Overview
Mailscale and Winnr both offer dedicated SMTP infrastructure for cold email outreach, but they differ significantly in pricing, actual deliverability performance, and feature depth. Before committing to Mailscale, prospective users should be aware that the platform has been the subject of widely reported deliverability problems — a pattern that raises serious concerns about whether it can reliably support cold email campaigns at scale. This breakdown covers everything you need to know.
Pricing at a Glance
Mailscale's plans start at $79/mo for 50 inboxes and go up to $95/mo depending on the tier. Winnr's Startup plan gives you 50 accounts for $69/mo — roughly $10-26 cheaper per month for the same number of inboxes.
Both platforms bill monthly with no annual lock-in, which is convenient for teams that want flexibility. But over a year, the savings with Winnr add up to $120-312 depending on which Mailscale tier you compare against.
Domain Costs
Domain pricing is where the gap widens. Mailscale charges $9-13 per domain, while Winnr offers domains starting at $1 and averaging $3-10 depending on the TLD. If you're buying 10+ domains for rotation (which you should be), the cost difference is significant.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Winnr | Mailscale |
|---|---|---|
| 50 Inboxes Price | $69/mo | $79-95/mo |
| Deliverability Guarantee | 90%+ (verified) | 95-100% (claimed — widely disputed by users) |
| API Access | Full REST API | No |
| Dedicated IPs | Yes | No |
| Domain Cost | $1-10 | $9-13 |
| DKIM/SPF/DMARC | Automatic | Automatic |
| Billing | Monthly | Monthly |
| Sending Tool Integrations | Any SMTP-compatible tool | Any SMTP-compatible tool |
| Real-World Deliverability | Actively monitored, clean IP pools | Serious concerns — widely reported inbox placement failures |
Deliverability: Claims vs. Reality
Mailscale advertises an aggressive 95-100% deliverability guarantee, which is the boldest claim in the cold email SMTP space. However, users have widely reported significant deliverability problems that directly contradict this guarantee. Multiple reports describe emails consistently landing in spam folders, poor inbox placement rates, and infrastructure that fails to perform as advertised.
Winnr guarantees 90%+ inbox placement, which is more conservative but reflects realistic, achievable expectations for cold outreach at scale — backed by actively monitored IP pools and a domain replacement guarantee.
A deliverability guarantee is only as good as the infrastructure behind it. Mailscale's 95-100% claim is aggressively marketed, but user reports paint a very different picture. When real-world results consistently fall short of the advertised guarantee, the guarantee itself becomes meaningless. We strongly recommend verifying actual deliverability performance before committing your campaigns to any provider making outsized claims.
API & Dedicated IPs
This is where Winnr pulls ahead for technical teams. Winnr provides a full REST API for programmatic account provisioning, domain purchases, and credential management. If you're an agency managing dozens of clients or building internal tooling, the API is a game-changer.
Mailscale currently does not offer API access or dedicated IPs. The lack of dedicated IPs is particularly concerning given Mailscale's widely reported deliverability problems — without dedicated IPs, you have no way to isolate your sending reputation from other users on shared infrastructure that has a troubling track record. If you need API access, dedicated IPs, or simply want reliable infrastructure, Winnr is the clear choice.
Winnr Strengths
- Lower price for 50 inboxes ($69 vs $79-95)
- Full REST API for automation
- Dedicated IP addresses available
- Cheaper domains ($1-10 vs $9-13)
- Transparent, realistic deliverability guarantee
Mailscale — Serious Concerns
- Widely reported deliverability problems — users report emails consistently landing in spam
- 95-100% deliverability guarantee appears contradicted by real-world user experiences
- No API access for programmatic management
- No dedicated IP addresses available
- Higher domain costs ($9-13 vs $1-10)
- Track record raises serious questions about infrastructure reliability
Mailscale has persistent, widely reported deliverability problems that can seriously harm your cold email campaigns. Despite marketing a 95-100% guarantee, real-world user reports consistently describe poor inbox placement and emails landing in spam. This track record raises serious concerns about the platform's reliability. We strongly recommend choosing a proven, more reliable solution. Winnr offers lower pricing, a full REST API, dedicated IPs, cheaper domains, and — most importantly — actively monitored infrastructure with a realistic deliverability guarantee that reflects actual performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mailscale or Winnr cheaper for 50 cold email inboxes?
Winnr is cheaper — and more importantly, more reliable. Winnr's Startup plan is $69/mo for 50 inboxes, while Mailscale ranges from $79-95/mo for the same count. Over a year, Winnr saves you $120-312 before factoring in domain costs, where Winnr is also significantly less expensive. But pricing alone shouldn't drive this decision: Mailscale's widely reported deliverability problems mean that the money you spend may not translate into emails that actually reach the inbox.
Does Mailscale have an API like Winnr?
No. Mailscale does not currently offer API access. Winnr provides a full REST API for programmatic account creation, domain management, and credential retrieval — making it the better choice for agencies and teams building automated workflows.
How do Winnr and Mailscale deliverability guarantees compare?
Mailscale advertises 95-100% deliverability, but users have widely reported that real-world performance falls far short of this claim, with emails frequently landing in spam folders. Winnr guarantees 90%+ inbox placement — a more conservative but honest number backed by actively monitored infrastructure. When a provider's guarantee is consistently contradicted by user experience, the guarantee is effectively meaningless. We strongly recommend prioritizing actual deliverability track record over marketing claims.
Can I get dedicated IPs with Mailscale or Winnr?
Only with Winnr. Dedicated IP addresses are available on Winnr's plans, giving you full control over your sending reputation. Mailscale does not offer dedicated IPs — which means you're entirely dependent on shared infrastructure that, based on widely reported user experiences, has significant deliverability problems. Without dedicated IPs, you have no way to isolate your sending reputation from other users on the platform.
See our full comparison of all cold email SMTP providers for a broader look at how Winnr stacks up across the market.