Lemlist vs Mailshake vs Outly: Which Outreach Tool Is Best for You in 2026?

TL;DR:

Outly excels at LinkedIn automation with dedicated safety features, Lemlist leads in creative email personalization with image customization, while Mailshake offers reliable email deliverability with basic multi-channel support. Choose based on your primary outreach channel and safety requirements.

After testing Lemlist, Mailshake, and Outly across multiple client campaigns—managing connection requests, analyzing response rates, and evaluating results for various B2B outreach scenarios—I've identified key differences between these platforms.

Lemlist built its reputation on email campaigns with image personalization capabilities and has recently expanded into LinkedIn outreach. Its strength remains in creative email sequences, though its LinkedIn features are still developing.

Mailshake provides robust email deliverability with a clean interface for managing email campaigns. They've also added LinkedIn functionality in the past year, broadening their multi-channel approach, though these features aren't as developed as their email tools .

Outly takes a different approach, having been designed as a LinkedIn-first platform from its 2020 launch. While it offers some email capabilities , its core focus is on cloud-based LinkedIn automation with features built specifically for account safety like dedicated residential IP addresses in the cloud and smart throttling systems.

In this article, I compare these three tools across four key areas:

1. LinkedIn automation capabilities
2. Email outreach features
3. Multi-channel campaign management
4. Pricing and value

I'll also examine user experience and workflow differences to help you determine which tool best aligns with your outreach priorities and business requirements.

Lemlist vs Mailshake vs Outly: Comparison Table

Feature	Lemlist (4.5 on G2)	Mailshake (4.7 on G2)	Outly (4.9 on G2)
Price	⭐⭐⭐ Email Pro: $79/mo (3 sending emails) Multichannel Expert: $109/mo (5 sending emails) Enterprise: Custom pricing	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Starter: $29/month Email Outreach: $49/mo Sales Engagement: $99/mo	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Starter: Basic $59/mo (1 LinkedIn account + 1 email) Advanced: $79/mo Professional: $99/mo
LinkedIn Automation	⭐⭐⭐ Available in Multichannel Expert plan. Includes visits, invites, and messages. No dedicated safety features.	⭐⭐⭐ Available only in Sales Engagement plan. Basic connection and messaging capabilities with 20 messages, 10 connection requests, 10 profile views per day.	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Purpose-built for LinkedIn with dedicated IP addresses, mobile API integration, and smart throttling to prevent account restrictions.
Email Outreach	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent email personalization with custom images, text variables, and liquid syntax. Strong deliverability with warm-up tools.	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unlimited email sends with verification, AI writing assistance, and advanced scheduling.	⭐⭐⭐ Basic email integration with focus on LinkedIn
Voice Messages	⭐⭐⭐ Supports voice notes in LinkedIn messages but with limited customization.	❌ Offers phone dialer but no voice message support for LinkedIn outreach.	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Advanced voice message capabilities with templates and personalization options.
Personalization	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong email personalization with dynamic images and liquid syntax. Basic LinkedIn personalization.	⭐⭐⭐ Basic personalization features like inserting recipient names and company details.	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Deep LinkedIn personalization including profile-based customization, voice messages, and dynamic text.
Multi-channel Integration	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Centralized multichannel inbox. Email-centric with LinkedIn and calling capabilities.	⭐⭐⭐ Email-first approach with basic LinkedIn integration and phone dialer.	⭐⭐⭐⭐ LinkedIn-first with email integration. Campaign management across channels with A/B testing.
User Experience	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Clean interface with conditioned sequence steps and centralized inbox.	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intuitive interface with good onboarding. Unified inbox in higher plans.	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Modern interface focused on LinkedIn workflow with parallel campaign management.
Customer Support	⭐⭐ Multiple users report support issues, complicated refund processes, and slow response times.	⭐⭐⭐ Mixed reviews - some praise quick responses while others report long waits for assistance.	🏆 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Consistently praised as "excellent" and "extremely helpful" across reviews.
G2 Reviews	4.7 out of 5 stars from 490+ reviews	4.6 out of 5 stars from 540+ reviews	4.8 out of 5 stars from 55 reviews(rising star)
Best for	Creative email campaigns requiring advanced personalization and image customization.	Email-focused sales teams that need reliable deliverability and basic LinkedIn outreach.	B2B founders, sales teams, and agencies focusing primarily on LinkedIn outreach with account safety as a priority.
Call to Action	14-day free trial	Try Mailshake No free trial	Try Outly 14-day free trial

What is Lemlist?

