14+ Best Cold Email Software For 2022 [Free & Paid]

Cold emailing is one approach most businesses use to reach potential customers without being too intrusive.

But since it can be challenging to keep up with emails, many businesses use an email tool to manage and respond to emails effectively.

So, if you’re ready to send email outreach campaigns to generate leads and grow your customer base, consider getting email outreach software to kickstart your campaigns and streamline your lead generation.

However, among all the email platforms available, it might get a bit confusing, which is why we rounded up the best cold email software to help you find a suitable platform for your business.

This list includes paid and free software to cater to different budgets and needs.

How to Choose the Best Cold Email Software for You

Consider the following when choosing a cold email outreach tool.

1. Know Your Needs

Start by listing down why you need cold email software.

For example, do you need email automation features to create and schedule emails easily?

If unsure, opt for a free trial to explore the software.

2. Check for Automated Features

An effective cold email software must have automated features for sending cold email marketing campaigns and follow-ups.

These features make cold email tools convenient for businesses, speeding up the outreach process while retaining email personalization.

3. Look For Email Personalization Features

Cold email tools specialize in sending emails in bulk.

However, recipients should still feel that you sent it yourself.

Look for a cold email tool with custom templates or snippets.

It’ll make your cold email marketing campaign less robotic and more human.

4. Consider Deliverability

Ensure your cold emails arrive in your contact’s inbox by looking for cold emailing software with high email deliverability.

Plus, consider email tracking features to monitor your campaign’s performance.

5. Opt For Collaboration Features

If you’re working with a large team or different clients, look for a cold email platform with collaboration tools.

It makes your email campaigns easy to share with others.

Best Paid Cold Email Software 

Now, let’s see what each paid email software has to offer.

1. Mailshake – Best Overall

Mailshake is the best cold email software if you’re looking for a well-rounded email tool with full features for a solid outreach strategy.

Some of the highlights of this platform include its mail-merge feature for sending personalized emails in bulk, the ability to automate follow-ups, and easy lead response straight from Mailshake’s dashboard.

In our experience, its AI writing tool, cold email templates, and A/B testing features prove to be super convenient when drafting personal and effective emails.

Also, depending on your plan, you get more advanced features like an integrated phone dialer to add cold calls to your email sequences, LinkedIn automation, and an email verification tool to update your contact list, among others.

However, Mailshake limits the number of recipients per campaign to 5,000 and 10,000, depending on your plan.

It can be inconvenient for businesses with more extensive databases.

So, we highly recommend it for small businesses who want to scale their business.

However, large teams can still find Mailshake helpful, especially in streamlining their cold email outreach.

What We Like:

• Create personalized emails and send them in bulk
• Easy email and follow-up automation
• AI writer and email templates for quick and effective content
• Split testing for better results
• Advanced features like phone dialer, LinkedIn automation, and list cleaning
• Various CRM integration
• Reasonable pricing, given its features
• Plans include a 30-day guarantee

What We Don’t Like:

• No free trial
• A limited number of recipients per campaign

Bottom Line

Mailshake provides a straightforward solution for sending cold emails.

You have all the features you need to manage your cold outreach campaigns, grow your database, and establish link-building opportunities.

2. Saleshandy – High Email Deliverability

High email deliverability ensures that your campaigns arrive in your contact’s primary inbox, not their spam folder or promotions tab.

Saleshandy excels in this aspect, thanks to its human-like approach to sending cold emails.

Instead of sending multiple emails simultaneously, it delivers them one by one.

In addition, it provides real-time recommendations to increase deliverability.

For further email optimization, this cold email outreach tool allows you to A/B test emails and send them to different time zones for personalized cold email sequences.

After sending a campaign and an automated follow-up email, you get detailed reports that include email open rate, click rate, bounce rate, and more.

Also, we’re impressed with Saleshandy’s advanced features, like the bounce guard, which automatically pauses email sequences that might bounce back.

Meanwhile, its email warm-up prepares the email account and improves the sender’s reputation for better deliverability.

