Let's be real: nobody likes getting random, impersonal, unsolicited sales emails. But when done right, and with the help of cold email software, your outreach efforts can be incredibly effective for growing your business.
When I started with cold email campaigns over a decade ago, it felt like I was sending a message in a bottle, hoping someone would find it and reply, “Yes, I'd love a demo! How did you know?!” But, no matter how much time and effort I put in, the dread of unopened or deleted emails (or, even worse, marked as spam) was always there. My response rates were never anything to be proud of.
Fast forward to today, and there‘s a plethora of cold email software to help those stranded on the lonely cold email island reach more prospects and transform how you send personalized, automated emails at scale. In this post, I’ll walk you through some of the best cold email software available and how these tools can revolutionize your outreach strategy.
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Table of Contents
- What Is Cold Email Software?
- Benefits of Using Cold Email Software
- What To Look for When Choosing Cold Email Outreach Software
- Best Cold Email Tools
What Is Cold Email Software?
Cold email software is a powerful tool that empowers businesses to send bulk, personalized emails to potential customers or clients who have no prior relationship with the sender. These tools typically include features like email tracking, automated follow-ups, and customizable templates to streamline your outreach efforts.
By using cold email software, businesses can efficiently manage their email campaigns, track performance metrics, and improve their overall outreach strategy.
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Benefits of Using Cold Email Software
Cold email software can revolutionize the way businesses connect with potential customers. These tools offer a range of features that streamline the outreach process and enhance the effectiveness of email campaigns.
To find out more about the benefits of cold email software, I reached out to a few power users to get their take.
Kelly Pease, campaign marketing manager at Inktavo, a software company for branded merchandising companies, said the benefits of cold email software for outreach are many:
“The primary advantages I’ve gained from using cold email software for outreach include the ability to test different emails, access to a separate reporting dashboard for performance, and … the ability to use a separate domain for our outreach efforts, which helps maintain a healthy sending domain.”
Brenton Thomas, founder of Twibi Digital Marketing Agency, highlighted the benefits of cold email software in outreach efforts.
He emphasized that these tools enhance efficiency and personalization, improving response rates and engagement with potential clients. “Cold email software streamlines the outreach process, leading to more effective and personalized communication, ultimately driving better results and stronger client relationships.”
Let's dive into the key benefits of cold email software and see how it can transform your outreach strategy.
Increased Efficiency
According to HubSpot’s State of Sales report, 36% of sales professionals reach out to prospects using emails, making automation a crucial component for managing high volumes of outreach efficiently.
With cold email software, you can automate the tedious parts of email outreach, such as sending follow-up emails and tracking responses. These features allow you to focus on more strategic tasks, like crafting compelling messages and analyzing campaign performance.
Marissa Wajda, demand generation marketing manager at Notable (an AI platform for healthcare operations), described how sales development representatives (SDRs) use cold email tools at Notable. SDRs use the tools to reach out to prospects before major tradeshows and conferences, offering gifts via direct mail, scheduling meetings at their booth, and offering follow-up gifts. “Rolling out this playbook without a cold outreach tool would be highly time-consuming,” Wajda added.
Personalization at Scale
HubSpot Blog Research says message personalization is one of the most effective strategies for email marketing campaigns. Personalization significantly increases response rates. About 75% of marketers believe a personalized experience increases sales and the likelihood of a contact becoming a repeat customer (HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report).
Cold outreach tools allow you to personalize each email with the recipient's name, company, and other relevant details, making your outreach more engaging and effective.
“Manual emailing takes time, and it‘s also typical that you want to personalize each manual email, which may reduce the amount of emails you can get out to a contact list in a day. With outbound software, you can use personalization tokens to take the data of the contact and make it appear personalized. It’s a great way to send out more emails and test different audience segments, all in one (integrated) software.” said Pease.
Pro tip: Your email signature can impact your email’s success, too. Check out HubSpot’s free email signature generator if you need a hand putting one together.
Detailed Analytics
Cold email software provides detailed analytics on open, click-through, and response rates. This data helps you understand what’s working and what’s not, enabling you to optimize your campaigns for better results.
