WarmerlyWarmerly ahead on this row
Every spam-placed warmup message, after a human-like delay
Warmerly
Smartlead
One-to-one · Spam-folder rescue
Spam-folder rescue
One row, in depth: what each tool does, the verified numbers, and who each suits.
Smartlead details read from its pricing page, home page and help centre on 17 and 19 October 2026.
Warmerly
Every spam-placed warmup message, after a human-like delay
Smartlead
Its warmup help article says spam-placed warmup mail is moved to the inbox; no timing given
The short answer
Spam-folder rescue, in one look.
Both tools rescue warmup mail from spam. Warmerly rescues every spam-placed warmup message after a human-like delay of 10 to 120 minutes, and the code shows exactly what a rescue does. Smartlead's help article says warmup emails that land in spam are moved to the primary inbox, marked important and given a priority reply, but it does not state timing or whether every message is rescued. Our comparison table currently says Smartlead's spam rescue is 'not stated on its pricing or home page'; that is true of those pages, but its help centre does state it. Last checked 19 October 2026.
Smartlead
Its warmup help article says spam-placed warmup mail is moved to the inbox; no timing given
The picture
Drawn side by side.
From spam to inbox, minute by minute
How long a spam-placed warmup message waits before it is rescued. Move the slider to step through the rules.
WarmerlySmartlead
WarmerlyRescued after a read delay of 10 to 120 minutes
Not before 10
First email 10 to 20
Any other message 10 to 120
SmartleadMoved to the primary inbox, marked important, priority reply. Timing not stated.
Not stated
- Before 10 minutesNothing happens. Every warmup message waits at least 10 minutes after it was sent, however fast the processor runs.
- 10 to 20 minutesA mailbox's first-ever warmup email is read and, if it is in spam, rescued somewhere in this window. The processor looks every 2 minutes.
- 20 to 120 minutesEvery other message is read at a point chosen once from the message id, anywhere between 10 and 120 minutes. A rescue follows the read.
- By 120 minutesThe longest read delay has run out. A message still in spam is rescued on the processor's next look, which is at most 2 minutes later.
Warmerly: 10 minutes is the shortest read delay, 120 the longest, 20 the longest for a mailbox's first email, and the processor loop runs every 120 seconds by default. That is why the line starts at 10 and not at 0. Smartlead's help article gives no timing, so nothing is drawn for it.
| Company | Case | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Warmerly | Shortest read delay before a rescue | 10 minutes |
| Warmerly | Longest read delay for a mailbox's first email | 20 minutes |
| Warmerly | Longest read delay for any other message | 120 minutes |
| Warmerly | How often the processor looks | Every 120 seconds by default |
| Smartlead | Timing of the rescue | Not stated |
What a rescue does, step by step
Warmerly's four steps are read from its code. Smartlead's help article gives one sentence.
WarmerlySmartlead
WarmerlyFrom the warmup code
- 1Wait for the read delay10 to 120 minutes after sending, 10 to 20 for a mailbox's first email.
- 2Clear the Junk flagRemove the Junk keywords and add NotJunk, best effort. A refused keyword never stops the move.
- 3Read, star, mark important, moveThe message is flagged read, starred and important, then moved to the inbox. On Gmail that is the Not spam signal.
- 4Queue a replyA reply from the recipient follows, unless the thread is at depth 3 or the recipient cannot reply.
SmartleadFrom the warm-up help article
- 1Moved to the primary inboxThe help article says mail that lands in spam is moved, and puts 'manually' in quotation marks.
- 2Marked as importantStated in the same sentence.
- 3Given a priority replyStated in the same sentence.
- 4When, how many, with what reply?Not stated: no timing, no share of messages, no conditions on the reply.
WarmerlyShare of mail given this treatment
Spam-placed warmup mail rescued100%Every message, no sampling. It used to be sampled, and was changed.
Ordinary warmup mail opened90%About 90 per cent, so a rescue is stronger than normal engagement.
Opened mail starred as important20%About 20 per cent of opened ordinary mail. A rescued message is always marked important.
SmartleadShare of mail given this treatment
Spam-placed warmup mail movedNot statedNo share is given.
