Warmerly
A placement test on each mailbox, with a limited-accuracy note when our own pool is the target
Warmerly
Mailshake
One-to-one · Inbox placement testing
Inbox placement testing
One row, in depth: what each tool does, the verified numbers, and who each suits.
Mailshake details read from its pricing page, home page, feature pages and help centre on 21 October 2026.
Warmerly
A placement test on each mailbox, with a limited-accuracy note when our own pool is the target
Mailshake
Placement testing not mentioned; its page says it monitors open and click rates, blacklist status and bounces
The short answer
Inbox placement testing, in one look.
Warmerly has a placement test with limited accuracy today, and we found no placement test at Mailshake. Warmerly sends a test message from your mailbox to up to 4 targets and checks which folder each one landed in, then scores the folders and averages them. Today those targets are usually its own warmup mailboxes, which accept almost everything, so the result is marked limited accuracy and does not change the health score. Mailshake's pages mention a spam score on the dashboard, monitoring of open and click rates, blacklist status and bounces, and a copy analyser, and we found no mention of a placement test. Neither tool's own numbers prove Gmail inboxing, so treat both as signals. Last checked 22 October 2026.
Mailshake
Placement testing not mentioned; its page says it monitors open and click rates, blacklist status and bounces
The picture
Drawn side by side.
From a send to a score
Warmerly's test has four steps and a stated limit. Mailshake's pages describe no placement step.
WarmerlyMailshake
WarmerlyPlacement test
- 1SendOne message from the mailbox's own SMTP
- 2TargetsUp to 4, 2 same provider and 2 other
- 3CheckInbox, Promotions, Spam and Junk over IMAP
- 4ScoreInbox 100, promotions 60, spam 10, missing 0
- Limited accuracy while targets are our own pool
MailshakeDeliverability tools
- 1Spam scoreOn copy, method not stated
- 2MonitorOpens, clicks, blacklist status, bounces
- 3CleanEmail validation credits on every plan
- ?Placement testNot mentioned on the pages we read
- Not stated: any seed-list or folder check
| Tool | Steps |
|---|---|
| Warmerly | Send: One message from the mailbox's own SMTP; Targets: Up to 4, 2 same provider and 2 other; Check: Inbox, Promotions, Spam and Junk over IMAP; Score: Inbox 100, promotions 60, spam 10, missing 0 |
| Mailshake | Spam score: On copy, method not stated; Monitor: Opens, clicks, blacklist status, bounces; Clean: Email validation credits on every plan; Placement test: Not mentioned on the pages we read |
On screen
What it looks like.
WarmerlySample data
How Warmerly does it
Warmerly, in detail.
A real test, run on demand or daily, with an honest note about what its targets can show. The allowance is counted per month, and a test that fails to run is not charged.
01
What a test does
It sends one message from the mailbox's own SMTP to up to 4 targets, 2 at the same provider and 2 at another. After a wait it checks Inbox, Promotions, Spam and Junk over IMAP and scores inbox 100, promotions 60, spam 10 and missing 0, then averages.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
02
Limited accuracy today
There is no dedicated seed list at Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo in production yet, so tests fall back to Warmerly's own warmup mailboxes. Those accept almost everything, so the account page shows a Limited accuracy note and the run does not change the health score.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
03
On demand and daily
A test runs from the mailbox Health tab in about 45 to 60 seconds, and daily for up to 5 mailboxes per sweep.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
04
The 30-day inbox guarantee
The published guarantee refunds a month's fee if a mailbox shows no placement improvement between its first test and one on or after day 30, with conditions.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
05
What the score means
Each result counts as inbox 100, promotions 60, spam 10 or missing 0, and the score is the average across targets. With four targets landing as inbox, inbox, promotions and spam, the score is (100 + 100 + 60 + 10) / 4 = 67.5. Missing means the message never arrived, which can point to a stricter filter than a plain spam result.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
06
Tests per month by plan
Each test you start uses one monthly placement test: 3 on Free, 5 on Starter, 25 on Growth and 100 on Agency. A test that fails to run is handed back and does not count, and the automatic background tests do not use your allowance.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
07
What the test message is
One plain message with a subject starting [Warmerly placement], sent through the mailbox's own sending connection so it is judged the way real mail from it would be. It is never sent to your leads, and a paused mailbox cannot run a test.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
08
Gmail tabs are mostly invisible
Promotions is rarely reported for Gmail because Gmail's tabs are not visible to Warmerly over IMAP, so a missing promotions count does not mean nothing landed there. The docs say this next to the score.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
09
Run from an AI assistant
The MCP server has a run_placement_test tool. Because it sends a real message straight away, it is refused in the seeded demo workspace.
