We put in the time to analyze 50+ Instantly G2 reviews, so you don't have to. Get the low down here...

Are you struggling to automate your lead generation? Or perhaps your current tools aren't generating the right leads? Or maybe you're drowning in the complexities of cold email outreach...

If that sounds like you, this blog is for you…

Every business, including yours and mine, aims to grow. The main challenge is generating enough quality leads to support that growth. You might be using different tools to try and get ahead, just like your competitors.

So, how can you gain a competitive edge? 

This isn’t just another review blog on a generic tool. Over the past couple of months, I've personally leveraged Instantly.ai’s features: from its unlimited email warmup to managing multiple email account replies, to significantly enhance my lead generation outcomes.

🌟 In this blog, I'll walk you through what Instantly.ai is and its extensive feature set.

🌟 We'll explore its pricing and discuss the unique value proposition it offers.

🌟 You’ll learn about both the perks and the pitfalls of Instantly.ai, ensuring you know exactly what you’re getting into.

🌟 Lastly, I'll cover why some users might consider Salesforge a worthy alternative.

Let’s get into it!

What is Instantly? 

Instantly is a cold email outreach platform that automates and streamlines the process of sending emails to potential customers.

Its key features include:

  • Unlimited email warmup to improve email deliverability and avoid spam.
  • Finding potential customers through a large B2B contact database (paid feature).
  • Crafting and sending personalized email sequences.
  • Managing replies from multiple email accounts in one central location (paid feature).
  • Tracking and analyzing campaign performance.

What features does Instantly offer? 

Here's a breakdown of Instantly key features:

1. Unlimited Email Warmup - Building Trust to Avoid Spam Filters:

Let's say you're new to a networking event. If you bombard everyone with introductions right away, people might get suspicious. That's similar to sending a ton of emails from a new email account. Email providers might flag you as spam.  

Instantly's unlimited email warmup solves this by gradually increasing the number of emails you send from each connected account. This helps build a good reputation with email providers. It increases the chances your messages landing in inboxes and avoiding the spam folder.

2. Finding Potential Customers - Targeting the Right Audience (Paid Feature):

Cold emailing random people is like cold calling wrong numbers. It's a waste of time and effort.

instantly-ai-platform-lead-finder
A screenshot taking directly from the Instantly platform

Instantly (with its paid plan) offers a massive B2B contact database exceeding 160 million entries.

instantly-ai-lead-finder
Instantly.ai's Lead Finder

With Instantly’s Lead Finder, you can search for potential customers based on specific criteria. You can filter their LinkedIn profiles by starting with criteria like Job Title, Location, to keywords used in their profiles. 

3. Crafting and Sending Personalized Email Sequences -  Making a Strong First Impression:

Generic emails that start with "Hi there" style greetings rarely grab attention. Instantly allows you to craft targeted email sequences. Think of it as a series of automated messages, like a mini conversation. You can personalize each email with details like the recipient's name company, or even mention something specific from their profile. This personalization can significantly increase your response rates compared to generic emails.  

As an example, imagine the difference between someone calling you by name at a networking event versus a generic "Excuse me."

4. Managing Replies from Multiple Accounts - Staying Organized (Paid Feature):

Instantly's Unibox feature (available exclusively in paid plans) acts as a central hub for all your replies. No more switching between accounts! 

instantly-ai-unibox-feature
Instantly.ai's 'Unibox' feature

You can manage conversations, track responses, and stay organized, all within one unified inbox. This saves you time and keeps your outreach efforts super streamlined.

5. Tracking and Analyzing Campaign Performance - Measuring What Works:

Instantly provides valuable insights and analytics on your campaigns. You can see which emails get opened, which ones get clicked, and how many replies you generate.

instantly-ai-campaign-dashboard
Instantly's campaign dashboard overview

This data allows you to identify what resonates with your audience and what needs improvement. You can use this information to refine your approach, craft better emails, and, ultimately, achieve better results.

Instantly Pricing: What Instantly Plan Is for Your Needs?

Instantly offers three main pricing plans: Growth, Hypergrowth, and Lightspeed. 

instantly-ai-pricing
Instantly.ai's pricing tiers

All Plans Include:

  • Unlimited Email Accounts: You can connect an unlimited number of email accounts to your Instantly account.
  • Unlimited Email Warmup: This is a core Instantly feature that helps ensure your emails land in inboxes and avoid spam filters.

