MailReef is a popular email infrastructure platform created by cold emailers specifically for the purpose of cold emailing. It provides cold emailers with a dedicated IP and the ability to create unlimited mailboxes. MailReef has since grown as a trusted platform for businesses for improved and enhanced cold outreach.
But growing email marketing needs are forcing many users to look for additional options, more features, flexibility better suited to their business objectives, and pricing that can maximize ROI.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best MailReef alternatives for businesses looking to take their cold outreach to the next level. You’ll learn about the top 7 alternatives to help you make an informed decision for your email campaigns.
Additionally, we’ll highlight one standout alternative—Warmy.io—focusing on why it excels in areas like email warmup and deliverability compared to MailReef.
What is MailReef and how does it work?
MailReef is a streamlined solution for those who want to start conducting cold email outreach effortlessly and right away—without the need to become experts in DNS configuration or deliverability. In essence, MailReef helps marketers save time and improve email deliverability.
How MailReef works
With MailReef, senders get their own dedicated server, dedicated IP, and the ability to create an unlimited number of inboxes (at no extra cost) so that they can fully control and manage their email deliverability. What does this mean? MailReef gives you full control over your deliverability. It won’t be affected or impacted by random senders sharing your IP.
- Dedicated resources: Every user receives their own dedicated server and IP
- Automatic domain & DNS setup: MailReef automates the purchase of domains. Plus, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are automatically set up for each new domain and mailbox purchased under MailReef.
- Quick setup: The whole setup enables users to get started in as short as 5 minutes. This includes buying sender domains, creating mailboxes, and launching your cold email campaigns—all configured to maximize deliverability at scale.
- No complicated setup: Forget lengthy two-factor authentication, DNS record propagation, or dealing with random mailbox blocks and disconnections. With MailReef, you set up your inboxes, connect them to your preferred campaign tools, and launch your outreach campaigns seamlessly.
- Top outreach tool integrations: MailReef can be connected with popular outreach tools allowing you to easily connect your mailboxes to existing campaigns.
MailReef’s pricing and user feedback
Mailreef offers three different pricing options:
- Agency: $240/month for a 12-month commitment
- AgencyFlex: $249/month which can be canceled anytime
- Enterprise for custom pricing)
- Additional +$0.001/send.
User reviews are generally positive. Many praise MailReef’s ease of use and straightforward approach. However, there are some concerns about the pricing being on the higher end.
Why consider MailReef alternatives?
While MailReef offers many useful features, there are some factors that may drive businesses to look for alternatives:
The limitations of MailReef
- Pricing concerns. The cost can go up pretty quickly for small to mid-sized businesses. Eventually, some users may feel they could be paying a different tool the same amount for more features.
- Performance and deliverability issues. MailReef has mixed reviews regarding its deliverability performance. Some users report issues with their emails being marked as spam or not reaching their intended recipients at all.
- Feature gaps and flexibility. MailReef provides a solid cold email infrastructure which serves as a starting point for cold outreach. However, businesses with more complex needs may find MailReef lacking.
Top 7 MailReef alternatives for better email success
There are several MailReef alternatives that can offer unique features, better scalability, and more competitive pricing. In this section, we’ll explore the top 7 MailReef alternatives that can help optimize your email success.
Alternative | Key Features | Potential Limitations | Pricing |
Warmy.io |
| Not a full marketing automation platform |
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Zapmail |
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| $39-$299/month, affordable for small businesses, but steep for scaling businesses |
Mailforge |
| Interface can be difficult to navigate for beginners |
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Maildoso |
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Inframail |
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Mailpool |
|
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Mailscale |
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1. Warmy.io
Warmy.io is a leading MailReef alternative focused on optimizing email deliverability through its powerful email warmup tool. Basically, MailReef provides the infrastructure but Warmy offers a holistic deliverability solution.
For businesses that rely heavily on cold email outreach, Warmy provides tools to improve email performance and increase engagement.
Key features:
- AI-powered email warmup. This involves actual human-like behavior so email service providers can recognize domains as legitimate and trustworthy. This includes opening emails, clicking on links, scrolling through, and even marking emails as important or moving them out of the spam folder.
- Caters to businesses of different sizes. Whether you plan on sending a few hundred emails or up to 5,000 emails per day, Warmy’s capabilities can cover your needs. Warmy also supports over 30 languages, making it a global solution.
- Streamlined mailbox management. Senders can view, manage, and monitor multiple email accounts from one centralized dashboard. This is especially useful for businesses running outreach campaigns from multiple domains.
Limitations: Warmy is simply the best at improving email deliverability and warming up mailboxes. However, it is not a one-stop email marketing platform. Businesses looking for a full-featured marketing automation tool may need to combine Warmy with other solutions.
