Overview
Winnr and Zapmail represent two fundamentally different approaches to cold email infrastructure. Winnr provides dedicated SMTP accounts with full control over your sending environment. Zapmail resells Google Workspace inboxes at a discount, giving you Gmail-based sending without managing the Workspace setup yourself.
The right choice depends on your volume, budget, and how much control you need over your infrastructure.
Pricing Comparison
Zapmail offers Google Workspace inboxes at roughly $2.50 per account. For 10 accounts, that's $25-32.50/mo — a budget-friendly option if you're just getting started or testing the waters with a small campaign.
Winnr's Startup plan is $69/mo for 50 accounts, which comes out to $1.38 per account. At the per-inbox level, Winnr is actually cheaper — and you get 5x more accounts to work with.
| Feature | Winnr | Zapmail |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure Type | Dedicated SMTP | Google Workspace |
| 10 Accounts Cost | $69/mo (50 included) | ~$25-32.50/mo |
| 50 Accounts Cost | $69/mo | ~$125-162.50/mo |
| Per-Account Cost | $1.38 | ~$2.50 |
| API Access | Full REST API | No |
| Dedicated IPs | Yes | No (shared Google IPs) |
| DKIM/SPF/DMARC | Automatic | Via Google Workspace |
| Sending Limits | Provider-controlled | Google's 500/day limit |
| Suspension Risk | Low | High (Google TOS violations) |
| Scalability | High | Limited by Google policies |
The Google Workspace Trade-off
Zapmail's appeal is simple: Gmail inboxes have excellent baseline deliverability because Google's infrastructure is trusted by receiving mail servers everywhere. For small-volume campaigns (a few hundred emails per day), this can work well.
The problem is scale. Google Workspace accounts have hard sending limits of 500 emails per day, and Google actively monitors for bulk sending behavior. Push too hard and your accounts get suspended — sometimes with little warning. Cold email violates Google's Acceptable Use Policy, which means every Google Workspace account used for outbound is one policy enforcement away from being shut down.
Google Workspace accounts used for cold email can be suspended at any time for violating Google's Acceptable Use Policy. This risk increases with volume and is outside any reseller's control. Dedicated SMTP infrastructure like Winnr avoids this risk entirely.
When to Use Each
Zapmail Makes Sense If:
- You're testing cold email with a very small budget (under $30/mo)
- You're sending fewer than 100 emails per day total
- You're comfortable with the risk of Google suspensions
- You don't need API access or dedicated IPs
Winnr Makes Sense If:
- You're scaling beyond a handful of accounts
- You want to send 1,000+ emails per day reliably
- You need dedicated IPs and full SMTP control
- You want API access for automation
- You can't afford the risk of account suspensions
Zapmail is a fine entry point for testing cold email on a tight budget. But once you're ready to scale beyond 10 accounts or 500 emails/day, Winnr's dedicated SMTP infrastructure is more reliable, more scalable, and cheaper per account — without the constant risk of Google suspensions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zapmail cheaper than Winnr for cold email?
Only at very small scale. Zapmail costs ~$2.50 per inbox, so 10 accounts run $25-32.50/mo. But Winnr's $69/mo plan includes 50 accounts ($1.38 each), making it significantly cheaper per inbox at any meaningful scale.
Can Zapmail accounts get suspended for cold email?
Yes. Zapmail uses Google Workspace inboxes, and cold email violates Google's Acceptable Use Policy. Accounts can be suspended at any time, especially under higher volume. Winnr's dedicated SMTP infrastructure doesn't have this risk.
Should I use Google Workspace or SMTP for cold email?
For small tests (under 100 emails/day), Google Workspace can work. For anything beyond that, dedicated SMTP is more reliable and scalable. SMTP gives you full control over your sending infrastructure, dedicated IPs, and no dependency on Google's enforcement policies.
Does Winnr have better deliverability than Zapmail?
Deliverability depends on your practices — list quality, warmup, content, and volume management. Google Workspace has strong baseline reputation, but dedicated SMTP with proper authentication (which Winnr handles automatically) performs equally well at scale and doesn't degrade under volume the way Google inboxes can.
See our full comparison of all cold email SMTP providers for a broader look at how Winnr stacks up across the market.