Growth Plan ($37/month) and ($30/month - paid annually): 

  • This seems like the most basic plan suitable for individual users or small teams.
  • It allows you to manage up to 1,000 active leads (potential customers in your database).
  • You can send a maximum of 5,000 emails per month.
  • Live chat support is included.

Hypergrowth Plan ($97/month) and ($77.6/month - paid annually):

  • This plan caters to businesses with a larger outreach volume.
  • It allows you to manage up to 25,000 active leads.
  • You can send up to 125,000 emails per month.
  • This plan includes premium support.

Lightspeed Plan ($358/month) and ($286.3/month - paid annually):

  • This seems like the most high-volume plan for large enterprises.
  • It includes everything in the Hypergrowth plan along with
    • Increased email sending limit (potentially 500,000 emails per month).
    • Ability to upload 100,000 contacts (possibly for lead generation).

Recommendation:

When choosing an Instantly plan, consider your specific needs: number of leads, email sending volume and other desired features. It might also be helpful to contact their sales team for clarification on specific features and pricing details. Now, let’s move to the pros and cons of Instantly...

Top 3 Things Customers Liked About Instantly.ai

✔️ Use AI to Become a Cold Email Pro: 

Instantly doesn't just throw you into the deep end of cold emailing. They understand that, especially for beginners, sending cold emails can feel daunting.

instantly-g2-review
Review of Instantly.ai taken from G2.com

That's why they provide a variety of free resources and AI features for writing emails. The AI even sends warm-up emails and replies to your emails. From crafting compelling subject lines to writing effective email copy that gets responses, you get it all.

Instantly-ai-feature-review
Review of Instantly.ai taken from G2.com

But some people feel the lead generation is still ineffective. 

✔️ Always Evolving to Stay Ahead of the Curve:  

One of the things users appreciate most about Instantly is their commitment to ongoing development. The Instantly team actively listens to user feedback and constantly works on adding new features and functionalities.

instantly-ai-review
Another review of Instantly.ai taken from G2.com

This means you can be confident that the tool you're using is staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in cold email marketing. So, even if there might be a feature you'd like to see today that isn't currently available, there's a good chance it could be on the horizon thanks to Instantly's dedication to improvement.

✔️User-Friendly Interface: No Tech Expertise Needed: 

Instantly understands that not everyone who uses their platform is a tech whiz. That's why they've designed their interface to be user-friendly and intuitive. 

instantly-ai-usability-review
Users love how easy to use Instantly is

Users consistently praise the platform's ease of use, highlighting how straightforward it is to set up, navigate, and learn the ropes. So, you can focus on what truly matters: crafting compelling cold emails and building relationships with potential customers. But Instantly users found that there is no way to tag email accounts. And the number of accounts in a campaign is limited.


4 Frustrations Users Face with Instantly

❌ A Somewhat Lacking Lead Finder: 

Imagine putting a lot of effort into your sales strategy, only to discover that the leads you're contacting aren't suitable for your business.

instantly-lead-finder-revieww
Instantly 'Lead Finder' review from G2

This is a common complaint among users of the Instantly lead finder tool, which has been criticized for its inability to accurately target and qualify leads. Just as a new phone number needs to build trust, a lead finder must precisely identify the right prospects. Without this, your outreach efforts could be wasted, contacting leads with no interest in your offerings.

❌ Limited Features on a Budget: 

The Instantly system charges more as usage increases, starting at $0.03 per email, which can quickly become costly. 

Instantly-cost-summary
Summary of the costs of using Instantly

Users have reported that even after paying for plans, some features remain inaccessible, requiring them to buy additional plans or contact customer support. 

This complex and escalating pricing model appears to frustrate users seeking a straightforward, affordable solution.

❌ Tracking That Goes Off Track: 

Keeping track of your email campaigns is crucial to see what's working and what's not. Unfortunately, some Instantly users have experienced issues with inaccurate data tracking. 

review-of-instantlys-tracking
Some feedback on Instantly's tracking capabilities

Imagine you think your emails are crushing it, but the numbers are inflated! This makes it difficult to understand how well your campaigns are actually performing and adjust your strategy accordingly.

❌ Email Setup and Warmup Challenges:

Setting up customized signatures is complex and user-unfriendly.

