Inboxed vs. HEY
HEY reimagined email. But at $99/year with no IMAP support, you're locked into Basecamp's ecosystem. Inboxed gives you the philosophy without the lock-in.
| Feature | HEY | Inboxed |
|---|---|---|
| AI Features | Basic (cloud-based) | ✓ Local LLM (Apple MLX) |
| Privacy | ✕ Basecamp cloud servers | ⊕ 100% On-Device |
| Cost | $99/year | ⚡ Free (Pro: $1 lifetime) |
| Email Provider | ✕ HEY-only (@hey.com) | ✓ Any IMAP account |
| Platform | Web-first | ✓ Native macOS (Rust) |
| Data Portability | ✕ No IMAP export | ✓ Standard IMAP |
Keep your email address. Keep your freedom.
HEY forces you to use their proprietary email address and servers. If you cancel, you lose your address.
Inboxed works with any IMAP email account. Your Gmail, Fastmail, or company email — with local AI intelligence layered on top.
Bottom Line
HEY from 37signals is a genuinely original product that reimagines email's fundamental model: the Screener that gates first-contact senders, the Imbox/Feed/Paper Trail triage system, and aggressive spy pixel blocking represent real philosophical differences from conventional email. At $99/year it's also opinionated in ways that are dealbreakers for many: no IMAP support (you cannot use HEY with any other email client), no way to keep your existing email address, and the workflow requires full commitment to HEY's model. Inboxed works with your existing email provider and address, adds AI without changing your workflow, and costs effectively nothing. HEY and Inboxed serve very different philosophies — HEY replaces your email system, Inboxed enhances it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't HEY support IMAP, and what does that mean practically?
HEY's co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson has stated explicitly that IMAP support will never be added because HEY's workflow model — Screener, Imbox, Paper Trail — requires vertical integration that the IMAP protocol cannot support. Practically, this means you can only access your HEY account through HEY's own apps (Mac, iOS, Android, web). You cannot use Apple Mail, Inboxed, Spark, or any other client with a @hey.com address. It also means your email is fully siloed in HEY's infrastructure — you cannot export to another client without manual migration. For users who might want to switch clients in the future, this lock-in is a significant commitment.
Does HEY protect my privacy better than Inboxed?
HEY has genuine privacy strengths: it blocks spy pixels and read trackers by default, doesn't show ads, and 37signals has a strong stated commitment against selling user data. These are real and meaningful protections. The privacy limitation is structural — your email lives entirely on HEY's servers, with no self-hosting option and no IMAP access. 37signals sees every message you receive and send. Inboxed's approach is different: your email still lives with your existing provider (Gmail, iCloud, etc.), and the AI layer runs entirely on your Mac with no additional server seeing your content. HEY's tracker blocking is excellent; Inboxed's AI privacy is stronger.
Who is HEY actually designed for, and who should avoid it?
HEY works best for people who are genuinely frustrated by conventional email norms — senders who email you without permission, newsletters clogging your primary inbox, constant notifications from low-priority threads — and who are willing to adopt a completely different organizational model. The $99/year price and the requirement to use a @hey.com address (or pay more for a custom domain) mean you need to be committed. Avoid HEY if you need to use your existing @gmail.com or corporate address, if you rely on third-party email clients or integrations, or if you want AI features beyond basic email organization. HEY has no generative AI drafting or semantic search capabilities comparable to AI-first clients.