A sending platform with a CRM row,
and a CRM that sends.
Smartlead does outbound sending well. Unlimited email accounts and unlimited basic warmup on every plan is a better deal than most of the market offers, and tying the lead data allowance to sending volume is a genuinely smart pricing idea. Where the comparison gets useful is the CRM Access row in its pricing table: it is absent on the $39 plan and starts at $94, and even above that Smartlead’s own pages disagree about whether it means a pipeline or a sync to somebody else’s. Signal starts from the pipeline and builds the sending into it.
Cold email at volume
Built for teams and agencies whose constraint is sending and inbox placement.
- Unlimited email accounts and basic warmup on every plan
- Up to 500,000 emails a month on the top plan
- SmartProspect, 300M+ profiles, earned by sending
- Unified inbox for replies
- CRM access from the second tier up
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 on every plan
- Sequences from your own inbox, replies on the deal
- A booking link that writes back and ends the sequence
- Proposals and quotes
- Unlimited users, no add-ons
Key day-to-day differences
| Area | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $39 / month on Base | $99 / month |
| First plan with CRM access | Pro, $94 / month | Launch, $99 / month |
| Seats | Not per seat | Unlimited on every plan |
| Mailboxes | Unlimited on every plan | Your own inbox and domain |
| Add-ons | Six, including $59 premium warmup on Base and Pro | None |
| Scheduler and proposals | Neither found | Both on every plan |
| Where it is from | Australian, 521 Products Pty Ltd, Sydney | Australian, Melbourne |
Feature comparison
The first section is where Smartlead wins, including on entry price, and it is first on purpose. If sending volume is your constraint, that section is the answer.
Where Smartlead is genuinely betterRead this first · The entry price is lower and the sending model is good
Smartlead Base is $39 a month, which is less than Signal Launch, and its unlimited mailbox model is a real advantage for anyone running volume. These rows are not concessions for the sake of balance, they are the reasons people choose it.
| Feature | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $39 a month, $32.50 on annual | $99 a month |
| Unlimited email accounts | On every plan, explicitly stated | Your own inbox and domain |
| Unlimited basic warmup | On every plan, no add-on | Not a Signal feature |
| Sending volume at the top tier | 500,000 emails a month on Prime | Built for a team, not an agency |
| Deliverability tooling | SmartDelivery inbox placement testing | Not offered |
| White-label client workspaces | From $29 a month per workspace | Single workspace |
| Lead credits earned by sending | Every 3 emails sent earns 1 verified prospect email | A fixed monthly allowance instead |
What "CRM Access" meansNot on the $39 plan at all · And its scope is unclear above it
Smartlead’s pricing table has a CRM Access row, and it is worth reading carefully before comparing prices. Base, the $39 plan, does not have it. It starts at Pro, $94 a month. Above that, Smartlead’s own pages disagree about what it covers: its fact sheet describes Kanban deal tracking, while its unified inbox product page describes pushing replies into your CRM, meaning a separate one.
| Feature | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| CRM access on the entry plan | Not on Base at $39 | The CRM is the whole of it |
| CRM access from | Pro, $94 a month | Launch, $99 a month |
| Deals and pipeline stages | Fact sheet says Kanban; product page says push to your CRM | Pipeline, stages and weighted forecast |
| Unified inbox for replies | A named strength | Replies land on the account |
| Account and contact history | Inbox-centred | Every conversation on the account |
| Forecasting and revenue targets | Not found | Included |
| You still need a separate CRM | On Base, certainly. Above it, unclear | No |
The rest of the sales systemSmartlead finds and sends · Signal continues to the signature
| Feature | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| B2B lead database | SmartProspect, 300M+ profiles | 2,000 fresh prospects a month on Launch |
| How lead data is earned | Allowance tied to emails sent, 3 sent earns 1 | A fixed monthly allowance, no sending required |
| Email sequences | The core of the product | Every plan, from your own inbox |
| Meeting scheduler | Not found anywhere on their site | Every plan, writes back to the deal |
| Proposals and quotes | Not found | Every plan |
| Products and price book | Not found | Included |
| Calling | SmartDialer add-on from $9 on Base and Pro, included from Unlimited Smart | Not a Signal feature |
Plans and add-onsFour plans and six add-ons · One plan, no add-ons
Read from smartlead.ai/pricing on 19 September 2026. Smartlead shows a bare dollar symbol with no currency code, so the currency is not stated on their page.
| Feature | Smartlead | |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | No | No. Unlimited users |
| Per mailbox | No. Unlimited email accounts | No |
| Metered on contacts stored | 2,000 on Base, 30,000 on Pro, then unlimited | 30,000 records on Launch |
| Metered on emails sent | 6,000 a month on Base | No sending meter |
| Premium warmup pool | $59 a month add-on on Base and Pro | Not a Signal feature |
| Add-ons sold separately | Six, including SmartServers and whitelabel | None |
| API access | Prime, $379 a month | Not a published Signal feature |
$39 is real.