Ordinary warmup mail openedNot statedNo share is given.
Mail marked as importantNot statedThe article says spam-placed mail is marked important, with no share.
The percentages are Warmerly's own: the code rescues every spam-placed warmup message and opens about 90 per cent of ordinary ones. Not stated does not mean Smartlead does less. It means we found no number to draw.
Who watches for spam
Rescue is one job. Cutting volume and testing placement are others, and the two tools split them differently.
WarmerlySmartlead
WarmerlySmartlead
Rescue warmup mail from spam
Every spam-placed warmup message, after a 10 to 120 minute read delay, with a reply.
Moved to the primary inbox, marked important, priority reply. Detail not stated.
When warmup mail keeps landing in spam
Quota cut automatically: x0.7 at a spam placement score of 10 or more, x0.4 at 20 or more.
Done for youThe API guide tells you to cut total_warmup_per_day to 10 and rebuild gradually. You do it.
Test where mail lands
Not part of the rescue. A placement test is a separate tool.
SmartDelivery: seed-list tests for Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, reporting inbox, promotions or spam. An add-on from $49 a month.
Smartlead is aheadTell you when an account starts landing in spam
Not part of the rescue.
The SmartDelivery page says it sends notifications if a sending account starts landing in spam.
Smartlead is aheadWhere Smartlead is ahead on this row: a placement test with notifications, as a paid add-on. Where Warmerly is ahead: the rescue is written down in detail, and the volume cut happens by itself. Neither tool rescues campaign mail sent to real prospects.
How Warmerly does it
Warmerly, in detail.
Every spam-placed warmup message between Warmerly mailboxes is rescued, after a read delay, with a recorded reply to follow. Campaign mail to real prospects is never touched.
01
What is rescued, and why it is every message
When the processor finds a warmup message in a recipient's spam folder (Gmail Spam, Junk, Junk Email), it recovers it. Every spam-placed message is rescued, with no sampling. It used to be about 75 per cent; that was dropped because a message left in Spam keeps teaching the filter that the sender is junk.
Warmerly product, checked 19 October 2026
02
What a rescue does
In order: remove the Junk keywords and add NotJunk (best effort, servers differ), mark the message read, starred and important, and move it to the inbox. On Gmail, moving out of Spam is the 'Not spam' signal. A reply from the recipient is then queued whatever the mailbox's reply probability, unless the thread is at depth 3 or the recipient cannot reply.
Warmerly product, checked 19 October 2026
03
When it happens
Each job has a read delay of 10 to 120 minutes after sending (10 to 20 for a mailbox's first warmup email), worked out from the job id so it repeats. The rescue happens after that delay, so it never occurs within minutes of delivery. The processor loop runs every 120 seconds by default.
Warmerly product, checked 19 October 2026
04
Counted, and limited to warmup mail
A rescued job is recorded as delivered to spam and opened, so rescues still show in placement and rescue stats. Only warmup mail between Warmerly mailboxes is rescued. Warmerly cannot rescue a campaign email sent to a real prospect, because it has no access to the prospect's mailbox.
Warmerly product, checked 19 October 2026
05
Rescue is stronger than ordinary engagement
Ordinary warmup mail is opened about 90 per cent of the time, and about 20 per cent of opened mail is starred as important. A spam-placed message skips both dice: it is always read, always flagged important and always moved to the inbox. The aim is the strongest signal a recipient can send, which on Gmail is 'Not spam'.
Warmerly product, checked 19 October 2026
06
A reply is guaranteed, with limits
A rescued message is always answered, whatever the mailbox's reply probability. The exceptions are a thread already at depth 3, a recipient that is not active or aging with warmup on, and a Warmerly-hosted mailbox that would be answering a low-reputation sender. A reply is clamped into the recipient's send window, so a message read late in the day is answered the next morning.
Warmerly product, checked 19 October 2026
07
Folders searched and best-effort flags
The processor looks in Gmail's Spam folder and in Junk, Spam and Junk Email folders on other servers. It removes the Junk keywords and adds NotJunk on a best-effort basis, because servers differ on which keywords they accept, and a refused keyword never stops the move itself.