Instantly-ai-review-signatures
Instantly's signature is hard to set up

The email warmup process is unreliable, often disconnecting and requiring repeated interventions from the support team to restart. This causes significant disruptions and time wastage. Many users have also recommended adding features to transfer emails seamlessly between campaigns targeting non-bounced and non-unsubscribed contacts. And they want an import history feature to simplify the management of bulk emails.

Summary of the Instantly Review

Instantly is a platform designed to automate and streamline cold email outreach. 

It offers features like:

  • Unlimited email warmup to improve email deliverability.
  • Finding potential customers through a large B2B contact database (paid feature).
  • Crafting and sending personalized email sequences.
  • Managing replies from multiple accounts (paid feature).
  • Tracking and analyzing campaign performance.

Pricing Summary: 

Plans: Growth ($30-$37/month), Hypergrowth ($77-$97/month), Lightspeed ($286-$358/month)

  • All Plans Include Unlimited email accounts and warmups.
  • Growth Plan: Best for individuals/small teams, 1,000 leads, 5,000 emails/month, live chat support.
  • Hypergrowth Plan: For larger businesses, 25,000 leads, 125,000 emails/month, premium support.
  • Lightspeed Plan: For large enterprises, includes everything in Hypergrowth plus potentially 500,000 emails/month & upload 100,000 contacts.

Pros:

  • Free training resources to become a cold email pro.
  • Always evolving with new features and functionalities.
  • User-friendly interface for easy use.

Cons:

  • Emails landed in the spam folder due to insufficient warmup.
  • Limited features on a budget with basic plans.
  • Tracking inaccuracies makes it difficult to analyze performance.
  • Customer support inconsistency with slow response times.

Note: the price tags do not match the value for some users!

Reasons to go for an Instantly alternative

👉 Price Pinch: Instantly pricing can feel steep, especially for basic plans. You might find similar features on other platforms for a better price.

👉 Limited Features on a Budget: The Growth Plan restricts the number of leads you can manage and emails you can send each month. Upgrading unlocks more features, but that means spending more.

👉 Spam Filter Frustration: Some Instantly users report emails ending up in spam despite using the warmup feature. This defeats the purpose of your outreach efforts.

👉 Tracking Troubles: Inaccurate data tracking Instantly can make it difficult to measure your campaign's success. You might be wasting efforts on strategies that seem effective based on inflated numbers.

👉 Customer Support Conundrum: Inconsistent customer support with slow response times or unhelpful answers can be frustrating, especially if you encounter technical difficulties.

Level Up Your Cold Email Outreach with Salesforge-The #1 Instantly Alternative

salesforge-homepage
A screenshot of the Salesforge.ai homepage

Let's start with understanding what Salesforge is and how it distinguishes itself as a superior alternative to Instantly. Then, we'll delve into a comparison of their features, followed by a look at pricing, and finally, we'll discuss which tool might be the better choice for your needs.

So, What is Salesforge, and How is it Different and Better than Instantly?

Salesforge isn't just another email automation tool; it's a comprehensive toolkit built to take cold email outreach to the next level. Unlike Instantly, which primarily focuses on automation, Salesforge takes a holistic approach by prioritizing inbox deliverability, advanced personalization, and cost-effectiveness.

Salesforge vs. Instantly: A Detailed Comparison

1. Inbox Deliverability:

Salesforge:

  • Prioritizes proper email setup and warm-up strategies to ensure emails reach their intended inboxes.
  • Minimizes the risk of triggering spam filters, increasing the likelihood of reaching prospects' inboxes.

Instantly:

  • The automation-focused approach may sometimes trigger spam filters, leading to emails being lost in spam folders.
  • May face challenges in ensuring consistent inbox deliverability.

2. Advanced Personalization:

Salesforge:

  • Utilizes AI to craft personalized emails at scale, making each interaction tailored to the recipient.
  • Personalization leads to higher engagement and response rates.

Instantly:

  • Offers personalization features, but may not provide the same level of sophistication and scalability as Salesforge's AI-driven approach.
  • Personalization efforts may be more limited in scope.

3. Cost-Effectiveness:

Salesforge:

  • The basic plan offers higher sending limits, more contact storage, and access to powerful AI-driven features.
  • Provides better value for money compared to Instantly, with competitive pricing.

Instantly:

  • Plans may have limited features in the basic tier and may not offer as much value for businesses looking to scale their outreach efforts.
  • The pricing structure may not be as cost-effective in terms of features offered.

