When it comes to email outreach, deliverability is more important than engagement. Although email marketers may spend significant time crafting compelling campaigns, all that strategizing, researching, and outreach efforts can be wasted if emails go to the spam folder.
Ensuring sender reputation is the opportunity that led to the development of systems such as Warmy.io and Mailforge.ai.
Mailforge is a product of Salesforge, an AI SDR system for cold outreach. It was designed to provide an infrastructure for cold email senders to further enhance sender and email reputation. In fact, it’s one of the most popular email infrastructure tools on the market right now.
However, there are a number of users who find Mailforge lacking in some areas. Let’s see why.
Mailforge: Exploring what it does and how it works
Mailforge is a cold email infrastructure tool. It leverages a shared IP pool that distributes mailbox accounts among different businesses. Its functions can be compared to Gmail or Outlook. However, what makes it different is that it was designed specifically to maximize cold email deliverability.
Mailforge features
- Email deliverability test (inbox placement test): This helps you determine whether your emails land in spam or are outright rejected. Mailforge’s auditing feature gives you a comprehensive audit of your domain and mailbox. Plus, it analyzes critical authentication records to help you maintain a reputable email infrastructure.
- WHOIS Domain Checker: Offers instant access to key domain registration details. Extremely valuable if you are checking the availability of the domain, identify on “who is” the owner and confirm the expiration dates. Mailforge’s domain checker can provide you with every insight you need.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) checker: Helps verify DKIM setup quickly, which ensures correct configuration and proper authentication. It is also capable of detecting any misconfiguration before it impacts your domain reputation and security.
- DMARC checker and generator: Verifies the status of DMARC records and simplifies its creation. Ideal for ensuring your domain is equipped with proper protection against spoofing and phishing attacks, thus maintaining compliance with email security standards.
- SPF checker and generator: Obtains a tailored SPF record for your domain in just seconds, with a capacity to supply immediate feedback on any syntax errors, potential misconfigurations issues, and validation status. (Related Reading: Why Do You Need to Configure SPF, DKIM, DMARC and How To Set Them)
Known limitations of Mailforge
- Confusing pricing: So far, Mailforge has custom pricing in their pricing page, and the lack of a uniformed pricing plan confuses most of its potential users. Although some express satisfaction due to its affordability, the lack of specific pricing for some users may discourage some users.
- Email-centric (Not equipped for multi-channel outreach): Mailforge specializes in deliverability and authentication which doesn’t make it ideal or even functional for other outreach strategies such as cold calling and LinkedIn.
- Interface requires familiarization: Some users may contest the difficulty of Mailforge’s interface which makes it detrimental to their email setup and deliverability process when they send cold emails.
Top 7 Mailforge alternatives for better email success
Tool | Key Features | Potential Limitations | Pricing |
Warmy.io | AI-powered email warmup, inbox placement, domain reputation monitoring, up to 5000 emails/day, integration with Google Postmaster | Focus is on warmup, not all-in-one marketing solution |
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Woodpecker | Cold email campaigns, intelligent follow-up sequence, email deliverability, multi-channel outreach | Limited features for email marketing Awkward email management sequence | 7-day free trial; Three subscription plans (monthly or yearly) |
Lemlist | Warmup & deliverability, spam risk monitoring, 450M+ lead database, advanced AI automation & personalization | Data privacy concerns, UI complexity, occasional technical glitches | 14-day free trial, monthly or annual plans: $69 (Email Pro), $99 (Multichannel Expert) |
Instantly.ai | AI Sequence Generator, blacklist monitoring, automated sending, Unibox feature, warmup | Inconsistent AI-generated copy, lacks in-depth analytics | Varies by plan (4 Outreach, 4 SuperSearch, 2 CRM plans) |
Zapmail | Email deliverability setup, automated SPF, DKIM, DMARC, streamlined mailbox management | Constraints in scalability, high cost for small businesses, basic data analytics | Monthly: $39 (Starter), $99 (Growth), $299 (Pro); Yearly: $390 (Starter), $990 (Growth) |
Mailscale | Automated SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup, domain recovery within 7 days, warmup period for new inboxes | Deliverability issues, confusing pricing, lack of control over setup | $79/month (Solopreneur), $119/month (Business), $249/month (Enterprise), $1000+/month (Unlimited) |
Inframail | Dedicated IP, unlimited inboxes, SPF/DKIM/DMARC setup, integration with cold email tools, free tools (CopyChecker, AI Cold Email Generator) | Can be costly, lacks in-depth analytics, deliverability consistency | $99/month (Unlimited), $249/month (Agency) |
We’ve compiled some of the best alternatives to Mailforge. Many of them possess the unique advantages Mailforge itself can provide, but each alternative also has unique advantages.
1. Warmy.io
Warmy.io is a renowned all-in-one solution for your email deliverability needs. It is developed to help you enhance the inbox placement of your cold email outreach and automate your email warm up process.
