Per-plan, not per-seat. What each tier actually gets you, what the limits mean in practice, and who should pay for Pro.
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 Pro plan bundles a white-label client portal that no other platform at this price point includes. The tradeoff is that Basic runs out of active lead capacity faster than most agencies expect.
SmartLead offers three plans. The differences are not about features -- they are about scale limits and white-label capability.
| Plan | Price | Active leads | Monthly sends | White-label | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39/mo | 2,000 | 6,000 | No | Solo operators, single-client setups |
| Pro | $79/mo | 30,000 | Unlimited | Yes | Agencies managing 2+ clients |
| Custom | $94+/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | Yes | High-volume agencies, dedicated support |
Basic 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, Basic 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 is where SmartLead separates from the field. The active leads cap jumps to 30,000, monthly sends become unlimited, and the white-label client portal unlocks. The portal lets you give each client their own branded login to see campaign performance. Most agencies managing three or more clients should be on Pro -- the white-label capability alone justifies the $40/mo upgrade from Basic.
Custom removes all limits: unlimited active leads, unlimited sends, dedicated account support, and priority onboarding. The starting price is $94/mo but scales based on volume and support requirements. Contact SmartLead's sales team for a custom quote if you are running more than 10 client campaigns simultaneously or require SLA-backed support.
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 default choice for any agency managing more than two clients. The white-label portal alone saves hours per month of manual reporting and is the primary reason agencies choose SmartLead over Instantly.
The white-label client portal is the differentiator. Pro gives 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 Basic ($39) | SmartLead Pro ($79) | 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 |
| White-label portal | No | Yes | No | No |
| AI reply handling | Extra | Extra | No | No |
| Analytics depth | Basic | Advanced | Basic | Advanced |
Instantly does not offer a white-label portal at any tier. If white-labeling matters to your agency, SmartLead Pro at $79/mo has no direct competitor at that price point. If you only need raw sending volume and do not need client-facing dashboards, Instantly Hypergrowth at $97/mo delivers higher send limits. Choose based on what your agency actually needs, not on headline price.
SmartLead offers annual billing with roughly 20% savings. 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. At Pro, annual billing drops the effective monthly cost from $79 to around $63.
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 Pro?
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 at this price point includes native white-labeling. If you are manually exporting and formatting client reports, the portal saves several hours per month. The $40 difference between Basic and Pro pays back quickly.
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 20% off the monthly rate. At Pro, that brings the effective cost from $79/mo to around $63/mo. 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 cheaper than SmartLead Basic ($39/mo) with similar limits. At the agency level, SmartLead Pro ($79/mo) includes a white-label portal that Instantly does not offer at any price. If you need white-labeling, SmartLead wins on value. If you only need volume and no client portal, Instantly Hypergrowth ($97/mo) delivers higher send limits at a comparable price.
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