However, we noticed there’s no way of knowing email duplicates and verifying contacts regardless of your plan since email verification is an add-on service.

This add-on is also quite costly compared to others that include it in their plans.

But if your contacts have already been sorted and verified manually before importing to the software, then this won’t be a problem.

What We Like:

• Good deliverability optimization
• A/B testing and mail merge features for custom emails
• Automated email sequences
• Detailed performance report
• Advanced features like bounce guard and email warm-up

What We Don’t Like:

• The Starter plan is only suitable for email tracking and warm-up
• Doesn’t remove duplicates
• Email verification is an add-on service

Bottom Line

Saleshandy is the best cold email software for small and large businesses looking to improve their deliverability.

Its automated features also make email outreach smooth and efficient.

3. Outreach – All-In-One Tool for Sales Teams

Outreach caters to outbound sales teams by providing complete cold outreach software.

Its robust platform enables you to send multi-channel email sequences, follow up on potential clients, and connect with prospects via LinkedIn.

It also provides insights on contacts to help you create personalized campaigns.

Aside from that, its SMS, call, and social media integrations stand out.

A sales team can send cold emails, call prospects from other countries, text contacts, and reach out on social media—all in one platform.

This feature benefits any sales team as you have everything you need to connect with potential customers.

Unfortunately, we found that sending bulk emails takes a bit longer than other software.

Regarding price, it offers one of the highest costs on the market.

What We Like:

• Multi-channel email sequences
• SMS, call, and social media integrations
• Provides insights for custom emails
• Detailed analytics

What We Don’t Like:

• Time-consuming setup
• Long send times for bulk email
• Above average pricing compared to other software

Bottom Line

Outreach is an ideal addition to your sales process if you need an all-in-one email outreach and sales tool for your team.

It offers plenty of features to connect with prospects seamlessly.

4. Reply.io – Ideal for Automated LinkedIn Outreach

If you plan on maximizing LinkedIn for your sales outreach, then Reply.io is the best tool for you.

It combines LinkedIn outreach, email search, and email automation to streamline sending cold email campaigns.

Unlike most cold email outreach tools, Reply.io provides a Chrome extension that finds verified email addresses of prospects on LinkedIn and builds a list within the software.

We found this super convenient since it makes lead scraping more efficient.

Like other sales engagement platforms, it includes personalized cold email campaigns, automated follow-ups, A/B testing, and AI suggestions to effectively write a cold email template.

However, in our experience, getting started on the platform took a few hours, and the process was a bit complicated.

Also, compared to most cold email software, Reply.io is on the expensive side.

Although it offers different plans for various needs and budgets, its pricing better suits larger businesses.

What We Like:

• Multi-channel outreach campaigns
• Chrome extension for finding verified emails on LinkedIn
• Ability to build a cold emailing prospects list on the platform
• Smart features like AI email scoring and A/B testing

What We Don’t Like:

• Plans may be costly for small businesses
• Setup takes hours

Bottom Line

Reply.io can make your sales process more efficient by providing all-in-one software for LinkedIn lead generation and cold email automation.

5. Woodpecker – Ideal for B2B Companies

Woodpecker provides an automation tool for delivering cold emails, sending follow-ups, and even nurturing leads.

It’s highly recommended for B2B businesses as it can serve sales and recruitment teams well.

Like most software on the list, it includes basic customization, personalized images and content, and integrations with platforms like HubSpot.

Plus, it’s quick and easy to set up the contact list.

Aside from the basics, it also includes advanced tools like setting conditions to trigger different email campaigns.

In addition, Woodpecker prioritizes security among cold email outreach tools.

It has the technology to bypass spam filters, track bounces, identify duplicates, and blacklist emails.

All of these features help improve deliverability.

Also, we like that the software has no fixed plans.

You’ll only pay for the features you need.

However, note that the add-ons may make it costly for some.

If you’re unsure about its services, you can try its 7-day free trial to test the platform.