Pricing: Warmy.io offers three tailored pricing plans available upon request: B2B senders, B2C senders, and custom solutions. Warmy also offers a free seven-day trial, providing ample time to explore premium features and evaluate the platform’s effectiveness before committing to a paid plan.
2. Zapmail
Zapmail is a powerful MailReef alternative. Its claim-to-fame is how it simplifies the process of setting up and managing mailboxes for outbound email campaigns. It’s an ideal choice for businesses that need to automate the technical aspects of setting up their cold email outreach.
Key features:
- Fast and easy. The user-friendly interface makes it possible for new users to get started in just ten minutes.
- IP addresses are US-based. This is great for cold email campaigns and increase the chances of landing in inboxes.
- Organized and streamlined. Zapmail creates separate workspaces for each domain, so it’s easier to keep campaigns organized. Businesses managing different campaigns will not be confused and overwhelmed.
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC are set up automatically. This process saves users valuable time and reduces the chances of emails being marked as spam.
- One-click integrations with popular outreach tools. The need for manual CSV imports is eliminated, making it easy to scale cold email campaigns.
Limitations:
- As of present, Zapmail is limited to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Users on other email platforms will need to consider other alternatives. This can be a dealbreaker for businesses using other email services.
- There may be some hindrances as email volumes increase.
- Those who need detailed performance metrics might find Zapmail’s capabilities lacking.
Pricing: Zapmail offers three pricing plans ranging from $39 to $299 per month. It is an affordable option for small businesses and mid-sized campaigns, but the pricing is a bit steep for scaling businesses.
3. Mailforge
Mailforge is a reliable MailReef alternative designed to provide users with robust email infrastructure, excellent deliverability, and automated setup. It allows you to create multiple domains and mailboxes in minutes while ensuring compliance with email security standards. That way, businesses don’t have to worry about optimizing cold outreach efforts and technical stuff.
Key features:
- Enables users to get started in minutes. The platform guides users through the setup process. Plus, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are automatically configured, so new users will not need to worry about deliverability issues.
- Domain & DNS tools: Mailforge includes a WHOIS Domain Checker to instantly access domain registration details. Additionally, it offers bulk DNS updates—definitely a timesaver when managing multiple domains.
- SSL & Domain masking: For added security and branding, Mailforge allows you to display branded websites without exposing your primary domain. This provides enhanced privacy and protection for your domains.
- Works with various sending software. Users can export their mailboxes and bulk import to other sending platforms like Smartlead, Instantly, or FirstQuadrant.
Limitations: While Mailforge is very easy to set up, some find its interface difficult to navigate. This can make the initial setup a bit more challenging for newcomers to cold emailing.
Pricing: Mailforge calculates pricing based on a number of factors: emails per sequence sent, mailboxes per domain, contacts per month. They also have the SSL & Domain Masking add-on at $2 per domain per month (billed monthly) or $6 per domain (billed yearly).
4. Maildoso
Maildoso is a MailReef alternative that focuses on the technical aspects of cold outreach, such as email authentication and deliverability. It also provides dedicated mailboxes and domains designed specifically for cold email outreach.
Key features:
- Built to scale. Maildoso is ideal for agencies, lead generation companies, and sales teams managing high-volume outreach across multiple domains.
- Re-engineered custom domain tracking. This means senders can safely include any number of links, videos, and images in the emails without risking spam issues. Maildoso assures senders that emails will continue to be delivered with high success rates.
- Integrates with a number of tools. Maildoso fits right in with the rest of your tech stack. It integrates seamlessly with communication tools like Front, Close, and Weezly. It also integrates with cold email software like Apollo, Instantly, and Saleshandy among others.
- Automatic setup of email authentication protocols. All mailboxes come with SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records set up within 10 minutes.
Limitations: The use of a shared IP address system is a double-edged sword. It can help boost your deliverability if all other senders in the IP follow best practices. Other feedback include glitches with integrations, outdated interface, and limited customization options.
Pricing: Maildoso has three pricing plans: $100/mo (32 mailboxes + 8 domains for free), $166/mo (68 mailboxes + 17 domains for free), and $733/mo (400 mailboxes + 100 domains for free). This cost-effective structure is ideal for businesses that need to scale their cold email outreach quickly while maintaining good deliverability.
5. Inframail
Inframail is a streamlined email infrastructure platform. This MailReef alternative focuses on simplicity and speed. It delivers an easy setup process. Businesses and senders looking to scale their outreach efforts can start right away, while maintaining full control over their deliverability.