So is what it leaves out.
Smartlead Base is cheaper than Signal Launch and this page is not going to pretend otherwise. What Base does not include is CRM access, which starts at Pro, $94 a month. Prices read from smartlead.ai/pricing on 19 September 2026.
Pro plan, the first with CRM access
per month
$78.30 on annual billing. Base is $39 with no CRM access.
What Pro allows
30,000 contacts stored
90,000 emails sent a month
30,000 verified prospect emails a month
The premium warmup pool is a $59 a month add-on on this plan, and calling is not included until Unlimited Smart.
The plan ladder
$39
Base
$94
Pro
$174 / $379
Smart / Prime
Sold separately
- Premium warmup pool, $59 a month on Base and Pro
- SmartDelivery inbox testing, from $49 a month
- SmartDialer calling, from $9 a month
- SmartServers, $39 per server per month
- White-label workspaces, $29 each per month
- API access is not an add-on: it requires the Prime plan
Launch plan
per month, whole workspace
unlimited users, no add-ons
What Launch allows
30,000 records held
2,000 fresh prospects a month, no sending required
150 contact reveals a week
CRM, pipeline and forecasting are the whole of it rather than a row on the plan table, and there are no add-ons to price.
The plan ladder
$99
Launch
$249
Drive
$549
Command
Included, not sold separately
- 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
Smartlead plan prices, allowances, the CRM Access row and add-on prices were read from smartlead.ai/pricing and its published fact sheet on 19 September 2026. Smartlead displays a bare dollar symbol with no currency code, so the currency is not stated on their page and is not asserted here. Smartlead trades as 521 Products Pty Ltd and describes itself as made in Sydney, so like Empiraa it is an Australian company.
AI COMPARISON
Smartlead’s AI runs campaigns.
ANI runs the pipeline.
Smartlead describes itself as an AI-native outbound system, and the AI is pointed at sending: personalisation, campaign management and inbox handling. ANI looks at deals, activity and history in the workspace and says which accounts deserve the next hour.
Smartlead AI
- AI-native outbound campaign management
- Personalisation across sequences at volume
- Unified inbox with AI-assisted reply handling
- SmartDialer AI voice calling, an add-on below Unlimited Smart
- Aimed at the campaign rather than the deal
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?
Smartlead may suit you if:
- Sending volume or inbox placement is the actual constraint
- You run outbound for several clients and want white-label workspaces
- You want unlimited mailboxes and warmup at the lowest entry price
- You already have a CRM you are happy with
- You send consistently, so earning lead credits by sending suits you
Empiraa Signal may suit you if:
- You do not want a CRM decision sitting beside the sending tool
- You want the reply, the meeting and the deal on one record
- You would rather one price than a plan plus six possible add-ons
- You want prospect data without having to send first to earn it
- You need proposals and a price book after the reply
One price, and nothing to add on.
No add-on list
Launch includes the CRM, the prospect data, the sequences, the booking link, the proposals and ANI. There is no warmup pool, server, workspace or API tier to buy on top.
2,000 prospects a month, not earned by sending
A fixed monthly allowance found against your ideal customer profile, so you can research and build a list before you have sent anything.
Everything after the reply
A booking link that writes back to the deal, proposals priced from your 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.
Smartlead plan prices, allowances, the CRM Access row, add-on prices and product descriptions were read from smartlead.ai/pricing, smartlead.ai/b2b-lead-finder, smartlead.ai/unified-inbox and smartlead.ai/llms.txt on 19 September 2026. Smartlead shows a bare dollar symbol with no currency code, so no currency is asserted here. Rows saying “not found” mean no such feature was found on their site that day. Smartlead’s own pages differ on what CRM access covers, and that difference is described above rather than resolved. Smartlead is a trademark of 521 Products Pty Ltd. Empiraa is not affiliated with Smartlead.
If the job is sending, Smartlead does it well.
If the job is everything around the sending, that is this one. 14 days free, no credit card, unlimited users.
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