{
 "last_updated":"2026-10-16","currency":"USD",
 "notes":"'verified' = read on the vendor's official page on date_checked. 'unverified' = not confirmed on an official page (JS-rendered, ambiguous, or third-party only). Monthly-billing prices unless noted. Cost model: base + per_seat*seats; plan must satisfy contacts_limit (uploaded/active contacts per month); mailboxes: null=unlimited included.",
 "tools":[
  {"id":"instantly","name":"Instantly","category":"sender","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_INSTANTLY","pricing_url":"https://instantly.ai/pricing","plans":[
   {"plan":"Growth (Outreach)","monthly":47,"annual_monthly":37.6,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":1000,"emails_limit":5000,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://instantly.ai/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Unlimited email accounts & warmup."},
   {"plan":"Hypergrowth (Outreach)","monthly":97,"annual_monthly":77.6,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":25000,"emails_limit":100000,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://instantly.ai/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Page lists 125,000 emails on the plan card and 100,000 in the feature table (internal inconsistency). Same page also shows a $358 'Hypergrowth' inside bundles."},
   {"plan":"Light Speed (Outreach)","monthly":358,"annual_monthly":286.3,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":100000,"emails_limit":500000,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://instantly.ai/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Includes SISR dedicated IP rotation."}]},
  {"id":"smartlead","name":"Smartlead","category":"sender","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_SMARTLEAD","pricing_url":"https://www.smartlead.ai/pricing","plans":[
   {"plan":"Base","monthly":39,"annual_monthly":32,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":2000,"emails_limit":6000,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.smartlead.ai/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Unlimited email accounts. 50% off first month promo shown."},
   {"plan":"Pro","monthly":94,"annual_monthly":78,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":30000,"emails_limit":90000,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.smartlead.ai/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":""},
   {"plan":"Unlimited Smart","monthly":174,"annual_monthly":144,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":150000,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.smartlead.ai/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Unlimited contacts."},
   {"plan":"Unlimited Prime","monthly":379,"annual_monthly":315,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":500000,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.smartlead.ai/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"3 SmartServers + 3 client workspaces included."}]},
  {"id":"apollo","name":"Apollo","category":"data+sender","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_APOLLO","pricing_url":"https://www.apollo.io/pricing","plans":[
   {"plan":"Basic","monthly":65,"annual_monthly":49,"per_seat":true,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"unverified","source_url":"https://salesmotion.io/blog/apollo-pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Official page is JS-rendered (prices not readable). Price from third-party guides (Salesmotion, Argorant, Cleanlist agree). 2,500 credits/mo per seat on monthly billing. Mailbox limits per seat not modeled."},
   {"plan":"Professional","monthly":99,"annual_monthly":79,"per_seat":true,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"unverified","source_url":"https://salesmotion.io/blog/apollo-pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Third-party sourced; Cleanlist reports 5 mailboxes on Professional."}]},
  {"id":"clay","name":"Clay","category":"data/enrichment","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_CLAY","pricing_url":"https://www.clay.com/pricing","plans":[
   {"plan":"Launch","monthly":185,"annual_monthly":167,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":2500,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"unverified","source_url":"https://www.clay.com/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Not a sequencer-first tool; 'contacts' modeled as 2,500 data credits/mo. DISAGREEMENT on official page: plan card shows $167/mo, FAQ says 'starting at $185/mo', sub-components list $60 actions + $125 data credits = $185. Unlimited seats."},