“We look at opens, clicks, replies, and meetings booked,” Pease said. “Other information we gather can include the type of person actually engaging with your emails… Understanding this can help us refine our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and make our future campaigns more effective.”
According to HubSpot Blog Research, marketers who track these metrics report average open rates of 46-50% and click-through rates of 2.6-3%.
Improved Deliverability
According to a Mailbutler survey, 46.8% of all emails worldwide were identified as spam in 2024, emphasizing the importance of deliverability features to avoid spam filters.
Many cold email tools include features that help improve email deliverability, such as spam testing and domain reputation monitoring. These features ensure your emails reach the inbox instead of the spam folder.
Pease’s experience aligns with this. “In efforts to convert cold leads, we used cold email software as a first-touch, which helped contacts learn about who we were before we sent them promos to get them to convert to a deal.”
“This effort led us to receive high engagement on our promotions, and the outbound sequences we set up served as an educational step so cold leads could become familiar with our brand.”
Scalability
Cold email software can scale with your needs, whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise. It allows you to manage a high volume of outreach without compromising on quality.
“[Cold email software] has helped us improve our speed to acquiring new leads and allowed us to reach out to targeted audiences on a scale that we wouldn't have been able to if we were using manual emails,” Pease said.
What To Look for When Choosing Cold Email Outreach Software
With so many options available, it's essential to consider key features that will best support your goals. Here’s a guide to the most important factors when selecting the perfect tool for your business.
1. Ease of Use
When choosing a cold email tool, it's essential to consider how easy it is to set up and use. A user-friendly interface can save you time and reduce the learning curve, allowing you to get your campaigns up and running fast.
2. Personalization Features
The ability to personalize your emails is crucial for effective outreach. Look for tools that offer advanced personalization options, such as dynamic fields and custom templates, to make your emails more relevant to each recipient.
Pro tip: If you need help getting started with sales email templates, here are 23 templates with 60% or higher open rates.
3. Automated Follow-Ups
Automated follow-ups are a must-have feature. They ensure you stay on top of your prospects without manually sending each a follow-up email. Look for tools that allow you to set up multiple follow-up sequences based on the recipient's actions.
4. Analytics and Reporting
Detailed analytics and reporting are essential for measuring the success of your email campaigns. Choose a tool that provides comprehensive metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and response rates so that you can make data-driven decisions.
In addition to ensuring you customize your reporting set up solid outbound sequences, Pease says, “It's crucial to establish goal benchmarks to track progress that work for your organization. Most importantly, A/B test to figure out what your audience segments respond to the best.”
5. Integrations
Your cold email software should integrate seamlessly with your existing tools and systems, such as your CRM (Sales Hub, anyone?), marketing automation platform, and email service provider.
Even better if the tool has a native integration, which will make the connection process easier and save you possible extra costs. This ensures a smooth workflow and allows you to leverage your existing data.
“The ability to integrate is crucial to our business,” Pease noted. “If the software cannot sync with our CRM and we can‘t track that data for improvements to our outbound program, then it’s not effective for us.”
6. Deliverability Features
To ensure your emails reach the recipient's inbox, look for tools that offer deliverability features, such as spam testing, domain reputation monitoring, and email verification.
7. AI-Enabled Features
Look for AI-enabled features that can help with recommendations, automation, and efficiency. AI can provide data-driven insights to optimize your campaigns, generate better email copy to improve engagement and automate repetitive tasks, enhancing overall productivity.
8. Reasonable Pricing Structure
Consider the cost of the software relative to your company and team size. Some cold email tools can start at a reasonable price but quickly escalate as you add more seats and features. Make sure to compare products to find the one that’s most cost-effective for your specific needs.
Best Cold Email Tools
Finding the perfect cold email tool can significantly impact your outreach efforts. I've rounded up some of the best tools to help you streamline your email campaigns and connect with prospects more effectively.
These tools cover everything from advanced analytics to seamless automation and personalized touches. Let's dive into my top picks.
1. Hunter
Hunter is a versatile cold email tool designed to find professional email addresses and verify their accuracy. It also offers features to manage outreach campaigns, making it a comprehensive email prospecting and outreach solution.
