The Problem
Why most cold email tools don't work.
Sales teams waste thousands on tools that promise the moon but deliver to spam folders. Here's what's really happening.
60-68%
industry avg inbox rate
Overpriced for mediocre results
Competitors charge $59-97/mo for 60-68% inbox placement. That's not premium—that's highway robbery.
$47+
in hidden upsells monthly
Hidden costs everywhere
List cleaning, email verification, advanced analytics—they all cost extra. Your $59 plan quickly becomes $100+.
3-5x
more likely to hit spam
Basic warm-up that fails
Generic emails sent at fixed intervals. Spam filters detect and block. Your domain reputation suffers.
24+ hrs
to detect problems vs our 2 hrs
Monitoring once per day (or worse)
By the time you catch deliverability issues, your domain is damaged. Competitors update daily or weekly.
FirstSales Alternatives
See how we compare to every major tool.
We analyzed 10 leading cold email platforms. Here's what we found.
Outreach
$99/user/moInbox Rate
78%
FirstSales
87%
Powerful but complex. Overkill for most teams.
Key Features:
AI sequences
Smart sending
Integrations
Missing:
Affordable pricing
Simple UI
Salesloft
$125/user/moInbox Rate
75%
FirstSales
87%
Enterprise-grade but expensive and bloated.
Key Features:
Call tracking
Email automation
Analytics
Missing:
No free plan
Steep learning curve
Apollo.io
$49/user/moInbox Rate
82%
FirstSales
87%
Good for data, weak on deliverability.
Key Features:
Email finder
Sequences
Dialer
Missing:
Inbox rate issues
Poor support
Lemlist
$59/user/moInbox Rate
72%
FirstSales
87%
Personalization is good, but deliverability suffers.
Key Features:
Video personalization
AI writer
Landing pages
Missing:
Spam folder risk
Limited automation
Reply.io
$70/user/moInbox Rate
79%
FirstSales
87%
Solid platform but lacks advanced AI features.
Key Features:
Email tracking
A/B testing
Integrations
Missing:
No AI sequences
Basic UI
Woodpecker
$40/user/moInbox Rate
85%
FirstSales
87%
Simple and reliable, but limited features.
Key Features:
Warm-up
Scheduling
Analytics
Missing:
No AI features
Basic interface
Instantly.ai
$47/user/moInbox Rate
81%
FirstSales
87%
Good value but can be spammy if not careful.
Key Features:
AI writer
Warm-up
Sequences
Missing:
Deliverability issues
Poor support
Mailshake
$59/user/moInbox Rate
74%
FirstSales
87%
Easy to use but lacks advanced automation.
Key Features:
Email tracking
A/B testing
Integrations
Missing:
No AI features
Basic UI
Snov.io
$39/user/moInbox Rate
77%
FirstSales
87%
Good for lead generation but weak on deliverability.
Key Features:
Email finder
Sequences
Integrations
Missing:
Spam folder risk
Poor support
Respona
$49/user/moInbox Rate
80%
FirstSales
87%
Decent platform but lacks advanced AI features.
Key Features:
Email tracking
A/B testing
Integrations
Missing:
No AI features
Basic UI
Side-by-Side Comparison
Feature comparison. No secrets.
Feature
Instantly
Lemlist
Smartlead
FirstSales
Monthly Price
$97
$59
$39
$28
Inbox Placement
62%
65%
68%
87%
Smart Warm-Up
Basic
Basic
Basic
Advanced 21-day
List Cleaning
$47 extra
$39 extra
$29 extra
FREE
Real-Time Monitoring
Daily
Weekly
Daily
Hourly
AI Personalization
Yes
Yes
Basic
Yes
Setup Time
20+ min
15+ min
25+ min
8 min
Hidden Costs
The true cost of "cheap" competitors.
The advertised price is just the beginning. Here's what you actually pay.
Instantly.ai
Base: $97/mo
Add-ons:
List Cleaning: $47/mo
Email Verification: $29/mo
Advanced Analytics: $39/mo
Actual Monthly Cost
$212/mo
Lemlist
Base: $59/mo
Add-ons:
Email Verification: $39/mo
Advanced Warm-up: $29/mo
Priority Support: $49/mo
Actual Monthly Cost
$176/mo
Smartlead
Base: $39/mo
Add-ons:
List Cleaning: $29/mo
Email Verification: $19/mo
Webhooks: $19/mo
Actual Monthly Cost
$106/mo
FirstSales
Base: $28/mo
Add-ons:
List Cleaning: FREE
Email Verification: FREE
Real-Time Monitoring: FREE
Actual Monthly Cost
$28/mo
Why FirstSales
Six reasons teams switch to FirstSales.
87% vs 60-68% Inbox Placement
Our smart warm-up mimics human behavior better than any competitor. Variable timing, realistic engagement, gradual increases.
$28/mo All-Inclusive
No hidden fees. No upsells. List cleaning, verification, monitoring—all included. Your price stays $28.
