives stand out. Emelia also offers an unlimited number of email accounts on its latest plan, but with no limit on the number of contacts. This allows you to send a much larger volume of emails, while maintaining centralized management and automatic warming of mailboxes.

In the rest of this article, we'll explore 8 alternatives to Instantly, starting with Emelia, which stands out for its flexibility, advanced features, outstanding customer service, and unbeatable prices.

Since its launch, Emelia has won over both fast-growing startups and established sales teams. Its ability to adapt to a variety of contexts, combined with a pragmatic approach to prospecting, has made it a benchmark in the European landscape of marketing and sales automation solutions.

Beyond its technical performance, Emelia positions itself as a true strategic partner for organizations seeking to strengthen their operational efficiency. The platform relies on an engaged community and a team attentive to user feedback, promoting continuous improvement and constant innovation. This combination of expertise, proximity, and reliability has enabled Emelia to distinguish itself in a rapidly evolving market.

1.Automation of email sequences

Both platforms allow you to create automated campaigns, with a sequence of messages and follow-ups, to engage prospects effectively.

2. Multi-sender management / unlimited mailboxes

Instantly allows you to connect an unlimited number of mailboxes in its basic package, but imposes strict limits on the number of contacts and monthly emails. Conversely, Emelia also offers multi-sender management and, in its Scale plan, unlimited mailboxes with no restrictions on the volume of contacts, making it a much more flexible solution for large-scale campaigns.

3.Improved email account deliverability (Warm-up)

Each tool offers an automatic warm-up feature to improve email deliverability and prevent emails from being marked as spam.

A short 2-minute video because Warmup is important

4.Performance tracking (opens, clicks, replies, analytics)

Instantly and Emelia offer tools for tracking and analyzing campaigns: open rates, click-through rates, and responses, allowing you to optimize performance.

5. CRM integration and external tools

Both allow integration with CRM systems and other tools (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zapier, etc.), promoting a smooth workflow between prospecting and lead management.

6. Centralized interface for managing responses (unified inbox or merged inbox)

Instantly offers Unibox, a centralized inbox for all responses; Emelia offers a merged inbox to manage all responses from a single space

Magic Reply & Auto Magic Reply

Emelia has an AI feature that can automatically generate responses based on your previous exchanges from the merged inbox. Once you've manually replied to a prospect about 20 times, you can activate Magic Reply—then switch to Auto Magic Reply, letting the AI respond entirely on your behalf

Unlimited and secure LinkedIn Sales Navigator scraping

The platform offers a specific scraping tool for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, with the ability to extract data beyond the usual limits (2,500 results), in a segmented manner and without the risk of being blocked.

Learn how to scrape like a pro in this video!

Phone Finder (phone number search)

In addition to emails, Emelia allows you to search for your prospects' business phone numbers, adding an extra contact channel to your campaigns.

Email Verifier / smart bounce management

Emelia integrates an email verification system (Email Verifier) and automatic bounce management. The platform removes invalid or problematic addresses to preserve the deliverability of your campaigns.

Watch this explanatory video for the Phone and Email finder:

Spintax (text variants) and advanced A/B testing

With Spintax, you can generate text variants (e.g., “hello” → ‘hi’ → “hi”) to personalize your large-scale mailings. Emelia also offers an integrated A/B testing system to test different versions of messages and identify the most effective ones.

Multichannel (email and LinkedIn)

Unlike Instantly, which focuses solely on emailing, Emelia integrates a truly multichannel approach. Users can combine their email campaigns with LinkedIn actions (profile visits, connection requests, private messages), which allows them to multiply their points of contact with prospects and significantly increase response rates.

Emelia places a strong emphasis on proximity to its users. Emelia's support is one of its greatest assets. Here, there are no robots or impersonal services: Mathieu, Charles, Marie, and Niels respond directly to users, often in less than 5 minutes. The team goes far beyond simply providing answers: it guides customers step by step, offers personalized video sessions, and advises on campaign optimization, deliverability, and tool configuration. This human and proactive approach transforms support into a true partnership, where users feel guided and supported every step of the way.

In contrast, Instantly relies primarily on a chatbot, email responses, and an online knowledge base (guides, FAQs, video tutorials). The responses are helpful but standardized and less timely, especially for European users. Support is limited to resolving technical issues, with little follow-up or strategic advice.

Woodpecker is a B2B emailing solution designed to automate prospecting while maintaining excellent deliverability. Mainly used by small and medium-sized businesses, it stands out for its ease of use and ability to manage multiple mailboxes. The tool allows you to create personalized campaigns, track opens and clicks, and manage responses directly from the platform. Woodpecker is particularly appreciated for its clear and intuitive interface, which facilitates the creation of complex email sequences. Sales teams use it to save time on repetitive tasks while maintaining a high level of personalization. It is also suitable for agencies, as it allows multiple clients to be managed from a single account. Finally, Woodpecker offers warm-up and contact verification features, enhancing deliverability and reducing the risk of spam.

• Woodpecker enables the automation of email sequences,

• the management of multiple mailboxes,

• the tracking of opens and clicks,

• as well as email verification

• and automatic warm-up of addresses.

• Intuitive interface,

• excellent deliverability,

• advanced personalization tools.

• Lack of native integration with certain CRMs,

• absence of multichannel features.

Saleshandy is a B2B-oriented email automation platform that helps companies simplify their prospecting and track their campaigns in real time. It stands out for its ability to manage multiple email accounts and create personalized sequences for different prospect segments. Saleshandy also tracks opens, clicks, and replies, providing detailed statistics to optimize campaigns. The platform is used by sales teams, marketers, and agencies to increase the effectiveness of prospecting campaigns. It also includes an email template generator and an enrichment tool to improve contact quality. Its simple configuration and intuitive interface make Saleshandy an accessible tool even for small teams. Finally, it offers scheduling and automation features, allowing you to schedule mailings according to prospect time zones and increase open rates.