Best for: Finding and verifying email addresses.
Key Features
- Email Finder. Easily find email addresses associated with specific domains.
- Email Verifier. Verify the accuracy of email addresses to ensure high deliverability.
- Outreach Campaigns. Set up and manage personalized email campaigns with follow-up sequences.
- Chrome Extension. Saves time with a single click and helps gather email structures directly from websites.
Pros
- High Accuracy. The email finder and verifier are known for their high accuracy, making it easy to discover and confirm email addresses.
- User-Friendly Interface. The platform is intuitive and easy to navigate, reducing the learning curve.
- Seamless Integration. Integrates well with various tools and CRMs like HubSpot.
- Efficient Campaign Management. The outreach campaigns feature allows you to set up and manage personalized email sequences, improving engagement.
Cons
- Pricing for High Usage. Costs can escalate if you need more searches and verifications.
Demo
What I Like
I like Hunter’s email finder and verifier's accuracy, which gives me confidence that my emails will reach the right people. The interface is straightforward, and the Chrome extension is super convenient.
What Users Say
“Solving all of our cold outreach problems.” - Soner A., Product Manager, Small Business
“Contacts are found very easily, which enables me to hit my monthly quota of cold emailing, and because the emails are verified, the response rates I get are pretty high.”
Pricing: The Starter plan starts at $49/month, with higher tiers available for more features and usage limits.
2. Woodpecker
Woodpecker is an automated cold email tool designed to streamline your email outreach efforts. It offers robust automation and detailed analytics to help you manage your campaigns effectively.
Best for: Automating follow-up sequences.
Key Features
- Automated Follow-ups. Automatically send follow-up emails based on the recipient's actions.
- A/B Testing. Test different email variations to optimize performance.
- Detailed Analytics. Track open, click-through, and response rates to measure campaign success.
- AI-Powered Email Warm-Up. Use AI to gradually warm up your email accounts, improving deliverability and sender reputation before starting campaigns.
Pros
- Robust Automation. The ability to automate follow-up sequences ensures consistent communication with prospects.
- Actionable Insights. Detailed analytics provide insights into campaign performance, helping you optimize your strategy.
- Personalization. Advanced personalization options make emails more engaging and effective.
- User-Friendly Interface. Easy to use, with excellent customer support to help you get the most out of the tool.
- Native Integrations. Integrates well with various CRMs and email service providers, including a native Woodpecker-Hubspot integration.
Cons
- Limited Customization. Some users find the email templates have limited customization options.
- Higher Pricing Tiers. Costs can add up with advanced features and higher usage needs.
- Basic Integration. Limited integrations with some third-party applications compared to other tools.
Demo
What I Like
The automated follow-up sequences are a game-changer. I like how they save time and ensure no prospect falls through the cracks. Woodpecker also has tailored features to support agencies.
What Users Say
“Essential Tool for Email Automation” - Destina S., Co-founder, Small Business
“I have been using Woodpecker every day for several years ... In my opinion, it is the best cold mailing tool. The platform is intuitive despite its advanced features. Even new members of our team can quickly create and manage campaigns on their own … I value the fact that the email sequences are custom - I can plan everything exactly and personalize the sending of subsequent messages.”
Pricing: Starting at $29/month for 500 prospects contacted. Free 7-day or 50-contact prospect trial.
3. Mailshake
Mailshake is an intuitive cold email tool designed to help you create and manage email campaigns with ease. It offers a range of features to enhance your email outreach efforts.
Best for: Small- to medium-sized businesses wanting to streamline their cold email outreach and follow-ups with detailed tracking and analytics.
Key Features
- Email Templates. Pre-built templates to streamline email creation.
- Automated Follow-ups. Set up automatic follow-up emails to boost response rates.
- Detailed Analytics. Analyze campaign performance with detailed metrics.
- AI Email Writing (SHAKEspeare). Intelligent email writing assists in crafting compelling emails.
- Extensive Integrations. Over 1,000 integrations are available through Zapier, making it highly adaptable to various workflows.
Pros
- Intuitive Interface. The user-friendly design makes it easy to set up and manage email campaigns without extensive training.
