Best Email Warm-Up Tools (2026): Top 9 Picks + Pricing

Email warm-up used to be "set it and forget it." In 2026, it's more like "set it up right, keep it realistic, and don't expect it to fix everything."

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Mailbox providers keep tightening the screws on sender trust. Google's sender guidelines now spell out expectations like authentication, low spam complaint rates, and standards that large senders need to meet. Microsoft has also rolled out stricter requirements for high-volume senders in Outlook.com's consumer ecosystem.

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That's why the "best warm-up tool" isn't just the one with the prettiest dashboard. It's the one that fits your sending model, your volume, and your workflow without creating weird patterns that get you flagged later.

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Below is our updated shortlist for 2026, including pricing, pros and cons, plus a simple framework to choose the right option.

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The Best Email Warm-up Software for 2026 (Detailed Reviews)

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1) Mailivery

‍Best for:

• Agencies, SaaS platforms, and teams that want to connect lots of inboxes without per-inbox pricing
• Mailivery is built around a simple idea: you shouldn't get punished for scaling inbox count. Plans allow unlimited mailboxes, with warm-up volume limits shared across all connected inboxes.

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Pricing:

• ‍‍Starters: $29/month for 100 warm-up emails a day
• Professional: $79/month for 600 warm-up emails a day
• Business: $199/month for 2,000 warm-up emails a day

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Pros

• Connect Unlimited mailboxes (no per mailbox pricing)
• All features included in every plan
• API so you can integrate warm-up into your own SaaS or agency dashboard
• Built-in extras (blacklist monitoring and verification credits included in all plans)
• Network of over: 50k+ active mailboxes

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Cons

• Currently doesn't support multiple languages
• Max of 250 warm-up emails per mailbox

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2) Lemwarm

Best for:

• Lemlist users who want warm-up tightly integrated
• Lemwarm keeps it straightforward: per-email pricing and a deliverability-focused feature set.

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Pricing

• Essential: $29/mo per email (mailbox)
• Smart: $49/mo per email

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Pros

• Tight fit if you already use Lemlist
• Simple setup and predictable "per email" pricing model
• Generally strong for small teams that want warm-up without a lot of configuration

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Cons

• Per-inbox costs get expensive as you scale mailbox count
• Less attractive if you are not using Lemlist
• Limited leverage if your main need is advanced reporting or deep control

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Further reading:

Best Lemwarm alternative

Lemwarm reviews

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3)Woodpecker (Warm-up powered by Mailivery)

Best for:

• Woodpecker users who want warm-up built into their outbound workflow
• Woodpecker offers a warm-up add-on that's powered by Mailivery, so you can warm up inboxes without adding a separate warm-up tool to your stack.

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Pricing:

• Each plan includes certain amount of free warm-ups
• Additional warm-up at $5/month per mailbox

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Pros

• Warm-up is integrated into Woodpecker, so it's easy to turn on and manage
• Can buy mailboxes directly from the platform
• Good fit if you want fewer tools and everything in one outbound platform

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Cons

• Only for Woodpecker users
• Add-on slots and pricing depend on your Woodpecker plan and warm-up slots
• Integrated warm-up typically gives you less flexibility than running warm-up as a standalone system (depends on what you need)

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4) Folderly

Best for:

• Deliverability audits and warm-up combo
• More of a deliverability suite than a pure warm-up tool. Useful for deep analysis, but you'll pay for it.

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Pricing

• $79/month

Pros

• Domain-level diagnostics and spam-fix tools
• Good reporting
• AI-generated suggestions for deliverability issues

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Cons

• Premium pricing per inbox
• Small network of warm-up mailboxes
• Slower setup and learning curve
• Not ideal if you just need reliable warm-up

Further reading:

Folderly alternatives

Folderly reviews

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5) Mailreach

Best for:

• Warm-up plus spam testing in one workflow
• Mailreach positions warm-up as part of "deliverability tooling," especially around spam testing.

