A sending platform that added a CRM,
and a CRM that includes sending.
Both platforms can send a cold email sequence, so the feature list is not where the decision is. Instantly was built around deliverability and volume, and that shows in what it is good at: unlimited mailboxes, unlimited warmup, dedicated sending infrastructure and limits that go to half a million emails a month. It has since added a CRM. Signal went the other way, starting from the pipeline and building the sending into it, so a reply lands on the deal rather than in a separate inbox. The honest question is which end of that you need.
A cold email platform, at scale
Built for teams and agencies whose constraint is sending volume and inbox placement.
- Unlimited email accounts and warmup on every plan
- Up to 500,000 emails a month at the top tier
- A lead database Instantly cites at 450M+ records
- Unified inbox for replies across campaigns
- Metered on volume, contacts and credits
A CRM and more, sending included
Built for growing sales teams whose constraint is what happens after the reply.
- Pipeline, activities, forecasting and account history
- Prospect database and enrichment included
- Sequences from your own inbox, replies on the deal
- A booking link that writes back and ends the sequence
- Proposals and quotes
- Unlimited users on every plan
Key day-to-day differences
| Area | Instantly | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built around | Sending volume and deliverability | The pipeline |
| Entry price | $47 Outreach-only, $94 Starter bundle. Cheaper | $99 / month, all six jobs |
| Seats | Unlimited, same as Signal | Unlimited on every plan |
| Metering | Emails, contacts and credits, separately | Workspace limits, one meter |
| Inbox warmup | Unlimited and free on every plan | Not a Signal feature |
| Deals and pipeline | Their own pages disagree on the scope | Pipeline, stages and weighted forecast |
| Scheduler and proposals | Neither found natively | Both on every plan |
Feature comparison
The first section is where Instantly wins, and it is first deliberately. If sending volume or deliverability is your constraint, that section is the answer and the rest of this page is not for you.
Where Instantly is genuinely betterRead this first · At high sending volume Instantly is the stronger tool
If your problem is sending a great deal of cold email reliably, Instantly is built for that and Signal is not. These are real advantages and the rest of the page is written around them, not over them.
| Feature | Instantly | |
|---|---|---|
| Sending volume at the top tier | Up to 500,000 emails a month | Built for a team’s outbound, not an agency’s |
| Unlimited email accounts | On every plan | Your own inbox and domain |
| Unlimited inbox warmup | Included on every plan, no add-on | Not a Signal feature |
| Dedicated sending infrastructure | SISR on the higher tiers | Not offered |
| Deliverability tooling depth | A core part of the product | Sends from your own inbox |
| Entry price | $47 Outreach-only, $94 Starter bundle. Both below ours | $99 flat, with the CRM in it |
| Unlimited seats | One subscription, invite everyone | Every plan |
| Agency and multi-client use | An explicit target market | Single workspace |
Is it a CRM?Instantly has one now · What it covers is less clear than it looks
This needs stating carefully. Instantly does have a CRM product, so the old "it is just a sequencer" line is out of date. But its own CRM marketing page describes a shared inbox, AI messaging, campaign automation and calling, and does not mention deals, pipeline or stages anywhere in its body copy, while its machine-readable fact sheet does describe deal stages, a drag-and-drop pipeline and win/loss analysis. Both were read on the same day. Ask them which is current.
| Feature | Instantly | |
|---|---|---|
| Has a CRM | Yes, and this page does not claim otherwise | The CRM is the whole of it |
| Deals and pipeline stages | In the fact sheet, not on the CRM page | Pipeline, stages and weighted forecast |
| Shared inbox for replies | Unibox, a named strength | Replies land on the account |
| Account and contact history | Inbox-centred | Every conversation on the account |
| Forecasting, run rate and revenue gap | Not found | Included |
| Territories and allocation | Not found | Included |
| CRM priced separately | Priced as its own module in their fact sheet | One plan, one price |
The rest of the sales systemInstantly covers find and send · Signal continues to close
| Feature | Instantly | |
|---|---|---|
| B2B lead database | Instantly cites 450M+ records | 2,000 fresh prospects a month on Launch |
| Lead data metered by credit | Credits on every tier, sold as their own track | No per-reveal credit charge |
| Email sequences | The core of the product | Every plan, from your own inbox |
| Meeting scheduler | Not native. Integrates Calendly | Every plan, writes back to the deal |
| Proposals and quotes | Not found | Every plan |
| Products and price book | Not found | Included |
| A booked meeting updates the deal | Booking happens in another tool | Writes back and ends the sequence |
How each one is meteredNeither is per seat · Instantly meters three things, Signal meters the workspace
Prices below were read from instantly.ai/pricing on 19 September 2026, in US dollars, which Instantly states explicitly.
| Feature | Instantly | |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | No. Unlimited seats on every plan | No. Unlimited users on every plan |
| Per mailbox | No. Unlimited email accounts | No |
| Metered on sending volume | Yes, a headline limit on every tier | No sending meter |
| Metered on uploaded contacts | Yes, 1,000 on the entry bundle | 30,000 records on Launch |
| Metered on lead credits | Yes, a separate track from sending | No per-reveal credit charge |
| Number of things to size before you buy | Three, across Bundles, Outreach and Credits tabs | One plan |
| Entry bundle price | $94 Starter bundle, or $47 on the Outreach-only track | $99 a month, everything included |
Three meters, or one.