"Your multi-channel outreach education + software" 🔄💼

Founded in 2018, Lemlist emerged to solve the growing problem of ignored generic cold emails through personalization. The platform became known for its image personalization feature that dynamically inserts prospect information into visuals.

Initially focused on email outreach, Lemlist later added LinkedIn automation to meet market demand for multi-channel approaches. While they now support both channels, their core strength remains in creative email personalization.

The tool works best for teams who want visually engaging email campaigns with supplementary LinkedIn capabilities.

What is Mailshake?

"Streamlining email outreach workflows" 📨⚙️

Launched in 2015, Mailshake was created as a streamlined cold email tool focused on simplicity and deliverability. The platform strips away complexity, making it accessible for sales teams of all technical levels.

Built around what matters most in email campaigns—deliverability and responses—Mailshake has maintained its reputation for reliability while expanding its feature set. In 2023, they added LinkedIn automation to meet multi-channel demand, though email remains their primary strength.

Mailshake is ideal for sales teams prioritizing high-deliverability email campaigns who need occasional LinkedIn outreach as a complementary channel.

What is Outly?

"Making LinkedIn automation safe and reliable" 🛡️🤖

Founded in 2020, Outly was created specifically to address the account restrictions and bans plaguing LinkedIn automation tools. Unlike email-first platforms that later added LinkedIn features, Outly was built from the ground up for LinkedIn.

This specialized focus enabled the development of sophisticated safety mechanisms, including dedicated residential IP addresses and mobile API integration that mimics natural user behavior. While now offering email capabilities to support multi-channel outreach, Outly's core strength remains in LinkedIn-first automation with advanced safety features.

The platform serves B2B founders, sales professionals, and LinkedIn lead generation agencies who need reliable LinkedIn automation without risking their valuable accounts.

Lemlist vs Mailshake vs Outly: LinkedIn Automation

Outly ensures account safety, Lemlist offers basic functionality, while Mailshake provides limited LinkedIn features

Lemlist	Mailshake	Outly
⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

LinkedIn automation has become essential for B2B outreach but LinkedIn is vigilant about detecting automated activity, making account safety a critical concern.

In this section, we compare the tools' LinkedIn automation capabilities, specifically examining:

1. Account safety measures
2. Connection request features
3. Messaging capabilities
4. Personalization options
5. Advanced features

Account Safety Measures

Lemlist and Mailshake offer minimal safety features while Outly prioritizes account security.

Outly was built specifically to address LinkedIn account safety concerns that plagued early automation tools. It employs three key safety mechanisms:

1. Dedicated residential IP addresses - Each account operates from a unique residential IP address, significantly reducing the risk of detection.

2. Mobile API integration - Rather than simulating user behavior through browser automation (which LinkedIn can detect), Outly connects directly to LinkedIn's mobile APIs, the same way the official LinkedIn app does.

3. Smart throttling system - The platform continuously monitors for warning signals from LinkedIn and automatically adjusts connection and messaging limits in real-time to prevent account restrictions.

4. Lemlist's LinkedIn automation operates through a browser extension, which makes it vulnerable to LinkedIn's automation detection algorithms. While it does include basic daily limits, there are no advanced safety features like IP management or throttling systems.

5. Mailshake's LinkedIn capabilities are the most basic among the three, with minimal safety considerations beyond simple daily limits.

Connection Request Features

Outly offers the most comprehensive connection request options.

Outly provides:

• Custom connection notes with dynamic personalization fields
• Auto-withdrawing pending requests after set time periods (preventing connection request limits)
• Tags and organization for campaign management
• Detailed analytics on acceptance rates across different message templates
• Smart queue management that prioritizes connection requests based on previous performance

Lemlist offers:

• Basic connection requests with some personalization
• Simple analytics on acceptance rates
• Manual request management

Mailshake's connection request features are quite limited:

• Basic connection requests with minimal personalization
• No request withdrawal management
• Basic reporting on acceptance rates

Messaging Capabilities

Outly offers advanced follow-up sequencing, Lemlist provides solid messaging options, and Mailshake offers basic LinkedIn messaging.

