Instantly and lemlist are two of the most used cold outreach tools, and they solve slightly different problems. Instantly is built to send a lot of email from many inboxes. lemlist is built to mix email with LinkedIn, calls, SMS and WhatsApp.
Prices below were last checked on each vendor’s page on October 1, 2026.
Prices at a glance
Side by side
| Instantly | lemlist | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Outreach from $47/month | Email plan $69/month ($55 yearly) |
| Emails per month | 5,000 (Growth) up to 500,000 | 50,000 on the Email plan |
| Inboxes | Unlimited, warm-up included | Unlimited users and senders, warm-up included |
| Lead database | 450M+ B2B, separate leads plans from $47/month | 650M+ leads, email and phone finder; extra credits from $20/month |
| Not listed on its pricing page | Automated on Multichannel ($109 per user/month) | |
| Calls / SMS / WhatsApp | Not listed | Dialer and SMS on Multichannel; WhatsApp add-on |
| AI | AI sales, reply, research and writer agents | lemAgent |
| Trial | No card required | 14 days, no card, 200 credits |
Prices from each vendor’s pricing page, last checked October 1, 2026: Instantly, lemlist. Prices change often, so check before you buy.
Choose Instantly if…
- you send thousands of emails a month from many domains;
- you want the lowest price per email;
- email is your only channel.
Choose lemlist if…
- LinkedIn steps, calls or SMS are part of your process;
- you want one sequence across channels;
- your team is small and sends moderate volume.
And if you don’t have a list yet?
Both tools expect you to decide who to contact and to build the list from their databases. If you sell to small or local businesses, or you would rather have the targeting and the writing done for you, LeadGen.tools reads your website, finds the companies and the person who decides at each, and writes one email per prospect. You can use it on its own or export the list to either tool.
FAQ
Is Instantly cheaper than lemlist?
For email only, usually yes: Instantly's outreach starts at $47/month and scales to very high volume. lemlist costs more but includes LinkedIn, calls and SMS on its Multichannel plan.
Which one has LinkedIn automation?
lemlist, on its Multichannel plan. Instantly does not list LinkedIn on its pricing page.
Can I try both for free?
Yes. Both let you sign up without a credit card; lemlist's trial lasts 14 days.