TL;DR / Key Takeaways
- Reply.io starts at $49 a user on annual billing for 1,000 active contacts a month.
- Woodpecker ($26), Snov.io ($29.25), Smartlead ($32.50) and Instantly ($37.60) are cheaper for cold email.
- lemlist and La Growth Machine are the picks when LinkedIn steps matter.
- AiSDR's $1.50 per person reached undercuts Reply's Jason AI SDR at $500 to $800 a month.
- Compare contact limits the way each vendor counts them: active, uploaded or credits.
Short answer: the best Reply.io alternatives in 2026 are Woodpecker or Smartlead if you mainly send cold email at volume (from $26 and $32.50 a month on annual billing), Instantly for unlimited mailboxes with warm-up, lemlist or La Growth Machine if LinkedIn steps matter, Apollo if you also need the contact data, and AiSDR if you want an AI SDR without a monthly fee. Reply.io itself starts at $49 a user on annual billing. Updated November 2, 2026.
How we checked: prices, limits and what each plan includes come from each vendor's own pricing page or published pricing file, read November 2, 2026; several pages only show prices in a real browser, so we read them there. Prices are in US dollars, per user unless noted. We did not run the same campaign through every tool, so this guide does not rate deliverability. For AI SDRs specifically, see our AI SDR tools guide.
What Reply.io costs, for comparison
Reply.io's Email Volume plan is $59 a user a month ($49 on annual) for 1,000 active contacts a month, with unlimited follow-ups to them and warm-up on every mailbox. LinkedIn and calls come with Multichannel at $99 ($89 on annual), or LinkedIn as a $69-a-month add-on per account. Its AI SDR, Jason, starts at $800 a month ($500 on annual). Reply includes 50 contact-data credits a month; more cost from $39 for 200.
Reply.io alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Cheapest paid: monthly (annual) | What that plan includes | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodpecker | Cold email on a budget | $39 ($26) | 5,000 emails/month, unlimited mailboxes, 3 warm-ups | 14 days or 500 emails, no card |
| Smartlead | Cold email at volume | $39 ($32.50) | 2,000 contacts, 6,000 sends/month, unlimited mailboxes and warm-up | Trial |
| Instantly | Cold email at volume | $47 ($37.60) | 5,000 emails/month, 1,000 contacts, unlimited mailboxes and warm-up | 14 days, no card |
| Snov.io | Email finding plus campaigns | $39 ($29.25) | 1,000 credits, 5,000 recipients, 3 warm-up mailboxes | Free plan: 50 credits |
| Apollo | Contact data plus sequences | $65 ($49) | 2,500 credits/seat/month, unlimited sequences | Free plan: 75 credits/month |
| lemlist | Email plus LinkedIn | $69 ($55) email; $109 ($87) multichannel | 50,000 emails/month, lemwarm warm-up | 14-day trial |
| La Growth Machine | LinkedIn-first outreach | $70 ($60) per identity | 250 enriched leads/month, 3 campaigns | 14-day trial |
| Salesforge | Cold email plus AI SDR | $40 | 1,000 contacts, 5,000 emails, 1 LinkedIn sender | 14-day trial |
| Close | A CRM with sequences | $109 ($99) for sequences | Workflows and bulk email from Growth; calling built in | 14-day trial |
| AiSDR | AI SDR, no monthly fee | $1.50 per person reached | Native 300M+ contact database, warm-up, LinkedIn | Sign up without a card |
| Amplemarket | Teams wanting an AI-led platform | $600/month, annual only | 2 users, 27,000 contacts, built-in data | Free trial |
Picking by what you actually do
- Mostly cold email, many mailboxes: Instantly or Smartlead. Both include unlimited mailboxes and warm-up on the entry plan; Instantly's contact data is a separate subscription, Smartlead sells verified emails as a $59-a-month add-on on its Base plan.
- The lowest bill for a small team: Woodpecker at $26 a month on annual billing, with unlimited team members on its email plan.
- LinkedIn plus email in one sequence: lemlist Multichannel ($87 annual) or La Growth Machine ($60 per identity annual), which is built LinkedIn-first. Woodpecker also has a $29 LinkedIn-only plan.
- You need the contacts as well as the sending: Apollo, with 2,500 credits a seat on Basic and a free plan, or Snov.io, which started as an email finder.
- You want an AI to do the prospecting: AiSDR bills $1.50 per person it reaches with no monthly fee, against $500 to $800 a month for Reply's Jason and $499 for Salesforge's Agent Frank.
- Your pipeline should live in a CRM: Close, whose Growth plan adds sequences and workflows to a full CRM with built-in calling.
Two traps when comparing these plans. First, "unlimited mailboxes" usually comes with a fair-use policy, Reply.io's included. Second, count contacts the way each vendor does: Reply.io charges by active contacts emailed per month, Smartlead and Instantly by uploaded contacts, Apollo by credits. A campaign to 1,500 new people a month fits Smartlead's entry plan but not Reply.io's.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Reply.io?
Woodpecker, at $26 a month on annual billing ($39 monthly) for 5,000 emails a month with unlimited mailboxes. Snov.io ($29.25), Smartlead ($32.50) and Instantly ($37.60) are next, all with warm-up included.
Which Reply.io alternative is best for LinkedIn outreach?
lemlist's Multichannel plan ($87 a user a month on annual billing) and La Growth Machine ($60 per identity on annual), which is built around LinkedIn. Woodpecker also sells a LinkedIn-only plan for $29 a month.
Is there a free alternative to Reply.io?
Apollo has a free plan with 75 credits a month and 2 sequences, and Snov.io a free plan with 50 credits and 100 recipients. Most others offer a 14-day trial, Woodpecker and Instantly without a card.
What is a cheaper alternative to Reply.io's Jason AI SDR?
AiSDR has a pay-as-you-go option at $1.50 per person reached with no monthly fee. Jason starts at $500 a month on annual billing ($800 monthly), and Salesforge's Agent Frank is $499 a month.