Instant Expert vs paid inboxes (SenderPays, YesReply, Earn.com)
Paid inbox tools let senders pay to reach someone, but most only work when the recipient has set one up, and Earn.com, SenderPays and YesReply are no longer running. Instant Expert sends a paid invitation to the specific person you choose, with no setup on their side, and you pay only if they book or answer.
Searching is free. You pay only if they book or answer.
Facts about paid inbox tools last checked October 15, 2026, on their own public pages.
The main difference
A paid inbox puts a price on the recipient's attention. On Earn.com and on live tools like Captchainbox, the recipient creates the inbox, sets the price and connects a payout. That only reaches people who have already opted in.
SenderPays tried the other way round in 2013: attach money to an email to anyone, refunded if there was no reply within 7 days. It's gone. Instant Expert does that job for calls and written answers: you choose the person, we find their work email and send your note with a paid offer, and you're charged only when they book or answer.
Side by side
| Question | Instant Expert | Paid inbox tools |
|---|---|---|
| Who you can reach | Anyone you name or describe whose work email we can find. They don't need to set anything up. | Only people who set up a paid inbox, for Earn.com and live tools like Captchainbox. SenderPays reached anyone, but no longer runs. |
| How pricing works | You set the offer per person (minimum $5) and a cap on total spend. The offer is what the person receives, and our fee is added on top: a $100 offer costs you $125. Our fee is 20% of what you pay. No subscription. | SenderPays: the sender picked $5 to $100 per email, paid by PayPal. Captchainbox: the recipient sets the price, and Captchainbox keeps 10% after Stripe's fee. Earn.com paid out in cryptocurrency. |
| When you pay | Only when someone books a call or sends a written answer. Declines and invitations nobody accepts within 7 days cost $0. | SenderPays refunded in full if there was no reply within 7 days. On Captchainbox you pay to get past the recipient's filter. |
| Speed | The invitation goes out when you approve the send. People have 7 days to book or answer, with up to two reminders. There's no guarantee a given person says yes. | The email arrives right away. The recipient replies in writing when they choose. |
| Best for | A paid call or written answer from a specific person who has never set up anything. | Writing to someone who set up a paid inbox and published their price. |
Last checked October 15, 2026. Sources: Show HN: SenderPays (April 2013), YesReply on Devpost, TechCrunch: Coinbase buys Earn.com (April 2018), Finance Magnates: Earn.com shutting down (December 2019), Captchainbox. Prices change; check their sites before you decide.
Where paid inboxes fall short
Paying for a reply is the right idea. The tools built around it leave gaps:
- Most need the recipient to opt in. If the person you want never created a paid inbox, there's nothing to pay into.
- The best known ones are gone. Coinbase bought Earn.com in 2018 and shut it down, with withdrawals due by February 20, 2020. senderpays.co no longer resolves, and YesReply appears only as a hackathon project on Devpost.
- A paid email gets you a written reply at best. Instant Expert offers a call or a written answer, and handles the scheduling and the video link.
If the person you want has set up a paid inbox and published a price, paying through it is direct.
Searching is free. You pay only if they book or answer.
Questions
Is Earn.com still running?
No. Coinbase bought Earn.com in April 2018 and shut it down to focus on Coinbase Earn; users had until February 20, 2020 to withdraw funds, and earn.com now redirects to Coinbase. Instant Expert sends paid invitations to anyone you choose, and you pay only if they book or answer.
Is there a pay-to-email service that works for anyone?
SenderPays let you attach money to an email to anyone in 2013, but its site no longer resolves. Instant Expert does that job for calls and written answers: you choose the person, we find their work email and send the paid invitation, and they don't need an account.
What does it cost if the person doesn't answer?
Nothing. Declines and invitations nobody accepts within 7 days cost $0. The offer is what the person receives, and our fee is added on top: a $100 offer costs you $125.
Related
- Reaching one specific person you have no connection toA reply from one particular person, when you don't know anyone who knows them.
- Getting a first meeting with a specific buyerFifteen minutes with a buyer at an account you care about, paid for only if they book.
- How to write a cold email in 7 steps (two happen before you type)To write a cold email, pick one person for a true reason, ask for one small step, meet CAN-SPAM basics and plan one or two follow-ups that add something.
- Cold email templates: 7 for B2B, none with a fake 'Re:'Seven B2B cold email templates, each for one situation: a specific reason, a problem check, a referral, a research call, a follow-up and more, plus CAN-SPAM basics.
- How Instant Expert worksRefunds, no-show rules and who you can reach.