What is AirMail?
AirMail is Instantly's native email sending infrastructure for cold outreach. AirMail inboxes are high-quality inboxes built on private, dedicated Instantly's servers with isolated domain pools and owned, aged IPs, optimized specifically for B2B and outreach at scale.
AirMail is complementary to Google Workspace or Outlook mailboxes, not a replacement. It's the dedicated-IP layer that picks up where managed mailboxes reach their ceiling. The strongest setup is hybrid:
Google / Outlook: Every day sending volume and standard accounts
Airmail: High-volume cohorts, sensitive accounts, and sending patterns that require full IP control
Difference between DFY Google and DFY AirMail
DFY Google inboxes are mailboxes managed by Google:
Sending behavior is governed by Google's algorithm, which means daily caps, suspension risk, and no dedicated IP.
You can request passwords to access DFY Google mailboxes.
AirMail is a private SMTP product:
SMTP(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is how all email actually gets sent across the internet. SMTP inboxes are custom-built inboxes that send directly through the protocol.
The entire backend is controlled by Instantly. We host the servers and IPs that are optimized for B2B and outreach, and you use the mailboxes through your Instantly dashboard, giving you full control over their sending infrastructure with no dependency on Google's rules and no suspension risk.
There is no AirMail login page, no standalone AirMail inbox UI for you to interact with outside of Instantly.
What Makes AirMail Different
Native integration
AirMail mailboxes appear inside your Instantly dashboard the moment they are provisioned.
AirMail is not connected to Instantly. It is part of Instantly.
No API keys. No sequencer connection step. No third-party sync.
You provision inboxes, run campaigns, and see reporting all from the same dashboard.
Premium warmup pool by default
Every AirMail inbox is auto-enrolled in Instantly's premium warmup pool.
The premium warmup pool is the largest network in cold email, already trusted across millions of sends.
AirMail users get the best warmup in the industry without configuring anything or an extra invoice.
Smart pattern-based pod isolation
Customers are grouped into smaller pods based on sending pattern, volume, and domain behavior.
AirMail's neighbors send as you do. Bad behavior from a stranger never reaches your domains.
Smaller, behavior-aware pods mean reputation moves with the cohort, not against it.
Your IP reputation stays clean because your pod is curated by behavior, not just size.
0 SPF fails
SPF fails are the most preventable deliverability problem in cold email and the most common reason that a clean infrastructure provider quietly underperforms.
AirMail's production fleet runs at 0 SPF authentication failures.
Automated SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup at every domain connection.
Authentication validated before the first send.
Clean authentication on every message, every send, every domain.
One bill, one team
Bundled Instantly subscription and unified support team.
One Instantly team has full context on the sequencer, the campaigns, and the infrastructure history.
When deliverability shifts, you are not triaging across two queues.
How to Get AirMail Mailboxes
Step 1: Access DFY Setup
Go to Email Accounts dashboard
Click "Add New" button
Select "Done-for-You Email Setup" -> "AirMail By Instantly" Option
Step 2: Enter Your Primary Domain
Your main business domain (e.g., yourbusiness.com)
Used to generate related secondary domains
Secondary domains will be similar but distinct
We currently only support .com, and .org TLDs as these provide optimal email performance. Other TLDs such as .io or .ai are not supported at this time.
Step 3: Select Secondary Domains
After entering the domain, our system suggests secondary domains based on your primary domain:
Review suggested options
Select domains you want to purchase
You can select as many or as few as you like and click Next
If you don't like the initial suggestions, click Search More for additional options.
Step 4: Set Forwarding Domain (Optional)
Redirects visitors from secondary domains to your main website. If your leads visit secondary domains, they'll be redirected to your main domain.
Enter your main domain in the "Forwarding Domain" field
Example: yourbusiness.com
The secondary domains will be redirected to your main website
Step 5: Customize Email Addresses
Our system automatically generates 5 email addresses per domain based on your Instantly account name. If you don't like the generated usernames:
Click the "Trash" icon in the Action column to delete
Type a new username before the @ All domains part
Click "Add" to generate a new email address
Step 6: Select Number of Inboxes
Inbox limits: Maximum 5 email accounts per domain
At the bottom of the page, you can see your monthly and annual prices based on the number of domains and inboxes you've selected.
$15 per domain per year
$4 per AirMail email account per month
Step 7: Place Your Order
Verify domains chosen
Confirm email addresses
Check total inbox count
Review pricing
Click "Place Order" and follow the payment process to complete your order.