- Robust Analytics. Provides detailed insights into campaign performance, helping to optimize strategies.
- Effective Automation. Automates follow-up sequences, saving time and ensuring consistent communication.
- Cost-Effective. Offers affordable pricing plans, making it accessible for small businesses and startups.
Cons
- Limited Integrations. Fewer integration options with other tools compared to some competitors.
- Template Customization. Limited customization options for email templates, which may restrict flexibility.
- Learning Curve for Advanced Features. Some advanced features can take time to master.
Demo
What I Like
I appreciate Mailshake’s straightforward approach to campaign management. The detailed analytics provided help track email success, making it easier to adjust strategies as needed. The email warm-up feature is particularly useful for ensuring high deliverability rates.
What Users Say
“A+++ tool for multiple purposes.” - Jason B., CEO, Small Business
“Mailshake makes it easy for me to personalize cold outreach campaigns and keep track of potential leads. More than that, it is also a great tool for onboarding email campaigns for existing customers, as well as newsletters for existing customers.”
Pricing: Starting at $29/month for the Starter account; no free trial available.
4. Reply
Reply is a comprehensive cold email tool that offers multichannel outreach and AI-powered email suggestions to help you engage with prospects more effectively.
Best for: Multichannel outreach.
Key Features
- Multichannel Outreach. Reach out to prospects via email, phone, LinkedIn messages, SMS, and WhatsApp.
- AI-Powered Email Suggestions. Use AI to automatically craft compelling email messages tailored to each prospect.
- Detailed Analytics. Monitor campaign performance with in-depth analytics.
- Role-Based Access and Permissions. Essential for larger teams or agencies, making it easier to manage different user roles and permissions within the platform.
Pros
- AI Features. Integration of Jason AI enhances automation and personalization of communication.
- Dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM). Available for higher plans, ensuring high-touch support and personalized assistance.
- Consolidated Inbox. Provides a streamlined view across all sequences, perfect for managing multiple mailboxes efficiently. Features sentiment analysis and customizable tags to prioritize and personalize messaging, ensuring efficient and meaningful interactions.
Cons
- Steeper Learning Curve for Beginners. New users might find navigating and using all the features challenging.
- Pricing Can be High. The cost can add up, especially for smaller teams or startups.
Demo
What I Like
The AI-powered email suggestions are fantastic for crafting effective messages. While it takes some time to get used to all the features, the multichannel outreach capabilities are a big plus.
What Users Say
“Reply.io has revolutionized our prospecting efforts!” - Lila K., Director, Sales Operations, Small Business
“Reply.io is an outstanding platform with a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and set up campaigns, even for those who are not technically inclined. The platform offers a wide range of templates and customization options that enable users to tailor their emails to their target audience, resulting in more engaging and effective campaigns.”
Pricing: Starts at $59/month. 14-day free trial available.
5. Lemlist
Lemlist is an email outreach tool focused on personalization and engagement. It helps businesses create compelling campaigns with personalized images, videos, and custom landing pages to boost response rates.
Best for: Adding a personal touch to your emails.
Key Features
- Customizable Personalization. Add personalized images, videos, and custom landing pages to your emails, making each message unique and engaging for the recipient.
- Automated Follow-ups. Schedule and automate follow-up emails based on recipient actions or specific time intervals to maintain consistent communication and ensure no leads are missed.
- Email Warm-Up. Automatically warm up your email accounts to enhance deliverability and avoid spam filters.
Pros
- User-Friendly Interface. The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, which helps users quickly set up and manage campaigns without needing extensive training.
- Community and Support. Lemlist has a strong user community, and many users praise Lemlist’s fast, responsive, and helpful customer support.
Cons
- Setup Challenges. Users say setting up the platform, especially configuring email settings, can be difficult.
- Limited Email Accounts. Some users find the cap on email accounts (one in basic plans) restrictive.
- Pricing Structure. The pricing might be higher for smaller teams or startups with limited budgets. It can also add up for larger teams or organizations with many users, as additional features and higher tiers have a premium price.
Demo
What I Like
Lemlist is the only tool with a personalized image feature. I’ve found images like these to be especially engaging for recipients, and I enjoy having a creative way to capture attention and help improve email response rates.
