Top 7 Cold Email Tools for Small Businesses
Cold email tools let small shops reach more folks without much cost. Look at these seven tools that make sending emails easy, up email reach, and save cash:
- Mailforge: Makes email setup (DNS, SPF, DKIM) easy and the cost is low as $1.67/mailbox/month.
- Salesforge: Runs campaigns with AI help to make emails feel more you, starts at $40/month.
- Infraforge: Gives special IPs for better email reach, starts at $4/mailbox/month.
- Primeforge: Low-cost Google Workspace/Microsoft 365 mailboxes, starts at $3.50/mailbox/month.
- Leadsforge: AI-driven ways to find leads, cuts costs by 60%.
- Warmforge: Makes sure emails get seen, priced at $12/mailbox/month.
- Agent Frank: Handles all outreach by itself for $499/month.
Quick Look
| Tool | Start Price | Good For | Main Thing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailforge | $1.67/mailbox/month | Setting up email | Auto DNS set up |
| Salesforge | $40/month | Running campaigns | AI makes it personal |
| Infraforge | $4/mailbox/month | Making sure emails go | Own IPs |
| Primeforge | $3.50/mailbox/month | Trusted email services | Google/Microsoft mailboxes |
| Leadsforge | Special pricing | Finding leads | AI finds lead lists |
| Warmforge | $12/mailbox/month | Watching email delivery | Stops spam |
| Agent Frank | $499/month | Doing it all alone | AI acts like a sales person |
These tools meet many needs, from simple email plans to full auto reach-out. Begin with Mailforge for cheap email control, then grow with tools like Salesforge or Agent Frank as your work gets big.
i compared 21 cold email infrastructure tools (18 of them are trash)
1. Mailforge
Mailforge is a key part of an email tool kit made to speed up and boost email work. It works well with tools like Salesforge and Infraforge to help reach people better. At its heart, Mailforge is a shared email tool that fixes a big problem for small firms: the trouble of making and keeping email areas for new contacts. Instead of taking on the hard work of DNS records and email proof, Mailforge makes the whole task easy, saying it can set up email tools 100x quicker than old ways.
Email Tools
Mailforge makes the hard task of setting DNS options like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM much simpler. It lets users make many areas and mail boxes in just minutes. Karlo Binda, the man who started Leadsnack.co, talks about how big the tool's effect is:
"We often hear 10x improvement as a target one among startups, when it comes to cold email infrastructure setup, Mailforge provides 100x improvement! Procedures that usually took hours (setting DKIM, SPF, etc. records) for multiple domains, now take a few minutes."
Beyond just setup, Mailforge brings in rich features like SSL & Domain Masking for more safety, plus tools for mass DNS changes and domain moves. This platform's workspace setup helps handle many projects or clients easily and in order.
Campaign Execution
Mailforge runs smooth with well-known mail tools, including Salesforge, letting firms choose their best campaign tools while trusting Mailforge's strong base. Its features aim to place emails right in top inboxes, and AI-driven boosts help make campaigns better. Weekly meet-ups give a chance for users to share thoughts, ask things, and fix problems with others. This close mix with other tools in the suite makes work flow easy, setting up chances to try out Salesforge's options.
Compliance Features
Mailforge eases the pain of compliance by making email checks automatic, a key part for delivery and meeting set rules. Also, the platform has a focus on list care and bounce handling, aiding users in keeping clean contact lists and cutting bounce rates.
Cost-Effectiveness
On cost, Mailforge offers big savings. For 200 mailboxes, the platform is $484 per month, much less than $1,680 for Google Workspace and $1,200 for Microsoft 365. On average, users pay three times less per mailbox than with Gmail. Prices start at $3 per mailbox per month, with deals for big orders dropping it to $1.67 per mailbox per month. Domain prices are $9–$13 each year. Isabella L., who started Let's Fearlessly Grow, talks about her time using it:
"The simplicity and the automation in the buying process of domains, DNS setting, inbox creation, forwarding, etc. Everything in one place... my results had been great since using mailforge!"
