Mailscale Review: How It Compares with 3+ Leading ESPs in Cost and Efficiency

By
August 26, 2024
10 min read

Have you ever wondered if Mailscale is worth your investment?

You’re thinking about scaling your email campaigns, and naturally, you want a tool that’s both efficient and cost-effective.

So, you consider Mailscale because it offers the convenience of buying domains and email accounts in one place.

But then, you start wondering: Is it really as effective as it sounds? What about its deliverability? How does it stack up against other email service providers (ESPs) in terms of cost and efficiency?

Trust me, I’ve been there – questioning whether a tool can truly deliver on its promises. When you’re about to spend money and time, you need to be sure.

That’s why I took Mailscale for a spin and compared it with 5 leading ESPs. I wanted to know how it performs, whether it’s reliable, and if it really is a cost-effective option because Mailscale users have something else to say about it. 

Mailscale-user-experience-thread-on-Reddit
This image shows the user review of Mailscale on Reddit

In this Mailscale review, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Mailscale, from its setup process to its pricing, and how it fares against competitors like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Mailforge.

By the end, you’ll have all the information you need to decide if Mailscale is the right fit for your email marketing needs.

Curious about how Mailscale compares in terms of setup time, pricing, and deliverability?

Keep reading, and I’ll reveal everything you need to know!

What is Mailscale?

Mailscale is a software tool that helps you create and manage multiple email accounts quickly and easily. If you're involved in cold email outreach, you know that sending too many emails from one account can get you flagged as spam. 

Mailscale-Homepage
This image shows the homepage of Mailscale

Mailscale solves this problem by allowing you to generate up to 1,000 email accounts, so you can send emails at scale without worrying about deliverability issues.

It automates the setup process, including all the technical details like DNS records (DKIM, DMARC, SPF), making it much faster and cheaper than traditional methods. 

Essentially, Mailscale is designed to help you reach more potential clients through email without the usual hassle or high costs.

Now let’s take a look at how it works. 

How does Mailscale Work?

Let me walk you through how it works with some practical examples. 

Step 1: Setting Up Email Accounts

When you want to start a cold email campaign, the first thing you need is a bunch of email accounts. 

Normally, setting up these accounts would mean buying domains, configuring DNS settings like DKIM, DMARC, and SPF, and manually creating each email account—this can take days, especially if you need 50 or more accounts. Mailscale simplifies this by automating the entire process.

Example: Let’s say you need 100 email accounts to target thousands of potential clients. With Mailscale, you fill out a simple form with your desired email account names, and within minutes, Mailscale generates these accounts for you. 

No need to manually set up each one. You’ll receive a CSV file with all your ready-to-use email accounts that you can import into your email sending tool.

Step 2: Automating Technical Setup

One of the biggest hurdles in email outreach is ensuring that your emails don’t land in the spam folder. To do this, you need to properly configure DNS settings like DKIM, DMARC, and SPF for each email account. 

This is typically a very technical and time-consuming task, but Mailscale automates it for you.

Example: Imagine you’re launching a new product and want to send emails from 50 different accounts. Normally, you’d have to set up these technical records for each account manually. Mailscale takes care of this automatically, ensuring that your emails have the best chance of landing in the recipient’s inbox.

Step 3: Warmup Period

To achieve high deliverability, Mailscale includes a warm up period for your email accounts. During this time, emails are sent gradually to build a good reputation for your new accounts, which helps avoid getting flagged as spam.

Example: If you’re planning a big marketing push, you might start with a 14-day warmup period where Mailscale slowly increases the number of emails sent from each account. 

This process ensures that by the time you’re ready to go full throttle, your accounts are well-prepared, and your emails are more likely to be opened by the recipients. 

Step 4: Managing and Scaling Campaigns

Once your email accounts are set up and warmed up, you can use them to run your campaigns. Mailscale integrates easily with popular email sending tools, allowing you to import your accounts with a single click.

Example: Suppose you’re an agency looking to scale your outreach. You can create campaigns where each of your 100 email accounts sends 30-50 emails per day. 

This way, you can reach thousands of potential clients each month without risking your emails getting blocked. Mailscale makes it easy to manage these campaigns, so you can focus on getting results rather than worrying about the technical side of things.

Mailscale Pricing: How much does it cost? [Detailed Breakdown]

Mailscale-Pricing
This image shows the pricing of Mailscale

Solopreneur Plan: $79 per month

If you’re just getting started and want to book your first 2-5 sales calls a month, the Solopreneur plan is worth considering.

  • $79 per month.
  • Up to 15 email accounts ($5.26 per account each month).
  • Setup takes just 5 minutes with automated DNS/DKIM/SPF.
  • Limited access to new features.
  • 27% cheaper than using Google or Outlook.

So, if you're a solopreneur, this plan gives you a solid start. But keep in mind, as your business grows, the limitations, especially the restricted access to new features, might become a bit frustrating.

Business Plan: $119 per month

If you’re aiming to book 10-50+ sales calls a month, the Business plan might be a better fit.

  • $119 per month.
  • Up to 50 email accounts ($2.38 per account each month).
  • Setup in just 5 minutes, with automated DNS/DKIM/SPF.
  • Priority support included.
  • Free cold email course with an AI reply bot tutorial.
  • No priority access to new features.

This plan offers more email accounts at a lower cost per account, plus some handy extras like priority support and a cold email course. However, not getting priority access to new features could be a drawback if you're planning to scale up.

Enterprise Plan: $249 per month 

For those managing large-scale outreach, the Enterprise plan at $249 per month could be the way to go.

  • $249 per month.
  • Up to 200 email accounts ($1.20 per account each month).
  • Setup takes just 5 minutes, with automated DNS/DKIM/SPF.
  • Priority support included.
  • Free cold email course with an AI reply bot tutorial.
  • Upgrade for just $1 per additional email account.
  • Priority access to new features.

This plan is ideal if you’re handling massive email campaigns, with the lowest cost per account and the flexibility to add more as needed. The priority access to new features ensures you’re always ahead of the curve, which can be crucial in staying competitive.

Final Recommendation: Choose Mailforge (Here’s Why)

If you're focused on cold email outreach and want the best balance of price, features, and ease of use, Mailforge is the way to go. 

It’s not only easier to set up than most alternatives, but it also provides detailed analytics and excellent deliverability optimization—critical factors for successful cold emailing.

 While Mailscale is a strong contender, especially for large-scale operations, Mailforge offers a more comprehensive and user-friendly experience for most users. 

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