What Users Say
“Outreach to prospects at scale.” - Zach Y., Founder, Small Business
“Lemlist has been the best email tool I've used. … Being able to stand out and be unique with cold email is getting harder and harder and Lemlist is better than many other tools because it gives you the tools to actually be unique AND send emails in a slick manner.”
Pricing: Starts at $39/month. 14-day free trial available.
6. SalesHandy
SalesHandy is an affordable cold email tool with robust email tracking and automated follow-ups.
Best for: Tracking email opens and clicks.
Key Features
- Sender Rotation. The basic plan includes a sender rotation feature to minimize spam risks, while advanced plans offer optimized delivery across multiple sender accounts for even better results.
- Unified Inbox. Centralized inbox for seamless email management. Higher-tier plans include enhanced functionalities, more integrations, and better management tools to streamline communications.
- Sequence Score. Analyze and score your email sequences based on performance metrics, helping you identify areas for improvement and optimize your outreach strategy.
- A/Z Testing. Go beyond typical A/B testing by creating up to 26 variants, enabling you to determine your audience's most effective email strategies.
Pros
- Unlimited Team Members. All plans support collaboration by allowing unlimited team members to manage and execute email outreach, enhancing teamwork and productivity.
- Cost-Effective. Affordable pricing plans make it accessible for small businesses and startups.
- Easy to Use. The user-friendly interface makes setting up and managing campaigns without extensive training easy, reducing the learning curve.
- CRM Integration. Native integrations with Pipedrive, Zoho, and HubSpot CRMs.
Cons
- Limited Customization. Fewer options for customizing email templates compared to other tools.
- Basic Integration Options. Integration with third-party applications and CRMs is more limited, which might be restrictive for certain workflows.
- Advanced Feature Learning Curve. Users say that while basic features are straightforward, mastering advanced functionalities can take time.
Demo
What I Like
I appreciate the accuracy of SalesHandy’s email tracking features, which allows you to see who opens your emails and when. I also like that users get unlimited email accounts, which is something that most other cold email outreach software charges for.
What Users Say
“The perfect outreach platform for our business.” - Gino T., CEO, Small Business
“SalesHandy checked all the right boxes ... A/B Split Testing, a special email spam filter that removes any spammy words found in your outreach sequences or templates, Custom Domain tracking, and the best part about Saleshandy is that you can add unlimited email accounts to increase scale and volume when it comes to cold outreach.”
Pricing: Starts at $36/month. 7-day free trial available.
7. Apollo
Apollo.io is an “all-in-one sales intelligence platform with tools to help you prospect, engage, and drive more revenue.” The platform combines lead generation, multichannel outreach, and advanced analytics to help businesses streamline their sales processes and improve prospect engagement.
Best for: Comprehensive lead generation and multichannel sales engagement.
Key Features
- Lead Generation. Tap into an extensive database of potential leads, complete with detailed contact information and company insights, making it easier to target the right prospects.
- Multichannel Outreach. Connect with prospects across multiple channels, including email, phone, and LinkedIn, to increase your chances of engagement.
- Email Sequences. Automate and personalize your email sequences to nurture leads.
- AI-Powered Insights. Use AI to gain actionable insights, optimize your outreach strategies, and make data-driven decisions that enhance your campaigns.
Pros
- Comprehensive Lead Generation. Apollo.io’s extensive database offers over 275 million contacts and 60 million companies, significantly enhancing your prospecting efforts by providing a wealth of potential leads.
- Data-Driven Decisions. Advanced analytics and AI-powered insights provide a deep understanding of your outreach performance, enabling you to optimize your strategies effectively.
- Streamlined Workflow. Integrated features like the sales dialer and meeting scheduler streamline your sales processes, saving time and effort.
- Integration and Automation. Seamless integration with LinkedIn, Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRM systems, along with robust task automation, improves workflow efficiency and data management.
Cons
- Higher Cost. The premium features come at a higher price point, which may be limiting for smaller businesses or startups.
- Complex Setup. Users say the initial setup and integration can be complex and time-consuming.