Neither charges per seat, so this is not a seat comparison. Instantly meters sending volume, uploaded contacts and lead credits separately, and sells them across three pricing tracks. Signal meters the workspace. Prices read from instantly.ai/pricing on 19 September 2026, in US dollars.
Starter bundle
per month
$85 on annual billing. Unlimited seats and mailboxes.
What the entry bundle allows
5,000 emails a month
1,000 uploaded contacts
1,500 lead credits a month
Three separate meters. Which one runs out first depends on how you work, and you size all three before you buy.
The bundle ladder
$94
Starter
$194
Scale
$555
Agency
Genuinely included
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited inbox warmup, no add-on
- Unlimited seats on one subscription
- A lead database Instantly cites at 450M+ records
- A CRM, though its scope is unclear on their own pages
Launch plan
per month, whole workspace
unlimited users, one meter
What Launch allows
2,000 fresh prospects a month
150 contact reveals a week
30,000 records held
No sending meter and no credit balance. Sequences go from your own inbox at your own limits.
The plan ladder
$99
Launch
$249
Drive
$549
Command
Included on every plan
- CRM, pipeline, activities and forecasting
- B2B prospect database and enrichment
- Sequences that stop when someone replies
- A booking link that writes back to the deal
- Proposals and quotes
- ANI, the built-in AI
Instantly plan prices, allowances and feature availability were read from instantly.ai/pricing, its CRM and lead-finder pages and its published fact sheet on 19 September 2026, in US dollars, which Instantly states explicitly. Instantly’s own pages disagreed with each other in three places on that date: the entry Outreach plan at $47 on the pricing page against $37 on their fact sheet, the Hypergrowth plan at 125,000 emails on its card against 100,000 in the table below it, and a lead database given as 450M+ on three pages and 185M on the CRM page. Figures here are from the live pricing page. Check theirs before deciding.
AI COMPARISON
Instantly’s AI writes and replies.
ANI decides what to do next.
Both use AI seriously and point it at different parts of the job. Instantly has an AI sales agent and an AI reply agent working on the campaign and the inbox. ANI looks at the deals, activity and history in the workspace and tells the team which accounts are worth the next hour and why.
Instantly AI agents
- AI sales agent on every bundle tier
- AI reply agent handling inbox responses
- AI personalisation across campaigns
- Can send a booking link and book meetings
- Works on campaigns and the inbox rather than a pipeline
ANI, AI across the sales workflow
- Find and surface relevant prospects
- Personalise outreach
- Plan follow-up
- Generate sales content
- Identify next actions
- Progress opportunities
Which platform fits your sales team?
Instantly may suit you if:
- Sending volume or inbox placement is your actual constraint
- You run outbound for several clients or brands
- You want unlimited mailboxes and warmup at no extra charge
- You already have a CRM you are happy with
- You need dedicated sending infrastructure
Empiraa Signal may suit you if:
- Replies, meetings and deals currently live in three places
- You want the meeting booked in the same system as the deal
- You would rather size one plan than three separate meters
- You want proposals and a price book after the reply
- Your volume is a sales team’s, not an agency’s
One system from the first email to the signature.
The reply lands on the deal
Not in a separate inbox that someone has to reconcile with the CRM later. The sequence stops, the activity is logged, and the next action is on the record.
One meter, not three
Launch is $99 a month with 2,000 prospects, 150 reveals a week and 30,000 records. No sending limit to size and no credit balance to watch.
Everything after the reply
A booking link that writes back to the deal, proposals priced from your product catalogue, and a forecast that reflects what actually happened.
FAQs
Not sure this comparison is fair? Ask ANI. It will tell you when the other one is the better fit.
Instantly plan prices, allowances, metering and feature availability were read from instantly.ai/pricing, instantly.ai/crm, instantly.ai/b2b-lead-finder and instantly.ai/llms.txt on 19 September 2026, in US dollars. Instantly’s own pages disagreed with each other in three places on that date, noted in the pricing section above, and the figures used here come from the live pricing page. Rows saying “not found” mean no such feature was found on their site that day, not that Instantly states it does not exist. Instantly is a trademark of its owner. Empiraa is not affiliated with Instantly.
If sending is the problem, Instantly is the better tool.
If what happens after the reply is the problem, that is this one. 14 days free, no credit card, unlimited users.
No credit card required