Ever feel stuck when it comes to reaching new customers? Cold emailing can be a powerful tool to generate leads and grow your business, but it takes time and effort to do it right.
If you’re looking for a software solution to streamline your cold email outreach, you might have encountered Instantly.ai. But is it the right fit for you? We are going to find out.
In this article, we’ll explore reviews about Instantly’s most important features, customer support, and pricing. We’ll also examine its potential alternative.
So, check out this article and decide if Instantly can help you reach your marketing goals.
What is Instantly?
Instantly.ai positions itself as an all-in-one platform for cold email marketing. They offer a variety of tools designed to help businesses with different aspects of cold outreach campaigns.
Let’s break down some of their key features Instantly boasts.
- Outreach. This is the core functionality of Instantly.ai. It allows users to create and send cold email campaigns. Its main option is the ability to add unlimited email accounts within a single campaign. This can help improve the sender reputation and avoid getting flagged for spam. Instantly.ai also offers smart scheduling for better response rates.
- Lead Database. If you’re struggling to find the right people to target, Instantly.ai offers a lead finder tool. It lets you search for potential customers based on various criteria like industry, job title, or location. It offers a pretty vast database of potential customers.
- Deliverability. Instantly.ai offers an email warmup feature. This helps gradually increase the sending volume from your new email accounts, which can improve your overall sender reputation.
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Instantly.ai also includes a CRM feature. It helps you manage your leads and track their progress through your sales funnel. You can use it to mark leads and check their status, such as whether they are interested, won, out of the office, etc. You can also track interactions with them.
However, while Instantly.ai offers many options, you need to consider its limitations before choosing it. It might have some of the more advanced features for cold email software – like advanced automation or deep integrations with other platforms e.g. Zapier – but it still may lack essential features.
Let’s explore Instantly.ai reviews about the lead finder and deliverability network and see what customers think of them.
Instantly B2B lead finder
Instantly.ai streamlines your cold email campaign with its built-in lead finder. This tool acts as your starting point for crafting successful campaigns.
One of the strong advantages of Instantly’s lead finder is its integration with its cold email-sending features. Once you’ve identified your target audience, you can seamlessly transition into crafting and sending personalized outreach emails. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple email accounts and can save you valuable time.
But, while Instantly.ai emphasizes the vastness of its database, some users report limitations.
What customers think about this feature:
Generally speaking – users are quite satisfied with this platform. Most of them appreciate that Instantly offers reliable and accurate lead finding, but there are also those, who find it as a separate purchase and potentially new cost.
There are also concerns about data integration. Some users report that custom details and values associated with leads aren’t always carried over when transferring leads from the finder to the campaign management stage.
This could create extra work for users who need to manually add missing information.
Instantly deliverability network
This feature is designed to help your emails land in inboxes. It’s essentially a large pool of real email accounts (over a million of them), which you can quickly access with a single click.
This deliverability network is supposed to be very easy to use. First, it should make every cold email campaign easy. Second, it should enable you to connect your email accounts and activate the deliverability boost with a single click. Third, it shows you how many emails are landing in inboxes versus spam folders.
But does it do all its jobs?
What do clients think about this feature:
Instantly users show mixed opinions here, too. Most customers highlight their satisfaction with how the tool warms up email accounts and boosts deliverability rates. They also appreciate the convenience of features like the deliverability dashboard and the ability to connect as many email accounts as they want.
However, some people report problems. One major concern is the stability of the warmup process. One user experienced an unpleasant situation when their warmup progress was reset, causing significant delays.
Further, there are concerns about the accuracy of bounce detection, and the timing of email sends. The same user mentioned campaigns were not sent on time or at all, and emails were resent to bounced addresses.
Overall, Instantly.ai’s deliverability features seem promising, but potential bugs and inconsistencies raise concerns.
Customer reviews
Let’s now take a look at some of Instantly’s customer reviews. We have divided them into three groups. There are reviews coming from:
- loyal fans – those who like everything about the tool
- objective users – they see the pros and cons of the tool
- and dissatisfied customers – with only negative use experience.