Key features:
- Dedicated IP address with unlimited inboxes: This is a major advantage compared to platforms like Google Workspace, which charges based on the number of inboxes. The dedicated IP from Inframail ensures that you can maintain a strong sender reputation, as long as you follow best practices.
- Automated setup of email records: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are automatically configured for each new inbox created. With this feature, new users don’t need to worry about the time it usually takes to set these records up.
- Free tools: Inframail comes with free tools like the CopyChecker, which detects and removes spammy words from email content to help improve deliverability. It also has an AI Cold Email Generator, which helps users craft personalized and effective email content.
Limitations: Dedicated IP comes with advantages and risks. Inframail is best for businesses who are confident in their deliverability practices. One thing to note is that Inframail makes the setup process quick and easy, but it doesn’t necessarily get the best deliverability results. It gets the job done, but businesses may face challenges with consistent deliverability across different email clients and campaigns.
Pricing: Inframail offers two main pricing plans. The Agency Plan ($249/month + tax) is ideal for larger teams or agencies. The Unlimited ($99/month + tax) Plan is best for businesses that have lower-scale needs. Inframail’s pricing may be on the higher end as some alternatives offer similar capabilities at a lower cost.
6. Mailpool
Mailpool is another MailReef alternative that focuses on efficiency. In a nutshell, Mailpool minimizes the technical complexities that come with cold outreach setup. Sales teams and agencies can launch campaigns within minutes since inbox creation is fast, set up is fully automated, and cold emails are optimized for deliverability.
Key features:
- Streamlined inbox creation. What traditionally takes hours or even days takes only seconds with Mailpool. Users can instantly create inboxes across multiple providers and within a shared or dedicated IP. The whole process, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup, is completely automated.
- Unlimited rotation of inboxes. Users can create and rotate an unlimited number of inboxes, which makes it ideal for high-volume cold email campaigns.
- Integrates smoothly with existing tech stack: Mailpool can connect with popular outreach tools, so users can export inboxes via CSV or connect directly to various platforms.
Limitations: Investing in Mailpool as a Mailreef alternative does have its downsides. For example, detailed pricing tiers are not publicly available since the pricing depends on the number of mailboxes to be availed. Additionally, Mailpool’s reliance on external providers like Google or Microsoft can mean additional costs or limitations.
Pricing: Mailpool follows the subscription model. However, the total price is dependent on the number of mailboxes to be availed. Prices for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 also vary. Essentially, it can be difficult for potential users to determine the total pricing cost for their needs.
7. MailScale
Mailscale is a top MailReef alternative. Designed specifically for B2B businesses conducting cold emailing, Mailscale automates the creation of email accounts. If this process is done manually, it can be expensive, time-consuming, and resource-intensive. Especially for newcomers to the cold outreach industry.
Key features:
- Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are automated. This saves a ton of time and effort for cold emailers handling multiple inboxes.
- Cost-efficient even when scaling. According to Mailscale, senders can save $1000 in the next three months.
- Domain recovery assistance: In case deliverability drops due to recipients marking emails as spam, Mailscale offers assistance to recover domains within seven days.
- Integrates with popular email sending tools: Mailscale integrates seamlessly with widely used email outreach tools like Instantly, Smartlead, Apollo, Reply, and Lemlist.
- Has a warmup period for newly created inboxes. This prevents new accounts from being flagged as spam and optimizes inbox placement for cold email campaigns.
Limitations: There have been some reports on issues with deliverability and integrations. Mailscale also doesn’t have a comprehensive view of deliverability data, which is a disadvantage for data-driven businesses that want to track specific metrics.
Pricing: Plans start at $79 per month. As you start to need more inboxes, pricing plans also go up from $119/month (Business), to $249/month (Enterprise), to $1,000+/month (Unlimited).
Why Warmy.io is the best MailReef alternative
When it comes to email deliverability, Warmy stands out as the top MailReef alternative. While MailReef provides a solid solution for cold email outreach, Warmy excels in ensuring your emails not only land in inboxes but also maintain a strong sender reputation over time. Plus, its comprehensive suite of paid and free tools are all designed to maximize email performance and boost cold outreach results.
AI-powered email warmup
Unlike MailReef, which offers a solid email infrastructure, Warmy focuses on AI-powered warmup strategies to ensure emails get past spam filters and land in inboxes. The Warmup Preferences feature also gives senders the capability to tailor the warmup distribution per provider.
Advanced seed lists
Warmy’s Advanced Seed Lists uses real email addresses that actively interact with your emails. Your email is not just marked as read but actually opened and scrolled through. Links are clicked to improve sender reputation. If an email does land in spam, it is manually removed and marked as important to train email service providers (ESPs) to recognize your emails as legitimate.
