Mailscale offers tiered pricing with a deliverability guarantee and instant setup. MailDeck offers dedicated Microsoft 365 tenants at a lower per-inbox cost with 48-hour provisioning. Both serve the cold email market, but they make different tradeoffs.
This comparison breaks down pricing at every scale, the infrastructure differences, and when each provider makes more sense for your operation.
Mailscale pricing verified on https://www.mailscale.ai/#pricing-nh as of March 2026.
Quick Comparison
| MailDeck | Mailscale | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per domain (100 inboxes) | Tiered plans + per mailbox |
| Cost per inbox (at 50) | $0.45 | $2.38 |
| Cost per inbox (at 200) | $0.45 | $1.25 |
| Infrastructure | Microsoft 365 (primary) + Google Workspace | Self-hosted SMTP |
| Setup time | 48 hours | Under 60 seconds |
| Minimum purchase | 4 domains (400 inboxes, $180/mo) | 15 inboxes ($79/mo) |
| Built-in sequencer | No (use Instantly, Smartlead, etc.) | No |
| Deliverability | 98% | 95-100% guaranteed |
Pricing at Every Scale
Mailscale pricing (from their website):
- Solopreneur: $79/mo for 15 inboxes
- Business: $119/mo for 50 inboxes
- Enterprise: $249/mo for 200 inboxes
- Additional mailboxes: $2.38 each
MailDeck pricing:
- Starter: $45/mo per domain, 100 inboxes per domain (4-10 domains)
- Growth: $40/mo per domain (11-30 domains)
- Enterprise: $35/mo per domain (31-100 domains)
| Scale | Mailscale | MailDeck | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 inboxes | $119/mo | $180/mo (min 4 domains) | Mailscale saves $61/mo |
| 200 inboxes | $249/mo | $180/mo (4 domains, 400 capacity) | MailDeck saves $69/mo |
| 500 inboxes | ~$962/mo | $225/mo (5 domains) | MailDeck saves $737/mo |
| 1,000 inboxes | Custom | $450/mo (10 domains) | Mailscale requires custom quote |
Important context: Mailscale has a lower entry point ($79/month for 15 inboxes) and instant setup. MailDeck's minimum is 4 domains (400 inboxes) at $180/month with 48-hour provisioning. The cost advantage shifts to MailDeck once you consistently need 100+ inboxes.
Infrastructure Differences
MailDeck: Dedicated Microsoft 365 Tenants
MailDeck provisions a dedicated Microsoft 365 tenant for each domain. Each tenant includes 100 Outlook inboxes with automated DNS configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Your emails send through Microsoft's servers with Microsoft's sender reputation.
This matters most when your recipients are enterprise companies using Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft-to-Microsoft email receives higher trust from corporate spam filters. For DNS details, see our SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup guide.
Mailscale: Self-Hosted SMTP with IP Pools
Mailscale runs self-hosted SMTP servers with their own IP pools. They offer a deliverability guarantee (95-100%) and included cold email training.
This matters if you want instant setup, a deliverability guarantee, or the included educational content.
Where MailDeck Falls Short
To give you an honest comparison, here's where Mailscale has advantages:
Setup speed. Mailscale delivers inboxes in under 60 seconds. MailDeck takes 48 hours to provision Microsoft 365 tenants. If you need inboxes today, Mailscale wins.
Lower entry point. Mailscale starts at $79/month for 15 inboxes. MailDeck's minimum is 4 domains at $180/month (400 inboxes). For small tests or solo operations, Mailscale is more accessible.
Deliverability guarantee. Mailscale offers a 95-100% deliverability guarantee. MailDeck maintains 98% deliverability but doesn't offer contractual guarantees.
Google Workspace focus. MailDeck offers both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, but our primary focus and strongest infrastructure is Microsoft 365. Mailscale's self-hosted approach works regardless of recipient email provider.
Included training. Mailscale includes cold email courses with their plans. MailDeck is infrastructure only with no included training.
Where MailDeck Wins
Cost at scale. Once you pass 200 inboxes, MailDeck's per-domain model becomes significantly cheaper. At 500 inboxes, you're paying $225/month vs approximately $962/month with Mailscale.
Dedicated infrastructure. Each MailDeck domain gets its own Microsoft 365 tenant. Your domains are fully isolated from other customers.
Transparent scaling. MailDeck pricing is published and linear. 1 domain = 100 inboxes. No tier jumping. For a comparison across all providers, see our pricing analysis of 11 cold email providers.
Enterprise deliverability. Microsoft 365 infrastructure has the highest trust with corporate mail servers. We maintain 98% inbox placement across 1M+ managed Outlook inboxes.
Simpler pricing model. Mailscale tiers force you into pricing buckets. Need 51 inboxes? You're paying for tier that may not fit. MailDeck is simple: 1 domain = 100 inboxes. To calculate your needs, see our inbox calculator.
MailDeck Pricing
| Plan | Price | Domains | Inboxes | Cost/Inbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $45/mo per domain | 4-10 | 400-1,000 | $0.45 |
| Growth | $40/mo per domain | 11-30 | 1,100-3,000 | $0.40 |
| Enterprise | $35/mo per domain | 31-100 | 3,100-10,000 | $0.35 |
| Custom | Contact us | 100+ | 10,000+ | Custom |
Each domain includes 100 inboxes with automated DNS configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
FAQ
How much does Mailscale cost?
Mailscale charges $79/month for 15 inboxes (Solopreneur), $119/month for 50 inboxes (Business), and $249/month for 200 inboxes (Enterprise). Additional mailboxes cost $2.38 each. Current pricing on https://www.mailscale.ai/#pricing-nh.
How does MailDeck compare to Mailscale on price?
MailDeck charges $35-45 per domain with 100 inboxes included. At 200 inboxes, MailDeck costs $180/month vs Mailscale's $249/month. At 500 inboxes, MailDeck costs $225/month vs approximately $962/month. The tradeoff: MailDeck requires 48-hour setup and minimum 4 domains (400 inboxes at $180/month).
Does Mailscale offer a deliverability guarantee?
Yes. Mailscale offers 95-100% deliverability guarantee on their professional inboxes. MailDeck maintains 98% deliverability across all tenants using native Microsoft 365 infrastructure.
Can I use MailDeck with Instantly or Smartlead?
Yes. MailDeck is infrastructure only. It provides SMTP credentials that work with any sequencer: Instantly, Smartlead, Salesforge, Apollo, and any other SMTP-compatible tool.
What infrastructure does Mailscale use?
Mailscale uses self-hosted SMTP servers with their own IP pools. MailDeck uses native Microsoft 365 Outlook tenants with Microsoft's established sender reputation.
Which is better for small teams?
Mailscale has a lower entry point ($79/month for 15 inboxes) and instant setup. MailDeck's minimum is $180/month for 400 inboxes. For teams testing cold email or running small campaigns, Mailscale is more accessible. MailDeck becomes more cost-effective once you consistently need 200+ inboxes.
How long does MailDeck setup take?
48 hours. MailDeck provisions dedicated Microsoft 365 tenants with full DNS configuration. Mailscale delivers inboxes in under 60 seconds.
Ready to Scale Your Email Infrastructure?
Join top outbound teams using MailDeck for enterprise-grade deliverability.
Get Started