More than 10,000 businesses - from one-person run firms to big Fortune 500 brands - use this tool, and it has a 4.9/5 score on G2. Mailforge has become a top choice for expert email setups. It lets any business, big or small, set up expert email systems without their own IT team.
2. Salesforge
Salesforge is a tool to send cold emails that makes it simple to handle and puts everything in one spot. Made for small shops, it brings all parts of the cold email flow - like checking contacts and making sequences better - into one easy spot. By fitting well with Mailforge's setup, Salesforge gives you strong tools to make your outreach bigger. It also makes managing mailboxes simple, making it a top pick for email talks.
Email Setup
With Salesforge, you can keep using your old mailboxes or make new ones with its own tools. You can look after many mailboxes from one screen, and you don't have to switch between different email apps or tracking systems. This one-stop way makes it easier to work together across different areas and email accounts.
Running Campaigns
Salesforge does well when looking after email plans and contacts. It checks and adds contacts on its own, cutting down on failed emails and keeping the sender's good name. The platform’s smart sequence maker lets you put together many-step plans that change by themselves based on how the receiver acts.
It’s easy to use, so even groups with no tech skills can start plans fast. Beyond just running it, Salesforge uses smart tech to make personalizing better.
Smart Tech Skills
A big thing about Salesforge is its smart-driven personalizing. It pulls info from LinkedIn and websites to make special, right messages for each person. It does more than just put in names, the smart tech comes up with custom starts that match a prospect’s past and what they like.
P Vincent Kumar, a part-time CRO & Sales Boss, said good things about these smart features:
"With this new Al-powered piece of tech-super personalised, the response rate increased by 8x as well as the open rates. Highly recommended!"
This tool, run by GPT-4, makes good and fitting stuff in all tongues. Users say they get 8 times more replies and opens than with normal forms.
Rules Stuff
Salesforge puts rules first. It has things in it that follow law needs. It keeps up with new moves from email groups and makes sure plans fit what is needed. Tim Savage, part-time CRO & sales boss, pointed this out:
"The best part of the platform is the ability to be confident that you are compliant and that you have a team working obsessively to have the best product and platform on the market for the delivery of emails and compliance of the process. I can go as wide as I like with the simplest of systems and a customer service that is always there to help."
Value for Money
Salesforge has plans that are easy to fit into your budget:
- Pro Plan: Pay $40 each month to reach up to 1,000 people and send 5,000 emails.
- Growth Plan: Pay $80 each month to reach up to 10,000 people and send 50,000 emails.
- Agent Frank: Pay $416 each month for no limit on the number of people or emails, best for full use of the tool.
It got a 4.5/5 score on G2 from 26 users. Most people like that it is easy to use and has great help from the team. Vytas Mikulenas, a boss at Lean Sales Systems, told us his story:
"Salesforge and your other products, and your fast support team were crucial in my first 2 years running a lead generation agency. As a solo founder, generating leads for myself and my clients is challenging. Salesforge helped me create a 'lean and mean' pipeline. With a small investment of time and money, I often receive so many leads that I have to pause my campaigns."
Some users say there are hard parts with running a domain and the costs can be high for new companies, but many think that the good results make it worth it when plans are put into action well.
3. Infraforge
Infraforge ups your email game by giving you a own setup with its own IPs, keeping away from shared ones. This way, your good name in sending emails stays safe. For small firms, this power lets you send emails well without fear of others hurting your name.
Email Setup
At its heart, Infraforge is great because of its own IP setup, made just for new contacts emails. The system works to make sure your emails get to where they need to go, not to junk boxes. With quick DNS setting up - including SPF and DKIM - your site and emails are good to go very fast, in about 5 minutes. To push even more, the service spreads your emails over many IPs. Plus, it works well with your campaign tools, making things run smooth and fast.
Campaign Doing
Infraforge has strong API access, letting you have full say in your email plans. This lets you mix it with what you already do and lets you run things without much work. For firms getting big, dealing with lots of emails in many places, this easy way to do things is key.
