comparison · updated 2026-10-05
adbtd vs Zapmail: your own mail server instead of Google seats
Zapmail sells real Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 mailboxes, preconfigured for cold outreach. adbtd runs your own mail server on a dedicated IP. One borrows Google’s and Microsoft’s reputation, the other gives you your own.
Disclosure: this page is published by adbtd. We tried to describe Zapmail the way its own website does, and every price below links to the page we read it on. If something has changed, email hi@adbtd.com and we will correct it.
The short version
Zapmail provisions genuine Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 licences, one workspace per domain, with SPF, DKIM, DMARC and a tracking domain set up automatically and one-click exports to more than 50 outreach tools. Plans start at $39 a month for 10 mailboxes, with additional mailboxes from $3.50 down to $3.00 depending on the plan.
adbtd is not a reseller of anyone’s seats. Each account gets a dedicated Postfix and Dovecot stack and at least one dedicated IP. Your mail is signed with your domain, leaves from your IP with its own PTR record. There is no Google or Microsoft account involved.
If you specifically want Google or Microsoft inboxes, or need to start sending tomorrow with pre-warmed mailboxes, Zapmail does that well. If you want your own infrastructure at a flat price that does not change after the first year, adbtd is the alternative.
adbtd vs Zapmail at a glance
| adbtd | Zapmail | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Your own Postfix + Dovecot mail server in a single-tenant container, sending from your domains. | Real Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 licences, one workspace per domain, with admin access. |
| Pricing model | $1.99 per mailbox + $19 per dedicated IP, per month. No plan tiers, no per-message fees. | Starter $39/mo (10 mailboxes), Growth $99 (30), Pro $299 (100); extras $3.50–$3.00. Help center lists higher rates after 12 months. |
| Dedicated IP | Always. Minimum one per account, never shared with another customer. Pin IPs to domains. | No. Mail goes out through Google’s or Microsoft’s infrastructure. |
| Domains & DNS | Bring domains from any registrar (we don't sell domains yet). SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT and BIMI records generated for you, then audited every six hours. | Buy in-app (.com $13) or bring your own; nameservers must stay with Zapmail. Root domains only, 3 mailboxes per domain recommended, 5 max. |
| Warmup | No warmup network. A recommended ramp, plus Google Postmaster, Microsoft SNDS and blocklist monitoring in the dashboard. | Standard mailboxes need 3–4 weeks of warmup with an external tool. Pre-warmed mailboxes sold separately. |
| Sending limits | None enforced. You own the IP's reputation; the docs recommend a ramp. | No Zapmail cap published; Google and Microsoft limits apply. Zapmail guidance ranges from 10–20 to 30–50 a day. |
| Access | IMAP, SMTP submission, webmail, inbound forwarding and webhooks. Works with any tool that speaks SMTP / IMAP. | Google: SMTP / IMAP and app passwords. Microsoft: OAuth only, no SMTP / IMAP credentials. One-click export to Instantly, Smartlead and others. |
| API & agents | REST API for everything in the dashboard, plus an MCP server for AI agents. | API for domains, mailboxes and exports (listed on the Pro plan). |
| Billing | Monthly, cancel any month. USD, EUR or GBP at the same numbers. | Monthly, quarterly or yearly. Cancel anytime, no refunds. Mailboxes can only be created in a 24-hour window per workspace. |
Pricing at 10, 50 and 200 mailboxes
Zapmail plans bundle a number of mailboxes with per-mailbox extras; we used the cheapest plan for each count. Domains are extra on both.
| 10 mailboxes | 50 mailboxes | 200 mailboxes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| adbtd | $38.90 / mo 10 mailboxes + 1 dedicated IP | $118.50 / mo 50 mailboxes + 1 dedicated IP | $436 / mo 200 mailboxes + 2 dedicated IPs |
| Zapmail | $39 / mo Starter, 10 mailboxes | $164 / mo Growth $99 + 20 × $3.25 | $599 / mo Pro $299 + 100 × $3.00 |
Prices as of October 2026, in USD, monthly billing, before tax. adbtd: $1.99 per mailbox and $19 per dedicated IP, nothing else; the IP count is your choice (minimum one). Zapmail: first-year monthly prices from its homepage. Yearly billing is lower ($32.50 / $137.50 / $500 a month); Zapmail’s help center lists higher plan and per-mailbox rates after 12 months.