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Pricing

• $25 per mailbox per month (includes 20 spam test credits)

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Pros

• Warm-up plus spam testing credits baked into the workflow
• Straightforward per-mailbox pricing

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Cons

• Expensive. Per-mailbox pricing adds up quickly for agencies or big inbox pools
• Lacks custom warm-up features
• Max of 100 warm-up emails a day only
• Basic API support or documenation

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Further reading:

Mailreach alternatives

Mailreach reviews

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6) Warmy.io

Best for:

• Warmy is best for Affiliate marketers that want seed mailboxes and postmaster integration

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Pricing

• $49/month per mailbox (includes 100 warm-up emails a day)
• $129/month per mailbox (includes 300 warm-up emails a day)
• $189/month per mailbox (includes 1,000 warm-up emails a day)

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Pros

• Ability to buy seed mailboxes
• Appeals to teams that want warm-up plus tests and controls
• Can be a fit for teams who want a single platform for multiple deliverability tasks

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Cons

• The most expensive
• If you only want warm-up, you may pay for extras you do not use
• Gated features: Custom templates only available on Premium plan ($189/month per mailbox) or higher

Further reading:

Best Warmy.io alternative

Warmy.io reviews

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7) Instantly

Best for:

• Outbound teams that want warm-up bundled with outreach
• Instantly is an outbound platform first, with warm-up included as a feature.

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Pricing

• The pricing page shows a $37/mo plan and calls out Unlimited Email Warmup.

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Pros

• Warm-up is bundled into a broader outbound platform
• Convenient if you already run campaigns inside Instantly
• Easy for teams that want fewer tools to manage

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Cons

• If you want warm-up as a standalone product, you may be forced into a bigger platform choice
• Warm-up depth and reporting may be "good enough" rather than best-in-class
• Platform lock-in if your outbound stack changes later
• Lack of transparency on warm-up performance

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8) Smartlead

Best for:

• Multi-inbox outbound at scale, with warm-up included
• Smartlead prominently lists Unlimited Email Warmups as a product capability.

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Pros

• Built for multi-inbox outbound workflows, warm-up included
• Good fit if you want warm-up and sequencing under one roof
• Designed for teams scaling outbound volume across many mailboxes

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Cons

• Same tradeoff as other "bundled warm-up" platforms: warm-up may not be the main focus
• Won't get the "best in-class" warm-up network

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9) Warmup Inbox

Best for:

• Budget-conscious warm-up
• Warmup Inbox markets itself as a low-cost option and advertises "Only $15 per inbox." (when billed annually) 

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Pricing

• $19/month per mailbox (includes 75 warm-up emails a day)
• $59/month per mailbox (includes 250 warm-up emails a day)
• $99/month per mailbox (includes 1,000 warm-up emails a day)

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Pros

• Includes reputation check
• Higher plans include multiple language support
• Fine for early-stage testing or a small number of inboxes

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Cons

• Can get expensive
• Only 25% reply rate for entry plan
• Most features are only included in higher plans
• Less compelling for teams managing many inboxes

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You've seen the top picks and the tradeoffs. Now here's how to choose the right warm-up tool based on your inbox count, sending volume, and stack, so you don't end up paying for the wrong model.

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How to choose a warm-up tool in 2026 (what actually matters)

Most warm-up tools look the same until you scale, or until something breaks. Use the framework below to pick the right option for your setup, not just the most popular brand.

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1) Pricing model that matches your inbox strategy

If you're running lots of inboxes (agencies, lead gen teams, multi-domain setups), per-mailbox pricing gets expensive fast. If you're staying small, per-mailbox pricing can be fine.

Rule of thumb: if you plan to scale inbox count, run the math now, not after you've added 20–30 inboxes.

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2) Realism controls (volume, reply rate, scheduling)

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Warm-up should look like normal human behavior. Prioritize tools that let you control:

• daily warm-up ranges and ramp-up pace
• reply rate caps
• sending windows and pausing when campaigns go live
  

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3) Network quality and diversity

Warm-up is simulated engagement. A larger, more diverse network helps avoid repetitive patterns that don't translate to real inbox trust long-term.

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4) Reporting you can act on

Warm-up isn't the goal. Inbox placement is. Your tool should help you answer:

• are warm-up emails landing in inbox or spam?
• is performance trending up or down?
• what changed when results dipped?
  

If you're sending at volume, also monitor reputation signals with tools like Gmail Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS.

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5) Fit with your outbound stack

If your cold email platform includes warm-up, it might be "good enough" early on. Teams usually switch to a dedicated warm-up tool when they want more control, better reporting, or stronger mailbox diversity across providers.

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How we ranked these tools

We ranked each warm-up tool on the stuff that actually affects inbox placement, not how slick the UI looks.

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What we scored (and why):

• Pricing model vs inbox strategy

Per-mailbox pricing can be fine for 1 to 5 inboxes, but it gets expensive fast when you're managing dozens. We scored tools higher when the pricing model stayed predictable as inbox count scaled.

