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The best email warmup tools for 2026

Email warmup tools exchange automated, human-looking messages between real inboxes so a new sending domain earns a reputation before you run cold campaigns. We grouped 11 by job: standalone warmup networks, warmup bundled into a sender, and deliverability suites that add inbox-placement testing.

By Rahul Bageria, co-founder · Updated June 2026

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The short answer

Pick by what you are trying to do

There is no single best tool, only the best for a job. Here is where to start in six common situations, with the full reasoning further down.

Tight budget
Warmforge

At $10 per mailbox with a monthly placement test included, it is the cheapest credible standalone warmup here.
Many inboxes
TrulyInbox

It bills on warmup volume with unlimited connected accounts, so dozens of inboxes do not multiply the price.
Already sending on a platform
Smartlead

Unlimited warmup ships free on every plan, so there is no separate warmup bill if you send here.
Placement testing
Mailreach

It pairs warmup with built-in spam testing so you can see exactly where your mail lands across providers.
Broken deliverability
Folderly

It is built for diagnosing and repairing a damaged sender reputation, not just routine daily warmup.
High-volume marketing
InboxAlly

Its engagement-based reputation training fits real send volume better than inbox-to-inbox warmup.
At a glance

All 11 tools at a glance

Starting prices are the lowest paid tier on each tool's own site, checked in June 2026. Grouped by type, not ranked.

Tool Type Best for Starts at Free option Placement testing
Warmforge Standalone warmup Cheap per-mailbox warmup $10/mo per mailbox No Yes, 1 free test/mo included; paid tiers above
Warmup Inbox Standalone warmup Per-inbox warmup with free DNS checks $19/mo per inbox 7-day trial No (warmup-only; free SPF/DMARC tools)
TrulyInbox Standalone warmup Warming many inboxes on volume pricing Free plan Free plan No (warmup + deliverability tracking)
Mailivery Standalone warmup Flat-rate warmup across unlimited mailboxes $29/mo Free trial No (warmup-only; spam-placement checks)
Lemwarm Warmup network (lemlist) Lemlist users and small teams Free with lemlist Free with lemlist plan No (warmup + SPF/DKIM/DMARC checks)
Instantly Bundled (sending platform) Teams already sending on Instantly $37/mo Free trial No (warmup bundled; no standalone placement test)
Smartlead Bundled (sending platform) Agencies running many inboxes on Smartlead $39/mo Free trial No (warmup bundled; no standalone placement test)
Mailreach Deliverability suite Trusted warmup paired with spam testing $19.50/mo per mailbox No Yes, spam testing included
Warmy.io Deliverability suite AI warmup plus deliverability monitoring $49/mo per mailbox Free trial Yes, placement test + deliverability monitor
Folderly Deliverability suite Reputation repair and premium diagnostics $96/mo per mailbox Free tier (Inbox Insights / Pulse) Yes, Inbox Insights placement testing
InboxAlly Deliverability suite Higher-volume senders and email marketers $149/mo 10-day trial Yes, placement testing + seed list

Prices move. Treat this as a June 2026 snapshot and check the live page before you buy.

How we picked

A practitioner read, not a reposted directory

This list covers warmup tools a lean, early-stage team would actually run, with every price checked on the tool's own site in June 2026. We left out Warmbox and Allegrow, covered by closer picks like Warmup Inbox and Mailreach, and folded Instantly and Smartlead in as the bundled-warmup contrast.

We run outbound on several of these tools every week, so the read on each one comes from using it, not from a spec sheet.

What this list is, and is not

  • → Pricing verified on each tool's own site, June 2026
  • → Ratings are live G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot scores, linked and checked June 2026
  • → No affiliate links and no paid placements
  • → Built for lean, early-stage teams, not enterprise buyers
  • → Honest about where each tool is the wrong call
The real split

Three jobs, three kinds of tool

Warmup tools split into three camps, and the wrong camp means paying for a suite you do not need or bolting on a network you already get free.