What We Like:

• Easy to get started and user-friendly interface
• Advanced tools for condition-based automated campaigns
• Focus on security and deliverability
• Only pay for the features you need
• Free trial available

What We Don’t Like:

• Costly add-ons

Bottom Line

Woodpecker is the best cold email software for reaching out to prospective clients if you own a B2B business.

6. Snov.io – Best Lead Generation Tool

Snov.io combines CRM tools and email marketing automation to nurture leads, from identifying good potential customers to managing deals.

It’s mainly used for prospecting since it provides an easy way to collect data and verified emails from websites.

And after building your list, you can automate sending cold email campaigns and follow-ups.

Other notable features of Snov.io include its drip campaigns, analytics, and various integrations.

It also provides a browser extension for finding emails online.

However, we noticed that the software offers limited CRM functionality.

Specifically, it doesn’t provide features to communicate with prospects post-outreach.

Also, its emails don’t automatically include an unsubscribe link, which could violate some data protection acts like the GDPR.

You’ll need to add the unsubscribe option manually. 

In addition, although its plans are affordable for most businesses, each package includes limitations for its number of recipients, credits, and email searches, among others.

What We Like:

• Convenient email finder extension
• Automated emails and follow-ups
• Drip campaigns
• Great for prospecting

What We Don’t Like:

• No unsubscribe option for emails
• Limited CRM functions
• Limits for each plan

Bottom Line

Snov.io provides a convenient platform for building leads and sending cold outreach campaigns.

We highly recommend these to teams who need a powerful prospecting tool combined with practical automated outreach features.

7. Smartreach.io – Ideal for Team Collaboration

If you’re looking for a cold email platform that focuses on automation and team collaboration, Smartreach.io provides a feature-rich platform for easy cold emailing.

These features include having a shared inbox and template, monitoring team performance, tracking campaign activity, assigning roles and permissions, and having a real-time leaderboard for extra motivation.

Aside from standard features like personalized email campaigns, the platform also provides advanced scheduling tools to send emails in your contacts’ timezone.

Other advanced features include A/B testing and analytics to create effective campaigns. 

The software includes deliverability features like spam tests, email validation, and email warm-up.

In addition, it supports most email clients like G Suite, Outlook, and SendGrid.

And regarding pricing, it offers affordable plans that are on par with many cold email software.

Overall, Smartreach.io provides a helpful outreach tool, especially for large teams.

However, if we were to nitpick, its prospect list management could use more features.

They could also improve the interface for a seamless user experience, especially on mobiles.

What We Like:

• Standard custom automation
• Advanced features like custom send time, analytics, and A/B testing
• Plenty of built-in collaboration features
• Reasonable plans

What We Don’t Like:

• Limited function for prospect list management
• User experience isn’t as seamless as most software

Bottom Line

Smartreach.io offers various automation and deliverability tools for effective email outreach.

However, their extensive collaboration features are ideal for teams of all sizes and make them stand out from other software.

8. QuickMail – Best for Agencies

If you work with various clients and need to collaborate with different people, QuickMail provides cold email software that focuses on deliverability and efficiency for multiple campaigns.

In our experience, it’s convenient to switch between client profiles and manage their campaigns in a few clicks.

It’s also easy to invite people to the platform when needed.

The best part is that it offers various automation options, allowing you to automate your entire sales outreach, such as uploading prospects, creating campaigns, and sending follow-ups at set times, among many others.

QuickMail also focuses on deliverability by providing an email verifier, warm-up, and a domain tracking link.

These tools ensure your email campaign lands successfully in your prospect’s primary inbox.

Other notable features include sending personalized cold emails and images, testing emails, and tracking responses easily.

Although QuickMail provides decent features, it doesn’t include integrations with CRMs, which may be inconvenient for agencies who want everything in one platform.

Also, note that its reports only provide campaign-level stats.

Regarding price, it offers a free plan that only includes warm-up features for better deliverability.

Meanwhile, its paid plans provide basic and advanced tools to start a cold outreach campaign.

The monthly rate is a bit pricier than some email service providers.

You can find similar or lower-priced software with more features and fewer limitations.

