MailForge is a purpose-built shared cold email infrastructure platform that enables sales and marketing teams to deploy hundreds or thousands of domains and mailboxes in minutes—100x faster than manual setup. Trusted by over 10,000 users from solo founders to Fortune 500 companies, MailForge completely automates the technical complexity of cold email infrastructure, including DNS configuration, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and deliverability optimization through a shared IP pool architecture optimized specifically for outreach campaigns.
What is MailForge?
MailForge is a specialized distributed email infrastructure tool designed exclusively for cold outreach at scale. Unlike generic email providers like Gmail or Microsoft 365, every component of MailForge’s architecture is engineered specifically for cold email deliverability success. The platform centralizes creation, configuration, and ongoing management of multiple domains and mailboxes through a single dashboard, eliminating the time-consuming and technically complex work of manual DNS records, authentication setup, and infrastructure maintenance.
By leveraging a shared IP pool that distributes mailboxes among millions of legitimate businesses—similar to how Gmail and Outlook operate but optimized for cold outreach—MailForge provides the deliverability benefits of established infrastructure at a fraction of the cost and complexity of building your own from scratch.
Core Features & Capabilities
Automated Infrastructure Deployment
MailForge handles complete technical setup of your cold email infrastructure automatically:
- Automated DNS Configuration: DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records automatically configured following current industry best practices with zero manual work
- 100x Faster Setup: Deploy complete email infrastructure in approximately 5 minutes instead of hours or days required for manual configuration across multiple registrars and hosting providers
- Custom Domain Tracking: Built-in tracking configuration for comprehensive email engagement monitoring without additional setup
- Bulk DNS Management: Update DNS records across hundreds of domains simultaneously with just a few clicks instead of logging into multiple interfaces
- SSL & Domain Masking: Display branded websites without revealing your primary domain ($2/domain/month or $6/year for annual billing)
Distributed Infrastructure Architecture
- Shared IP Pool: Mailboxes distributed among millions of legitimate businesses, providing the reputation benefits of established infrastructure optimized specifically for cold outreach
- Multiple Workspaces: Organize campaigns by creating separate workspaces for different projects, clients, or teams with easy domain and mailbox transfers
- Domain Transferring: Seamlessly move domains and mailboxes between workspaces as campaign needs evolve without reconfiguration
- Infinite Scalability: Create hundreds or thousands of mailboxes rapidly without infrastructure bottlenecks or complex provisioning delays
- Real-time Monitoring: Track domain health, mailbox activity, and email reputation metrics at scale from centralized dashboard
Premium Deliverability Infrastructure
MailForge’s infrastructure is purpose-engineered for cold email success by outreach specialists:
- Expert-Designed Architecture: Built by cold outreach professionals with deep deliverability expertise, not generic email hosting providers
- Shared IP Reputation Benefits: Leverage the collective reputation of millions of legitimate sending businesses to improve inbox placement
- Best Practice Guidance: Recommended configuration of 2-3 mailboxes per domain for optimal inbox placement and reputation protection
- Flexible Provisioning: Add or remove domains and mailboxes on demand as your campaigns scale up or down without long-term commitments
- Deliverability Support: Access expert guidance from a team specializing in cold outreach optimization and troubleshooting
Universal Platform Compatibility
MailForge seamlessly integrates with all major cold email platforms and tools:
- Works with Instantly, Smartlead, Lemlist, Woodpecker, Salesforge, and all other major sending platforms
- Functions as your infrastructure layer while maintaining complete flexibility in sending software choice
- No vendor lock-in—switch between sending platforms without rebuilding infrastructure or losing mailbox configurations
- API access available for custom integrations and automated workflows
Pricing Structure (2025)
MailForge offers transparent, usage-based pricing with volume discounts for scaling teams:
Domain Pricing
- .com domains: $14/year (charged once, not recurring monthly)
- Minimum purchase: 5 domains ($70/year)
Mailbox Pricing
Monthly Billing:
- 1-100 slots: $3/month per mailbox slot
- 101-1,000 slots: Discounted rates (contact for volume pricing)
- 1,001+ slots: $2/month per mailbox slot
- Minimum purchase: 10 slots ($30/month)
Annual Billing (2 Months Free):
- 1-110 slots: $30/year per mailbox slot (equivalent to $2.50/month)
- 111-1,000 slots: Discounted rates (contact for volume pricing)
- 1,001+ slots: $20/year per mailbox slot (equivalent to $1.67/month)
- Minimum purchase: 10 slots ($300/year)
Add-On Costs
SSL & Domain Masking:
- $2/month per domain (billed monthly)
- $6/year per domain (billed annually) - 4x better value
What’s Included
- Automated DNS setup (DKIM, SPF, DMARC)
- Expert customer support from cold outreach specialists
- Inbox hosting and maintenance
- Real-time infrastructure monitoring
- Centralized management dashboard
- No setup or onboarding fees
Note: You are charged based on the number of mailbox slots (capacity to create mailboxes), not the number of active mailboxes. This provides flexibility to rotate mailboxes without additional costs. Domains and mailboxes are purchased separately, giving complete control over infrastructure costs. No free trial for live sending is available, but you can explore the platform interface after signup without purchasing.