AirMail Billing and Subscription
DFY Domain renewal
Domains registered for 1 year
Domains renew annually if accounts are still active: $15/year
AirMail Email account renewal
Automatically renews on 15th of each month
Billed monthly for each AirMail email account: $4/month
Separate from domain renewal
Cancel DFY Domains & AirMail Accounts
Go to the billing page
Navigate to the Email Accounts & Domains tab.
Click on the domain with the AirMail account type
Select AirMail accounts to cancel:
Cancel individual accounts
Or cancel all accounts on the domain
Billing stops for the canceled AirMail accounts
If ALL AirMail accounts on the domain are canceled, the domain will be canceled automatically
Reactivate Canceled AirMail Accounts
To reactivate canceled AirMail email accounts, please follow the steps below:
Go to Email Accounts dashboard
Click "Add New"
Select "Done-for-You Email Setup" -> "AirMail By Instantly" option
Navigate to "Existing Domains" section
Click on the DFY domain to reactivate accounts before the domain expires(Max 5 accounts per DFY domain)
DFY Domain Forwarding
You can change forwarding even after DFY AirMail accounts are created. Here are the steps:
Go to the billing page
Navigate to the Email Accounts and Domains tab
Select the domain to update
Update forwarding domain field
FAQs
Does the AirMail inbox require a warmup? How long is recommended?
Yes. We strongly recommend warming up AirMail inboxes for 3 weeks before using them in a campaign for the best results and long-term stability.
How many emails can we send per day per AirMail inbox?
The daily campaign limit and warmup settings for AirMail mailboxes are managed on our end. These settings are dynamic and automatically adjusted based on mailbox sending behavior and patterns. Our system continuously optimizes these configurations to achieve the best possible deliverability.
Each AirMail mailbox has a strict maximum sending limit of 20 emails per day and will gradually scale to the max limit. To scale sending volume, we suggest adding additional mailboxes.
How many inboxes can we create per domain?
You can create up to 5 email accounts per domain.
Is AirMail only available for B2B use cases?
AirMail is designed strictly for B2B communication and does not support sending emails to personal inbox providers. Emails sent to addresses such as @gmail.com, @outlook.com, @yahoo.com, and similar providers will automatically be dropped.
Does AirMail replace my Google or Outlook inboxes?
No, it's complementary. Google and Outlook remain fully supported and are great for everyday sending. AirMail is for customers who need dedicated IPs, higher volume headroom, or full infrastructure control. The best setup uses both.
I'm already using AeroSend/ Maildoso. Why would I switch?
AirMail is built directly into Instantly - no separate tool, no API keys, no second support queue. You also get Instantly's premium warmup pool included by default, and smarter pod isolation that groups you by how you actually send, not just domain count.
What's pod isolation and why does it matter?
Your inboxes are grouped with senders who have a similar sending pattern and volume. A bad actor spam-blasting dirty lists never ends up as your neighbor. Your IP reputation stays clean because your pod is curated by behavior, not just size.
Why is availability limited to 5,000 accounts per week?
This is a deliberate decision to protect quality at launch. By controlling how many inboxes go live each week, we ensure every AirMail inbox performs at the level we've promised. It's not a supply issue, it's an infrastructure quality decision. Availability resets weekly on a first-come, first-served basis.
What's the best practice for setting this up?
Recommended: Diversify across infrastructure types for best results. A good starting split is 50% AirMail inboxes and 50% Google inboxes.
This gives you the reliability and trust signals of managed mailboxes alongside the volume headroom and dedicated IP control of AirMail. Spreading sends across two infrastructure types means that if one experiences throttling or a deliverability dip, the other keeps your campaigns running. It also signals natural, diverse sending behavior to inbox providers, which helps placement long-term.
What is SMTP / why is this different from Gmail?
Gmail and Outlook are managed mailboxes with daily caps, suspension risk, and no dedicated IP. AirMail inboxes run on Instantly's own servers and IPs, they look and behave like normal email addresses but are fully optimized for outbound volume.
Is AirMail an email service provider?
No, AirMail is not an email service provider. It is a private email sending infrastructure built into Instantly. We host the servers and IPs, and you use the mailboxes through your Instantly dashboard. There is no AirMail login page, no standalone AirMail inbox UI for you to interact with outside of Instantly.