Money Matters
On cost, Infraforge gives a good deal for firms sending lots of emails. Here's a short look at monthly costs for 200 mailboxes:
| Provider | Monthly Fee | Type of Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Infraforge | $651 | Own setup and fixed IPs |
| Google Workspace | $1,680 | Use with others |
| Microsoft 365 | $1,200 | Use with others |
You can get a mailbox starting at $4 each month, and if you need many, there's a price cut. To set up a domain, it costs $19, and that covers the tech setup done for you.
Extra Tools
Infraforge adds more tools over the simple ones. It has domain hiding with SSL, which keeps your email domains safe and only to you. You can make as many mailboxes as you need, making it easy to reach more people. The platform's API lets you make your own email tasks, which is great for groups or companies that handle many client emails.
With Infraforge, you get trust and control that shared plans can't match. Even though it might cost more at first, the better email sending and keeping a good sender name can really be worth it after some time.
4. Primeforge
Primeforge helps small shops set up Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 mail. They give out US-based IPs so sending emails can be done through trusted names and it works better.
Email Setup
Primeforge pairs up the right email service providers (ESPs) with help from Google and Microsoft servers - places people trust. It sets up key DNS records like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM for you. This makes sure your email fits the norms. Each mailbox uses US-based IPs to boost trust and lets you change your profile picture. This helps make sending emails easy and effective.
Running Campaigns
The mailboxes Primeforge gives work well with Salesforge. They are built on the trusted setups of Google and Microsoft to make email sending better. The system handles DNS and mailbox settings on its own, so you don't have to, saving you time to plan your campaign.
Costs
Primeforge lets you save a lot versus buying straight from Google or Microsoft. Shops can save 46% compared to Google Workspace and 25% compared to Microsoft 365. The cost starts at $4.50 for each mailbox each month. Buying more drops the price to $3.50. Paying for a year through a slot system cuts costs even more. This is great for small shops looking to spend less and do more with cold emails.
Real Results
In 2025, Rahul Lakhaney, CEO of Enrich.so and Maximise, told his story as an early user. After over a year using different email setups, he moved to Google mailboxes through Primeforge to handle more than 10,000 emails a day from different ESPs.
"I've been using a couple of other email infra forges for over a year and have been pretty impressed with deliverability. Now I added Google mailboxes and been using them for months as one of the early adopters to spread the load of 10K+ emails/day over to more ESPs. Stellar deliverability on Salesforge and spam tests always come back green! Excited to spin up some Outlook accounts soon also."
His time shows the platform can always get high send rates and pass spam tests very well.
sbb-itb-fe3169b
5. Leadsforge
Leadsforge makes it easy to build and check lead lists for cold email use. With its smart tech, you just tell it what your perfect customer is like in simple words, and it gets to work. It makes exact lead lists that fit right with your CRM tools.
AI Skills
Leadsforge has a chat-like way to make getting leads easy. Just say what you want - like job titles, company sizes, fields, or places in plain words. The AI then looks for the right people and fills in their contact info, which saves you a lot of time and work.
Running Campaigns
The system works well with well-known CRMs, like Salesforce and HubSpot. This makes sure your leads are managed well in your sales steps. You can break up leads by job, field, or company size, so you can make very focused efforts for each type of person you want to reach.
Staying Legal
Leadsforge cares about following the law, helping you keep in line with data and email rules. It works by GDPR rules, with you as the data boss and it as the data helper. For EU work, it gives a GDPR plan. Also, all marketing emails have easy opt-out links, and it keeps to Google's data rules when using info from Google Accounts.
Saving Money
Leadsforge cuts down costs by 60%, which is big for small groups. Its easy setup lets small teams get good, focused leads without much training or hard steps.
True Success
Leadsforge gets great scores like 4.9/5 on G2, 5/5 on Product Hunt, and 5/5 on TechImply. Many sales teams, bosses, solo workers, and growth marketers love it because they get full and right contact info for their plans.
The mix of quickness, rightness, and easy use makes Leadsforge a must-have tool for teams that need to move fast but still want good leads. Whether alone or in a small group, this system gives you strong results that help you grow your reach.
6. Warmforge
Warmforge focuses on a key but often missed part of cold email success: email deliverability. It makes sure your well-made emails get to your prospects' inboxes, not their spam folders.
