What is Lemlist?
Founded in 2018, Lemlist burst onto the cold email scene with something nobody else had: the ability to slap your prospect’s name onto images inside your emails. Yeah, it sounds gimmicky at first, but when you see your name on a whiteboard in someone’s office or on a product mockup, it definitely catches your eye.
Since then, Lemlist has evolved into a full-blown sales engagement platform that goes way beyond personalized images. They’ve added LinkedIn automation, a built-in email warmup tool called lemwarm, and even personalized videos and landing pages. It’s become one of the go-to tools for teams who want their outreach to feel less like spam and more like actual human communication.
The platform caters to sales teams, SDRs, agencies, and entrepreneurs who believe that quality beats quantity. If you’re the type who’d rather send 50 highly personalized emails than blast 5,000 generic ones, Lemlist is probably worth a look.
Who Actually Benefits from Using Lemlist?
Let’s be real here. Lemlist isn’t for everyone. It’s got a specific sweet spot, and knowing whether you fall into it can save you time and money.
You’ll love Lemlist if you’re:
Someone who obsesses over personalization. If you spend hours researching prospects and want your emails to reflect that effort, Lemlist gives you the tools to make it count. The image personalization alone can boost reply rates by 20-50% when done right.
Running multichannel campaigns that combine email and LinkedIn. Lemlist has native LinkedIn automation built right in, so you can orchestrate a sequence that hits prospects via email on day one, visits their profile on day two, sends a connection request on day four, and follows up with a LinkedIn message on day seven. All from one platform.
Leading a small to mid-sized sales team. If you’ve got 5-10 SDRs who need their own workspaces, pipeline tracking, and personalized outreach capabilities, Lemlist’s per-seat model makes sense. Each person gets full access to all features.
You’ll probably want to skip Lemlist if you’re:
Running a high-volume agency that needs to send hundreds of thousands of emails per month. The per-seat pricing will kill your margins, and the account limits per tier will force you into expensive plans. Tools like Instantly or Smartlead are better for pure volume plays.
Operating on a tight budget. At $69-99 per seat for the useful plans, a five-person team is looking at $345-495 monthly. That’s steep compared to flat-rate alternatives.
Only doing simple email sequences. If you just need basic A/B testing and follow-ups without all the bells and whistles, you’re paying for features you won’t use.
The Features That Actually Matter
Personalization Beyond First Names
Everyone personalizes with first names and company names now. That’s table stakes. Lemlist lets you take it to another level entirely.
The personalized images feature is their claim to fame. Here’s how it works in practice: you upload a base image, maybe a screenshot of a website or a photo of you holding a whiteboard. Then you add text layers that pull from your spreadsheet data. Each recipient sees their own version with their name, company, or whatever else you want to include.
I’ve seen this work particularly well with SaaS companies doing product mockups. Imagine reaching out to a marketing director and showing them their company logo already integrated into your software interface. It’s a pattern interrupt that makes people stop scrolling.
The personalized videos take a similar approach. You record one video, but each person sees a custom thumbnail with their name on it. Click-through rates on these can be insane because people are naturally curious.
Personalized landing pages round out the trifecta. When someone clicks a link in your email, they land on a page that addresses them by name and speaks to their specific situation. It feels like you built something just for them, even though it’s automated.
Email Automation That’s Actually Smart
The sequence builder is solid without being overwhelming. You can set up multi-step campaigns with conditional logic like “if they opened but didn’t reply, send this. If they clicked the link, send that instead.” A/B testing is built in, so you can test subject lines, email copy, or sending times.
What I appreciate is the scheduling flexibility. You can set specific days and times, add random delays to make things look more human, and pause sequences on weekends or holidays. Little touches that keep your emails from screaming “I’m automated!”
The LinkedIn Integration That Sets Lemlist Apart
Most cold email tools bolt on LinkedIn as an afterthought or require third-party integrations. Lemlist built it natively from the ground up. This means you can create true multichannel sequences where email and LinkedIn actions happen in coordination.
Here’s a real-world example: you send an email on Monday. On Tuesday, Lemlist automatically visits their LinkedIn profile. Wednesday, nothing (you’re not a stalker). Thursday, it sends a connection request with a personalized note. If they accept, Saturday it sends a LinkedIn message referencing the email they received. Monday, a follow-up email that mentions you connected on LinkedIn.
This is powerful stuff because you’re creating multiple touchpoints across different channels, increasing your chances of getting noticed without being annoying. The key is keeping LinkedIn volumes low. Aim for 50-100 LinkedIn actions per day max to stay under the radar.
Lemwarm: The Warmup Tool That Actually Works
Email warmup is non-negotiable in 2025. If you’re sending cold emails without warming up your domain and accounts first, you’re basically asking to land in spam.
Lemwarm is Lemlist’s built-in warmup solution, and it’s genuinely good. It connects your email accounts to a network of over 20,000 other users who also use lemwarm. These accounts send emails back and forth to each other, open them, mark them as important, and reply positively. This signals to email providers that your account is legitimate and engaging, which builds your sender reputation.
