Deliverability
Dedicated IP
A sending IP address used only by your account, giving you full control over its reputation — as opposed to a shared IP, whose reputation depends on every sender using it.
Shared vs. dedicated
On a shared IP, your mail goes out alongside other senders’ mail, and you share one reputation. A well-run platform keeps shared pools clean, and for most senders that works well, because the pool already has a steady, trusted volume.
A dedicated IP is yours alone. Nobody else can hurt its reputation, but nobody else helps it either. Its standing depends entirely on your volume and practices.
When a dedicated IP makes sense
- You send consistently high volume, usually hundreds of thousands of emails a month or more.
- Your sending is steady, not occasional bursts, which would look erratic on an IP with no other traffic.
- You want your reputation fully isolated, for example to keep transactional and marketing mail on separate IPs.
The catch
A new dedicated IP has to be warmed up from zero, and a low-volume sender on a dedicated IP often does worse than on a good shared pool, because providers never see enough mail to build trust.
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Full glossaryDeliverability
Shared IP
A sending IP address used by many senders on the same email platform. Everyone shares its reputation, which the platform keeps healthy by policing what goes out through it.
Deliverability
IP warm-up
The practice of gradually increasing send volume from a new domain or IP so mailbox providers build trust in your sending pattern before you reach full volume.
Deliverability
Sender reputation
A score mailbox providers maintain for a sending domain or IP based on engagement, complaints and bounces, which determines whether your mail reaches the inbox, spam, or gets rejected outright.