- Learning Curve. The range of features and advanced functionalities require time to master, which can be challenging for new users.
Demo
What I Like
I appreciate that Apollo combines multiple functionalities (prospecting, email marketing, call recording) in one platform, minimizing the need for various tools.
What Users Say
“A Game-Changer for Cold Email Outreach, Especially for Startups.” - Grigorijs K., CEO and Co-founder, Small Business
“Apollo.io is tackling the dual challenges of lead generation and email outreach efficiency. Its robust database has streamlined my lead targeting, ensuring I connect with the most promising prospects. Additionally, the platform's automated sequences have drastically reduced the time I spend on email writing, allowing for consistent and timely communication with potential leads.”
Pricing: Starts at $49/month. Free version available with limited features.
8. Outreach
A self-proclaimed “sales execution platform,” Outreach is a premium cold email tool offering advanced features for multichannel sales engagement and AI-driven insights.
Best for: Multichannel sales engagement and large enterprises.
Key Features
- Multichannel Sales Engagement. Engage with prospects through email, phone, and social media.
- Smart Email Assist. Draft AI-based emails that respond faster with auto-generated, personalized messages based on prior conversations, allowing reps to review, edit, and send from their inbox.
- Smart Sequence Assist. Automatically generate and optimize email sequences, tasks, and calls tailored to specific sales goals and personas, streamlining the content creation process.
- Task Automation. Automate repetitive tasks to increase efficiency and productivity.
Pros
- Enhanced Engagement. Multichannel capabilities allow you to connect with prospects through various touchpoints, increasing engagement opportunities.
- Strategic Optimization. AI-driven insights provide actionable recommendations to improve your outreach strategies, ensuring you focus on high-value activities.
- Thorough Metrics. Detailed analytics offer deep insights into campaign performance, enabling data-driven decision-making and optimization.
- Efficiency Boost. Task automation and integrated tools like the sales dialer and meeting scheduler streamline workflows and save time, enhancing productivity.
- Seamless Integration. Strong integration with major CRM systems ensures your data is synchronized and your sales processes are cohesive.
Cons
- High Cost. The premium features come at a higher price point, which might be prohibitive for smaller businesses or startups.
- Complex Setup. The initial setup and integration can be complex and time-consuming, requiring significant implementation effort.
- Learning Curve. The advanced features and functionalities require time to master, which might be challenging for new users.
Demo
What I Like
I like that Outreach.io allows users to reach out to prospects through email, phone, and social media all in one place. The AI provides great tips to improve outreach and offers detailed stats to help make data-driven decisions. Plus, the automation and integrated tools like the sales dialer and meeting scheduler make everything so much easier.
What Users Say
“Outreach has allowed us to quickly and efficiently engage with prospects from our webinars, whitepapers, and other events. By using software, we guarantee each prospect will get a minimum number of touches (emails or calls).” - Marissa Wajda, Demand Generation Marketing Manager, Notable
Pricing: Custom pricing based on needs. No free trial is available.
Now that you have everything you need to select the cold email tool that’s best for you, you can also explore some sales email templates to get your emails rolling.
Final Takeaways: Choosing the Best Cold Email Tool
A few key takeaways stand out after my experience with these cold email tools. I was pleasantly surprised by how much automation can streamline outreach processes. I can't stress enough how much time is saved by automating follow-ups and tracking responses. This efficiency allows users to focus more on crafting personalized messages and analyzing campaign performance.
Though all the cold email tools have pros and cons, and you can't really go wrong with any of them, Apollo is my favorite. Its comprehensive lead generation capabilities are a game-changer, offering access to an extensive database of potential leads with detailed insights.
The AI-powered insights are particularly impressive, providing data-driven recommendations that help optimize outreach strategies. I found the multichannel engagement feature incredibly valuable, as it allows users to connect with prospects via email, phone, and LinkedIn, significantly increasing engagement rates. Additionally, the task automation features save a lot of time by handling repetitive tasks, allowing more time to focus on strategic activities.
Overall, Apollo's powerful lead generation, AI-driven insights, multichannel engagement, and robust analytics make it my top choice for optimizing sales outreach efforts.
