Suped
Summary
The decision to acquire more dedicated IPs hinges on a combination of factors, most notably email volume, reputation management, and infrastructure requirements. Experts and marketers agree that high-volume senders (generally exceeding 50,000-100,000 emails per month) benefit from dedicated IPs to control their reputation and avoid the negative impact of shared IP environments. Consistency in sending patterns, the types of mailbox providers (with Gmail being less sensitive), and infrastructure limitations (such as failover concerns) also play a significant role. However, experts caution against using dedicated IPs for low-volume sending, as they lack an established reputation and require careful warming up. Before adding IPs, it is important to understand the root cause of deliverability issues, such as rate limiting or content-related problems.

Key findings

  • High Volume Threshold: Sending over 50,000-100,000 emails per month is a common threshold for needing dedicated IPs.
  • Reputation Control: Dedicated IPs provide greater control over sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Isolation Benefits: Dedicated IPs isolate senders from reputation issues caused by other senders on shared IPs.
  • Mailbox Provider Sensitivity: The types of mailbox providers in your audience influence the need for dedicated IPs (Gmail is less sensitive).
  • Low Volume Inappropriateness: Dedicated IPs are not recommended for low-volume senders due to lack of IP reputation.
  • Infrastructure Concerns: ESPs allocating only one IP for large volumes raise failover concerns.

Key considerations

  • Underlying Issues: Identify the underlying cause of deliverability issues (e.g., content, rate limiting) before adding IPs.
  • Sending Volume Analysis: Accurately assess current and projected sending volume to determine necessity.
  • Mailbox Provider Mix: Consider the distribution of mailbox providers within your recipient list.
  • Warming Up Strategy: If using new dedicated IPs, implement a gradual warm-up strategy to build reputation.
  • Infrastructure Limitations: Assess ESP infrastructure limitations and failover capabilities.
  • Alternative Solutions: Explore if improving sending practices or reputation can address the issues instead of adding IPs.
What email marketers say
14 marketer opinions
Email marketers generally agree that dedicated IPs become necessary when senders reach high email volumes and want more control over their sender reputation and deliverability. The specific volume threshold varies, but often cited figures range from 50,000 to 100,000 emails per month, or over 1 million per day. The type of mailbox providers, consistency of sending patterns, and the need for failover capabilities also influence the decision. Isolating your email traffic to protect your reputation from the negative impacts of shared IPs is a key driver. Infrastructure concerns from allocating only one IP for high volume are also frequently raised.

Key opinions

  • High Volume: Dedicated IPs are recommended when sending high email volumes (50k-100k+ per month).
  • Reputation Control: Dedicated IPs allow senders to control their reputation, isolating them from shared IP issues.
  • Deliverability: Dedicated IPs can improve deliverability, especially when encountering issues on shared IPs.
  • Mailbox Provider Impact: The need for dedicated IPs depends on the mix of mailbox providers (e.g., Gmail vs. smaller providers).
  • Infrastructure: Single IP infrastructures are more exposed to issues with failover when sending high volumes.

Key considerations

  • Volume Consistency: Consistent sending patterns benefit more from dedicated IPs.
  • Mailbox Provider Types: Consider the types of mailbox providers your audience uses, as some are more sensitive than others.
  • Reputation Issues: Assess if deliverability issues are related to your sender reputation before adding dedicated IPs.
  • Infrastructure Needs: Evaluate if your current infrastructure adequately handles failover and high-volume sending.
  • Control vs. Convenience: Balance the need for control over reputation with the convenience of shared IPs.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Quora suggests that a dedicated IP address becomes important when your email volume reaches a point where you want more control over your sender reputation and deliverability. It's a good idea once you are sending significant volume or want to ensure consistent deliverability for critical communications.
9 Mar 2025 - Quora
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks expresses infrastructure concerns about the ESP allocating only one IP for such a high volume, especially regarding failover scenarios. He also raises questions about campaign size and volume consistency.
10 May 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts emphasize that simply adding more dedicated IPs is not always the solution for email deliverability issues. One expert notes it could help but questions why the ESP isn't preventing rate limiting. Another suggests that more IPs may not solve the problem if rate limiting is content-related and instead recommends investigating the root cause and improving email practices. Furthermore, experts caution against using dedicated IPs for low-volume sending due to the lack of an established IP reputation, and emphasize the importance of warming up new IPs gradually to build a positive sending reputation.

Key opinions

  • More IPs Not Always the Answer: Adding IPs might not solve rate limiting problems, particularly if the issue is content-related.
  • Investigate Rate Limiting: It's important to understand the underlying cause of rate limiting before adding more IPs.
  • Low Volume Issues: Dedicated IPs can be detrimental for low-volume senders due to lack of reputation.
  • Importance of Warming Up: New IPs require a warm-up period to establish a positive sending reputation.

Key considerations

  • ESP Rate Limiting: Understand why your ESP isn't preventing rate limiting issues.
  • Content Quality: Ensure email content is not triggering rate limiting.
  • Sending Volume: Assess your sending volume to determine if dedicated IPs are appropriate.
  • IP Reputation: Plan for warming up new IPs to build a positive sending reputation gradually.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that dedicated IPs can be a bad option if the volume being sent is low. The IP address will have no sending reputation and deliverability rates will be low as a result.
8 Jan 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests investigating the cause of rate limiting and improving email practices and reputation. She explains more IPs might not solve the problem if rate limiting is related to content.
13 Jul 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Email service provider documentation consistently suggests that dedicated IPs are beneficial for senders aiming to manage their own reputation, maintain control over their sending activities, and isolate themselves from other users. A high sending volume, often cited as over 50,000 emails per month, and consistent sending patterns are key indicators for needing a dedicated IP. These IPs allow senders to establish and maintain their reputation independently with ISPs, and tools like Google Postmaster Tools can be used to monitor sending reputation.

Key findings

  • Reputation Management: Dedicated IPs offer senders greater control over their sending reputation.
  • Isolation: Dedicated IPs isolate senders from the activities of other users on shared IPs.
  • High Volume: Dedicated IPs are recommended for senders with high email volumes (e.g., over 50,000 per month).
  • Consistent Sending: Consistent sending patterns benefit from dedicated IPs.

Key considerations

  • Reputation Goals: Consider your need for control over your sending reputation.
  • Sending Volume: Assess your monthly sending volume against recommended thresholds.
  • Sending Consistency: Evaluate the consistency of your sending patterns.
  • Monitoring Tools: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your sending reputation.
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid explains that a dedicated IP address is beneficial for senders wanting to manage their own reputation and is recommended for senders sending over 50,000 emails per month. They also say it is beneficial when sending consistent volume.
22 Jan 2024 - SendGrid
Technical article
Documentation from AWS explains that dedicated IPs are useful for senders who require a high degree of control over their sending reputation and need to isolate their sending activities from other users.
23 Nov 2022 - AWS
Start improving your email deliverability today
Get a demo