Dedicated IP vs Shared IP what should I choose for 5k subscribers

[Mailer Contact]

Hey everyone. Need some honest advice from people actually using Mumara.

I’ve got around 5,000–5,200 subscribers (mostly Gmail, some Outlook/Yahoo). I usually send 2 campaigns per week, sometimes 3 if there’s a promo.

On shared IP, things look okay:

• Campaigns finish without delays
• Opens stay around 26–28%
• No strange throttling in logs

Now, I got a new dedicated IP last week… and that’s where I got confused.

First campaign on dedicated IP:

• My Sending speed was noticeably slower
• Gmail deliveries were clearly throttled
• Open rate dropped to ~18–20%

Nothing failed, but the behavior was very different.

So now I’m wondering:

• Is 5k subscribers too low for a dedicated IP?
• Am I better off staying on shared IP until volume grows?
• At what point did you personally switch?

Looking for real experiences. Any information on it can help me.

 

[beauhightow]

You’re not imagining it that’s exactly how it behaves.

I switched to a dedicated IP at around 7k subscribers thinking it would improve deliverability. Instead:

• Campaigns took much longer to complete
• Gmail slowed delivery for the first few sends
• Opens dropped for almost 2 weeks

The IP was clean, but inbox providers didn’t trust it yet.

I moved back to shared IP, sent two normal campaigns, and things stabilized quickly.

If you’re not sending daily, a fresh dedicated IP can actually hurt more than help.

 

[rehan]

That’s a very common assumption.

Inbox providers (especially Gmail) care more about consistent sending behavior per IP than the total number of IPs.
For example:

• 100k/day across 2 IPs → ~50k per IP
• 100k/day across 10 IPs → ~10k per IP

With lower per-IP volume, it takes longer for reputation signals to stabilize. You guys can adjust your sending volume according to the example given above.

 

[Mailer Contact]

Ok, but in most cases. With ~5k subscribers I guess am not sending enough volume to build or maintain IP reputation.

When I tested a fresh dedicated IP at similar volume:

• Campaigns sent noticeably slower
• Gmail throttled delivery early
• Open rates dropped from ~27% to ~18–20%

Nothing was broken inbox providers just didn’t trust the new IP yet.

Dedicated IPs need consistent volume to perform well. This is my understanding until now.

 

[beauhightow]

In theory, its a yes. However, In practice (with Mumara), it works like this according to my opinion.

On shared IP:

• Reputation is already established
• Bad senders are throttled or isolated
• You benefit from years of sending history

From my experience:

• Shared IP campaigns finish faster
• Opens stay stable
• You don’t see sudden reputation drops

For small and medium lists, shared IP is actually more forgiving.

 

[rehan]

My recommendation for ~5k subscribers:

• Use shared IP
• Avoid dedicated IP (for now)
• Focus on clean lists, engagement, and consistency

Think of it this way: Shared IP = automatic transmission and Dedicated IP = manual transmission

Both work, but it only makes sense when you know the road.

Moreover, don’t rush into a dedicated IP just because it sounds premium. It’s not an upgrade it’s a responsibility.

Stick with shared IP, scale your list, increase consistency and move to dedicated when your volume justifies it.

Hope this helps.