Warmerly product, checked 19 October 2026
How Smartlead does it
Smartlead, in detail.
The warmup help article describes moving spam-placed warmup mail to the primary inbox, marking it important and replying to it. Timing and coverage are not stated.
01
What the help article says
Smartlead's warmup article says emails that land in spam are 'manually' moved to the primary inbox, marked as important and given a priority reply. It does not say whether 'manually' means a person or an automated step, and it does not say how long the move takes.
helpcenter.smartlead.ai/en/articles/52-how-to-enable-ai-email-account-warm-ups · read 19 October 2026
02
The API guide lists it as a signal
The API guide says pool members automatically open, reply to and mark messages as important, and refers to moving messages from spam to inbox as a positive engagement signal. It does not say whether every message is moved.
api.smartlead.ai/guides/email-warmup · read 19 October 2026
03
Not on the pricing or home page
The pricing page and home page do not use the phrase spam rescue. The home page says the warm-up engine simulates real opens, reads and replies, and that clean US IPs and trusted infrastructure keep emails out of spam.
smartlead.ai · read 19 October 2026
04
Related protection: bounce delisting
The same help article says Smartlead automatically delists email accounts from the warmup pool to protect reputation. It does not say what triggers delisting. This is a separate safeguard from rescue, not a replacement for it.
helpcenter.smartlead.ai/en/articles/52-how-to-enable-ai-email-account-warm-ups · read 19 October 2026
05
If warmup mail lands in spam, you cut the volume
The API guide says that if warmup emails land in spam you should reduce total_warmup_per_day to 10 and rebuild gradually. It lists inbox placement above 90 per cent and no spam folder issues as signs a mailbox is ready for campaigns. This is guidance for you to act on, not an automatic step.
api.smartlead.ai/guides/email-warmup · read 19 October 2026
06
SmartAssistant compares inbox and spam placement
SmartAssistant's warmup diagnosis compares inbox and spam placement ratios, checks whether daily limits match the warmup stage and flags sending that is too aggressive. It cannot resolve ISP-level blocking, recipient-side filters or blacklist appeals. It reports and advises; it does not say it moves any mail.
helpcenter.smartlead.ai/en/articles/451-diagnosing-problems-with-smartassistant · read 19 October 2026
07
SmartDelivery tests where mail lands
The SmartDelivery page says it tests against seed lists for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and more, and reports whether mail reaches the primary inbox, the promotions tab or spam. It says it sends notifications if a sending account starts landing in spam. SmartDelivery is a separate add-on (Growth $49 a month, Pro $174, Expert $599). It measures placement; it is not a rescue.
smartlead.ai/smartdelivery · read 19 October 2026
What Smartlead does not say
We looked, and found no statement on these. That is about its published pages only, not about the product.
- Searched the help article, the API warmup guide, the pricing page and the home page: found no statement of how soon a spam-placed warmup email is moved, whether every one is moved, or whether the rescue is counted in any report.
- No setting to switch spam rescue on or off, or to change its share, was found.
- Smartlead 101's warmup page says Smartlead 'ensures' mail reaches the primary inbox rather than spam, but describes no rescue or recovery mechanism behind that claim.
The numbers
Only what we could verify.
| Measure | Warmerly | Smartlead |
|---|---|---|
| Spam-folder rescue | Every spam-placed warmup message, after a human-like delay | Its warmup help article says spam-placed warmup mail is moved to the inbox; no timing given |
| Rescues warmup mail from spam | Yes | Yes, per the help article |
| Share of spam-placed mail rescued | Every message, no sampling | Not stated |
| Share of ordinary warmup mail opened | About 90 per cent | Not stated |
| Timing | After a 10 to 120 minute read delay (10 to 20 for a first email) | Not stated |
| How often the processor looks | Every 120 seconds by default | Not stated |
| What the rescue does | Clears Junk flag, marks read, starred and important, moves to inbox, queues a reply | Moves to primary inbox, marks important, priority reply |
| Reply after a rescue | Always, unless the thread is at depth 3 or the recipient cannot reply | A priority reply, no conditions given |
| If warmup mail keeps landing in spam | Quota cut automatically: x0.7 at a spam placement score of 10 or more, x0.4 at 20 or more | API guide advises cutting total_warmup_per_day to 10 and rebuilding gradually |
| Spam-landing notifications | Not part of the rescue | SmartDelivery page: notifications if a sending account starts landing in spam (add-on from $49 a month) |
| Can you switch it off or tune it | Not a setting | Not found |
| Applies to campaign mail | No, warmup mail only | Not stated; the article is about warmup |
In practice
What it means for you.