Email Setup
Warmforge fits well with both Google Workspace and Outlook mailboxes, offering you choice in how you handle your emails. It checks DNS and MX records and looks at blacklists to find and stop problems with delivery. It also keeps track of key figures like inbox delivery rates, replies, and moving from spam to inbox. This strong base sets your email efforts up to do well.
Campaign Work
To keep your emails out of spam filters, Warmforge slowly ups your sending amount over 2–3 weeks. It even has a free monthly test to make sure your emails end up in the main inbox.
AI Tools
Warmforge goes further with AI tools made to better deliverability. In the warm-up part, its AI makes unique emails to act like real talks. The Deliverability Boost tool auto-removes emails seen as spam, saving your sender name and helping your campaigns go well.
Follow Rules
Warmforge helps you keep in line with GDPR rules. It often checks your DNS settings and scans blacklists, giving you early warnings about possible spam risks. This makes sure your efforts fit industry norms while cutting the risk of delivery problems.
Price
Warmforge is easy on the wallet, at $12 per mailbox each month, with bulk deals dropping the price to as low as $3 per mailbox per month. It's good for small businesses, and Salesforge users get free warm-ups. With a 4.6 rating on G2, Warmforge is a trusted option. Watch your heat score - keeping it between 85 to 100 will help you keep strong deliverability.
7. Agent Frank
Agent Frank is the AI that acts as a Sales Rep, doing it all in the Forge suite from the first to the last step. It looks for leads, writes emails, keeps up with follow-ups, and sets up meetings. Set to work right in The Forge Ecosystem, it makes sure tasks flow well and emails reach their spots.
Email Setup
Agent Frank uses Infraforge for good email set up. For handling 1,000 active contacts, you’ll need about 10 mailboxes at $120 every three months, and 5 domains at $70 each year. This way, your emails hit inboxes well and keep your sending name safe across many places. With Infraforge, Agent Frank fits right into The Forge Ecosystem for strong email work.
Campaign Running
Agent Frank has two modes - Autopilot and Co-pilot. It learns to pick out targeted leads and make emails just right for your perfect customer. Data shows AI Reps qualify leads three times quicker and raise meeting rates by 40% against old ways. Instead of same old emails, Agent Frank tunes its words to match responses, giving up to three changed emails per person. Over time, it gets better at meeting what your market needs.
AI Skills
Agent Frank not just does tasks - it gets your product’s place and shifts its reach as needed. It works all day, finds new leads non-stop, letting your team close deals. A study shows 83% of sales teams with AI for finding leads saw real gains. Plus, ready for over 20 languages, Agent Frank works well for companies reaching out worldwide.
Staying in Line
Rules are key in Agent Frank’s work. It always has a way for people to opt out and follows laws like CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CASL. It also works with Warmforge to keep good sending scores and avoid spam, making sure you do right while reaching out well.
Worth the Cost
At $499 per month (billed every quarter), Agent Frank is a cheap choice compared to regular Sales Reps. Paying yearly gets you two months no cost. This covers managing 1,000 contacts a month. Usually, a normal Rep costs $4,000–$6,000 each month, not counting extras. Agent Frank gives steady results without the need to worry about sick days, breaks, or staff changes.
While starting up takes learning and good data is key for best results, most firms see big gains in weeks as Agent Frank gets better at matching their market and messages.
Good and Bad Points
Let's go over the good and bad sides of each Forge tool, looking at how they help with cold emails for small firms. Each tool has its own good parts and downsides, fitting various needs well.
| Tool | Starting Cost | What's Good | What's Not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailforge | $13/month per spot (at least 10 spots) | Cheap to use; sets up DNS by itself; works with all sending software | Can't change much; need to buy many spots |
| Salesforge | Special cost | Runs full campaigns; can make sequences; fits well with Forge tools | Must set up on its own; hard to learn all features |
| Infraforge | Special cost | Your own space; many IPs; API use; full control | Costs more; too much for very small groups |
| Primeforge | Special cost | Good with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365; IPs in the US; easy email use | Only for some email types; may cost more per box |
| Leadsforge | Special cost | Chat-like look; checked lead lists; works close with Salesforge | Takes time to make good lists; depends on right data |
| Warmforge | Special cost | Starts email warm-up by itself; checks if it gets through; tests placement | Warm-up results slow to show; must use every month |
| Agent Frank | $499/month (billed every 3 months) | Works on its own; handles all the sales work; always on | Hard to learn at first; needs good data; missed human touch |
Cost Thoughts
For small shops, how much money is needed is often key. Mailforge has a nice start price at $130/month for what you need, while Agent Frank, at $499/month, offers a full set-up for shops ready to pay for a no-effort setup.
