# Mailforge vs Zapmail

Updated 2026-10-15. Compared from independent Reddit comments only. Methodology: https://gtmranked.com/methodology/

**Is Mailforge or Zapmail better?** Independent users prefer Zapmail (30/100 from 21 rated comments) over Mailforge (18/100 from 16 rated comments). Zapmail is best for Teams that want cheap, quickly provisioned Google or Microsoft mailboxes; Mailforge is best for Senders who want cheap shared-IP mailboxes to add domains quickly. Neither scores well: both are below 40/100, so read the complaints below.

**Is Mailforge or Zapmail cheaper?** Mailforge: Usage-based: $3 per mailbox slot per month, minimum 10 slots, with 2 months free on annual billing; .com domains $14/year each; optional SSL and domain masking at $2 per domain per month. No free plan or trial; no contract. Zapmail: Starter $39/mo billed monthly with 10 Google or Microsoft mailboxes included (extra mailboxes $3.50 each); Growth $99/mo with 30; Pro $299/mo with 100. Quarterly and yearly billing advertise 2 months free. No free plan or trial mentioned. Prices are from each vendor's pricing page and change often.

| | Mailforge | Zapmail |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 18/100 | 30/100 |
| Rank in category | #5 | #2 |
| Rated comments | 16 | 21 |
| Best for | Senders who want cheap shared-IP mailboxes to add domains quickly; Mixed setups that keep the most important campaigns on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 | Teams that want cheap, quickly provisioned Google or Microsoft mailboxes; Adding one more inbox provider to a diversified setup |
| Starting price | $3/mailbox/mo | $39/mo |

## #5 Mailforge

Mailforge sells cold-email infrastructure: it registers domains, creates mailboxes on a shared IP pool and sets up DNS (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) automatically. Website: mailforge.ai. Category: [Email Infrastructure & Verification](https://gtmranked.com/best/email-deliverability/). Score 18/100 (5 positive, 2 mixed, 9 negative of 16 independent comments).

**Verdict:** Independent opinion leans negative. The most repeated complaint is that Mailforge mailboxes were banned from Instantly and Smartlead warmup pools, and several users rank shared-IP SMTP mailboxes like these below Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, describing deliverability as average or a case of getting what you pay for. A handful of small users report no deliverability problems and value it as a cheap, quick way to add domains, though how easy setup is remains disputed. More than a third of the 100 comments were promotional, largely accounts repeatedly plugging a particular email finder, list verifier or rival inbox seller next to Mailforge, plus posts from the vendor's side; those were set aside, including several that blame Mailforge's shared IPs for spam placement.

**What users like:**
- A few smaller users report no deliverability problems so far, and one calls the setup easy [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/agency/comments/1g01mb4/_/m0eps74/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1in8ygq/_/mceemo8/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1inw2fi/_/mcigjb0/)
- Considered a reasonable shared-IP option for scaling: easier and cheaper than Google or Microsoft mailboxes and not exposed to their ban waves [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1msr5xc/_/n9dyl2h/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1q29icv/_/nxcmmpg/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1sipnmu/_/ofn24r0/)

**What users complain about:**
- Mailforge mailboxes were banned from Instantly and Smartlead warmup pools, which made one user stop using it [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1loe2j4/_/nc8fvcp/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1kwxu8s/_/nc8elkr/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1dzd9o8/_/m7c6xk1/)
- Shared-IP SMTP deliverability is seen as weaker than Google Workspace or Microsoft 365; one user who ran a campaign found it just average [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1msr5xc/_/oq585a4/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1msr5xc/_/n96vl2c/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1q29icv/_/nxcmmpg/) [4](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1fuq4ec/_/lq9byve/)
- Extra fees and setup friction: add-on charges for domain masking, a more manual setup than expected, and one buyer who spent $300 on Mailforge before realising the Google and Microsoft mailboxes they wanted were sold separately under Primeforge [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1msr5xc/_/oq585a4/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1kj6gzk/_/o646xc2/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1gdxlm8/_/lu5d72u/)
- Some users dismiss the whole Forge product family as subpar [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1fu4imu/_/lpz8b8z/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1msr5xc/_/n96f30i/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1loe2j4/_/nc8fvcp/)