The setup takes about five minutes. You connect your email account, lemwarm gradually increases sending volume over 2-3 weeks, and you can monitor your deliverability score right in the dashboard. I recommend running warmup continuously, even when you’re actively sending campaigns, to maintain your reputation.
If you were to buy a standalone warmup tool, you’d pay $50-100 per month. Getting it included with Lemlist is solid value.
CRM Features You Might Actually Use
Here’s something that surprised me: Lemlist has better CRM functionality than most cold email tools. It’s not Salesforce or HubSpot, but it’s way more than the bare-bones lead management you get with Instantly or Smartlead.
You can track leads through pipeline stages, log activities, set tasks, and get a clear view of where each prospect stands. For small teams that don’t want to pay for a separate CRM, this might be enough to manage your sales process end-to-end.
Let’s Talk About Pricing
This is where things get spicy. Lemlist uses per-seat pricing, which means every person on your team needs their own subscription. Here’s the breakdown for 2025:
Email Starter: $39 per month per seat. You get one sending email account, basic sequences, and limited personalization. This tier is honestly too limited for most serious users.
Email Pro: $69 per month per seat. Three sending email accounts, image personalization, and all the core features. This is where most solo users land.
Multichannel Expert: $99 per month per seat. Five email accounts, LinkedIn automation, video personalization, and advanced analytics. This is the sweet spot for multichannel outreach.
Outreach Scale: $159 per month per seat. Fifteen email accounts, all features unlocked, priority support, and white-label options. For agencies or teams with serious volume needs.
Annual billing knocks 20% off these prices, which helps but doesn’t change the fundamental math: Lemlist gets expensive fast for teams.
A five-person team on the Multichannel Expert plan pays $495 monthly. Compare that to Instantly’s Hypergrowth plan at $97 per month total for unlimited users and unlimited email accounts. The difference is stark.
But here’s the thing: Lemlist and Instantly aren’t really competing for the same customer. Lemlist charges more because it offers fundamentally different capabilities. The question isn’t which is cheaper, but which delivers the ROI you need.
The Good, The Bad, and The Reality
What Lemlist Does Better Than Anyone
The personalization tools are legitimately unique. No other cold email platform offers image, video, and landing page personalization at this level. If your strategy depends on standing out in crowded inboxes, this is your edge.
Native LinkedIn automation saves you from juggling multiple tools. Having email and LinkedIn sequences coordinated in one platform is cleaner, easier to manage, and more effective than using separate tools that don’t talk to each other.
The community and educational resources are top-tier. Lemlist has invested heavily in creating templates, guides, webinars, and an active user community. When you’re stuck or need inspiration, there’s a wealth of knowledge available.
Lemwarm is excellent and included in your subscription. If you were shopping for cold email tools and warmup separately, you’d spend more and have to deal with integrations. Here it just works.
Where Lemlist Falls Short
Per-seat pricing becomes painful at scale. If you’re running an agency with multiple clients or a large sales team, the costs multiply quickly. By the time you’re paying for 10+ seats, you’re spending thousands per month.
Account limits per tier force you into expensive upgrades. Need more than five email accounts? You’re jumping from $99 to $159 per seat. With competitors offering unlimited accounts, this feels restrictive.
There’s a learning curve. Lemlist has a lot of features, and the interface can feel overwhelming when you’re starting out. It takes time to learn how to use everything effectively.
It’s not built for high volume. The entire philosophy of Lemlist is quality over quantity. If you need to send 10,000 emails per day across dozens of accounts, this isn’t your tool.
LinkedIn automation carries inherent risks. LinkedIn doesn’t officially allow automation, period. While many users run Lemlist’s LinkedIn features successfully, you need to be cautious about volumes, delays, and monitoring for warnings. Your LinkedIn account can get restricted if you’re not careful.
How to Use Lemlist Without Shooting Yourself in the Foot
Start with warmup: Before you send a single campaign, connect your email accounts to lemwarm and let them run for 2-3 weeks. Build that sender reputation first.
Don’t over-personalize: Just because you can put someone’s name on a dancing GIF doesn’t mean you should. Use personalization strategically where it adds value, not as a gimmick. A clean, professional image with their company name often works better than something flashy.
Test personalized vs. plain text: Image personalization can boost results, but plain text emails sometimes convert better because they feel more personal. Always A/B test your approach.
Keep LinkedIn volumes conservative: 50-100 LinkedIn actions per day is a safe range. Don’t blast connection requests to hundreds of people. Slow and steady wins this race.
Use multichannel sequences thoughtfully: Don’t hit someone on email and LinkedIn on the same day. Spread out your touches. Give them time to breathe. A good sequence might look like this:
Day 1: Personalized email with image Day 3: LinkedIn profile visit Day 6: Follow-up email Day 7: LinkedIn connection request Day 11: Third email with case study Day 12: LinkedIn message if they connected Day 15: Break-up email
This creates multiple touchpoints over two weeks without being pushy.