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• Realism controls

Warm-up should look like normal human email behavior. We prioritized tools that let you control daily volume, ramp-up pace, reply rate, sending windows, and pausing when you start real campaigns.

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• Network quality and diversity

Warm-up is simulated engagement. If the network is small, repetitive, or low quality, you can end up with patterns that do not help long-term. Tools scored higher when they were built on larger, more diverse mailbox pools.

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• Reporting you can act on

Warm-up is not the goal. Inboxing is. We looked for tools that help you answer: are messages landing well, is performance trending up or down, and what changed when it dipped.

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• Fit with your outbound stack

Bundled warm-up inside a cold email platform can be convenient, especially early on. We scored higher when the warm-up experience was easy to manage alongside real sending, without forcing lock-in or limiting flexibility.

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• Extras that matter

Some tools bundle useful deliverability add-ons (like blacklist monitoring or spam testing). We treated these as bonus points only if they were practical and not just upsell bait.

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FAQ: Email warm-up in 2026

Does email warm-up still work in 2026?

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Yes, but only when it's used for the right job. Warm-up helps build normal sending patterns for new or dormant inboxes. It won't fix bad targeting, high bounce rates, broken authentication, or blasting volume too quickly.

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How long does email warm-up take?

Most inboxes need at least 2 to 4 weeks to ramp safely, depending on the mailbox provider, your starting reputation, and the volume you want to reach. If you're planning to send at scale, treat warm-up as a gradual ramp, not a switch you flip.

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How many warm-up emails should I send per day?

Start low and ramp gradually. A common approach is to warm up toward the same ballpark as your daily cold sending per inbox, then keep it steady. The exact number depends on the provider, inbox age, and how many inboxes you're spreading volume across.

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Should I warm up a brand new domain or just new inboxes?

If the domain is new or has little history, warm-up matters more. If the domain is established but you're adding new mailboxes, warm-up can still help those inboxes look active and normal. If the domain has a poor reputation, warm-up alone usually won't be enough.

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Can a warm-up tool hurt deliverability?

Yes, if it creates patterns that look fake so be careful on what tool you choose. Examples include ramping too fast, unrealistic reply rates, sending around the clock, or using low-quality networks that look automated. Warm-up should look boring and consistent.

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Should I keep warm-up running while I send real campaigns?

Usually yes, but you need to balance volume. Once campaigns go live, reduce warm-up so your total daily sending stays stable. If real prospect replies are strong, warm-up matters less over time.

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What's the difference between warm-up and ramp-up?

Warm-up is the activity itself: sending and replying in a controlled way. Ramp-up is the schedule: how you increase daily volume over time. A conservative ramp-up plan matters as much as the tool.

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Do I need a standalone warm-up tool if my cold email platform includes warm-up?

Not always. Bundled warm-up can be fine if you're early-stage and want simplicity. Teams typically add a standalone warm-up tool when they want stronger network diversity, better controls, clearer reporting, or they're scaling lots of inboxes.

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What's the best warm-up tool for agencies with lots of inboxes?

Agencies usually run into per-mailbox pricing pain first. If you're connecting lots of client inboxes, an option like Mailivery tends to fit well because you can connect unlimited mailboxes on one plan and manage warm-up from a shared daily pool, instead of paying per inbox. If you only manage a small number of inboxes, per-mailbox pricing can still be fine.

What's the best warm-up tool for a SaaS platform that wants to integrate warm-up?

If you want warm-up inside your own product, prioritize an API-first option. Mailivery is built for this use case because it offers a warm-up API that makes it easier to integrate warm-up into your SaaS or agency dashboard without building a warm-up network from scratch.

What's the best warm-up tool if I already use Woodpecker?

If you want everything in one place, the Woodpecker warm-up add-on (powered by Mailivery) is a simple choice. It's easy to turn on inside Woodpecker and manage alongside your outbound workflow. If you need deeper control, reporting, or to manage warm-up across many inboxes in one pool, a standalone setup can be a better fit.

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Do warm-up tools work for Outlook and Microsoft 365 inboxes?

They can, but Microsoft inboxes often behave differently from Gmail. Prioritize gradual ramp-up, realistic reply behavior, and consistency. Make sure your authentication setup is clean before judging warm-up performance.

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How do I know if warm-up is helping?

Look at trends, not single days. You want stable sending behavior, fewer spam placements over time, and no sudden dips when volume increases. If performance is flat or getting worse, the issue is often list quality, sending behavior, or authentication, not the warm-up tool.

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