Per-plan, not per-seat. Four tiers from $39 to $379/mo. What each tier gets you, what the limits mean in practice, and why the real cost is 3-5x the base price.
Rees Bayba
Founder, Astra GTM
TL;DR
SmartLead is built for agencies. The pricing model reflects that: plans are per-account (not per-seat), mailbox connections are unlimited on every tier, and the higher tiers bundle white-label portals that no other platform at this price point includes. SmartLead restructured from three to four tiers in 2025, adding the Unlimited Smart and Unlimited Prime plans while raising Pro from $79 to $94/mo.
SmartLead now offers four plans. The differences are about scale limits, API access, and white-label capability.
| Plan | Price | Active leads | Monthly sends | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $39/mo | 2,000 | 6,000 | Solo operators, single-client setups |
| Pro | $94/mo | 30,000+ | Unlimited | Growing teams needing API + CRM integration |
| Unlimited Smart | $174/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | Agencies managing multiple clients |
| Unlimited Prime | $379/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | High-volume agencies, dedicated support |
Base covers the fundamentals: connect unlimited mailboxes, enroll up to 2,000 active leads at a time, send up to 6,000 emails per month, and access basic analytics. For a solo operator running one or two campaigns, Base is enough. For an agency managing multiple clients, 2,000 active leads fills up fast -- you will hit the ceiling within the first client.
Pro adds API access, webhooks, and CRM integrations that growing teams need. The active leads cap jumps to 30,000+ and monthly sends become unlimited. This tier was $79/mo before the 2025 restructuring. For teams that need to connect SmartLead to their CRM or build automated workflows, Pro is the minimum viable tier.
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These are the agency tiers. Both remove all limits on active leads and sends. Unlimited Smart is designed for multi-client agencies. Unlimited Prime adds dedicated support, priority onboarding, and SLA-backed service. The white-label client portal -- the main reason agencies choose SmartLead over Instantly -- is available on these higher tiers. Annual billing cuts prices by roughly 17% across all tiers.
Every SmartLead plan advertises unlimited mailbox connections. What this means: you can connect as many sending email accounts as you want -- Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, custom SMTP -- without paying per mailbox. You are not limited by mailbox count. You are limited by active leads (how many contacts can be actively enrolled in sequences at once) and, on Basic, by monthly send volume. This is a meaningful advantage over platforms that charge $15-25/mo per connected mailbox.
Active leads is the number of contacts that can be enrolled in sequences and actively receiving emails at any given time. It is the same concept as Instantly's active contacts limit. You can import more leads than the limit into your account -- they just sit in a waiting state until an active slot opens (when a lead finishes a sequence, unsubscribes, or is manually removed). On Basic, 2,000 active leads means you are running at most 2,000 contacts through sequences simultaneously. On Pro, that expands to 30,000.
Pro is the minimum for teams needing API or CRM integration. For agencies needing white-label portals, Unlimited Smart ($174/mo) or Prime ($379/mo) is the move. Budget 3-5x the plan price for total cost including mailboxes, domains, and add-ons.
The white-label client portal is the differentiator. The Unlimited tiers give each of your clients their own branded login where they can see campaign performance, email sends, reply rates, and booked meetings -- all under your agency's brand, not SmartLead's. No other major cold email platform at this price point includes native white-labeling. Instantly does not have it. Lemlist does not include it at equivalent pricing. For agencies that want to look polished and reduce client reporting overhead, this is the deciding factor.
The monthly plan covers core sending functionality. Several capabilities require additional spend.
At the entry level, Instantly is cheaper. At the agency level, the comparison is more nuanced.
| Feature | SmartLead Base ($39) | SmartLead Pro ($94) | Instantly Growth ($37) | Instantly Hypergrowth ($97) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active contacts/leads | 2,000 | 30,000+ | 1,000 | 25,000 |
| Monthly sends | 6,000 | Unlimited | 5,000 | 100,000 |
| Connected mailboxes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| API + webhooks | No | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| AI reply handling | Extra | Extra | No | No |
| Add-on ecosystem | Limited | Full (SmartProspect, Agents, Infra, Dialer) | Instantly Data | Instantly Data |
For agencies needing white-label portals, SmartLead's Unlimited Smart ($174/mo) is the entry point. Instantly does not offer a white-label portal at any tier. If you only need raw sending volume and do not need client-facing dashboards, Instantly Hypergrowth at $97/mo delivers higher send limits at a lower price. Choose based on what your agency actually needs, not on headline price.
SmartLead offers annual billing with roughly 17% savings across all tiers. Monthly billing makes sense while you are evaluating fit or onboarding your first clients. Once you are running more than two active campaigns and plan to use the platform for 6+ months, the annual discount pays for itself.
What is the active leads limit in SmartLead?
Active leads is the maximum number of contacts that can be enrolled in sequences and actively receiving emails at any given time. Basic allows 2,000 active leads, Pro allows 30,000. You can import more leads than the limit -- they wait in queue until an active slot opens. It is the same concept as Instantly's active contacts limit.
Is the white-label portal worth paying for?
For agencies managing two or more clients, yes. The white-label portal gives each client their own branded login to view campaign performance. No other cold email platform includes native white-labeling. Note that white-label is now on the Unlimited tiers ($174+/mo), not Pro. If you are manually exporting and formatting client reports, the portal saves several hours per month.
Is there a catch to 'unlimited emails'?
On Pro and Custom, monthly sends are technically unlimited. The practical ceiling is your active leads cap and your mailbox send limits. Each connected mailbox should send 30-50 emails per day (more risks deliverability damage). 10 mailboxes at 40 sends/day = 400 sends/day = 12,000/month. To send more, you need more mailboxes. The platform cap does not constrain you -- your infrastructure does.
Is SmartLead priced per-seat or per-account?
Per-account. One subscription covers your entire agency -- multiple team members, multiple clients, multiple campaigns. There is no per-seat charge. This is different from tools like Lemlist, which charge per user. For agencies with a team, SmartLead's per-account model is significantly cheaper at scale.
Is annual billing worth it?
If you plan to use SmartLead for more than 6 months, yes. Annual billing saves roughly 17% off the monthly rate. Test monthly first if you are evaluating fit, then switch to annual once you are committed.
How does SmartLead compare to Instantly on cost?
At the entry level, Instantly Growth ($37/mo) is slightly cheaper than SmartLead Base ($39/mo) with similar limits. At the agency level, the comparison shifted after SmartLead's 2025 restructuring: Pro jumped to $94/mo and white-label moved to Unlimited Smart ($174/mo). If you need white-labeling, SmartLead is still the only option. If you only need volume and no client portal, Instantly Hypergrowth ($97/mo) delivers comparable limits at a lower price than SmartLead Pro. Budget for add-ons on either platform -- real costs run 3-5x the plan price.
We implement these systems end-to-end. First sends within 14 days.