• Automation of email sequences,

• management of multiple email accounts,

• tracking of opens and clicks,

• automatic generation of sequences via AI.

• User-friendly interface,

• integration with various CRMs,

• affordable pricing plan.

• Some advanced features are reserved for higher-tier plans,

• limitations on complex sequence automation.

Lemlist is an emailing solution focused on visual personalization and engagement. It stands out for its ability to integrate images, videos, and GIFs into emails, allowing companies to stand out in inboxes. Used primarily by sales and marketing teams, Lemlist facilitates the creation of automated sequences while offering detailed performance tracking. It is particularly well-suited to multichannel campaigns, including LinkedIn and retargeting, making it a comprehensive tool for modern prospecting. The intuitive interface and template library make campaign creation quick and efficient. Lemlist also offers a warm-up system to improve deliverability. Detailed statistics allow you to test different approaches and optimize response rates. This tool is particularly appreciated for its creative and original approach to B2B emailing.

• Sending personalized emails with images and videos,

• sequence automation,

• performance tracking,

• warm-up

• multi-channel campaigns including LinkedIn.

• Creative campaigns,

• multi-channel,

• excellent performance tracking

• integrated A/B testing tools.

• Unintuitive interface

• Limited number of email accounts No premium support

• Prices are much too high

• Daily sending limits

• Lack of advanced features

SmartLead is a French platform designed to optimize the deliverability and management of email campaigns. It focuses on sending security and automatic warm-up of mailboxes to prevent emails from ending up in spam folders. Used by sales teams and agencies, SmartLead facilitates the creation and automation of email sequences while offering accurate performance tracking. The platform also allows you to manage multiple mailboxes and send emails on a large scale without compromising the sender's reputation. Its clear interface and detailed reporting tools allow you to quickly analyze results and adjust campaigns. SmartLead is ideal for companies that want to maximize the deliverability and effectiveness of their campaigns. It also offers CRM integrations to centralize lead management and automate workflows.

• Management of multiple mailboxes,

• automatic warmup,

• sending of email sequences,

• tracking of opens and clicks,

• CRM integration.

• Very good deliverability,

• clear interface,

• effective automation,

• ideal for large-scale campaigns.

• some external integrations are limited,

• no multichannel features.

• Deliverability issues

• Unsatisfactory customer support

• User interface not very intuitive

Reply.io is a comprehensive multichannel automation solution that allows you to manage prospecting via email, calls, SMS, and LinkedIn. It is used by sales teams and startups to automate prospecting sequences while maintaining a high level of personalization. Reply.io stands out for its ability to manage multiple mailboxes and directly integrate data with existing CRMs. The platform offers detailed performance tracking, including opens, clicks, and replies, as well as advanced analytics tools to optimize campaigns. It also allows you to create complex workflows and segment prospects for more targeted campaigns. Reply.io is particularly suited to B2B teams looking to combine multiple channels in their prospecting strategy. Finally, it offers warm-up and reputation management features to ensure better deliverability.

• Multi-channel automation (emails, SMS, LinkedIn, calls),

• multi-mailbox management,

• detailed performance tracking,

• full CRM integration,

• creation of complex workflows.

• Very comprehensive,

• multi-channel,

• excellent reporting,

• ideal for B2B teams wanting to centralize their prospecting.

• High price for small teams,

• complex workflows for beginners.

QuickMail is a B2B emailing solution designed to automate prospecting and manage multiple email accounts in parallel. It allows you to create personalized sequences and track prospect engagement in real time, with detailed statistics on opens, clicks, and replies. QuickMail stands out for its ability to manage a large volume of campaigns without compromising deliverability thanks to its warm-up and mailbox rotation features. The platform is suitable for small and medium-sized sales teams, as well as agencies that manage multiple clients simultaneously. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to create and track campaigns. QuickMail also offers CRM integrations to centralize data and automate prospecting workflows. Finally, it is recognized for its reliability and quality customer support.

• Multi-mailbox management,

• sequence automation,

• tracking of opens and clicks,

• warmup and mailbox rotation,

• CRM integration.

• Reliability,

• simple interface,

• high volume management,

• warmup included to improve deliverability.

• Fewer multichannel features,

• less advanced reporting than some competitors.

Outreach is a sales automation solution designed for large sales teams. It allows you to manage prospecting via email, calls, SMS, and LinkedIn within a single platform. Outreach stands out for its automated workflows and advanced segmentation capabilities, which allow you to customize sequences for each prospect. The platform offers detailed interaction tracking, comprehensive analytics reports, and powerful CRM integrations. It is particularly well suited to B2B companies that need to coordinate multiple teams and large-scale campaigns. Outreach also allows you to manage multiple mailboxes and optimize deliverability through email account warming and rotation. The tool is known for its robustness and its ability to centralize all sales activities in a unified interface.

• Automation of email sequences,

• calls, and text messages,

• complex workflows,

• advanced segmentation,

• detailed tracking, and full CRM integration.

• Very robust,

• suitable for large teams,

• multi-channel,

• advanced reporting

• centralization of sales activities.

• High cost,

• complexity for small teams,

• longer learning curve.

(By quote only)

After comparing the eight main alternatives to Instantly, it appears that each solution offers interesting advantages for sales teams. However, some have limitations in terms of flexibility or overall support.

Emelia stands out for its ability to meet the diverse needs of businesses and adapt to different contexts. Its combination of simplicity, reliability, and user-friendliness makes it a true strategic partner, capable of effectively supporting business development.

In summary, for companies seeking flexibility, performance, and support in their sales activities, Emelia stands out as a particularly distinctive alternative to Instantly and other solutions on the market.