Outly's messaging features include:

• Multi-step follow-up sequences with timing controls

• Conditional logic based on profile data (company size, industry, etc.)

• Message templates with deep personalization options

• Automated sequence pausing when prospects respond

• Reply detection and conversation management

Lemlist provides:

• Basic follow-up sequences
• Standard personalization fields
• Simple reply detection

Mailshake offers:

• Limited LinkedIn messaging functionality
• Basic personalization options
• Manual follow-up management

Personalization Options

Lemlist offers moderate options, Mailshake provides basic functionality, while Outly delivers deep LinkedIn personalization.

Outly excels with:

• Profile-data-based personalization (using job title, company, education, etc.)
• Dynamic text based on profile attributes
• Voice message personalization
• Custom variables and conditional text
• Personalization based on mutual connections and interests

Lemlist includes:

• Standard personalization fields (name, company, etc.)
• Some ability to reference profile information
• Limited conditional logic

Mailshake offers only basic personalization:

• Name and company fields
• Limited ability to dynamically adjust messaging
• No profile-based personalization

Advanced Features

Outly offers voice messages and AI assistance, Lemlist provides some voice capabilities, while Mailshake lacks advanced LinkedIn features.

Outly includes:

• Voice and video message capabilities with templates and cloning features

• AI Appointment Setter that books meetings

• AI Variables for hyper-personalization

• AI message writing assistance tailored to LinkedIn

• Campaign A/B testing with performance analytics

• Advanced targeting using Sales Navigator integration

• Smart response suggestions based on conversation context

• Basic voice messages without templates

• Limited A/B testing capabilities

• Sales Navigator integration

Mailshake lacks most advanced LinkedIn features:

• No voice message support
• Limited LinkedIn-specific analytics
• Basic Sales Navigator integration

Winner: Mailchimp

Outly. Its cloud-based architecture with dedicated IPs and smart safety features makes it the clear choice for reliable LinkedIn automation.

Lemlist vs Mailshake vs Outly: Email Outreach Features

Lemlist excels with image personalization, Mailshake offers excellent deliverability, while Outly provides functional email basics

In this section, we compare the tools' email outreach capabilities, specifically examining:

1. Email personalization
2. Deliverability features
3. Sequence and follow-up options
4. Email warm-up
5. AI assistance and analytics

Email Personalization

Lemlist offers unmatched image personalization, Mailshake provides solid text personalization, and Outly delivers basic personalization options.

Lemlist's standout feature is its dynamic image personalization. You can create template images where prospect-specific elements automatically populate:

• Company logos embedded in custom graphics
• Prospect names handwritten on virtual whiteboards
• Screenshots of their website with personalized annotations
• Custom images with dynamic text elements

Additionally, Lemlist supports advanced text personalization with:

• Standard fields (name, company, title)
• Liquid syntax for conditional messaging
• Custom variables and fallbacks
• If/then logic based on prospect attributes

Mailshake offers strong text personalization capabilities:

• Standard field personalization
• Custom variables and attribute mapping
• Basic conditional logic
• Personalized subject lines and preview text
• Email signature customization

Outly, while primarily LinkedIn-focused, includes functional email personalization:

• Standard field personalization (name, company, title)
• Basic variables for customizing messages
• Simple text variations
• AI-suggested personalization points

Both Lemlist and Mailshake allow for significantly more email personalization depth than Outly, with Lemlist's image capabilities giving it a clear edge for creative campaigns.

Deliverability Features

Mailshake focuses heavily on deliverability, Lemlist offers strong deliverability tools, while Outly provides basic functionality.

Mailshake excels with comprehensive deliverability features:

• Email verification for every contact
• Deliverability monitoring across domains
• Link tracking without triggering spam filters
• Send time optimization
• Domain reputation monitoring
• Gradual sending ramp-up
• DKIM and SPF setup guidance

Lemlist provides robust deliverability functionality:

• Built-in email warm-up tool
• Deliverability monitoring dashboard
• Spam trigger word detection
• Time zone-based send scheduling
• Domain verification and setup assistance

Outly offers essential deliverability features:

• Basic domain authentication
• Simple sending limits
• Standard scheduling options.