Warmy can be considered as a perfect replacement for Mailforge due to its capacity in helping you guarantee that each of the emails you are sending are delivered right to your recipient’s inbox and not the spam folder.
It offers a full suite of advanced AI-powered tools that guide senders throughout the entire email outreach process: from technical setup, to mailbox management, to automated warmup, and even until continuous optimization of inbox placement.
Key features:
- AI-powered email warmup that simulates actual human behavior. It is capable of:
- Opening emails
- Clicking links in the email content
- Scrolling through the entire email
- Removing emails that land in spam; put them in the inbox and mark them as important.
- Gives senders the ability to manage multiple mailboxes and email accounts from one dashboard.
- Advanced and developed enough to handle up to 5,000 emails per day, making it a reliable solution for large-scale campaigns
- Integrates seamlessly with Google Postmaster Tools for accurate monitoring of key metrics like domain reputation, spam rate, and email authentication status
- Has a collection of free tools which also contribute to overall sender reputation
Potential limitations: Despite its robust capabilities, it is important to note that Warmy.io’s entire focus is making sure that you have a reputable email via its warmup capabilities. Warmy prides itself as being an all-in-one deliverability tool, but it is not an all-in-one marketing solution.
Pricing: Warmy’s offers three pricing plans. Each plan requires interested senders to book a demo to get the specific values. Warmy also offers a free 7-day trial which is more than enough to explore all premium features.
2. Woodpecker
Woodpecker supplies not just a deliverability advantage, but can also help you with initiating an intelligent follow-up sequence with multichannel outreach to expand your outreach effort. This is definitely an advantage that you cannot acquire with Mailforge.
Key features:
- Cold email campaigns help senders reach different prospects in a more efficient manner
- Email deliverability and warmup to maintain ideal and credible email standing
- Intelligent follow-up sequence and personalization to maintain meaningful client relationships
Potential limitations:
- Its warmup and deliverability shows promise but may lead to a point of compromisation due to its other outreach capabilities
- Can suffer from some awkward email management sequence
- Has limited features for email marketing, despite its building its entire product on this advantage, such as advanced automation options.
Pricing: Offers 7-day free trial; and three plans that you can commit from either a yearly or monthly subscription.
3. Lemlist
Lemlist prides itself as a prospecting tool for cold outreach, with the capability of deliverability and email warmups, which makes it another ideal alternative for Mailforge.
Key features:
- Warmup and deliverability booster to avoid the spam folder when sending emails
- Spam risk monitoring to maintain the perfect email health
- Lead database of over 450 million personas for a more effective email outreach
- Advanced AI automation while enforcing personalization for better marketing engagement
Potential limitations:
- Some users reported a lack of data privacy—a very valid concern for users
- User interface may require more familiarization; although there are reports that they over simplified.
- Occasional technical glitches
Pricing:
- Offers a 14-day free trial
- With annual and monthly plan
- 69 USD per month (Email Pro)
- 99 USD per month (Multichannel Expert)
4. Instantly.ai
Instantly.ai offers multiple features designed to support both deliverability and campaign automation. It is extremely useful in helping its users develop their cold email outreach efforts especially when scaling. What separates Instantly from Mailforge is its capacity to supply specific tools that help address multiple layers of deliverability.
Key features:
- Can help you create an entire sequence with its AI Sequence Generator that is reported to help senders create conditional, personalized, and intelligent follow-ups
- Blacklist monitoring spans across 400 lists of IPs and domains to guarantee that its client’s reputation remains intact.
- Automated email sending, responses and inbox engagement with its built-in warmup feature, helping you achieve a positive sender reputation.
- Unibox Feature that gives senders the ability to manage all responses across multiple domains and accounts.
Potential limitations:
- The AI-generated copy of its Sequence Generator lacks consistency
- Lacks in-depth analytics, which falls short on its deliverability advantage
Pricing: Pricing varies with 4 Outreach plans, 4 SuperSearch plans, and 2 CRM plans
5. Zapmail
Zapmail is an email infrastructure solution used for setting up and managing mailboxes for email outreach and outbound initiatives.
What makes it a perfect alternative for Mailforge is its capacity to get the technical aspects of your entire cold email outreach campaigns ready and ensure that it is optimized for deliverability.
Key features:
- Highly advanced email deliverability setup to guarantee optimal email health and reputation
- Automated SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Setup critical email authentication protocols to ensure and maximize compliance and security with very little (or none) manual intervention.
- Streamlined Mailbox management assigning separate workspace accounts for each domain to keep the system organized.