Where adbtd and Zapmail differ
Borrowed reputation vs your own
A Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 mailbox sends from Google’s or Microsoft’s IP ranges, which have enormous, established reputation. That is the main appeal of Zapmail: no IP to warm, and mail that looks to the receiver like any other business on the same platform.
The flip side is that the platform is not yours. You share IP ranges with every other tenant, Google’s and Microsoft’s own limits and policies apply to every mailbox, and the providers can act on accounts they consider abusive. On adbtd the IP, the mail server and the reputation belong to you; you start cold and build it, and nobody else’s traffic touches it.
First-year price vs flat price
Zapmail’s first-year prices are competitive at 10 mailboxes and almost identical to adbtd. Its help center says rates rise after 12 months (for example the Starter plan moves to $59 a month plus $6 per mailbox), so model year two before you commit a large programme.
adbtd has one price, $1.99 per mailbox and $19 per IP, with no introductory period. At 50 and 200 mailboxes it is cheaper than Zapmail’s first-year monthly prices, and the gap widens afterwards.
Provisioning and access
Zapmail mailboxes take up to about three hours on Google and twelve on Microsoft, can only be created within a 24-hour window per workspace, and Microsoft mailboxes come without SMTP or IMAP credentials, so tools must connect over OAuth.
adbtd mailboxes are live as soon as your DNS resolves, can be added or removed at any time through the dashboard, API or MCP server, and every one has plain SMTP and IMAP credentials.
When Zapmail is the better choice
Zapmail solves a different problem well. It is the better choice if:
- You want Google or Microsoft inboxes specifically. Some teams prefer to send from the same platform their prospects use. adbtd cannot give you that; it is your own server.
- You need to send at volume this week. Zapmail sells pre-warmed mailboxes. A new adbtd IP needs a few weeks of ramp.
- You want one-click exports to many tools. Zapmail integrates with more than 50 outreach tools, including OAuth-assisted exports.
- You want domains bought and managed in the same place. adbtd does not sell domains yet.
Why teams switch from Zapmail to adbtd
- Their own IP and reputation. No shared platform ranges, no dependence on another company’s account policies for their sending identity.
- Predictable cost. One flat price per mailbox and per IP, without a first-year rate that changes later.
- Plain SMTP and IMAP everywhere. No OAuth-only mailboxes, no app-password sheets, no 24-hour creation window.
- Automation. A REST API and MCP server on every account, and webhooks on every inbound message, so replies can drive software and AI agents.
Before you move anything, send a real message from your current setup to check.adbtd.com and keep the score: it is a free baseline to compare against after the switch. The full price list is on the pricing page, and the cold email infrastructure setup guide walks through domains, warmup and the Google / Yahoo / Microsoft sender rules.
Frequently asked
Are Zapmail mailboxes real Google Workspace accounts?
Yes. Zapmail says it provisions real Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 business licences, one workspace per domain, with admin access. adbtd mailboxes are not Google or Microsoft accounts; they live on your own dedicated mail server.
Does Zapmail give you a dedicated IP?
No. Zapmail mailboxes send through Google’s or Microsoft’s infrastructure. adbtd includes at least one dedicated IP per account.
Is adbtd cheaper than Zapmail?
At 10 mailboxes they are about the same ($38.90 on adbtd with a dedicated IP, $39 on Zapmail Starter). At 50 mailboxes adbtd is $118.50 against $164, and at 200 mailboxes with two IPs $436 against $599, using Zapmail’s first-year monthly prices as of October 2026.
Can I keep using Instantly or Smartlead with adbtd?
Yes. Add each adbtd mailbox through the tool’s SMTP / IMAP connection. There is no one-click export, but every mailbox has standard credentials.
Looking for a Zapmail alternative?
Your own Postfix and Dovecot stack on a dedicated IP, your domain in every header.$1.99 per mailbox and $19 per dedicated IP per month, cancel any month.
Sources
- Zapmail homepage and pricing (checked October 2026)
- Zapmail mailbox FAQ (help center) (checked October 2026)
- Zapmail pricing after 12 months (help center) (checked October 2026)
- Zapmail Microsoft 365 credentials (help center) (checked October 2026)
- Zapmail warmup (help center) (checked October 2026)
- Zapmail mailbox creation window (help center) (checked October 2026)