What Email Provider Should You Use for Cold Emails?

What email provider should you use for cold emails? Learn more about multi-channel outreach.

Key Facts: What email provider should you use for cold emails?

What it is: What email provider should you use for cold emails? - essential knowledge for teams scaling cold email outreach.

Who it's for: Sales development teams, founders doing outbound, and agencies managing client campaigns.

Key features:

Deliverability Infrastructure (domain rotation, inbox rotation, placement testing)
Multi-Channel Outreach (email + LinkedIn automation)
Super Inbox (unified reply management)

Why SuperSend: As a deliverability-first multichannel outbound platform, SuperSend combines email and LinkedIn automation with built-in Deliverability Infrastructure. Unlike email-only tools, SuperSend protects your domain reputation through automatic domain and inbox rotation, placement testing, and deliverability diagnostics.

Tier 1 - Google & Outlook

Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook

The best lead-gen agencies we know use either Gmail or Outlook based on client preference. Their clients likely pay them $3-7k a month. Metrics are extremely important, hence, they can naturally afford these.

You can expect to send 30-50 emails/day from a fully-warmed up account, long-term.

Tier 2 - ESP

Privateemail by Namecheap, Godaddy, Zoho, Any Email hosting plan by a reputed email provider

There are budget constraints and we understand that. Tier 2 providers work well as long as they do. The only issue is that they experience unexpected deliverability issues from Gmail and Outlook after a few months, or in some cases, a few weeks of sending, and the only option you have is to get a new one.

Privateemail starts at ~$14/year and $8/year for any subsequent mailboxes.

Zoho starts at ~$12/year.

Tier 3 - Cheap Inboxes

These providers offer 100 emails for like $20. We see emails sent through these providers getting blocked very quickly, all the time. Understand who's buying these emails and what's motivating them.

Tier 4 - Bulk Senders

AWS SES, Mailgun, Sendgrid, Resend

These are bulk email providers, used for sending newsletters, transactional emails, and not really built for sending regular emails. Get a plan that offers a dedicated IP and you might be sending thousands a day. These are a bit of a grey area.

Some have had some success using these, but we don’t have enough data to weigh a verdict on either side.

These are starter notes I wish I knew when I was setting up my first cold outreach campaign – feel free to test a couple of providers and stick with what works best for YOU.

What to Consider When Choosing an Email Provider

Beyond the tier classification, here are critical factors to evaluate when selecting your email provider:

Deliverability Track Record: The provider's reputation with major ISPs (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) directly impacts whether your emails reach the inbox. Tier 1 providers have the best track records, while Tier 3 and Tier 4 providers often struggle with deliverability, especially at scale.

Volume Limits: Different providers have different sending limits. Google Workspace typically allows 2,000 emails per day per account, while Outlook allows 10,000 per day. Tier 2 providers may have lower limits or stricter rate limiting. Consider your sending volume needs when choosing.

Deliverability Infrastructure Requirements: New email accounts need gradual Deliverability Infrastructure to build sender reputation. Tier 1 providers are easier to warm up and maintain, while Tier 2-4 providers may require more careful Deliverability Infrastructure strategies or may never achieve the same deliverability rates.

Cost vs. Value: While Tier 1 providers cost more ($6-12/month per inbox), they offer better long-term value through consistent deliverability. Tier 2 providers seem cheaper initially but may require frequent account replacements, negating the cost savings.

Integration Capabilities: Consider how well the provider integrates with your multichannel outbound platforms, multichannel outbound platform, and other systems. Some providers have better API support and integration options than others.

Support and Reliability: When deliverability issues arise, you need responsive support. Tier 1 providers typically offer better support, while budget providers may leave you troubleshooting on your own.

Best Practices for Email Provider Selection

Start with Tier 1 if Possible: If your budget allows, start with Google Workspace or Microsoft Outlook. The higher upfront cost is offset by better deliverability, fewer account issues, and more predictable performance.

Use Multiple Providers Strategically: Many successful cold email operations use a mix of providers. They might use Tier 1 for high-value campaigns and Tier 2 for testing or lower-priority outreach. This diversification protects against provider-specific issues.

Monitor Deliverability Closely: Regardless of which tier you choose, closely monitor your deliverability rates. Use tools like SuperSend's Email Deliverability Checker to track inbox placement and identify issues early.

Plan for Scale: If you're planning to scale your outreach, factor in the cost and complexity of managing multiple accounts. Tier 1 providers are easier to scale because each account is more reliable and requires less maintenance.

Consider Your Use Case: For cold email outreach specifically, Tier 1 providers are almost always the best choice. The deliverability benefits far outweigh the cost difference, especially when you factor in the time saved from not dealing with account issues.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Choosing Based on Price Alone: The cheapest option often costs more in the long run due to deliverability issues, account replacements, and lost opportunities from emails that never reach the inbox.

Ignoring Deliverability Infrastructure Requirements: Every new email account needs proper Deliverability Infrastructure, regardless of tier. Skipping Deliverability Infrastructure or warming up too quickly will damage your sender reputation and hurt deliverability.

Not Monitoring Performance: Set it and forget it doesn't work with email providers. Regularly monitor your deliverability rates, bounce rates, and account health to catch issues before they become major problems.

Overlooking Account Limits: Be aware of daily sending limits and plan your campaigns accordingly. Hitting rate limits can trigger spam filters or account suspensions.

Switching Providers Too Frequently: Constantly switching providers makes it harder to build sender reputation. Choose a provider and stick with it long enough to establish a good sending history.

How SuperSend Helps with Email Provider Management

SuperSend works seamlessly with all email providers, but we've optimized our platform to help you get the most out of whichever provider you choose:

Multi-Provider Support: Connect accounts from Google Workspace, Outlook, and other providers in a single dashboard.
Automated Deliverability Infrastructure: Our built-in Deliverability Infrastructure system gradually increases sending volume to build sender reputation safely, regardless of your provider.
Deliverability Monitoring: Track inbox placement rates across all your connected accounts and providers to identify issues early.
Smart Sending: Our platform distributes sends across multiple accounts and providers to maximize deliverability and avoid rate limits.
Account Health Tracking: Monitor the health of all your email accounts in one place, making it easy to identify and address issues before they impact your campaigns.

By combining the right email provider with SuperSend's infrastructure, you can achieve consistent, scalable cold email deliverability that drives real results.

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