Who Should Use MailForge?
MailForge serves cold email infrastructure needs across business sizes and use cases:
- Sales Development Teams: Build scalable, compliant outbound prospecting infrastructure quickly without technical expertise or lengthy setup times
- Lead Generation Agencies: Manage multiple client campaigns with workspace separation, organized billing, and rapid deployment
- B2B Sales Organizations: Establish professional cold email infrastructure without hiring dedicated technical resources or DNS specialists
- Growth Marketing Teams: Launch outreach campaigns with deliverability-optimized infrastructure at a fraction of the cost of Google Workspace or Microsoft 365
- Solo Founders to Enterprise: Scalable architecture that grows from 10 mailboxes to thousands without platform migrations or architectural changes
MailForge is particularly well-suited for teams prioritizing speed of deployment, cost efficiency, and simplicity over absolute control and dedicated IP infrastructure.
Key Advantages
- Massive Time Savings: Eliminate hours or days of manual DNS configuration work—deploy complete infrastructure in approximately 5 minutes per batch
- Zero Technical Expertise Required: No need to understand DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC records, or email authentication protocols
- Purpose-Built for Cold Email: Every aspect optimized specifically for cold outreach deliverability rather than generic email hosting
- Cost Efficiency: Highly competitive per-mailbox pricing starting at $3/month with volume discounts down to $1.67/month—approximately 3x less expensive than Google Workspace ($7/user/month) or Microsoft 365 ($6/user/month)
- Centralized Management: Single dashboard controls hundreds or thousands of domains and mailboxes without juggling multiple registrar and hosting interfaces
- Expert Optimization: Infrastructure designed by cold outreach specialists with best-practice guidance, not generic email providers
- Workspace Organization: Keep client campaigns, projects, and teams logically separated with easy transfers and reorganization
- Platform Agnostic: Maintain complete flexibility to switch between any cold email sending software without rebuilding infrastructure
Important Considerations
- Shared IP Model: Uses shared IPs rather than dedicated infrastructure, which may not suit ultra-high-volume enterprise senders requiring dedicated IP reputation control
- Deliverability Variability: Some users report inconsistent inbox placement and occasional mailbox blocking issues, particularly with aggressive sending patterns
- DNS Propagation Delays: Bulk DNS updates can sometimes take 24-48 hours to propagate globally or occasionally fail to complete, requiring support intervention
- No Live Testing Trial: Cannot test infrastructure with actual sending before purchasing mailboxes, making it difficult to validate deliverability for your specific use case
- Separate Infrastructure Costs: Domains and mailboxes require separate purchases beyond platform access (minimum $70/year for domains + $30/month for 10 mailbox slots)
- Minimum Commitments: Requires minimum purchases (5 domains, 10 mailbox slots) which may exceed needs for very small-scale testing
Getting Started with MailForge
- Sign Up: Create account at mailforge.ai and explore the platform interface without purchasing
- Purchase Domains: Buy separate domains for campaigns (minimum 5 domains at $14/year each)—never use your primary business domain for cold outreach
- Add Mailbox Slots: Purchase mailbox slots following the recommended 2-3 mailboxes per domain ratio for optimal deliverability (minimum 10 slots)
- Automated Configuration: MailForge automatically configures all DNS, DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records within approximately 5 minutes
- Create Workspaces: Organize campaigns into logical project-based or client-based workspaces for easier management
- Connect Sending Software: Integrate your preferred cold email platform (Instantly, Smartlead, Lemlist, etc.) using standard IMAP/SMTP credentials
- Warm Mailboxes: Allow mailboxes to warm up gradually before launching high-volume campaigns (use warmup tools like Warmforge or built-in platform features)
- Launch Campaigns: Begin sending with fully configured, warmed, sequence-ready infrastructure
- Monitor & Optimize: Track domain health and leverage expert support for deliverability guidance and troubleshooting
Why Choose MailForge?