Potential limitations:
- Constraints in scalability
- Can be too expensive for smaller businesses
- Only offers basic data analytics
Pricing options:
Monthly Plan
- Starter Plan: 39 USD per month
- Growth Plan: 99 USD per month
- Pro Plan: 299 USD per month
Yearly Plan
- Starter Plan: 390 USD per annum (32.50 USD per month)
- Growth Plan: 990 USD per annum (82.50 per month)
- Pro Plan: 3000 USD per annum (250 per month)
6. Mailscale
Mailscale prides itself as one of the best deliverability tools for the B2B landscape. Its software automates the creation of email accounts for a more seamless email management process.
Key features:
- Automated setup of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
- Offers assistance to recover domains within seven days if deliverability drops
- Includes a 1-2 week warmup period for your new inboxes
Potential limitations:
- Users reported some issues with its deliverability and integration
- Confusing pricing as per some of their clients
- Lacks deep and granular data when it comes to its deliverability report
- Users have no control over the setup; the domains, IPs, and warmup pace are completely within the control of Mailscale
Pricing: Solopreneur pricing plan starts at $79 per month. As the number of inboxes you need increases, pricing plans also go up from $119/month (Business), to $249/month (Enterprise), to $1,000+/month (Unlimited).
7. Inframail
Another strong alternative, Inframail is an email infrastructure platform offering an easier and streamlined setup for cold email outreach. It also includes automated configuration of SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
Key features:
- Dedicated IP address for senders, with unlimited inboxes for full deliverability control
- Unlimited email inboxes at a flat rate avoiding high costs of platforms like Google Workspace.
- Integrates well with some of the most popular cold email tools like Smartlead and Instantly
- Access to newly released free tools like the CopyChecker (to detect and remove spam words from your email content) and the AI Cold Email Generator.
Potential limitations:
- The dedicated IP address can be a huge disadvantage if senders don’t follow best email sending practices.
- Setup is fast but it doesn’t guarantee the best deliverability rates. Inframail gets the job done, there’s no question about it. The question is, if it can truly deliver what you need consistently.
- Inframail doesn’t offer in-depth analytics or reporting features.
- Taking into consideration the features offered, the cost is somewhere on the expensive side. Some tools offer similar features at a lower cost—and sometimes, even bundled with additional capabilities.
Pricing: Inframail keeps things simple on this end with only two options for pricing plans: Agency ($249/month + tax) and Unlimited ($99/month + tax)
Moving on: Why is Warmy the best Mailforge alternative?
Warmy stands out amongst other alternatives due to its capacity to handle various aspects of deliverability. It is a tool developed specifically for this purpose, while providing solutions that help you maximize inbox placement. It’s not just an email infrastructure provider.
What makes Warmy the ultimate email deliverability tool is you have a lifelong business partner that possesses the resources, knowledge and capability to help you ensure that your emails land safely in your recipient’s inbox.
Here is why Warmy can benefit cold email marketers:
AI-powered email warmup automation
Warmy’s AI-powered email warmup intelligently warms up your email accounts by enacting real human interactions, helping you build and maintain a positive sender reputation. By the time you’re sending cold emails at scale, the likelihood of your emails landing in the primary inbox is high. The Warmup Preferences feature also gives full control to senders when it comes to how the warmup efforts are distributed per provider. So if senders are aiming to improve Gmail deliverability, for example, they can adjust the percentages accordingly.
Warmup with clicks
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. And in the event that an email does land in spam, it is manually removed and marked as important to let email service providers (ESPs) know your emails are legitimate.
When senders use these seed lists, they gain the power to test emails in various inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) to identify potential deliverability issues before implementing email outreach to your actual recipients. It can also be integrated into any email client to improve your email performance testing.
SPF and DMARC Record Generator
The SPF (Sender Policy Framework) Record Generator and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) Record Generator simplify the process of setting up these crucial email authentication protocols.
Warmy ensures your emails are correctly authenticated with these tools, helping you achieve high deliverability and protect your domain from email spoofing.
Template Checker
Warmy’s free Template Checker scans your email templates to ensure they are optimized for deliverability.
This feature analyzes not just the structure but also the content, and potential spammy words that trigger spam filters, showing senders the exact criteria they use to determine the chances of your email template landing in spam.
Additional information: 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 have access to a comprehensive Domain Health Hub, which monitors the overall health of their email domains. This includes tracking domain reputation, blacklisting status, and other factors that could affect deliverability.
The Free Deliverability Test allows users to see how well their emails would perform across multiple inbox providers and what percentages land in spam or inboxes. This gives businesses and senders an idea of where they stand and what they have to work with. Then they can act accordingly, and not blindly.
Final thoughts: Is Warmy a scalable email deliverability tool?
There are tons of email marketing tools today, each offering a promise of sustainable and scalable process, but Warmy remains the top choice for businesses such as:
- SaaS companies
- B2B businesses
- Lead generation agencies
- Ecommerce brands
- Startups
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 if you want to scale your cold email efforts—sign up for your free trial today.