Sequence and Follow-up Options

Lemlist and Mailshake both excel at email sequencing, while Outly offers functional but limited options.

Lemlist's sequence capabilities include:

• Multi-step email sequences with timing controls
• Conditioned sequence steps based on recipient actions
• A/B testing different sequences
• Branch logic based on opens or clicks
• Auto-pause on reply detection
• Time zone-aware scheduling

Mailshake provides equally strong sequencing:

• Unlimited follow-ups with timing controls
• Custom tracking for opens, clicks, and replies
• Lead catcher for managing responses
• Sequence branching based on recipient engagement
• Template management and optimization

Outly's email sequencing is more basic but includes the AI Appointment Setter that replies on your behalf:

• Standard multi-step sequences
• Simple timing controls
• Basic open and reply detection
• AI Appointment Setter
• Limited branching options

Email Warm-up

Lemlist and Mailshake offer unlimited warm-up, while Outly provides basic warm-up functionality.

Lemlist	Mailshake	Outly
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Lemlist includes a comprehensive warm-up system:

• Automated warm-up with control over daily increase
• Network of real accounts for authentic engagement
• Deliverability monitoring during warm-up
• Custom warm-up schedules
• Detailed reporting on warm-up progress

Mailshake similarly excels with:

• Unlimited email warm-up
• Automatic engagement with other accounts
• Progressive volume increase
• Warm-up monitoring dashboard
• Recommendations based on domain age

Outly offers basic warm-up:

• Simple warm-up functionality
• Standard progression schedules
• Limited reporting on warm-up status

AI Assistance and Analytics

Mailshake offers strong AI writing tools, Lemlist provides comprehensive analytics, and Outly offers good AI message suggestions.

Mailshake features its "SHAKESpeare" AI writing assistant:

• AI email writing based on campaign objectives
• Subject line generation and optimization
• Content suggestions based on industry
• Engagement analytics with improvement recommendations
• Performance benchmarking against industry standards

Lemlist offers AI-powered outreach and detailed analytics:

• AI message writing assistance

• Campaign performance reporting

• A/B test result analysis

• Open/click heat maps showing optimal timing

• Comprehensive dashboard with key metrics

• AI-written messages that work across channels

• Basic email analytics

• Simple performance reporting

• Cross-channel campaign comparison

The AI writing tools from both Mailshake and Outly produced quality initial drafts, while Lemlist's analytics provided the most actionable insights for campaign optimization.

Lemlist takes the top position with its unmatched personalization options (especially image personalization), comprehensive sequencing, and strong deliverability features.

Lemlist vs Mailshake vs Outly: Multi-channel Campaign Management

Outly offers good cross-channel workflows, Lemlist provides a unified inbox, while Mailshake struggles with true integration

In this section, we compare how these tools handle multi-channel campaigns by examining:

Channel Integration

Outly offers native LinkedIn-email integration, Lemlist provides good multi-channel capabilities, while Mailshake struggles with true channel coordination.

Outly approaches multi-channel from a LinkedIn-first perspective:

• Outly offers LinkedIn-focused integration:
• LinkedIn and email coordination
• Sales Navigator integration
• Direct CSV import capabilities
• CRM synchronization (Hubspot, Salesforce)
• Team collaboration features

Lemlist takes an email-first approach to multi-channel:

• Lemlist leads with comprehensive channel integration:
• Combined email and LinkedIn sequences
• VoIP integration (Aircall, Ringover)
• Conditional sequence steps
• Custom landing pages
• Centralized multi-channel inbox

While Lemlist's multi-channel capabilities are strong, the platform still feels like an email tool that added LinkedIn rather than a truly integrated solution.