Senders can also use these seed lists to test their deliverability across specific providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.). That way, they can identify potential deliverability issues before implementing email outreach to your actual recipients at scale.
SPF and DMARC Record Generator
Warmy also offers a SPF (Sender Policy Framework) Record Generator and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) Record Generator. These help ensure your emails are correctly authenticated, which will result in high deliverability and additional protection of your domain from email spoofing.
Template Checker
Aside from the technical angles that MailReef focuses on, email content actually plays a big role when it comes to deliverability. Warmy’s free Template Checker scans email templates to review and assess if they are optimized for deliverability.
The Template Checker analyzes the structure, content, and potential spammy words. Armed with this information, senders can modify email content before sending out your campaigns.
Bonus: The Chrome Extension version of the Template Checker makes it possible for senders to analyze and edit their emails right within their sending platform.
Domain Health Hub and free deliverability test
Warmy users can use the Domain Health Hub to monitor the overall health of their email domains. The Hub includes domain reputation, blacklisting status, and other factors that affect deliverability.
Meanwhile, the Free Deliverability Test allows users to see how their emails are performing across multiple inbox providers.
Who can benefit from Warmy?
SaaS companies
SaaS companies often rely on email for different types of communications—to reach out to prospects, nurture leads, engage customers, and manage retention.
With Warmy, SaaS companies can maintain high deliverability rates to ensure that important messages (like onboarding emails and product updates) consistently reach customers and prospects without being flagged as spam.
B2B businesses
B2B businesses thrive on relationships and Warmy plays a key role in ensuring these emails make it to the inbox. Warmy can also help B2B companies scale their cold outreach efforts without risking their email reputation or deliverability, making it an ideal solution for sales teams and business development.
Lead generation agencies
They are used to implementing large volumes of outreach, and Warmy helps maintain email deliverability across multiple domains and inboxes. Additionally, the automated warmup helps agencies ensure that their cold email campaigns are optimized for maximum engagement.
Ecommerce brands
Ecommerce brands are highly reliant on email marketing to drive sales, retarget customers, and promote offers. Warmy helps brands avoid common deliverability issues so that promotional emails, newsletters, and transactional messages can reach customers’ inboxes consistently. Since Warmy supports multiple providers and caters to over 30 languages, ecommerce brands can maximize their email marketing strategies.
Final thoughts: The best MailReef alternative for your business is the one that can help you achieve your goals
It can be difficult to find the best MailReef alternative, what with all the email outreach tools available. In the end, it comes down to what fits your needs the most and which tool you can get the most value from. Most of these tools also offer free trials or basic plans, so you can test them out before committing.
Of the seven alternatives proposed here, Warmy is the best MailReef alternative for businesses who are in it for the long haul. Warmy’s full suite of paid and free tools are all designed to contribute to better sender reputation and maximum inbox placement. It’s time to make the switch—sign up for your free trial today.
FAQ
What is MailReef and how does it work?
MailReef is an email infrastructure tool that simplifies the setup and management of email accounts for cold email outreach. It provides dedicated IPs, automated domain and email record setup (such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), and full control over your email deliverability.
Why is Warmy the best among MailReef alternatives?
Warmy stands out among MailReef alternatives due to its array of AI-powered email warmup features. Unlike MailReef, which provides infrastructure for email outreach, Warmy goes a step further. It focuses on email deliverability, inbox placement optimization, and continuous monitoring.
What makes Warmy different from MailReef?
Warmy differs from MailReef in its focus on email deliverability optimization and warmup automation. While MailReef excels at providing the email infrastructure, Warmy offers a comprehensive solution that caters to both inbox placement and reputation management. Warmy’s ability to simulate human-like interactions with emails, monitor deliverability across multiple domains, and offer detailed performance insights definitely sets it apart.
How does Warmy improve email deliverability?
Warmy improves email deliverability by using AI-driven strategies to build a positive sender reputation, ensuring that emails avoid spam filters and are delivered to the inbox. Additionally, Warmy continuously monitors the health of your email domains, offering real-time insights into deliverability performance and providing alerts when issues come up.
Can I integrate Warmy with my existing email marketing tools?
Yes, Warmy integrates seamlessly with popular email marketing tools such as Smartlead, Reply.io, and others. This makes it easy for businesses to connect their mailboxes to existing campaigns and manage their cold email outreach with minimal friction.
Is Warmy suitable for small businesses and startups?
Absolutely! Warmy is ideal for small businesses and startups looking to scale their cold email outreach efforts. The process is simple. Smaller businesses and startups can easily manage their email marketing campaigns and maintain high deliverability. Additionally, the platform’s scalability ensures that it can grow with your business should you decide to scale.