Lemlist vs. The Competition
Lemlist vs. Instantly
Instantly is the volume king. Unlimited email accounts, unlimited team members, flat-rate pricing starting at $37 per month. If you need to send massive volumes across many accounts, Instantly wins on economics and scale.
But Instantly doesn’t do image personalization, video personalization, LinkedIn automation, or have strong CRM features. It’s a pure cold email machine built for agencies and high-volume operations.
Choose Lemlist if personalization and multichannel outreach matter more than raw volume. Choose Instantly if you’re optimizing for cost-per-email and maximum scale.
Lemlist vs. Smartlead
Smartlead offers unlimited email accounts at lower prices than Lemlist, plus solid deliverability features and a master inbox. It’s positioned as the value play that still delivers quality.
But Smartlead’s personalization is basic, its LinkedIn integration requires third-party tools, and its CRM features are minimal. It’s a middle ground between Instantly’s volume focus and Lemlist’s feature richness.
Choose Lemlist if you want native multichannel and advanced personalization. Choose Smartlead if you need unlimited accounts but care about deliverability more than fancy features.
Lemlist vs. Apollo
Apollo is a different beast entirely. It’s a B2B database with 275 million contacts plus built-in sequences. You can find leads and email them all in one platform, often for free on the basic plan.
But Apollo’s personalization is basic, its LinkedIn features are a Chrome extension rather than native integration, and it’s focused more on data than advanced outreach.
Choose Lemlist if you already have your lead lists and need sophisticated outreach tools. Choose Apollo if you need to find leads and run simple sequences in one affordable platform.
Real Talk: Common Questions and Concerns
“Will I get my LinkedIn account banned?”
Maybe, but probably not if you’re smart about it. LinkedIn doesn’t allow automation, but thousands of people use tools like Lemlist successfully. The key is staying conservative with volumes, using realistic delays, and watching for warnings. Don’t send 500 connection requests in a day. Don’t spam everyone you can find. Treat it like you’re doing this manually, just with help.
“Does image personalization actually increase replies?”
In my experience, yes, when it’s done well. A professional mockup showing a prospect’s company logo in your product can lift reply rates by 20-50%. But a cheesy image with someone’s name on a whiteboard might get curiosity clicks without real engagement. The image needs to make sense for your value proposition and audience.
“Can agencies use Lemlist profitably?”
It depends on your model. If you charge clients $2,000+ per month for outreach services and you’re focused on quality results rather than volume, the economics work. If you’re trying to run low-cost, high-volume campaigns for multiple clients, the per-seat pricing will eat your margins. Some agencies use Lemlist for premium clients and Instantly for volume clients.
“Is lemwarm really necessary?”
Yes, absolutely. If you skip email warmup in 2025, you’re going straight to spam. Lemwarm is one of the better warmup tools available, and it’s included in your Lemlist subscription. Use it.
Who Wins with Lemlist?
After spending time with Lemlist across multiple campaigns, here’s my take: it’s the best tool for teams that prioritize personalization and multichannel outreach over raw volume.
If you’re an SDR who needs to book 5-10 meetings per month with enterprise prospects, Lemlist gives you the tools to stand out. If you’re running a boutique agency focused on quality over quantity, the personalization features can justify the premium pricing. If you’re a startup founder doing founder-led sales and want your outreach to feel authentic and thoughtful, Lemlist enables that.
But if you’re trying to send 50,000 emails per month on a shoestring budget, or you’re running a lead gen agency with thin margins, the per-seat pricing and account limits will frustrate you. There are more cost-effective tools for volume plays.
The decision comes down to your strategy. Are you fishing with a spear or a net? Lemlist is the spear.
Key Takeaways
Lemlist has carved out a unique position in the cold email tool landscape by focusing relentlessly on personalization and multichannel outreach. The image and video personalization features are genuinely differentiated, not just marketing fluff. Native LinkedIn automation makes it easy to orchestrate campaigns across email and social without juggling multiple tools. Lemwarm provides solid email warmup without requiring a separate subscription.
The tradeoff is cost. Per-seat pricing makes Lemlist expensive for teams and agencies at scale. Account limits per tier force you into higher plans faster than competitors. You’re paying a premium for features that matter most when you’re prioritizing quality over quantity.
For the right user, pursuing the right strategy, with the right budget, Lemlist is absolutely worth it. For others, cheaper alternatives make more sense. Know which camp you’re in before you commit.
Ready to Build a Cold Email Strategy That Actually Works?
Choosing the right tools is just the first step. We’ve run hundreds of cold email campaigns using Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead, and other platforms. We know what works, what doesn’t, and how to match your strategy to the right tech stack.
If you want help building a cold email program that generates qualified meetings, not just replies, book a call with our team. We’ll review your current approach, identify opportunities, and show you exactly how to scale your outreach the right way.