lemlist Alternatives for Small Teams (2026): Cheaper, Simpler or Done for You

lemlist is a polished multichannel sequencer, but the price adds up once you add data and signals, and you still do the list building and writing. Here's how the alternatives compare.

Full disclosure: I'm the founder of Selamly, one of the tools below. I'll say where each tool fits, including where Selamly doesn't. Prices are from each company's own pricing page in November 2026, billed monthly unless noted.

What you get with lemlist

lemlist's Email plan is $69/month ($55 billed yearly) with unlimited users and email senders and up to 50,000 emails a month. Multichannel is $109/month ($87 yearly) and adds LinkedIn, calls and SMS, with five senders per user. Lead enrichment ($20/month) and buying signals ($29/month) are paid add-ons. There's no free plan, but there is a free trial.

It's a well-made tool. The usual reasons small teams look elsewhere:

• The real monthly cost is higher than the headline once you add data, signals and LinkedIn.
• It's a power tool: sequences, conditions and channels take time to set up well.
• You still choose who to contact and write (or at least check) every message.
• Many small teams only need email, and pay for features they don't use.

Quick comparison

1. Instantly: if you want lots of email for less

Instantly's Growth plan is $47/month for 5,000 emails and 1,000 uploaded contacts, with unlimited email accounts and warm-up. Its lead database is a separate subscription (from $47/month for 1,500 credits). Good fit if you send a lot from many mailboxes and already have a list.

2. Smartlead: if you run many mailboxes or clients

Smartlead's Base plan is $39/month ($32 yearly) for 6,000 emails and 2,000 contacts, with unlimited mailboxes; pricing isn't per seat or per mailbox, which makes it popular with agencies. There's a 14-day trial with no card. Email only.

3. Saleshandy: if you want some lead data in the box

Saleshandy Starter is $41/month ($34 yearly): 2,000 active contacts, 6,000 emails a month, unlimited mailboxes and 1,500 lead-finder credits a month for one user. A 7-day free trial, no card needed. A good budget pick if you want sending and a bit of data in one place.

4. Woodpecker: if you want simple and cheap

Woodpecker's Email plan works out at $39/month ($26/month billed yearly) for 5,000 emails, with unlimited contacts, users and email accounts. Adding LinkedIn costs $29 a month per account. The trial is 14 days or 500 cold emails, no card. Simple, steady, no frills.

5. Selamly: if you'd rather not run sequences at all

This is the tool I build. Every option above is a sending tool: you decide who to contact and what to say. Selamly is an agent that does that part too:

• You enter your website; it works out what you sell and who your best customers are.
• It reads each candidate company's website, scores the fit, and skips the ones that don't fit.
• It writes first to companies with a fresh reason to hear from you, like a recent post about the problem you solve or a job opening for the role you replace.
• It finds and verifies the right person's work address, writes a short email and one follow-up, and brings back interested replies.
• Domains and mailboxes are set up and warmed up for you.

Where it's not a fit: if you want LinkedIn steps, calls or detailed sequence logic, lemlist is the better tool. Selamly is email only and deliberately simple.

A note on sequence length

Many lemlist users build five- or six-step sequences. In our own outreach we send one short email and one follow-up, then stop. Longer sequences tend to add unsubscribes and spam complaints from people who were never going to reply, and those complaints hurt your domain for everyone else. If you switch tools, it's a good moment to cut your sequences down too.

Which one should you pick?