8-Minute Setup
Competitors take 20-45 minutes. We configure SPF, DKIM, DMARC automatically. Zero technical skills needed.
Real-Time Monitoring
Catch deliverability issues in 2 hours, not 2 weeks. Competitors update daily or weekly. We update hourly.
Free List Cleaning
Competitors charge $29-47/mo extra. We include it because protecting your domain shouldn't be a premium feature.
Better Support, Lower Price
Live chat, email, and comprehensive documentation. No support tiers based on your plan.
Easy Switching
Switch in 8 minutes.
Most competitors make switching feel complicated. We made it effortless.
01
Export Your Data
Download your leads from any platform. CSV, Excel, or direct API export—we take it all.
5 min
02
Connect Your Email
Gmail, Outlook, or any IMAP provider. We auto-configure SPF, DKIM, DMARC.
2 min
03
Import & Launch
Upload your list, set your campaign settings, and go. Warm-up starts automatically.
1 min
04
Watch Results Roll In
87% inbox placement. More opens. More replies. 21-day warm-up runs on autopilot.
Ongoing
Ready to switch? Get 14 days free. No credit card required.
Real Results
Numbers that matter.
87%
Inbox Placement
vs 60-68% average
$28/mo
All-Inclusive Price
vs $97+ competitors
$828
Annual Savings
vs Instantly.ai
8 min
Setup Time
vs 20-45 min
2 hrs
Issue Detection
vs 24+ hours
FREE
List Cleaning
vs $29-47/mo
"Switched from Instantly after paying $97/mo for 62% inbox placement. FirstSales gives me 87% for $28. Saved $828/year with better results. No brainer."
James M.
Founder, SaaS Startup
Switched from
Instantly.ai
Save $828/year
"Lemlist was fine, but I was paying extra for list cleaning and verification. FirstSales includes everything. Same features. Lower price. Better deliverability."
Sarah K.
Marketing Lead
Switched from
Lemlist
Save $516/year
"Tried Smartlead because of the low base price. By the time I added essentials, I was paying over $100. FirstSales is actually $28 all-in."
Michael R.
Sales Director
Switched from
Smartlead
Save $936/year
Decision Time
Three paths forward. Choose wisely.
You've seen the comparison. Now it's decision time.
Keep Your Current Tool
Continue paying $59-97/mo for 60-68% inbox placement. Extra for list cleaning. Daily monitoring.
Outcome:
Overpaying for mediocre results
Try Another Competitor
Research and test more tools. Spend weeks comparing. Probably end up with the same problems.
Outcome:
More time wasted, same issues
Switch to FirstSales
87% inbox placement. $28/mo all-inclusive. Free list cleaning. Real-time monitoring. 14-day trial.
Outcome:
Better results. Lower cost. Zero risk.
Stop overpaying for mediocre results.
87% inbox placement. Free list cleaning. Real-time monitoring. All for $28/mo—less than half what competitors charge.
2,000+
Teams switched
87%
Inbox placement
$828
Avg. annual savings
8 min
Setup time
No credit card required
14-day free trial
Cancel anytime
87% inbox placement
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn how Firstsales protects your domain, lands emails in inboxes, and turns cold outreach into revenue—everything in one place.
FirstSales is compared to leading cold email platforms like Instantly.ai ($97/mo), Lemlist ($59/mo), Smartlead ($39/mo), Reply.io ($79/mo), Woodpecker ($49/mo), Mailshake ($69/mo), Snov.io ($45/mo), GMass ($19.95/mo), Mixmax ($89/mo), and Yesware ($49/mo). The key difference: we deliver 87% inbox placement at $28/mo.
Yes. Instantly charges $97/mo for 62% inbox placement. FirstSales delivers 87% at $28/mo. That's $828 saved per year with better results. Our smart warm-up mimics human behavior better than their basic warm-up, and we include free list cleaning (they charge extra).
Most customers fully migrate in under 30 minutes. Import your leads from CSV, connect your email accounts, and launch. Your campaign data, lead lists, and settings all transfer seamlessly. Zero technical skills needed.
Yes. We have everything they have: unlimited sending accounts, AI personalization, A/B testing, analytics, webhook integrations, and more. The difference is we don't hide features behind expensive tiers or charge for essentials like list cleaning.
We offer live chat support, email support, and comprehensive documentation. Unlike some competitors who only offer email support on lower tiers, we prioritize helping every customer succeed—regardless of plan.
Absolutely. 14-day free trial with full access. No credit card required. See the difference in inbox placement before paying a dime.
We're constantly improving. Join our roadmap (firstsales.featurebase.app/roadmap) to vote on features. Many customer-requested features are already in development.
Lemlist's warm-up is decent but outdated. Our 21-day smart warm-up uses variable timing, realistic engagement patterns, and gradual increases that spam filters can't detect. Result: 87% vs their 65% inbox placement.