Standalone warmup networks

Warmforge, Warmup Inbox, TrulyInbox, Mailivery, Lemwarm

Pure warmup: connect inboxes, join a pool of real mailboxes, and build sending reputation without buying a whole sending platform.

Use it when you just need reputation building for inboxes and do not want a full suite.

Warmup bundled into a sender

Instantly, Smartlead

Warmup that ships free inside a cold-email sending platform, so you do not pay a separate warmup bill if you already send there.

Use it when you already send cold email on one of these platforms.

Deliverability suites

Mailreach, Warmy.io, Folderly, InboxAlly

Warmup plus inbox-placement testing and reputation diagnostics, so you can see where your mail actually lands instead of guessing.

Use it when you want to measure inbox placement, not just trust a green dashboard.

One more thing that matters in 2026: shared warmup-pool signatures are increasingly detectable, so the smart move is to pair a warmer with placement testing rather than trust a dashboard, and to skip a separate warmup bill if your sender already includes one.

The 11 tools

Grouped by the job they do best

Grouped by the job they do best, not ranked one to eleven. Read the group that matches your situation.

Group A

Standalone warmup networks

Pure warmup: connect inboxes, join a pool of real mailboxes, and build sending reputation without buying a whole sending platform.

01

Warmforge

4.5 G2 19 Standalone warmup

One of the cheapest credible standalone warmers, built for lean teams that want per-mailbox warmup with a placement test thrown in.

Best for

Lean teams that want cheap per-mailbox warmup, especially anyone already in the Salesforge orbit.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Warmup $10/mo per mailbox with one placement test included; placement-test plans run $39 to $169/mo, and warmup is free with any Salesforge plan. No free trial.

Where it shines

At $10 per mailbox it bundles a monthly inbox-placement test most rivals charge extra for.

Skip it if

Reviewers report mailbox disconnections and shaky DNS tracking, and there is no free trial.

Bottom line

Go-to for the lowest per-inbox warmup price with a placement test included, or free if you already run Salesforge.

Visit Warmforge
02

Warmup Inbox

4.6 G2 47 Standalone warmup

Simple per-inbox warmup with free DNS and DMARC checks, and a real free trial before you pay.

Best for

Operators who want simple per-inbox warmup with free DNS and DMARC checks and a real free trial before paying.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Per inbox: Basic $19, Pro $59, Max $99/mo, no volume discount. Seven-day free trial, no card.

Where it shines

Fast setup, per-ESP warmup across Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, and genuinely useful free DNS, SPF and DMARC tools.

Skip it if

With no volume discount, per-inbox pricing gets expensive once you run more than a handful of mailboxes.

Bottom line

Go-to when you run a few inboxes and want a clean, no-frills warmer you can trial free first.

Visit Warmup Inbox
03

TrulyInbox

4.1 G2 29 Standalone warmup

The pick when you warm many inboxes and want to pay for warmup volume, not per connected account.

Best for

Agencies and teams warming many inboxes who want to pay for warmup volume, not per connected account.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Free plan (1 account, 10 emails/day); volume plans with unlimited accounts run Starter $29, Growth $99, Scale $199, Scale+ $479/mo. Seven-day trial, no card.

Where it shines

It charges for emails sent, not accounts connected, so dozens of inboxes do not multiply the bill, plus a real free tier.

Skip it if

The free and Starter tiers cap daily volume low, pushing heavy senders up to the $99-plus plans quickly.

Bottom line

Go-to when you manage many inboxes on a budget and want volume-based pricing instead of per-mailbox fees.

Visit TrulyInbox
04

Mailivery

4.4 G2 12 Standalone warmup

Flat-rate warmup across unlimited mailboxes, with AI-written, human-looking exchanges that actively work mail out of spam.