MailForge eliminates the single most time-consuming and technically complex aspect of cold email: infrastructure setup and ongoing management. By fully automating DNS configuration, email authentication, and providing purpose-built shared IP infrastructure, MailForge enables sales and marketing teams to focus on what actually drives results—crafting compelling messaging and connecting with ideal prospects rather than wrestling with technical DNS records and email authentication protocols.
For businesses committed to scaling cold email outreach cost-effectively, MailForge delivers the combination of deployment speed, deliverability optimization, and management simplicity that makes growth practical and profitable. With responsive expert support from a team specializing in cold outreach infrastructure, you gain not merely a technical platform, but a partner invested in your outbound success.
MailForge vs. Manual Setup
Factor | MailForge | Manual Setup |
---|---|---|
Setup Time | ~5 minutes | Hours to days |
Technical Knowledge | None required | DNS, email auth expertise needed |
Bulk Operations | Update hundreds of domains at once | One-by-one configuration across multiple interfaces |
Deliverability Optimization | Expert-designed infrastructure | Dependent on your knowledge |
Ongoing Management | Centralized dashboard | Multiple registrar/host interfaces |
Cost per Mailbox | $2-3/month | Time investment + potential mistakes + hosting costs |
Support | Expert cold outreach specialists | Self-service documentation or generic hosting support |
MailForge vs. Primeforge
While both are part of the “Forge Stack” ecosystem, they serve different infrastructure needs:
- MailForge: Shared IP infrastructure optimized for cost and speed, starting at $3/mailbox
- Primeforge: Premium Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 mailboxes with US-based IP addresses, starting at $4.50/mailbox (with ESP-matching deliverability benefits)
Recommended Strategy: Many successful cold email teams use both platforms simultaneously to diversify ESP reputation and reduce risk of infrastructure burn. This approach combines the cost-efficiency of MailForge with the premium ESP matching of Primeforge for maximum deliverability resilience.
Final Verdict
MailForge excels at solving the infrastructure complexity problem that blocks most businesses from scaling cold email effectively. The platform’s automated setup, expert-designed deliverability infrastructure, and centralized management deliver significant time savings and remove technical barriers that traditionally required dedicated technical resources.
The shared IP model, competitive pricing (3x less expensive than Google Workspace or Microsoft 365), and rapid deployment make MailForge ideal for teams prioritizing speed, cost-efficiency, and simplicity over absolute infrastructure control. With a 4.8/5 rating on G2 and strong user feedback on ease of use, MailForge has established itself as a leading solution for cold email infrastructure.
However, mixed reviews on deliverability consistency and occasional mailbox blocking mean MailForge works best for teams following best practices (proper list hygiene, gradual sending ramps, quality targeting) rather than aggressive high-volume blast campaigns. For teams requiring dedicated IP reputation control or guaranteed inbox placement, combining MailForge with premium alternatives like Primeforge or exploring dedicated infrastructure providers may deliver better results.
Best for: Sales teams, lead gen agencies, and growth marketers who need fast, cost-effective cold email infrastructure deployment without technical complexity.
Consider alternatives if: You require dedicated IP addresses, need guaranteed deliverability SLAs, or run ultra-high-volume campaigns exceeding standard cold email best practices.
Key Features
- Automated DNS & Authentication Setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Shared IP Pool Infrastructure
- 100x Faster Setup Than Manual Configuration
- Bulk DNS Updates Across Multiple Domains
- Domain & Workspace Management
- SSL & Domain Masking ($2/domain/month)
- Domain Transferring Between Workspaces
- Works With All Major Sending Platforms
- Real-time Infrastructure Monitoring
- Expert Deliverability Support