Ken AI
Ken Starter
- $200
Ken Starter plan
Starter plan at 1,000 leads / mo
- Included
Sending domains
1 sending domain included in the Starter plan
- Included
Inboxes (mailboxes)
Included - provisioned and managed on Ken's sending infrastructure
- Included
Email verification
Included
- Included
AI qualification
Included
- Included
AI personalization
Included
- Included
AI segmentation
Included
- Included
AI quality check
Included
- Included
Placement tests and monitoring
Included
- Included
Email warmup
Included
Smartlead
Base
- $39
Smartlead Base plan
Base plan at 1,000 leads / mo (4,000 emails) = $39
- $59
SmartProspect lead data
$59 / mo quality-maintenance fee; verified leads themselves are free (1 credit = 1 contact)
- $3
Email verification
1,000 leads x $2.5 / 1k = $3
- $1
AI qualification (external API)
1,000 leads x $1 / 1k = $1, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
- $1
AI segmentation (external API)
1,000 leads x $1 / 1k = $1, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
- $60
AI personalization (external API)
4,000 emails x 3 lines x $5 / 1k lines = $60, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
- $24
AI quality check (external API)
4,000 emails x $6 / 1k = $24, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
- $3
Sending domainsthey don't advertise this
3 domains x $13 / yr = $3 / mo
- $36
Inboxes (mailboxes)they don't advertise this
8 inboxes x $5 / mo = $36
- $49
SmartDelivery placement teststhey don't advertise this
SmartDelivery Growth $49 / mo
Smartlead prices sending by active-lead storage and monthly email credits. This calculator picks the cheapest plan that covers both, adds the SmartProspect $59/mo quality-maintenance fee (leads themselves are free), verification at the published $15 / 6k rate, SmartSenders infrastructure at Zapmail fresh Google rates ($13/domain/yr, $4.50/inbox/mo - cheaper SMTP options exist), and SmartDelivery Growth placement tests ($49/mo). Smartlead has no quarterly billing, so the quarterly toggle shows the monthly plan price.
What Smartlead is
Smartlead is a cold email outreach platform focused on high-volume sending. Plans are priced by active-lead storage and monthly email credits, with unlimited connected email accounts on every tier. Warmup pools scale with the plan, and add-ons cover lead data (SmartProspect), email verification, SmartSenders domains and mailboxes, and SmartDelivery placement tests. Teams that already have a prospecting stack often use Smartlead as the dedicated sending layer.
When they are the right call: Choose Smartlead if you already own lead data and enrichment elsewhere, want unlimited mailboxes with mature warmup pools, and prefer to assemble infrastructure piece by piece (or already run SmartSenders / your own Google Workspace). It is a strong fit for agencies and operators who treat sending as a dedicated systems problem and are comfortable managing domains, inboxes, and placement testing as separate line items.
Where Ken fits
Choose Ken if you want lead database, AI qualification and personalization, verification, domains, inboxes, warmup, and placement tests under one list price. Ken fits teams that would rather buy outcomes-oriented outreach than operate a multi-vendor cold-email stack.
The honest tradeoffs.
Smartlead
Strengths
- Unlimited connected email accounts on every paid plan, with no per-mailbox platform fee from Smartlead itself
- Tiered warmup pools (Foundation through Premium / Ultra Premium eligibility) sized for serious outbound volume
- Clear self-serve ladder from Base through Unlimited Prime, with annual billing at about 17% off
- SmartProspect access to a large verified B2B profile set, with free per-lead credits after the quality-maintenance fee
- Native SmartSenders marketplace and SmartDelivery placement testing for operators who want everything in one vendor surface
Tradeoffs
- Lead data, verification, domains, mailboxes, and placement tests are separate purchases on top of the sending plan
- Active-lead storage and email credits are dual caps - you upgrade when either one is hit
- No quarterly billing option; only monthly and annual (17% off)
Ken AI
Strengths
- 300M+ lead database, AI qualification, segmentation, personalization, and quality check included
- Email verification plus sending domains and inboxes included in the plan price
- Warmup and placement tests included - no separate SmartDelivery-style subscription
- Quarterly (-20%) and annual (-33%) billing on list prices, with a free plan for non-sending use
Tradeoffs
- Email-first channel - no built-in LinkedIn or multi-channel sequences like some broader sales-engagement tools
- Newer product with a smaller public brand footprint than long-standing cold-email senders
At a glance.
