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Shared vs dedicated IP: the decision framework nobody talks about

warmup_will

Most advice says "dedicated IP if you send 100k+/month." That is an oversimplification. Here is the real decision framework.

Choose shared IP when

  • Your volume is under 100k/month (dedicated IPs lack volume to build reputation)
  • Your sending is inconsistent (weekly spikes, seasonal campaigns)
  • You are on a reputable ESP with good shared pool management (Brew, Postmark)
  • You do not have the resources to monitor and manage IP reputation

Choose dedicated IP when

  • You send 100k+ consistently with steady daily volume
  • You need complete control over reputation (no other senders can affect you)
  • Your industry has higher spam complaint rates and you want isolation
  • You have a team that can monitor Postmaster Tools daily during warm-up and ongoing

The middle ground

Some ESPs offer dedicated IP pools shared among a vetted group of senders. This gives better reputation than a large shared pool while avoiding the low-volume problem of a fully dedicated IP. Brew offers this on their Pro plan.

#dedicated-ip#shared-ip#deliverability
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3 Comments

deliverability_danDeliverability Expert

The dedicated IP pool middle ground is underrated. It gives you most of the benefits of dedicated without the low-volume reputation problem. Brew's implementation of this is solid.

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devops_dave

We moved from shared to dedicated at 150k/month and saw zero improvement. Shared IPs on Brew were already clean enough. Moved back to shared and saved the management overhead.

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warmup_will

The inconsistent sending point is crucial. If you send 500k on Monday and nothing for the rest of the week, a dedicated IP will have reputation swings. Shared pools buffer this.

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