Here’s what they have to say.
Instantly.ai loyal fans
This audience loves Instantly and what it offers. They praise the entire tool, individual features, warm-up emails, lead management, integrations, and more.
The following are some examples.
Instantly.ai objective users
But not everyone is entirely happy with the tool. Some customers show concerns about the tool (for example, about the price being too high or the inefficiency of some features), but despite such drawbacks, they still use the platform and recommend it further.
Below are examples.
Instantly.ai dissatisfied customers
The last group of users are those totally dissatisfied with the platform’s services. They consider the investment a failure and speak of dire experiences.
They complain about problems with canceling subscriptions, overpricing, features not working, useless customer service, difficulties in setting up the platform, etc.
The following reviews reflect this.
However, we must point out that negative comments are rare, and the vast majority of reviews are complimentary.
Even if customers have some negative thoughts about the tool, as we said before, they still use it and recommend it because it gives them great value.
The general assessment of Instantly.ai on:
- G2 -> 4.9/5.0
- Trustpilot -> 4.6/5.0
Customer support
Instantly provides customer support via its helpdesk, roadmap, and Facebook group.
The helpdesk offers many articles about setup, an account, cold emails, warm-up emails, integrations, and more. The roadmap gives many insights on what’s new, what’s in progress, what’s planned, etc. The Facebook group aims to help marketers polish their cold emailing.
When it comes to customer support, most users rave about their experience. But there are also those who report some concerns, like waiting longer than expected for responses.
On the positive side, some users highlight the helpfulness and knowledge of the Instantly.ai support team. They mention specific instances where support reps went above and beyond to assist with tasks like improving email deliverability or integrating the tool with their business.
But yes, not everyone shares the same sentiment.
Some users report waiting for responses, even when support agents appear to be online. This could be frustrating if you’re facing a time-sensitive issue with your cold campaigns.
Additionally, one user mentioned that the support team can come across as “eager” in their communication style. It may not be the biggest drawback, but imagine you have a problem with all your sending accounts, you don’t know what to do, and support doesn’t seem very friendly. It doesn’t look encouraging, then.
Pricing
Instantly.ai’s pricing seems to be a bit of a sticking point for some users.
Subscription prices start at $37 per month for the Growth plan, then $97 per month for the Hypergrowth plan, and as much as $358 per month costs for the Light Speed plan. Each of these can be tried for free.
Reviews frequently mention finding the prices “too high” or the structure confusing. The basic plan’s limitations and the inability to customize plans can be frustrating for users who need more.
One user wrote that it’s possible to only add 1000 contacts in the basic plan. Another client said they had problems when canceling their subscription. After explaining, Instantly quickly returned the money, but the situation was not pleasant.
Also, some reviews even suggest that using Instantly effectively might require combining multiple plans, which can significantly increase costs.
However, despite the pricing concerns, many users acknowledge the tool’s advantages and continue using it.
Boost your cold email marketing with Woodpecker
Instantly seems to be a worthy competitor in the market of tools for managing cold emails. However, if its various reviews have made you unsure whether to bet on this tool, we have an alternative for you – Woodpecker.co.
Why Woodpecker could be a more strategic choice for your cold email campaigns?
- Woodpecker starts at $29/month, undercutting Instantly’s $37 entry point. It offers free trials as well.
- Even non-technical users can navigate Woodpecker’s interface, which makes launching campaigns a breeze.
- It offers two main products – Cold Email and Agency for bigger needs.
- Woodpecker boasts add-ons and features Instantly lacks, like white-label reporting for a professional touch, and AI-powered video creation that can personalize your outreach.
- This platform enjoys positive reviews as well, so you can be sure about its quality.
Woodpecker is a good option for businesses looking for a user-friendly platform to manage leads, cold email outreach, warm-ups, separate campaigns, and send thousands of emails at a higher volume. It presents a viable alternative with a lower starting price and a reputation for user-friendliness.
So, consider your specific needs, weigh the strengths of both platforms, and choose that tool, that better suits your needs.