What We Like:

• Various automation features
• Managing multiple profiles with ease
• Good deliverability tools
• Decent collaboration features

What We Don’t Like:

• No CRM integration
• Limited to campaign-level reports
• Slightly more costly than some cold email software

Bottom Line

QuickMail is a decent cold emailing platform suitable for agencies since it can handle multiple campaigns simultaneously.

The software’s easy user interface, automation tools, and deliverability features can help agencies produce campaigns efficiently.

9. Salesloft – Best for Large Teams

Salesloft focuses on getting more clients with less time and effort, making it ideal for sales teams.

It offers various products to provide teams with a complete sales outreach tool, from prospecting to reporting.

They include email cadence, automation features, dialer, messenger, calendaring, analytics, and reporting.

Unlike most reporting features, its deals analytics use AI to provide accurate sales data, forecast deals, and manage your sales pipeline.

It’s an impressive feature that gives a comprehensive view of your pipeline, allowing you to maximize engagement and never miss a good deal.

The platform also enables you to integrate over 160 software for seamless sales activities within your team.

We especially like integrating Salesforce and Sales Navigator to review records quickly and send personalized sales emails every time.

However, although it offers plans for different company sizes, its rates are more expensive than most cold outreach software.

Its lower plans also have some limitations.

So, it might be costly for smaller companies.

What We Like:

• Various automation, messaging, and sales tools
• Comprehensive deals analytics
• A complete overview of your pipeline
• Hundreds of available integrations
• Convenient for managing a large team

What We Don’t Like:

• No free trial
• Slightly more expensive than most software
• Takes time to set up campaigns at first
• Price not available on the website

Bottom Line

Salesloft is a feature-rich sales engagement platform suitable for large teams.

It’s a complete solution for teams that need a comprehensive and streamlined platform to send a mass of cold emails and reach sales targets.

Best Free Cold Email Software

The following cold email software aren’t entirely free. Instead, they offer free plans with limited features.

If you’re a small business, you can use these free accounts to try the platform or kickstart your email outreach campaigns.

1. Yesware – Best in Email Tracking

If you’re looking for free cold email software to track your campaigns, you can check out the free plan that Yesware offers.

It includes basic email tracking, attachment tracking, email support, a meeting scheduler, and weekly webinar training.

However, note that the tracking features, inbox activity feed, and presentation reports only monitor emails sent in less than 24 hours.

Although the functions are limited, the software is enough for a small-scale business to track its sales efforts.

Meanwhile, getting Yesware’s paid plans unlocks unlimited tracking, unlimited email templates, follow-up reminders, better reports, Salesforce integration, and more.

What We Like:

• Basic email tracking
• Meeting scheduler
• Online training and email support
• Custom email templates

What We Don’t Like:

• Lack of proper outreach tools for the free plan

Bottom Line

Yesware’s free plan provides small businesses with a simple tracking platform to kickstart their cold email marketing campaigns.

If you have the budget, we highly recommend one of its paid plans.

2. Mixmax – Ideal for Scheduling

Mixmax is a software known for its scheduling system.

The platform offers individuals a free plan that includes instant scheduling, unlimited event types, reminders, cold email templates, email tracking, email polls and surveys, and industry-compliant security.

Unfortunately, the free account doesn’t offer a mail merge feature, shared templates, scheduling on shared calendars, integrations, sales automation, and more.

Also, you can only send a maximum of 100 tracked emails monthly.

And regardless of your plan, the software is currently only compatible with a G Suite or Gmail account.

Despite these, Mixmax is an ideal cold email tool if you need a free and simple platform to track a few emails and follow-ups, schedule meetings with cold leads, and create email surveys.

What We Like:

• A simple tool for quick cold emailing and scheduling
• Great for small businesses or individuals

What We Don’t Like:

• Only compatible with Gmail and G Suite
• The free plan lacks mail merge, automation features, and integrations

Bottom Line

Mixmax’s free plan is ideal for individuals or startups with low sales engagement targets, given its limited features.

3. Streak – Best for Gmail Cold Email Campaigns

Unlike other software in this list, Streak is the only platform fully integrating itself into Gmail.