4. Feature Comparison:

Personalization:

  • Salesforge's AI-powered personalization potentially offers a more sophisticated and impactful way to connect with prospects compared to Instantly's approach.

Managing Replies:

  • Both platforms offer efficient management of replies from all accounts, with this feature potentially being a paid option in Instantly.

Tracking and Analytics:

  • Both platforms allow users to track and analyze campaign performance to optimize outreach efforts.

Email Warm-up:

  • Both platforms offer unlimited email warm-up to ensure a smooth sending reputation.

5. Pricing Plans:

Instantly:

  • Plans range from $30/month to $358/month, with potentially limited features in the basic plan.

Salesforge:

  • Plans range from $48/month to $96/month, with the basic plan offering more features and sending capacity compared to Instantly's basic plan.

And if that's all too much information, here's a quick comparison table for the TL;DR:

Feature Category Salesforge Instantly
Inbox Deliverability Proper setup and warm-up; minimizes spam triggers. Automation may trigger spam filters; variable deliverability.
Advanced Personalization AI-driven, personalized, scalable emails. Less sophisticated personalization.
Cost-Effectiveness More features and higher limits at competitive prices. Less value in basic tier; features limited in lower-cost plans.
Email Personalization Sophisticated AI-powered personalization. Basic personalization features.
Managing Replies Efficient management across all accounts. Efficient, but may require additional payment.
Tracking and Analytics Comprehensive campaign tracking and analytics. Similar capabilities for tracking and analytics.
Email Warm-up Advanced warm-up pool, multiple languages. Basic warm-up pool.
Pricing Plans $48/month to $96/month, inclusive. $30/month to $358/month, more restrictive.
Scalability in Pricing Cheaper at scale (e.g., $10 for 10k validation credits). More expensive at scale (e.g., nearly $40 for 10k validation credits).
Unique Email Crafting Crafts unique emails by crawling the web and applying AI. Does not offer this advanced feature.

Comparison Table: Salesforge vs. Instantly 

Here’s why Simon, a small business owner, prefers Salesforge over Instantly. Here’s the complete review:

salesforge-review-vs-instantly
A review of Salesforge from G2.com

What to choose? Instantly or Salesforge?

👉 Salesforge is a strong and efficient tool for email marketing

Another review of Salesforge.ai from G2.com

Salesforge can create personalized emails that are tailored specifically to each person receiving them. Salesforge also works very wellat making sure emails actually reach people’s inboxes instead of getting caught by spam filters. 

👉 Cheaper when you use it more

Salesforge becomes cheaper when you send more emails, making it a good choice for growing businesses. Look at this review by Ryan.K, a small business owner:

salesforge-review-cost-effectiveness
A G2 crowd review that outlines the cost effectiveness of Salesforge.ai

👉 Unique way of creating emails.

Salesforge uses advanced smart technology to write unique emails by looking up information on the internet, which makes these emails very effective.

Here’s how you can create unique emails from any mailbox. Join the 15 min email masterclass now! 🔥

👉  Suits businesses of varied needs

Salesforge makes marketing campaigns more effective: It uses special techniques to make sure emails reach the right people and catch their interest. It's also great for businesses needing specific solutions: and it’s especially good for businesses that need their emails to be very specific and well-integrated into their overall business strategy. Finally, Salesforge works well for international businesses and can handle multiple languages and is suitable for businesses that operate in different countries.

Conclusion

Creating the perfect email is not easy. It needs a lot of practice. But sometimes, even the best emails don’t get noticed. Now, let’s talk about Instantly... maybe we should call it “Instantly Outdated”? Instantly is a decent tool for sending bulk emails automatically, but is it really effective in filling your pipeline? Instantly misses out on effective deliverability and personalization.

Here’s a quick recap of how Salesforge turns out to be a better alternative.

  • Guaranteed Inbox Delivery: Salesforge makes sure your emails actually reach people’s inboxes, not just disappear.
  • AI-Powered Personalization: Salesforge uses advanced technology to create emails that really speak to each person, making them more likely to get a response.
  • Cost-Effective: Salesforge offers more features and allows you to send more emails for less money, helping you do better without spending too much.

So, what now?

Let’s end the talking stage and sign up for a free 7-day trial and take control of your cold email game today!