Warmerly product, checked 21 October 2026
How Mailshake does it
Mailshake, in detail.
Deliverability tools around the send: a spam score tied to warmup, blacklist and bounce monitoring, list validation and a copy analyser. None of the pages we read describes a test that checks where a message lands.
01
Spam score
The deliverability FAQ refers to analysing your spam score so emails hit recipients' inboxes. The page does not say how the score is calculated.
mailshake.com/features/email-deliverability · read 21 October 2026
02
What it monitors
The FAQ says the tool monitors open and click rates, blacklisting statuses and bounces. Open and click rates are not the same as placement.
mailshake.com/features/email-deliverability · read 21 October 2026
03
List cleaning
Email validation credits are included with every plan to remove bad addresses, and the page says addresses with high bounce or spam honey pots are removed.
mailshake.com/features/email-deliverability · read 21 October 2026
04
Copy analysis
The home page lists a copy analyser for spam words and a domain setup assistant.
mailshake.com · read 21 October 2026
05
Spam score sits with warmup
A help article says you can view your Spam score on your Dashboard once warmup is running. It says a brand-new address should not show a high volume of spam, and an older address with many warmup emails in spam probably had deliverability problems before.
docs.mailshake.com/article/303-how-does-warmupyour-email-work · read 22 October 2026
06
Warmup mail goes to addresses Mailshake owns
The same article says warmup sends from your address to addresses Mailshake owns, automates replies from them, and marks messages that land in spam as Not Spam. So the spam figure is measured against Mailshake's own recipients.
docs.mailshake.com/article/303-how-does-warmupyour-email-work · read 22 October 2026
07
Bounce risk classification
Email validation classifies each address by bounce risk and removes addresses with high bounce risk or spam honey pots. Monthly validation credits are listed as included.
mailshake.com/features/email-deliverability · read 22 October 2026
08
Authentication named
The deliverability FAQ mentions DKIM and SPF authentication, and the mailboxes feature says SPF, MX and DKIM records are already set up for ready-made mailboxes.
mailshake.com/features/email-deliverability · read 22 October 2026
09
Quota pauses, not placement checks
A help article says Mailshake detects when a Google or Microsoft quota was hit and pauses sending for a period before resuming. That limits bounces, and it is not a check of the inbox.
docs.mailshake.com/article/57-how-many-emails-can-i-send-per-day · read 22 October 2026
What Mailshake does not say
We looked, and found no statement on these. That is about its published pages only, not about the product.
- Inbox placement testing or seed-list testing
- How the spam score is calculated
- Which filters any score is tested against
- Whether the Dashboard spam score is measured against real providers or only Mailshake's own warmup addresses
- Any per-plan allowance of tests or checks
- A before and after placement comparison, or a guarantee tied to placement
- Any seed list at Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo
Where the sources disagree
We report each version rather than pick one.
- Mailshake's deliverability page lists spam score analysis under Email Warm Up and again in the deliverability tool FAQ, while a help article places the Spam score on the Dashboard during warmup. We cannot tell whether these are one feature.