   {"plan":"Growth","monthly":495,"annual_monthly":446,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":6000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"unverified","source_url":"https://www.clay.com/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Card $446 vs FAQ $495 ($205 actions + $290 credits). 6,000 data credits/mo."}]},
  {"id":"lemlist","name":"Lemlist","category":"sender","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_LEMLIST","pricing_url":"https://www.lemlist.com/pricing","plans":[
   {"plan":"Email","monthly":69,"annual_monthly":55,"per_seat":true,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.lemlist.com/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"$69 struck to $55 (annual). Unlimited users & senders listed, but FAQ says pricing is based on number of users and email volume is selectable - per-user/volume model partly unverified."},
   {"plan":"Multichannel","monthly":109,"annual_monthly":87,"per_seat":true,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":5,"extra_mailbox":null,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.lemlist.com/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"5 senders per user; LinkedIn, SMS."}]},
  {"id":"replyio","name":"Reply.io","category":"sender","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_REPLYIO","pricing_url":"https://reply.io/pricing/","plans":[
   {"plan":"Email Volume (entry)","monthly":59,"annual_monthly":49,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":1000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":null,"extra_mailbox":0,"status":"unverified","source_url":"https://reply.io/pricing/","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Page shows a price ladder ($49...$899) tied to active-contact tiers; compare table says 'Starts from $59' from 1,000 contacts. Exact tier-to-contacts mapping not readable. Unlimited mailboxes (fair use)."},
   {"plan":"Multichannel","monthly":99,"annual_monthly":89,"per_seat":true,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":5,"extra_mailbox":null,"status":"unverified","source_url":"https://reply.io/pricing/","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"$89 (annual) and 'Starts from $99' both shown; 5 vs 10 mailboxes stated in different sections."}]},
  {"id":"saleshandy","name":"Saleshandy","category":"sender","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_SALESHANDY","pricing_url":"https://www.saleshandy.com/pricing/","plans":[
   {"plan":"Starter","monthly":41,"annual_monthly":34,"per_seat":false,"seats_max":1,"contacts_limit":2000,"emails_limit":6000,"mailboxes_included":10,"extra_mailbox":null,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.saleshandy.com/pricing/","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"1 user; sender rotation up to 10 accounts."},
   {"plan":"Pro","monthly":99,"annual_monthly":76,"per_seat":false,"seats_max":10,"contacts_limit":30000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":100,"extra_mailbox":null,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.saleshandy.com/pricing/","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"10 users; 100 rotation accounts."},
   {"plan":"Scale","monthly":189,"annual_monthly":149,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":1000,"extra_mailbox":null,"status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.saleshandy.com/pricing/","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Unlimited active prospects (fair use), unlimited users."}]},
  {"id":"woodpecker","name":"Woodpecker","category":"sender","affiliate_url":"TODO_AFFILIATE_WOODPECKER","pricing_url":"https://woodpecker.co/pricing/","plans":[
   {"plan":"Usage-based (per contacted prospect)","monthly":0,"per_contact":0.07,"annual_monthly":null,"per_seat":false,"contacts_limit":1000000000,"emails_limit":null,"mailboxes_included":4,"extra_mailbox":5,"status":"unverified","source_url":"https://woodpecker.co/pricing/","date_checked":"2026-10-16","notes":"Slider-based page: '$7.00 per 100 contacted prospects', 4 warm-ups included, +$5/mo per extra warm-up. Minimum tier & base price not readable (default shows $564/yr). Unlimited team members."}]}
 ],
 "benchmarks":[
  {"source":"Cotera - Smartlead vs Instantly (30 days, GlockApps seeds)","url":"https://cotera.co/articles/smartlead-vs-instantly-comparison","results":{"smartlead":87.4,"instantly":84.1},"date_checked":"2026-10-16","independent":"unclear","notes":"Same campaign on both; Instantly dipped to 78% in week 2."},