Mixing and Growth
The Forge set grows with your shop. Tools like Infraforge let you use APIs and have many IPs for growth, while Leadsforge mixes well with Salesforge to make finding and reaching out easier. This linked setup makes sure your email drives stay good and can grow as you need more.
Help with Getting Emails Seen
Making sure emails are seen is big, and some tools help with this right away:
- Warmforge works on making emails more likely to get into inboxes and keeps watch on it.
- Infraforge gives strong help to stop emails from going to spam.
- Mailforge keeps good email flow with its shared setup.
- Primeforge gains from mixing with well-known email providers like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Easy to Use
How easy tools are to use can change:
- Leadsforge has an easy chat-like way to manage leads.
- Mailforge does hard tech jobs like DNS setup, cutting down the need to know a lot.
- Agent Frank works on its own after being set up, needing little help to keep going.
- Salesforge, while full of features, might take more time to learn all it can do.
Rules Made Easy
All Forge tools are made to deal with rules like CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CASL on their own. This is great for small shops that might not have their own legal teams.
Time to Put In
How much time you need can change a lot. Tools like Agent Frank and Warmforge work on their own after you set them up, while Salesforge and Leadsforge need you to do more, mainly early on. But the time you save later - either through automatic setups or better finding and outreach - can be a lot.
Final Look at Using Tools Together
Using many Forge tools at once can make a full plan for your cold email drives. For example, mixing Warmforge for better email seeing with Leadsforge for finding and Salesforge for running drives can handle all you need, for smooth and good outreach.
End Thoughts
Picking the right tool for cold emails depends on your company's size, money, and goals. The Forge system lets you grow by starting with low-cost basics and scaling to full auto.
For new small firms, Mailforge is a smart pick. For $130 a month for 10 mail spots, it makes email outreach easy with auto DNS setup and good email success at a low price.
As your firm gets bigger, mixing Mailforge with Salesforge and Warmforge can lift your efforts. These tools help sort out your emails and up your email success, helping you meet more people.
For firms with many clients, Infraforge gives you your own setup with extra features like many IP setups and branding choices. Its strong API helps you grow well while keeping client work neat and apart.
When you want to fully auto your outreach, Agent Frank will do it for $499 a month. It costs more, but it manages everything on its own, great for firms that want a fully auto way.
To sum up, begin with Mailforge for a strong base, better success with Warmforge, and grow efforts with Salesforge and Leadsforge. This way, you can watch your costs while handling lots of potential people well.
All Forge tools follow CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CASL laws, giving comfort even to firms without their own legal teams. With these tools together, you can keep your cold email efforts good, able to grow, and on the right side of the law as your firm gets bigger.
FAQs
How does Mailforge make email setup easy for small firms?
Mailforge makes email setup easy for small companies by removing the tough work of setting up and handling lots of email areas and boxes. You don't need tech know-how - its simple interface lets you shape email runs fast, saving time and effort.
Also, Mailforge helps make sure your cold emails hit their mark better. With strong support and great tools, it lets firms focus on growing their reach, not the tech part of managing emails.
How does Infraforge's own secret mail setup help more emails get through than shared ones?
Infraforge's own mail setup helps emails get through better by using dedicated IP addresses. This way means your sender score does not get hurt, since you aren't mixed up with other people's actions - a big problem in shared IP plans. With this setup, you get more power and trust, helping your emails go into inboxes, not spam boxes.
More so, Infraforge has tools that start your IP warm and watch how well it does. These tools stay quiet in the back but keep your sender score good over time, cutting down the risk of emails marked as spam. What's the end game? A steadier and sure way to talk to your people.