Best for

Small teams that want flat-rate warmup across unlimited mailboxes with AI-written, human-looking exchanges.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Flat rate for unlimited mailboxes within a daily cap: Starter $29, Professional ~$99, Business ~$199/mo.

Where it shines

Flat pricing for unlimited inboxes within a daily cap, and it scored ~94% inbox placement in independent testing.

Skip it if

Its G2 footprint is thin (around a dozen reviews) and it does not include the standalone inbox-placement testing the suites offer.

Bottom line

Go-to when you want predictable flat-rate warmup that scales to many mailboxes without per-inbox charges.

Visit Mailivery
05

Lemwarm

Warmup network (lemlist)

Lemlist's own warmup network, free on Email Pro and up, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks built in.

Best for

Lemlist users who get warmup free on Email Pro and up, and small teams running 1 to 3 inboxes.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Free for lemlist subscribers on Email Pro ($79/mo) and up; standalone it is $29/mo per inbox (Essential) or $49/mo (Smart).

Where it shines

It taps lemlist's 20,000-plus domain network and ships free inside Email Pro plans, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks built in.

Skip it if

As a standalone tool the $29-per-inbox price is hard to justify against $10 to $22 rivals.

Bottom line

Go-to when you already run lemlist, where warmup comes free, rather than as a standalone purchase.

Visit Lemwarm

Not sure which of these fits your stage? We audit cold email setups and build the full motion for early-stage teams.

Book a Fit Check
Group B

Warmup bundled into a sender or suite

Warmup that ships free inside a cold-email sending platform, so you do not pay a separate warmup bill if you already send there.

06

Instantly

4.8 G2 4k+ Bundled (sending platform)

Warmup folded free into the sending plan with unlimited inboxes, drawing on one of the largest pools in the category.

Best for

Teams already sending cold email on Instantly who want warmup included rather than billed separately.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Free from the Growth plan up (~$37/mo annual) with unlimited accounts and unlimited warmup; an isolated Private Pool starts around $1,000/mo.

Where it shines

Warmup is free inside the sending plan with unlimited inboxes, drawing on one of the largest pools in the category.

Skip it if

It only makes sense if you send through Instantly, and large shared-pool signatures are increasingly detectable, which is why the Private Pool exists.

Bottom line

Go-to when Instantly is already your sender and you want warmup folded into the plan you pay for.

Visit Instantly
07

Smartlead

4.6 G2 300+ Bundled (sending platform)

Unlimited warmup on every tier including the $39 Base plan, a real cost advantage for agencies juggling many mailboxes.

Best for

Agencies running many client inboxes on Smartlead who want unlimited warmup at no extra cost.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Every plan includes unlimited accounts and unlimited warmup: Base $39, Pro $94, Unlimited Smart $174, Unlimited Prime $379/mo.

Where it shines

Unlimited warmup ships on every tier including the $39 Base plan, a real cost advantage for agencies juggling many mailboxes.

Skip it if

Warmup only helps if Smartlead is your sender, and "unlimited" applies to mailboxes and warmup, not sending volume or verified emails, which stay tiered.

Bottom line

Go-to when you send on Smartlead at scale and want warmup across every inbox without a separate line item.

Visit Smartlead
Group C

Deliverability suites with placement testing

Warmup plus inbox-placement testing and reputation diagnostics, so you can see where your mail actually lands instead of guessing.

08

Mailreach

4.7 G2 43 Deliverability suite

The incumbent warmup-plus-spam-testing combo, pairing a 20,000-plus real-inbox network with inbox-placement testing across major providers.

Best for

Teams that want a trusted warmup default paired with spam testing so they can see inbox placement, not warm up blindly.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

All-in-One (warmer plus spam tester) is $19.50/mo per mailbox and includes 20 spam-test credits; the standalone Spam Tester runs about $0.21 per credit. No free trial.

Where it shines

It pairs warmup with built-in placement testing across major providers and runs a 20,000-plus real-inbox network, so you measure where mail lands.