Mailshake's multi-channel approach is the least integrated:

• Email and LinkedIn exist as separate modules
• Limited ability to coordinate actions across channels
• Separate workflows for each channel
• Some unified reporting in higher-tier plans
• Phone dialer as a separate function

Lemlist with its strong multi-channel capabilities, particularly its excellent unified inbox, though its email-first heritage still shows in the overall workflow

Lemlist vs Mailshake vs Outly: Pros & Cons

Lemlist Pros & Cons

Lemlist Pros	Lemlist Cons
✅ Industry-leading image personalization for highly engaging emails	❌ Technical issues reported by users, particularly with data enrichment
✅ Strong email deliverability with comprehensive warm-up capabilities	❌ Customer support problems cited in multiple reviews
✅ Excellent unified inbox for managing responses across channels	❌ Complicated refund process that frustrates users
✅ Regular feature updates appreciated by long-term users	❌ Formatting inconsistencies when using dynamic fields through integrations
✅ Zapier integration for customizing variables and automating workflows	❌ Limited LinkedIn safety measures compared to dedicated LinkedIn tools
✅ LinkedIn integration for expanding beyond email outreach	❌ UI described as "terrible" by some users
✅ Email verification and purchasing options built-in	❌ Strict no-refund policy for annual plans

Mailshake Pros & Cons

Outly Pros & Cons

Outly Pros	Outly Cons
✅ Account safety features that protect LinkedIn profiles	❌ Stats update delays noted by some users
✅ Flexible connection request limits for warmed-up accounts	❌ Initial setup time longer than expected for some
✅ Tagging system for organizing and automating follow-ups	❌ Higher starting price point than email-only solutions
✅ Personalized automation that maintains authentic interactions	❌ Limited email personalization compared to dedicated email tools
✅ AI-driven insights for data-driven lead prioritization	❌ Managed service plans significantly more expensive
✅ Excellent customer support consistently praised in reviews	❌ Occasional glitches reported (though support addresses them)
✅ User-friendly interface appreciated by most users	❌ Fewer G2 reviews as a newer platform

Final Verdict: Lemlist vs Mailshake vs Outly

After thoroughly testing all three platforms across real-world outreach campaigns, the strengths and ideal use cases for each tool have become clear:

Tool	Perfect For	Not Ideal For
Lemlist	Creative teams needing powerful email personalization with some LinkedIn capability	Companies primarily focused on LinkedIn outreach or requiring advanced LinkedIn safety features
Mailshake	Email-focused sales teams that need high deliverability and simple workflows	Teams requiring sophisticated LinkedIn automation or deep multi-channel integration
Outly	B2B founders and sales teams focused on LinkedIn as their primary outreach channel	Organizations running primarily email campaigns or needing advanced email personalization

Each tool serves distinct needs in the B2B outreach landscape:

Use Lemlist To

• Prioritize creative, highly personalized email campaigns
• Stand out with custom image personalization
• For managing multi-channel responses with solid unified inbox
• Get sophisticated email sequences with conditional logic
• Have LinkedIn as a supplementary channel to their email campaigns

Try Lemlist with a 14-day free trial

Use Mailshake To

• Focus primarily on email campaigns with high deliverability
• Get a streamlined, easy-to-learn interface
• Get AI assistance for email writing and optimization
• Get phone dialer capabilities alongside email
• Have only basic LinkedIn functionality for occasional use

Mailshake remains a strong choice for teams that prioritize email deliverability and need a straightforward platform without complex features.

Try Mailshake

Use Outly To

• Have LinkedIn as your primary outreach channel
• Prioritize account safety
• Get reliable 24/7 cloud-based automation
• Get AI-assisted message writing
• Get for managed services with dedicated support

Try Outly with a 14-day free trial

The Bottom Line

The right choice ultimately depends on where your outreach priorities lie:

• If your strategy centers on creative, highly personalized email campaigns with LinkedIn as a secondary channel, Lemlist offers the most powerful solution.
• If you're focused almost exclusively on email deliverability and need only occasional LinkedIn outreach, Mailshake provides a streamlined, effective option.
• If LinkedIn is your primary outreach channel and you need a purpose-built solution that ensures account safety while maximizing results, Outly is clearly the superior choice.

As B2B outreach continues to evolve, the distinction between email-first and LinkedIn-first approaches becomes increasingly important.

The most effective strategy for your business will depend on where your target prospects are most engaged and responsive.

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Outly allows you to invite other team members, so that they can add their LinkedIn Account, run outreach campaigns and get amazing results just like you.