Outbound
Mailshake vs Lemlist
Mailshake is the plainer, cheaper tool for teams who just want to send good cold email and track replies. Lemlist is worth the extra cost once you want LinkedIn steps or personalisation built into the sequence.
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Mailshake or Lemlist — which should you use?
Mailshake is the plainer, cheaper tool for teams who just want to send good cold email and track replies. Lemlist is worth the extra cost once you want LinkedIn steps or personalisation built into the sequence. Mailshake starts at Email Outreach plan starts around $59 per user per month billed annually (free tier: No free plan; demo and trial available on request.); Lemlist starts at From roughly $39 per user per month (free tier: Free plan is limited; a trial covers most evaluation.). Prices are list prices and change, so check the vendor pages before buying.
Last updated 3 August 2026
Both are older, more established tools than the current wave of unlimited-inbox senders, and both are priced per user rather than per mailbox, which matters if your plan involves dozens of sending domains.
The real difference shows up in sequence design: Mailshake keeps things to email and phone tasks, while Lemlist pushes further into multichannel and visual personalisation.
Side by side
Mailshake and Lemlist in short.
Mailshake
Simple cold email sequencing with phone and social touch tasks, aimed at small sales teams.
- Free
- No free plan; demo and trial available on request.
- Paid from
- Email Outreach plan starts around $59 per user per month billed annually
Good at
- Straightforward sequence builder that doesn't require a manual to learn
- Includes phone dialling tasks alongside email steps
- Clear reporting on opens, replies and click-through by campaign
Weak at
- No LinkedIn automation or personalised image generation
- Priced per user, so it scales awkwardly for high sending volume
Lemlist
Multichannel sequences with email, LinkedIn steps, calls and personalised images or landing pages.
- Free
- Free plan is limited; a trial covers most evaluation.
- Paid from
- From roughly $39 per user per month
Good at
- LinkedIn steps and calls sit in the same sequence as email
- Personalised images and dynamic landing pages, used sparingly, still lift replies
- Bundled contact database on higher tiers
Weak at
- Feature surface is wide enough that new users overbuild sequences
- Priced per user, so scaling volume gets expensive fast
The differences
Where they actually diverge.
| Feature | Mailshake | Lemlist |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn steps | No | Yes, native |
| Personalised images | No | Yes |
| Phone task steps | Yes | Limited |
| Pricing model | Per user | Per user |
| Built-in contact database | No | Yes, on higher tiers |
| Entry price | ~$59/user/month | ~$39/user/month |
| Interface complexity | Simple | Moderate |
| Best at | Plain cold email plus calls | Multichannel sequences |
Pick one
Which one fits you.
Choose Mailshake if
- You want email and phone tasks in one simple sequence, nothing more
- Your team is new to sequencing tools and needs something quick to learn
- You don't need LinkedIn automation or visual personalisation
Choose Lemlist if
- Your sequence needs a LinkedIn touch between emails
- You sell something visual and personalised images earn their keep
- You want a bundled contact database with your sending tool
When neither is the answer
If you need dozens of rotating sending domains, both get expensive fast at per-user pricing — look at an unlimited-inbox tool like Instantly or Smartlead instead.
Questions
Common questions.
Which is cheaper?
Lemlist's entry plan lists lower per user, but Mailshake includes phone task tracking that Lemlist doesn't emphasise, so compare on the features you'll actually use.
Does Mailshake do LinkedIn automation?
It has some social touch tasks but nothing close to Lemlist's native LinkedIn steps within a sequence.
Do personalised images still work?
Less than a few years ago. They help when the image clearly proves you looked at the prospect's site, and hurt when it's an obvious template. Test before rolling out broadly.
Which is better for a sales team also making calls?
Mailshake, since phone tasks are a first-class part of its sequence builder rather than an afterthought.
Is either good for high-volume sending?
Not particularly — both charge per user, which gets costly at high mailbox counts. Unlimited-inbox tools are built for that instead.
Prices are list prices published by each vendor and change often — check the linked pricing pages before you buy. We take no affiliate commission and nobody pays to appear here.
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