Skip it if

There is no free trial, so with a 14 to 30 day warmup window you are $20 to $40 in before you know it works on your domain.

Bottom line

Go-to when you want the incumbent warmup-plus-spam-testing combo and are comfortable paying from day one.

Visit Mailreach
09

Warmy.io

4.8 G2 498 Deliverability suite

A full AI deliverability suite: warmup with placement tests, a deliverability monitor, Google Postmaster integration, and per-ESP targeting.

Best for

Teams that want AI-driven warmup plus deliverability monitoring, Google Postmaster integration, and per-ESP targeting.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Per-mailbox, volume-based tiers around $49 (Starter), $129, $189, $279 and $429/mo, though the site now steers buyers to a quote. Seven-day free trial, no card.

Where it shines

It adds AI warmup with placement tests, a deliverability monitor, and Google Postmaster integration, with a free trial before you pay.

Skip it if

At $49 a mailbox to start it is one of the priciest entry points here, and pricing has drifted toward custom quotes rather than fixed public rates.

Bottom line

Go-to when you want a full AI deliverability suite and per-ESP warmup, and the higher per-inbox price is worth the diagnostics.

Visit Warmy.io
10

Folderly

4.8 G2 100+ Deliverability suite

Built for reputation repair, with deep diagnostics, placement testing through Inbox Insights, and free Pulse monitoring with Slack and SMS alerts.

Best for

Teams with a damaged sender reputation that need premium diagnostics and reputation repair, not just routine warmup.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Core Folderly is $96/mo per mailbox; Inbox Insights placement testing has a free tier then $79/mo for 100 tests, and Pulse monitoring is free. No free trial on the core product.

Where it shines

Built for reputation repair with deep diagnostics, placement testing through Inbox Insights, and free Pulse monitoring with Slack and SMS alerts.

Skip it if

At $96 per mailbox it is the most expensive option here, and some users report automation bugs that blasted thousands of emails overnight.

Bottom line

Go-to when deliverability is already broken and you need premium diagnostics and repair rather than basic warmup.

Visit Folderly
11

InboxAlly

4.6 G2 47 Deliverability suite

Engagement-based reputation training for higher-volume senders, with placement testing, a broad seed list, and list verification.

Best for

Higher-volume senders and email marketers who want engagement-based reputation training, not just inbox-to-inbox warmup.

Pricing (Jun 2026)

Priced per sender profile: Starter $149, Plus $645, Premium $1,190/mo, Enterprise custom, with core features on every tier. Ten-day free trial, no card.

Where it shines

It trains mailbox providers with engagement signals like opens, clicks and replies, and includes placement testing with a broad seed list plus list verification.

Skip it if

At $149/mo for one sender profile it is built for volume senders, so it is overkill and overpriced for a lean team warming a few cold-email inboxes.

Bottom line

Go-to when you send real volume and want engagement-based reputation training, not a cheap per-inbox warmer.

Visit InboxAlly
How to choose

What should you pick?

Find your situation below and start with the tool next to it. It is a sensible starting point, not the only right answer.

You run a handful of inboxes on a tight budget

Start with Warmforge at $10 per mailbox, or Warmup Inbox if you want a 7-day trial first.

You are an agency warming dozens of client mailboxes

Use volume or flat-rate pricing from TrulyInbox or Mailivery instead of per-inbox tools.

You already send cold email on Instantly or Smartlead

Use the native warmup that ships free in your plan before paying for a separate tool: Instantly or Smartlead.

You want proof of where your mail lands, not just warmup

Pick a suite with placement testing like Mailreach or Warmy.io.

Your domain reputation is already damaged

Go to Folderly for diagnostics and repair rather than a basic warmer.

You send real marketing volume, not just cold outreach

Use InboxAlly's engagement-based training built for higher seed volume.

Putting it together

How to build your stack

It depends on where you send and the shape your reputation is in. Three common starting points, where the tool matters less than running placement testing alongside warmup.