The numbers
Only what we could verify.
| Measure | Warmerly | Mailshake |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox placement testing | A placement test on each mailbox, with a limited-accuracy note when our own pool is the target | Placement testing not mentioned; its page says it monitors open and click rates, blacklist status and bounces |
| Placement test | Yes, up to 4 targets per test | Not mentioned |
| Folders checked | Inbox, Promotions, Spam and Junk | Not stated |
| Accuracy caveat | Limited accuracy while targets are our own pool | Not applicable |
| Other signals | Health score, bounce and reply rates | Opens, clicks, blacklist status and bounces |
| Scoring | Inbox 100, promotions 60, spam 10, missing 0, averaged | A spam score is named, no method given |
| Tests per month | 3 on Free, 5 on Starter, 25 on Growth, 100 on Agency | No test allowance listed |
| Time for one test | About 45 to 60 seconds, including a 30 second wait | Not applicable |
| Guarantee tied to placement | 30-day inbox guarantee, with conditions | None found |
In practice
What it means for you.
Our reading of the facts above. Not a promise, and not the only reasonable reading.
Read the caveat
Warmerly's own test is only as good as its targets. Today it is a useful trend line on a mailbox, not proof of Gmail inboxing.
Use a seed test if you need proof
If placement at Gmail matters to a decision, run an independent seed-list test on either tool.
Reading a score of 67.5
Four targets that land as inbox, inbox, promotions and spam average to 67.5. One spam result among four is worth looking at, but a single test is a snapshot of one mailbox on one day. The docs suggest repeating a test after a few days of warmup before changing anything.
Counting tests on Starter
Starter includes 5 placement tests a month. Testing five mailboxes once each uses the whole allowance, so on a 5-mailbox plan you would pick which mailboxes to test, or rely on the daily automatic runs, which do not use the allowance.
Checking a Mailshake spam score
Mailshake says the Dashboard shows a spam score during warmup. If you rely on it, ask Mailshake whether it comes from real providers or from its own warmup addresses, because the answer decides how much weight a clean score deserves.
Who it suits
Pick the one that fits.
Warmerly
Warmerly is the better fit if
- You want a placement test run from each mailbox, with its limits shown
- You want a guarantee tied to placement tests, with conditions
- You want a per-mailbox test you can start yourself, with a stated scoring rule
- You prefer a tool that labels its own weak results instead of hiding them
- You want to start tests from an AI assistant that connects through MCP
Mailshake
Mailshake is the better fit if
- You want a spam-score check on copy inside a sales tool
- You mostly track opens, clicks and bounces
- You want bounce-risk validation of every address included in the plan
- You want a spam score on the Dashboard next to warmup
- You want a copy analyser for spam words in the same tool as the send
Questions
Does Mailshake test inbox placement?
We found no mention of placement testing on its pages. It mentions a spam score and monitoring of open and click rates, blacklist status and bounces.
How accurate is Warmerly's placement test?
Limited today. Tests fall back to Warmerly's own warmup mailboxes, which accept almost everything, so the account page shows a Limited accuracy note.
Does a Warmerly placement test change my health score?
Not while it runs against Warmerly's own warmup mailboxes. Those runs are marked degraded, never write to the health score and are left out of the spam figures. A trend is only shown when the two latest tests are the same kind.
How long does a Warmerly placement test take?
About 45 to 60 seconds from the Health tab: a few seconds of sending, a fixed 30 second wait, then a few seconds of checking each target. You can leave the page and the result is still saved.
How many placement tests are included?
3 a month on Free, 5 on Starter, 25 on Growth and 100 on Agency. A test that fails to run is not counted.
Sources
- Mailshake email deliverability page
- Mailshake home page
- Mailshake help: How does Email Warmup work?
- Mailshake help: How many emails can I send per day? (updated 13 May 2021)
Mailshake pages were read on 21 October 2026. Plans and wording change, so check the vendor's own page before you decide. Warmerly details come from the product as it runs today.
More features
See it on your own mailbox.
Connect a mailbox. Warmerly runs alongside whatever you send from now, so you can compare before you move anything.
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