| Smartlead | Ken AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting send plan | Base $39/mo (2k active leads, 6k emails/mo) | Starter $200/mo (1k leads) or free plan without sending |
| Scale plan | Pro $94 · Unlimited Smart $174 · Unlimited Prime $379/mo (up to 500k emails) | Growth $750/mo at 5k leads, scales by volume |
| Connected mailboxes | Unlimited accounts (domains/inboxes purchased via SmartSenders) | Domains and inboxes included in plan |
| Lead data | SmartProspect $59/mo quality fee; verified contacts free per credit | 300M+ database included |
| Email verification | From $15 per 6k credits (~$2.50 / 1k) | Included |
| AI qualification and personalization | Not a primary product focus - bring your own tooling | Qualification, segmentation, personalization, quality check included |
| Warmup | Included pools by plan tier (Foundation → Premium) | Included |
| Placement tests | SmartDelivery Growth $49/mo and higher tiers | Included |
| Annual discount | About 17% off (effective monthly shown on pricing page) | 33% off annual; 20% off quarterly |
The math, in full.
Worked at 10,000 leads / month, monthly billing. Every figure below is editable in the calculator above.
Smartlead: line by line
Smartlead Pro plan
Pro plan at 10,000 leads / mo (40,000 emails) = $94
SmartProspect lead data
$59 / mo quality-maintenance fee; verified leads themselves are free (1 credit = 1 contact)
Email verification
10,000 leads x $2.5 / 1k = $25
AI qualification (external API)
10,000 leads x $1 / 1k = $10, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
AI segmentation (external API)
10,000 leads x $1 / 1k = $10, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
AI personalization (external API)
40,000 emails x 3 lines x $5 / 1k lines = $600, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
AI quality check (external API)
40,000 emails x $6 / 1k = $240, to match the AI Ken includes - external AI API cost, not billed by Smartlead
Sending domains
25 domains x $13 / yr = $27 / mo
Inboxes (mailboxes)
73 inboxes x $5 / mo = $329
SmartDelivery placement tests
SmartDelivery Growth $49 / mo
Ken: line by line
Ken Growth plan
Growth plan at 10,000 leads / mo
Sending domains
10 sending domains included in the Growth plan
Inboxes (mailboxes)
Included - provisioned and managed on Ken's sending infrastructure
Email verification
Included
AI qualification
Included
AI personalization
Included
AI segmentation
Included
AI quality check
Included
Placement tests and monitoring
Included
Email warmup
Included
Assumptions and sources
- Emails per lead4 emailsKen standard 4-step cold-email sequence
- Emails per inbox per day25 emails / inbox / dayConservative deliverability-safe send rate per mailbox
- Inboxes per domain3 inboxes / domainCommon cold-email setup (3 inboxes per sending domain)
- Domain price15 $ / domain / yrTypical registrar cost for a sending domain (e.g. Instantly sells domains at $15 / yr)
- Inbox price4 $ / inbox / moTypical mailbox cost (e.g. Google Workspace seat)
- Sending days per month22 daysWeekdays only (no weekend sends)
- Email verification2.5 $ / 1k leadsSmartlead verification: 6,000 credits for $15 ($2.50 / 1k leads)
- SmartProspect quality-maintenance fee59 $ / moSmartProspect $59/mo quality-maintenance fee; 1 credit = 1 verified contact (leads free per credit)
- SmartDelivery placement tests49 $ / moSmartDelivery Growth $49/mo (120 campaign sequence tests)
- AI qualification1 $ / 1k leadsExternal AI API cost to match the AI Ken includes - not billed by the platform
- AI segmentation1 $ / 1k leadsExternal AI API cost to match the AI Ken includes - not billed by the platform
- AI personalization5 $ / 1k linesExternal AI API cost to match the AI Ken includes - not billed by the platform
- Personalized lines per email3 lines / emailKen default, editable
- AI quality check6 $ / 1k emailsExternal AI API cost to match the AI Ken includes - not billed by the platform
Smartlead pricing sources
- Smartlead pricing page - Base/Pro/Unlimited Smart/Unlimited Prime, SmartSenders, SmartDelivery
- Smartlead pricing-plan guide
- Email verification help
- SmartProspect help
Pricing verified 2026-07-11.
See the real cost for yourself.
Build a full campaign on up to 1,000 of your real leads, free. Pay only when you are ready to send.