A dedicated IP is an IP address that sends email for one sender only. Every message that leaves it is yours, so mailbox providers such as Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo judge its reputation on your sending alone. On a shared IP, by contrast, many senders use the same address and share a single reputation.
Dedicated IP vs shared IP
| Criterion | Shared IP | Dedicated IP |
|---|---|---|
| Who sends from it | Many senders | Only you |
| Reputation | Shared, managed by the provider | Built and owned by you |
| Warm-up | Not needed, the IP is already warm | Required, over several weeks |
| Volume needed | Any, including small or irregular sends | Large and steady, every week |
| Troubleshooting | Limited visibility | Every issue traces back to your own sending |
| Cost | Included in the plan | Paid add-on |
Who needs a dedicated IP?
A dedicated IP makes sense when you send a high, consistent volume and want to own your sender reputation. Email providers commonly put the threshold at around 50,000 emails a week or 100,000 or more a month, and some say 200,000. Below that, a single IP does not carry enough traffic for mailbox providers to build a stable reputation, and a well-run shared pool usually performs better. Mailpro's own guidance: a fixed IP is most useful from tens of thousands of emails a month, with consistent volume and clean lists. Other good reasons are separating transactional email from marketing, or giving corporate clients a fixed address to allowlist.
How does IP warm-up work?
A new dedicated IP has no history, so mailbox providers distrust sudden volume from it. IP warm-up means ramping up gradually: start with a few hundred messages a day to your most engaged contacts, then raise the volume step by step over two to six weeks while you watch bounces and complaints. Skip it and a cold IP sending a big campaign can land straight in spam. More in do I need to warm up an IP?
Not sure you send enough for your own IP? A Mailpro dedicated IP pool spreads your volume over several IPs whose reputation Mailpro manages for you, with no warm-up.
Full control means full responsibility
A dedicated IP does not improve deliverability by itself. Nobody else can hurt your reputation, but nobody else can lift it either: high bounce rates, spam complaints and spam-trap hits fall entirely on you. Keep SPF, DKIM and DMARC in place, send only to opt-in contacts and monitor blacklists. See what IP reputation is and how sender reputation is scored.
How much does a dedicated IP cost?
Most email providers sell a dedicated IP as a paid add-on on top of the sending plan, and some reserve it for higher tiers. The real cost also includes your time: warm-up, monitoring and fixing reputation issues yourself. At Mailpro, a fixed IP is an optional add-on billed annually alongside your subscription. The IP is leased, not sold, and the annual fee is non-refundable. See how to rent a fixed IP, or contact us to discuss the cost.
Dedicated IP or dedicated IP pool?
For most senders, Mailpro recommends a managed pool. A single Mailpro dedicated IP is for large, steady senders who want full control. Compare both in dedicated IP vs dedicated IP pool and read the pros and cons of a dedicated IP.
Mailpro and dedicated IPs
Beyond the dedicated IP — inbox placement handled for you
Send from Mailpro's managed IP pools or your own fixed IP, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC support and Swiss hosting. Priced by sends, not contacts.