Comparison
GQ CRM vs Instantly: Per-Email Tiers vs Your Own SMTP
Instantly bundles sending, warmup and a lead database into one per-email subscription. GQ CRM runs your cold email on your own SMTP with verification included and no per-email markup. Here's who should pick which.
Published August 1, 2026
Both tools help you run cold email outreach. The difference is the business model, and it changes what you pay and what you control.
- Instantly is an all-in-one outbound platform: it connects to your mailboxes (Gmail/Outlook), bundles a warmup network, a lead database, verification, and sending into one subscription with per-email pricing tiers.
- GQ CRM is a control plane over your own SMTP (SES, Mailgun, Google Workspace, or any relay): verification is built in, delivery is paced per task, opens/clicks are tracked per recipient — and you pay for features, not email volume.
If you already pay for SES or a mail server, GQ CRM removes the second bill. If you want everything (including warmup and a lead database) in one monthly package and don't mind the markup, Instantly is a legitimate choice. Details below.
Feature comparison
| Feature | GQ CRM | Instantly |
|---|---|---|
| Sending model | Your own SMTP relay | Your mailboxes (Gmail/365) + optional relay |
| Per-email markup | None — pay for features | Yes — tiers priced by email volume |
| Recipient verification | Built in, included | Separate verification credits/limits |
| Per-recipient open/click tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Follow-ups | Yes (on engaged contacts) | Yes (sequences) |
| Rate limiting / pacing per task | Yes | Yes |
| Warmup network | No (you own the infrastructure) | Yes (bundled) |
| Lead database | No (import your own lists) | Yes (built-in lead finder) |
| Teams / client workspaces | Yes | Yes (agency plans) |
| Public API | Yes (X-API-Key) | Limited |
| UI languages | EN / ZH / JA / KO | EN |
Pricing: where the real difference is
Instantly's published plans (as of 2026) price by lead count:
| Plan | Published price | Lead limit |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | ~$47/mo | 5,000 leads |
| Hypergrowth | ~$97/mo | 125,000 leads |
| Lightspeed | ~$358/mo | 500,000 leads |
A realistic working setup (higher plan + verification credits) commonly lands around $100–150/mo per seat. User complaints across reviews center on: credits that expire, advertised price ≠ effective price, and "warmup score looks healthy but emails still land in spam."
GQ CRM instead charges $0 for volume:
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 500 verified emails, 1 project |
| Starter | $19/mo | 10,000 emails, 5 projects, tracking, API |
| Pro | $49/mo | 50,000 emails, unlimited projects, priority queue |
Your SMTP bill (SES is ~$0.10/1,000 emails) is separate and stays yours. If you send 50,000 emails/month through SES, that's roughly $5 of AWS + $49 for GQ CRM = ~$54/month, versus Instantly's $97+ tier for the same volume.
Who should choose GQ CRM
- You already pay for SES / Mailgun / your own mail server and resent paying per-email markup on top.
- You want verification included and per-recipient data without add-on credits.
- You run a team or agency with per-client projects and want a multilingual UI (EN/JA/KO/ZH).
- You want an API to send from your own software with an
X-API-Key.
Who should choose Instantly
- You're starting out and want everything in one box: sending, warmup, lead database, sequences.
- You don't want to manage SMTP infrastructure yourself.
- You rely on a warmup network to build mailbox reputation and don't mind the shared-reputation tradeoff.
- You're fine with per-email pricing and credit-based verification.
FAQ
Does GQ CRM warm up domains? No — warming is about mailbox reputation, not relay reputation. GQ CRM protects your domain by verifying recipients before send and pacing delivery with rate limits. For mailbox-based sending, connect your own mailboxes and warm them gradually.
Can I use GQ CRM with Gmail? Yes — connect Gmail or Google Workspace over SMTP with an App Password (see our Google Workspace guide).
Do I need a lead database to use GQ CRM? No — import your own lists (CSV) or use your CRM's data. Verification flags invalid, disposable, and duplicate addresses before anything is sent.
Which is cheaper at scale? GQ CRM: volume is free, so the more you send the larger the gap. At 50,000 emails/month the comparison above is roughly $54 vs $97+; at 500,000 it's $200s vs $358 (and GQ doesn't bill overage).
Verdict
Choose GQ CRM if you own your sending infrastructure and want to stop paying per-email markup for email you already pay for. Choose Instantly if you want a bundled, beginner-friendly outbound suite with warmup and a lead database, and the per-email pricing is acceptable.
Either way, start with a small verified list and pace your sending — deliverability comes from reputation, not software. Try GQ CRM free (500 verified emails) and see for yourself.