How do they differ from ESPs like Mailchimp or SendGrid?
Cold email tools and traditional ESPs serve different purposes with different technical approaches.
Email Service Providers (ESPs):
- Send through dedicated shared or dedicated IP infrastructure
- Designed for marketing to opted-in subscriber lists
- Bulk sending with high volume capabilities
- HTML templates, design tools, A/B testing
- Examples: Mailchimp, SendGrid, Klaviyo, Smaily, HubSpot
Cold email tools:
- Send through your actual mailboxes (Gmail, Outlook, Google Workspace)
- Designed for outbound sales to prospects who haven't opted in
- Lower volume, focused on mimicking human sending
- Plain text emphasis, personalization tokens
- Examples: Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead
Key distinctions:
- ESPs typically prohibit cold email in their terms of service
- Cold tools connect to mailboxes rather than using APIs
- ESPs handle millions of emails; cold tools optimize for thousands
- Different compliance expectations and use cases
Using an ESP for cold email violates their terms and risks account termination. Use appropriate tools for your use case.
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