Google Workspace starts at $7 a user, but cold email needs dozens of mailboxes and domains. Here is the real monthly cost, the reseller shortcut and cheaper options.
One Workspace seat is cheap. Fifty of them, spread across seventeen domains so no single one gets burned, is a different number. Here is the real cost of running cold email on Google.
The list price
Google Workspace Business Starter is $7 per user a month on an annual commitment, or $8.40 on the flexible monthly plan. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $6 per user a month on annual terms. Every cold email mailbox is a user.
Why cold email multiplies it
- Many mailboxes. 1,000 emails a day at 30 each needs about 34.
- Many domains. Three mailboxes per domain means 12 domains, each with its own DNS to set up.
- Admin time. SPF, DKIM and DMARC on every domain, plus warmup and monitoring, usually with separate tools.
What 50 mailboxes cost
| 50 mailboxes a month | Cost |
| Google Workspace direct, flexible | $420 |
| Google Workspace direct, annual | $350 |
| Microsoft 365 direct, annual | $300 |
| Google via a cold email reseller, about $3.50 | $175 |
| Google or Microsoft via MailOptimal, $4 | $200 |
| InfraOptimal, dedicated IP included | $95 |
Domains and warmup excluded. Google and Microsoft prices are list prices in the US.
What you get for the premium
Google and Microsoft mailboxes are familiar to recipients and send from the providers’ own infrastructure. For small estates and named-account mail, that recognition is worth paying for. The trade-off is that you share sending IPs with every other customer and pay an office licence for a mailbox you only use to send.
When a dedicated IP makes more sense
Once you run ten or more sending mailboxes, the seat cost dominates the budget. InfraOptimal charges for sending, not a seat: $2.00 down to $1.00 per mailbox, a dedicated IP included, DNS written for you, and warmup from the first day. The full comparison is on InfraOptimal vs Google and Microsoft.
A mixed setup
You do not have to choose. Keep a few Workspace mailboxes for your most important accounts and run the volume through InfraOptimal. In MailOptimal both sit in one rotation pool with one unified inbox.
FAQ
How much is Google Workspace per mailbox for cold email?
$7 a month per user on annual terms or $8.40 on flexible billing at list price, before domains and warmup. Resellers charge around $3 to $4.
Is Google Workspace better for deliverability?
Recipients recognise it, which helps. It also sends from shared provider IPs, so your placement moves with other senders. A warmed dedicated IP gives you a reputation that is only yours.
What is the cheapest way to run 50 mailboxes?
Among dedicated-IP options, InfraOptimal at about $95 a month on monthly billing, or $70 on annual.
One platform instead of a stack of tools
Campaigns, unlimited warmup, verified leads and a unified inbox, plus InfraOptimal mailboxes on a dedicated IP from $1.00. Everything you need to land in the inbox and book more meetings.
Put this into practice on your own IP
InfraOptimal is our sending platform for cold outreach: dedicated IPs, DNS written for you, warmup from day one. From $1.00 a mailbox, about a quarter of the Google and Microsoft price.
| 100 mailboxes a month | Cost |
| InfraOptimal, dedicated IP | $100 / mo |
| Google Workspace, shared IP | $400 / mo |
| Microsoft 365, shared IP | $400 / mo |
Dedicated IPs only · 10 mailbox minimum · SMTP and IMAP included