**Best for:** Senders who want cheap shared-IP mailboxes to add domains quickly; Mixed setups that keep the most important campaigns on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
**Skip it if:** Senders who depend on Instantly or Smartlead warmup pools; Teams that need real Google or Microsoft mailboxes; Campaigns aimed at enterprise or Outlook-heavy audiences.
**Pricing (vendor-stated, checked 2026-10-14):** Usage-based: $3 per mailbox slot per month, minimum 10 slots, with 2 months free on annual billing; .com domains $14/year each; optional SSL and domain masking at $2 per domain per month. No free plan or trial; no contract.

Full review: https://gtmranked.com/tools/mailforge/

## #2 Zapmail

Zapmail sells Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 mailboxes for outreach, automating mailbox creation and DNS setup and connecting them to sending tools. Website: zapmail.ai. Category: [Email Infrastructure & Verification](https://gtmranked.com/best/email-deliverability/). Score 30/100 (8 positive, 5 mixed, 8 negative of 21 independent comments).

**Verdict:** About 20 independent users give an opinion and they split: the positives are easy setup, fast provisioning and a low price, and its Google and Outlook inboxes are described as working about as well as other resellers. The recurring complaints are slow support once deliverability slips, which several users cite as their reason for moving to another provider, and worse spam placement than Google Workspace bought directly. More than a third of the 100 comments are promotional, including a 2026 cluster of near-identical posts praising its automated DNS provisioning alongside ReachInbox, and plugs for competing inbox providers and tools.

**What users like:**
- Easy to use with a clean central dashboard, at a relatively low price [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1s3ogoz/_/och2uey/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1sazs8w/_/odzr1jv/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1kz94s1/_/mv9p149/)
- Provisions mailboxes quickly and will move them between sending platforms (e.g. SmartReach to Smartlead) without fuss [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1kz94s1/_/mv9p149/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1t9f6bt/_/opzwucy/)
- Several users report its Google and Outlook inboxes working about as well as other resellers, especially when spread across multiple domains [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1ng6zj3/_/o77sodw/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1ot8apo/_/no2tfx9/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1tunsa0/_/opds2ws/) [4](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1mtkcsj/_/n9dg883/)
- Unlike Instantly's done-for-you inboxes, you keep control of the Google admin panel [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1qc4t1j/_/nzi0mta/)

**What users complain about:**
- Support is slow or hit and miss, especially once mailboxes start landing in spam; several users moved to PuzzleInbox for better support [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1twkn2z/_/oppks3q/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1t9f6bt/_/opzwucy/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1sazs8w/_/oquebip/) [4](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1p7ofmx/_/oqmizk9/) [5](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1lkw0zd/_/mzwpzm2/)
- Users report higher spam placement than Google Workspace bought directly, in one case dropping from about 60% to under 15% after switching [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1ox7sxp/_/nox96k7/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1td6i64/_/olyyxhw/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1mtlhet/_/n9d2gzm/) [4](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1t9f6bt/_/oltwb95/)
- Some distrust it as an India-based reseller, citing worse IPs than US providers, and one user alleges deceptive marketing and mailbox disconnects [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1sazs8w/_/odzr1jv/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1mtlhet/_/n9d2gzm/)
- Its prewarmed inboxes are criticised as easy for mailbox providers to spot or already tainted by earlier use [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1pfqrs9/_/nsvpqrm/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/coldemail/comments/1td6i64/_/olt6dh5/)

**Best for:** Teams that want cheap, quickly provisioned Google or Microsoft mailboxes; Adding one more inbox provider to a diversified setup.
**Skip it if:** Agencies that need fast support when deliverability drops; Senders who want the inbox placement of Google Workspace bought directly.
**Pricing (vendor-stated, checked 2026-10-14):** Starter $39/mo billed monthly with 10 Google or Microsoft mailboxes included (extra mailboxes $3.50 each); Growth $99/mo with 30; Pro $299/mo with 100. Quarterly and yearly billing advertise 2 months free. No free plan or trial mentioned.

Full review: https://gtmranked.com/tools/zapmail/