1
Lean cold-email stack

Pair native warmup inside Instantly or Smartlead with a cheap standalone like Warmforge for inboxes you run outside the platform.

2
Measure-as-you-warm stack

Run a warmup network for reputation building and add Mailreach or Warmy.io placement testing so you can see inbox placement, not assume it.

3
Reputation-repair stack

When deliverability is already broken, lead with Folderly diagnostics, fix the underlying domain and content issues, then keep a lightweight warmer running afterward.

Want a second pair of hands? We audit setups and run the whole motion for early-stage teams.

Book a Fit Check
FAQ

Questions people ask

What is an email warmup tool?
An email warmup tool connects your sending inbox to a network of other real mailboxes and automatically exchanges messages between them. Those messages get opened, replied to, and marked "not spam," which signals to providers like Gmail and Outlook that your inbox is a trusted sender. The point is to build a sending reputation on a new domain or inbox before you start real cold outreach, so your campaigns land in the inbox instead of spam.
How much do email warmup tools cost?
Standalone warmup runs from about $10 per mailbox per month (Warmforge) up to per-inbox tiers like Warmup Inbox at $19 to $99. Volume and flat-rate tools like TrulyInbox and Mailivery start around $29 per month for many inboxes. Deliverability suites cost more: Mailreach is $19.50 per mailbox, Warmy.io starts at $49, Folderly is $96, and InboxAlly starts at $149 per month. If you already send on Instantly or Smartlead, warmup is included free in your plan.
Is standalone email warmup still worth it in 2026?
It depends on how you send. In 2026 the signatures of shared warmup pools are increasingly detectable, and providers can spot inbox-to-inbox patterns that do not look like real conversations. If you already send through Instantly or Smartlead, their native pools are free and usually enough. Standalone warmup still earns its place for inboxes outside those platforms, for reputation repair, and when you pair it with placement testing so you are measuring results rather than trusting a green dashboard.
Do Instantly and Smartlead include warmup?
Yes. Smartlead includes unlimited warmup on every plan including its $39 Base tier, and Instantly includes unlimited warmup from its Growth plan up at roughly $37 per month annually. Both draw on large shared pools, so if you send cold email on either platform you usually do not need a separate warmup subscription. Instantly also sells an isolated Private Pool starting around $1,000 per month for teams that want to avoid the shared network.
What is the difference between warmup and inbox-placement testing?
Warmup builds your sender reputation over time by generating positive engagement signals from a network of inboxes. Inbox-placement testing tells you where a given email actually lands right now, across providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, by sending to a seed list and reporting inbox versus spam. Warmup is the ongoing work; placement testing is the measurement. Suites like Mailreach, Warmy.io, Folderly, and InboxAlly combine both, while pure warmup networks only do the first.
How long does email warmup take to work?
Most tools quote 2 to 4 weeks before a new inbox is ready for real campaigns, and a brand-new domain takes longer than an aged one. Watch out for tools with no free trial, like Warmforge and Mailreach, because you commit to a paid month before you can tell whether warmup is improving placement on your domain. The honest move is to run placement testing alongside warmup so you know when an inbox is genuinely ready.
Rahul Bageria, co-founder of Real Good GTM
About the author
Rahul Bageria

Co-founder of Real Good GTM. He has been the first business hire and Chief of Staff at seed-stage B2B startups, building outbound pipeline before any playbook existed. This guide comes from running these tools on live campaigns, watching where warmup actually moves the needle and where it does not.

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More from Real Good GTM

Keep going

Warmup is one layer of deliverability. Here are two more tool guides for the layers that sit right next to it.

Tool guide

Best cold email infrastructure tools

The domains, mailboxes, and sending setup that warmup runs on top of, compared for lean teams.

Read the guide
Tool guide

Best email verification tools

Clean lists protect the reputation warmup builds, so here are the verifiers worth paying for in 2026.

Read the guide

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