You can manage cold email campaigns, communicate with prospects, and close deals from your Gmail inbox.

For its free plan, Streak provides a basic CRM with up to 500 rows of data, 50 mail merge contacts per day, and email tracking.

Although there are limits, these functions are enough for individuals who want to try the platform or start their email outreach.

Aside from these key features, the free plan also includes the following:

• Automatic follow-ups
• Custom email templates
• Unlimited contacts and organizations
• Cold calling tracking
• G Suite integrations
• Access for iOS and Android
• Automatic email sharing

If you plan on using Streak, note that it has no dedicated dashboard since it uses your Gmail inbox.

Some may find this convenient, while others may find their inbox messy.

We recommend having a dedicated email address for your cold email outreach.

The platform also has a 14-day free trial for its Pro plan if you want to try its basic and advanced features.

Overall, it’s a lightweight cold outreach software ideal for startups, small teams, and small companies.

What We Like:

• Access everything on Gmail
• Mobile access
• The free plan is enough to start a small-scale email outreach
• 14-day trial available for the Pro plan

What We Don’t Like:

• May clutter Gmail inbox
• Limited rows of data and emails per day

Bottom Line

Streak is a handy tool for managing and tracking cold email campaigns from your Gmail account.

Its free plan is an ideal platform to begin cold outreach for professional and small teams.

Meanwhile, its Pro plan provides an affordable but complete set of cold emailing features.

4. EasySendy – Best for Content Creators and Freelancers

EasySendy is a simple email automation tool to reach out and engage with cold leads or subscribers.

Its free plan allows up to 2,000 subscribers, which may not suit professionals or companies with a larger database.

It’s ideal for freelancers and content creators who want to start promoting their brand or service.

It offers unlimited monthly emails, drip and autoresponder campaigns, custom subscription forms, responsive email templates, emails using your Email Deliver API account, 30-day reports, EasySendy branding on emails, email tracking, and basic support.

Unfortunately, the free plan doesn’t include automated follow-ups, which prevents you from creating highly customized campaigns.

What We Like:

• Unlimited emails per month
• Basic email customization and automation
• Basic report and support
• A helpful tool for professionals and content creators with a low subscriber count

What We Don’t Like:

• A limited number of subscribers for the free plan
• No automated follow-ups

Bottom Line

EasySendy’s free plan provides a simple but effective email marketing platform featuring standard cold email automation features.

Once your subscriber count reaches the maximum, we recommend upgrading to its paid plans, as it offers rates according to your subscriber count.

5. AWeber – Ideal for Startups and Small Businesses

If you own a startup or a small business, AWeber provides an email campaign solution that can automate your emails and build dynamic landing pages.

Its free plan offers everything you need to start your email marketing.

These features include up to 500 subscribers, one landing page, one email automation, basic email templates, a drag-and-drop builder, and web push notifications.

Due to its low subscriber count, the free plan isn’t suitable for businesses that want to scale up fast.

But the platform’s paid version offers a complete setup to send an effective email campaign and store unlimited contacts.

If you plan on upgrading, know that AWeber is one of the most affordable monthly plans on the market.

Also, its rate depends on your number of subscribers, so you can maximize the platform for every dollar you spend.

Getting its paid plan unlocks unlimited email lists, advanced automation, split testing, detailed analytics, follow-ups, and more.

What We Like:

• Straightforward email marketing solution
• Ability to build pages
• The free plan includes automation and web push notification
• Affordable paid plan

What We Don’t Like:

• Low subscriber count for the free account

Bottom Line

AWeber provides a free plan to send an automated email and build a landing page.

Overall, the platform is perfect for startups and small businesses, and we highly recommend upgrading to its affordable paid plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Platform to Send Cold Emails?

The best cold email software depends on your specific needs.

For example, Saleshandy is a good choice if you want high deliverability.

Meanwhile, we recommend Mailshake for its well-rounded outreach features that fit most needs.

Many cold email tools cater to different concerns, budgets, and team sizes, so you should be able to choose one that fits your goals.