  {"source":"Cotera - Instantly vs Lemlist (90 days, GlockApps seeds)","url":"https://cotera.co/articles/instantly-vs-lemlist-comparison","results":{"instantly":82.7,"lemlist":84.9},"date_checked":"2026-10-16","independent":"unclear","notes":"3,600 leads split, 6 mailboxes each."},
  {"source":"Puzzle Inbox - 3-way 90-day test","url":"https://puzzleinbox.com/blog/smartlead-vs-instantly-vs-lemlist-2026-three-way","results":{"smartlead":91,"instantly":89,"lemlist":88},"date_checked":"2026-10-16","independent":"no - inbox vendor","notes":"Publisher sells pre-warmed inboxes; methodology thin."},
  {"source":"Something Inc - 14-day GlockApps test","url":"https://somethinginc.com/blog/smartlead-instantly-lemlist-inbox-placement-2026/","results":{"smartlead":88,"instantly":81,"lemlist":74},"date_checked":"2026-10-16","independent":"unclear","notes":"Spam/missing split only published for Smartlead."}
 ],
 "benchmark_disagreements":["Lemlist ranges from 74% (Something Inc) to 88% (Puzzle Inbox) and beats Instantly in Cotera's test but trails it in the other two.","Smartlead leads Instantly in every test found, but by 2-7 points.","No independent test found for Apollo, Clay, Reply.io, Saleshandy or Woodpecker - shown as 'no data', not guessed.","Vendor self-reported numbers (e.g. Instantly '30% higher inbox placement', Saleshandy testimonial claims) are excluded."],
 "refunds":[
  {"tool":"instantly","policy":"No refunds. All fees non-refundable incl. prorated, credits, add-ons. Cancel in-app only; takes effect end of billing period. CRM/Inbox Placement add-ons end immediately with prorated account credit.","trial_or_window":"None","status":"verified","source_url":"https://instantly.ai/terms","date_checked":"2026-10-16"},
  {"tool":"smartlead","policy":"7-day full refund for new subscriptions; renewal refund within 3 days if unused + valid reason; add-ons non-refundable. Note: T&Cs separately say fees are non-refundable 'except where expressly stated'.","trial_or_window":"7 days (new), 3 days (renewal)","status":"verified","source_url":"https://helpcenter.smartlead.ai/en/articles/224-refund-policy","date_checked":"2026-10-16"},
  {"tool":"apollo","policy":"Cancel anytime; cancellation effective end of plan term. Downgrades immediate, no refunds for unused time. Annual can't be downgraded mid-cycle.","trial_or_window":"Free plan + trial","status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.apollo.io/pricing","date_checked":"2026-10-16"},
  {"tool":"clay","policy":"Fees non-refundable except as set out in the Agreement; auto-renews; cancel by email or in-app. Downtime >6h earns 5% service credits (no cash).","trial_or_window":"14-day trial","status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.clay.com/terms-of-service","date_checked":"2026-10-16"},
  {"tool":"lemlist","policy":"Terminate anytime; no refund of unused month/year already begun, not even prorated.","trial_or_window":"14-day trial","status":"verified","source_url":"https://www.lemlist.com/legal/terms","date_checked":"2026-10-16"},
  {"tool":"replyio","policy":"Not found on an official page. Search summary suggested fees non-refundable but the page fetched (replyio.com) did not state it.","trial_or_window":"14-day trial","status":"unverified","source_url":"https://reply.io/pricing/","date_checked":"2026-10-16"},
  {"tool":"saleshandy","policy":"10-day refund for new purchases (pro-rata if used; transaction fees non-refundable); renewal refund within 5 days if unused; Lead Finder, inbox tests, verification, mailbox infra non-refundable. Pause 1-6 months allowed.","trial_or_window":"10 days (new), 5 days (renewal)","status":"verified","source_url":"https://docs.saleshandy.com/en/articles/6969685-refund-policy","date_checked":"2026-10-16"},
  {"tool":"woodpecker","policy":"Third-party source says cancel anytime, no refunds once a period is billed. Not confirmed on Woodpecker's own terms.","trial_or_window":"14 days or 100 emails","status":"unverified","source_url":"https://coldemailkit.com/alternatives/reply-io","date_checked":"2026-10-16"}
 ],
 "changelog":[
  {"date":"2026-10-16","tool":"All","change":"Baseline snapshot recorded (first check). Future changes will be logged against this.","source_url":""},
  {"date":"2026-10-16","tool":"Clay","change":"Official page shows two Launch prices ($167 card vs $185 FAQ) - flagged; awaiting next check.","source_url":"https://www.clay.com/pricing"}
 ]
}