Updated: May 2026
Our pricing causes confusion. The website says $79/mo for Scale. Users sign up and discover they also need an Azure account. That feels like a hidden cost. It is not — it is the point of the product. This article explains why.
The Pricing Structure
ColdSend has three plans:
All prices are for ColdSend's platform fee only. Scale and Alpha also require you to connect your own Azure account, which costs approximately $2/month to run.
That is not an upsell. That is the architecture.
Why You Need Your Own Azure Account
ColdSend uses a BYOA model: Bring Your Own Azure. You create the Azure account. You pay Microsoft the $2/month. ColdSend automates the setup on top of it.
Why we do it this way:
- You own the infrastructure. If you leave ColdSend, your Azure tenant and inboxes stay yours.
- Microsoft bills you directly for email sends, not us. There is no markup on infrastructure.
- It takes 5 minutes to set up. We guide you through it.
What you actually do:
- Sign up at portal.azure.com (free trial available).
- Create an Azure Communication Services resource.
- Copy your Tenant ID, Client ID, Client Secret, and Subscription ID into ColdSend.
- Done. ColdSend provisions inboxes automatically.
If you already have an Azure account for other services, you can reuse it. Azure ACS costs roughly $0.0001 per email sent. At 50,000 emails, that is about $5. The $2/month figure is a safe average for most users.
What Each Plan Actually Includes
Starter ($39/mo)
- 100 imported inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, SMTP — your own accounts).
- 10,000 emails/month.
- Full sequencer access.
- No API access.
- No Azure infrastructure.
You bring your own warmed inboxes. ColdSend is just the sequencer.
Scale ($79/mo)
- 1 Azure account slot (up to 4 domains, 100 inboxes per domain = 400 no-warmup inboxes).
- Unlimited imported inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, SMTP).
- 50,000 emails/month.
- Full API + AI tools (MCP, Claude Code).
- 4 team member seats.
The Azure slot requires your own Azure account. ColdSend automates provisioning, DNS, and inbox creation. You do not pay us for Azure — you pay Microsoft directly.
Alpha ($249/mo)
- 1 Azure account slot (same 400 inboxes as Scale).
- Unlimited imported inboxes.
- Up to 10 million emails/month.
- Full API + AI tools.
- Priority support.
- Additional Azure account slots at $100/month each.
- 10 team member seats.
Alpha is for agencies sending serious volume or managing multiple clients. The additional Azure slots let you scale beyond 400 inboxes without migrating to other providers.
What Costs Extra
There are no setup fees. No per-client workspace fees. No hidden sequencer costs.
The Real Cost at Different Volumes
Here is what you actually pay, including Azure costs.
Compare this to providers that charge per inbox or per client workspace. At 15 clients, some competitors cost $600+/month. ColdSend Alpha is $249 flat.
Common Pricing Confusions
"Does Scale include Azure, or do I pay extra?"
Scale includes one Azure account slot — but the Azure account itself is yours. You create it and pay Microsoft the infrastructure cost (~$2/mo). ColdSend automates everything on top.
"Why can't ColdSend just include Azure in the price?"
We could, but then you would not own the infrastructure. If you left, your inboxes would be gone. BYOA means you keep everything.
"Is the $79 for Scale just the software?"
Yes. The $79 is ColdSend's platform fee: sequencer, automation, API, AI tools, and support. The Azure infrastructure is separate and billed by Microsoft.
"What if I already have Gmail inboxes? Do I still need Azure?"
No. Import your Gmail/Outlook inboxes on Starter ($39) or Scale/Alpha. Azure is only for the native zero-warmup inboxes. Many users start on Starter with existing accounts, then add Azure later.
"Are there any setup fees?"
No.
Bottom Line
ColdSend's pricing is two parts: our platform fee ($39, $79, or $249) and your Azure infrastructure (~$2/mo, paid to Microsoft).
The BYOA model exists so you own your sending infrastructure. It is not a hidden cost. It is the architecture that lets you export inboxes, scale without per-client fees, and leave without losing your infrastructure.
If you want the simplest possible start: Starter ($39), import your existing Gmail accounts, no Azure needed. If you want zero warmup: Scale ($79) + your own Azure account (~$2/mo). If you want volume: Alpha ($249) + Azure.
Ready to get started? Sign up for Starter to test with your existing inboxes, or Scale for zero-warmup Azure ACS.
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