Our reading of the facts above. Not a promise, and not the only reasonable reading.
Our reading: the feature is the same, the detail is not
Both tools do what the feature name says. The difference is how much is written down. Warmerly's behaviour can be read in the code and the public doc, while Smartlead's help article gives one sentence.
Our reading: a rescue is a warmup signal, not a fix
Rescue helps teach Gmail and Outlook that a sender's mail is wanted. It does not touch the mail you send to prospects, and it cannot fix a problem such as a missing DKIM record or a blocklisted IP.
Our reading: do not read 'every message' as 'every email'
Warmerly rescues every spam-placed warmup message. That covers warmup traffic only, so a mailbox can still land real campaign mail in spam.
Our reading: Smartlead may rescue just as thoroughly, we simply cannot see it
One sentence in a help article is not evidence of a weaker feature. It means the detail (how soon, how many, with what reply) is not written down where we could read it. Ask Smartlead if the detail matters to you.
Our reading: placement tests and rescue answer different questions
A rescue acts on warmup mail after it lands in spam. A placement test such as SmartDelivery's reports where a test mail lands. One is a signal you send, the other is a measurement you read. You may want both, and Smartlead's test is a paid add-on.
Our reading: Warmerly cuts volume for you, Smartlead tells you to
When spam placement is high Warmerly lowers the mailbox's quota by itself. Smartlead's API guide tells you to lower it to 10 by hand. Either way, a mailbox that keeps landing in spam needs its DNS, list and copy checked.
Who it suits
Pick the one that fits.
Warmerly
Warmerly is the better fit if
- You want to know exactly when and how a spam-placed warmup message is rescued.
- You want every spam-placed warmup message rescued rather than a share of them.
- You want the rescue followed by a reply from the recipient mailbox.
Smartlead
Smartlead is the better fit if
- You already use Smartlead and its warmup settings, and the help article's description is enough for you.
- You want spam rescue as part of a larger platform with its own deliverability add-ons such as SmartDelivery.
- You buy pre-warmed mailboxes through SmartSenders and do not warm your own.
Questions
Does Smartlead rescue warmup mail from spam?
Yes, per its help article: it moves the mail to the primary inbox, marks it important and sends a priority reply. Timing and share rescued are not stated.
How does Warmerly's rescue work?
It clears the Junk flag, marks the message read, starred and important, moves it to the inbox and queues a reply.
How quickly does Warmerly rescue?
After a read delay of 10 to 120 minutes, or 10 to 20 for a first email. The processor looks every 120 seconds by default.
Is every spam message rescued?
On Warmerly, every spam-placed message, with no sampling. Smartlead does not state a share.
Sources
- Smartlead help: enable AI warmups (read 2026-10-19)
- Smartlead API guide: email warmup (read 2026-10-19)
- Smartlead pricing (read 2026-10-19)
- Smartlead home page (read 2026-10-19)
- Smartlead help: diagnosing problems with SmartAssistant (read 2026-10-19)
- Smartlead SmartDelivery page (read 2026-10-19)
- Smartlead 101: how email warmup works (read 2026-10-19)
- Smartlead help: SmartDelivery deliverability report (read 2026-10-19)
Smartlead pages were read on 19 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
- All features
- Starting price (per month)
- Mailboxes on the starting plan
- Most mailboxes on a published price
- Emails per month on the starting plan
- Highest published send volume
- Contacts on the starting plan
- Warmup
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC monitoring
- Inbox placement testing
- Built-in campaign sender
- Shared reply inbox
- LinkedIn steps in the same sequence
- Ready-made mailboxes
- Agency and white-label
- Integrations
- API
- Free plan or trial
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.
Free plan, no card. Paid plans: 7-day trial, first charge on day 8.