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Email Marketing · head to head

Campaign Monitor vs Instantly

Campaign Monitor logo

Campaign Monitor

Email Marketing

Email marketing platform priced by contact tier, with unlimited sends only from the mid tier up

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Instantly logo

Instantly

Email Marketing

Cold email outreach platform with AI, lead sourcing, and mailbox rotation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Instantly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Campaign Monitor the Lite tier caps monthly sends at 2,500 regardless of contact list size, so a list of any meaningful size cannot be emailed even once a month without exceeding it.; Instantly shared mailbox rotation could expose sender reputation to other users' poor practices; domain reputation can degrade rapidly if co-users violate sending norms
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Campaign Monitor and Instantly actually diverge.

Attributes where Campaign Monitor and Instantly differ
AttributeCampaign MonitorInstantly
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer month by contact tier and plan levelfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, API

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Email Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Campaign Monitor

  • Drag-and-drop email builder
  • Automation workflows
  • List segmentation
  • Send-time optimisation
  • Landing pages and forms
  • Multi-brand management

Only in Instantly

Nothing recorded that Campaign Monitor does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Campaign Monitor

  • A small marketing team wanting straightforward campaign design and automation without a full martech stacknot Instantly
  • A business with a list under a few thousand contacts and infrequent sends, where the Lite tier's cap is not a real constraintnot Instantly
  • An agency managing multiple brands wanting Enterprise-tier multi-brand account managementnot Instantly
  • A team wanting a bundled website builder alongside email on the Premier tiernot Instantly

Instantly

  • SaaS sales teams automating cold outreach and lead qualificationnot Campaign Monitor
  • Digital agencies and freelancers running campaigns for multiple clientsnot Campaign Monitor
  • E-commerce and B2B businesses prospecting at scalenot Campaign Monitor
  • Recruitment agencies sourcing candidates via emailnot Campaign Monitor
  • Partnerships and channel sales automating partner outreachnot Campaign Monitor
  • Financial services and insurance lead generationnot Campaign Monitor

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Campaign Monitor

  • The Lite tier caps monthly sends at 2,500 regardless of contact list size, so a list of any meaningful size cannot be emailed even once a month without exceeding it.
  • Unlimited sending only starts at the Essentials tier, so the cheap headline Lite price is not comparable to competitors that offer unlimited sends at their entry tier.
  • Its e-commerce-specific automation (abandoned cart flows, predictive segments) is less developed than Klaviyo's, making it a weaker fit for retail-heavy senders.
  • As part of the Marigold group alongside Sailthru and other acquired brands, product roadmap priority is shared across a portfolio rather than dedicated solely to Campaign Monitor.
  • Pricing multiplies on two axes, contact tier and plan level, so estimating total cost requires checking both dimensions rather than a single number.

Instantly

  • Shared mailbox rotation could expose sender reputation to other users' poor practices; domain reputation can degrade rapidly if co-users violate sending norms
  • AI campaign generation, whilst useful, produces generic copy; personalisation still requires manual review and editing for high-quality outreach
  • Email as primary channel faces declining effectiveness; spam filtering improves and email open rates decline generally
  • Lead database quality varies; verification filters may miss invalid addresses or outdated contacts
  • Freemium model limits features significantly; advanced analytics, API access, and priority support require paid tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Campaign Monitor

On request
  • Lite$undefined/month
    • Monthly send cap of 2,500 emails regardless of list size
    • Basic campaign and template tools
    • Priced by contact tier from under 500 to 50,000+
  • Essentials$undefined/month
    • Unlimited monthly email sends
    • Priority support
    • Priced by contact tier from under 500 to 50,000+
  • Premier$undefined/month
    • Unlimited monthly email sends
    • Premier-level phone support
    • Drag-and-drop website builder included
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom quote
    • Multi-brand account management
    • Dedicated account manager, SOC2 and GDPR-aligned security

Instantly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Instantly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Campaign Monitor if

  • You need drag-and-drop email builder.
  • You also want automation workflows.
Campaign Monitor review

Choose Instantly if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
Instantly review

Questions people ask

Is Campaign Monitor or Instantly better?
Neither clearly leads. Campaign Monitor starts at On request and Instantly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Campaign Monitor or Instantly?
Instantly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Campaign Monitor and Free for Instantly.
Does Campaign Monitor or Instantly run on more platforms?
Campaign Monitor runs on Web. Instantly runs on Web, API.
Can I use Instantly for free?
Yes. Instantly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Campaign Monitor starts at On request.
What is Campaign Monitor best used for?
Campaign Monitor is most often used for a small marketing team wanting straightforward campaign design and automation without a full martech stack, a business with a list under a few thousand contacts and infrequent sends, where the lite tier's cap is not a real constraint, an agency managing multiple brands wanting enterprise-tier multi-brand account management, a team wanting a bundled website builder alongside email on the premier tier. Of those, a small marketing team wanting straightforward campaign design and automation without a full martech stack and a business with a list under a few thousand contacts and infrequent sends, where the lite tier's cap is not a real constraint are not what Instantly is typically brought in for.
What can Campaign Monitor do that Instantly cannot?
Campaign Monitor covers Drag-and-drop email builder, Automation workflows, List segmentation, Send-time optimisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Campaign Monitor: Does the cheapest plan include unlimited sends?

No. Lite caps monthly sends at 2,500 emails regardless of list size; unlimited sending starts at the Essentials tier.

Instantly: Is Instantly free?

Instantly offers a freemium model. No credit card is required to start. Free tier includes basic lead finding and campaign creation; paid tiers unlock advanced features (API access, advanced analytics, priority support).

Source
Campaign Monitor: Who owns Campaign Monitor?

Marigold, a marketing technology group that also owns Sailthru and other acquired email and loyalty platforms.

Instantly: How does Instantly's AI Copilot work?

AI Copilot generates email copy, subject lines, and follow-up sequences based on brief campaign descriptions. Users can customise generated templates before sending.

Source
Campaign Monitor: Is there a free plan?

A 30-day free trial with a 500-contact limit is available, but there is no permanent free tier.

Instantly: What CRMs does Instantly integrate with?

Instantly integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Zapier. Custom integrations via REST API are available on paid plans.

Source
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