ChatsControl vs Instantly, Smartlead and Lemlist
Every comparison page is written by the winner. This one lists the rows where we lose first, because those are the ones that would waste your time if you found them out after signing up.
Your mail is read live and is not stored by us - only the fact that a reply arrived. See our subprocessors and data processing terms.
Three plans. All of them free.
No trial timer, no card.
Up to three.
Up to 5,000.
Up to 90 a day.
Ten campaigns running at once. Need more room, write to us.
Warm-up and address verification are paid add-ons, switched on by request for accounts topped up $100+ in a month - neither is needed to run a campaign.
Row by row
| ChatsControl | Instantly / Smartlead / Lemlist | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifetime contact limit | None | 1,000-25,000 depending on plan |
| Own lead database | No | Yes, hundreds of millions of contacts |
| Own warm-up network | No - optional third-party integration | Yes, included |
| Inbox placement testing | No | Yes |
| Shared inbox across mailboxes | Yes | Yes |
| Reply checked at the moment of sending | Yes, and the send is blocked if it can't be checked | On a sync schedule |
| Incoming mail stored on the vendor's servers | No | Yes |
| Lead pipeline with your own statuses | Included | Separate paid CRM add-on |
| Opens split into people and robots | Yes | One combined number |
| Spam score of the actual message | On our own server, the draft is not sent anywhere | Varies |
What you actually get
One inbox
Every reply, from every mailbox, in one list.
A real pipeline
What the system knows, and what you decide, kept apart.
Sequences that stop
Checked for a reply right before each send.
Numbers that mean something
Reply rate first, not opens.
What we don't have
- No lead database - you bring your own contacts.
- No warm-up network of our own - it's an outside provider.
- Telegram and WhatsApp Business aren't live yet. Email is.
Is this comparison up to date?
The contact allowances quoted are the published plan limits at the time of writing. Check the current pricing page of any tool before you decide - vendors change tiers often.
Can I run both?
Yes, and several people do: a lead database elsewhere, the sending and the inbox here.
What is the migration like?
Export your contacts as CSV, import them, connect the same mailboxes. The sequences you rewrite by hand - copy rarely survives a straight paste anyway.