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OpenSourceAlternatives

HEY alternatives

1 project to consider for your HEY workflows.

1 custom license

HEY is a paid email and calendar service from 37signals that treats attention as the scarce resource. It screens every new sender before they can reach you, sorts survivors into a focused Imbox, and blocks the tracking pixels that report on your reading. It suits individuals and small teams ready to pay for that discipline.[1][2]

Catalogue facts checked October 11, 2026

New

UnInbox

Open-source team email hub with shared inboxes

Custom licenseAGPL-3.0 with commercial ee termsSelf-hostedManaged hosting

Sales and support teams that share email inboxes benefit most from UnInbox. Its shared team inboxes, optional AI features, and choice of hosted plans or self-hosting suit organisations that want control over team mail. Pricing is not published and email setup needs manual work, so cost-driven individuals and teams wanting one-click hosting should look elsewhere. If you want an open-source team email hub you can host yourself, choose UnInbox; if you want managed AI triage inside Gmail, consider an assistant layer instead.[1][2][3]

Good fit. Teams that answer sales mail together get a shared, organised home for those conversations.[1][2]

Keep in mind. The product is built for teams, so solo users wanting a simple personal mailbox should look elsewhere.[1][2]

Repository review signals: unknown status, repository move, stale · Observed October 13, 2026.

Read project review Official website
Sources and editorial review

Source research. Reviewed on October 13, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.

We have not run or tested this product.

  1. UnInbox: Open-source modern email for teams and professionals

    official · Observed October 13, 2026

    Positioning, team/enterprise editions, sales contact, link to the open-source project site.

  2. UnInbox OSS: open-source communication infrastructure

    official · Observed October 13, 2026

    Standalone-or-Google deployment, @uninbox.me address, togglable AI, security-first claims; feature list partly placeholder.

  3. uninbox/UnInbox repository

    official · Observed October 13, 2026

    Replacement positioning against hey.com/front.com/missiveapp.com, module list, Nuxt monorepo, repo health signals as observed.

Compare HEY alternatives

Known catalogue facts at a glance. Columns with no reviewed values are omitted. “Not reviewed” means unknown, not that a capability is absent.

Known facts for HEY alternatives
ProjectLicense policyHostingDeploymentBest fit
UnInboxAGPL-3.0 with commercial ee terms · customSelf-hosted + ManagedmoderateSales and support teams sharing email inboxes; Organisations wanting a self-hosted team email hub

Before you switch

  • Check that the project covers the workflows and data you need to move.
  • Confirm that the license terms fit how you plan to run, modify, and distribute it.
  • Choose between self-hosting responsibility and a reviewed managed option.
  • Open the project page for repository freshness, review dates, and any unresolved requirements.

Choosing an alternative

People drowning in newsletters, receipts, and unsolicited pitches will get the most from HEY. Its sender Screener plus the focused Imbox remove triage work that filters in Gmail or Outlook never fully eliminate. Anyone who needs free email, third-party mail apps, or full history imported should stay away, because HEY charges $99 a year, runs only in its own apps, and starts every account fresh. If you want a calmer inbox enough to pay for it and can live inside HEY's apps, choose HEY; if free Gmail matters more, stay with Gmail.[1][2][3]

Why people stay with HEY

  • The Screener approves every new sender First-time senders land in a screening queue where you accept or reject them, so rejected contacts never reach your mail again.[1]

  • The Imbox holds only mail that matters now Important immediate messages from approved senders live in the Imbox, while receipts, newsletters, and promotions stay out by design rather than by rules you maintain.[1]

  • Power Through New clears unread mail in a flow A dedicated mode walks through new messages one at a time so a backlog gets triaged without mid-session distraction.[1]

  • Tracker blocking stops email spies HEY strips open-tracking pixels around the clock and reports which senders tried to watch your reads, with nothing to configure.[1][2]

  • Calendar bundles scheduling with daily notes The included calendar adds Journal, a private per-day space for reminders, meeting notes, and reflection, at no extra cost.[1][2]

  • Workflows track multi-step situations User-defined stages move threads through hiring rounds, purchases, or support cases visually instead of relying on labels.[1]

  • Reply Later and Set Aside park mail deliberately Must-answer mail waits in a Reply Later pile and reference material sits in Set Aside, both below the Imbox so parked mail never clogs it.[1]

  • HEY World turns email into a personal blog Sending a message to a special address from a personal account publishes it on a public page readable by email or RSS.[1]

Why people switch away from HEY

  • Free email needs rule it out At $99 a year with annual-only billing, HEY is a budget line next to capable free services, and the trial ends after 30 days.[1]

  • Only HEY apps can read HEY mail Mail works exclusively in HEY's own apps with no IMAP or POP, so Apple Mail, Outlook, and Thunderbird stay behind.[1]

  • Old messages do not come along HEY imports contacts via vCard but not historic mail; old messages stay in the previous service and only new forwarded mail arrives.[1]

  • No end-to-end encryption The database is encrypted and login requires two-factor authentication, but 37signals holds the keys, so provider-unreadable threat models are not served.[1]

  • Annual card-only billing is rigid Personal billing is yearly by credit or debit card only, with no monthly option, purchase orders, PayPal, or other payment methods.[1]

  • Custom domains need the Domains plan Using your own domain means HEY for Domains at $12 per user per month instead of the $99 yearly personal plan.[1][2]

  • A new address means transition work Every account starts fresh with forwarding and send-as as the bridge, so switching costs attention even with the documented Gmail guide.[1][2]

Candidates that replace it

  • Gmail stays the free default Gmail covers free hosted mail in every app with full history, and HEY documents forwarding, send-as, and contacts import so the two overlap during any move. This comparison is editorial, not vendor-endorsed.[1][2][3]

Compatibility and migration

Six first-party app platforms HEY ships its own apps for Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, and third-party clients are unsupported.[1]

Gmail forwarding and send-as bridge Gmail can forward into an @hey.com address and HEY can send from a Gmail address, so contacts never need to update addresses on day one.[1]

Contacts import, mail export Contacts arrive via vCard with automatic screening-in, and exporting mail on cancellation is documented, starting with trial-cancel export.[1][2]

Questions worth asking

What is the best HEY alternative for non-technical users?

Stay with Gmail. It is free, works in every app, keeps your history, and HEY documents Gmail forwarding and send-as so the two overlap during a move. Choose HEY only when you want its screening discipline enough to pay for it.[1][2]

Is HEY really no-code?

Yes, for everyday use. Screening, triage, workflows, and HEY World publishing all run through visual apps with no scripting. Only the Domains plan adds setup work, since a custom domain has to be connected to HEY first.[1][2]

How much does HEY cost per month?

HEY for You costs $99 per year, about $8.25 per month, billed annually by card only, as listed in October 2026. Domains costs $12 per user per month with the first user at $10, and Families covers up to four extra people for $179 per year. The trial runs 30 days with no card required.[1]

Can you self-host HEY?

No. HEY is hosted only and readable exclusively through its Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android apps, with no IMAP or POP access. Teams wanting control over mail infrastructure need a self-hostable server instead.[1][2]

Sources and editorial review

Source research. Reviewed on October 11, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.

We have not run or tested this product.

  1. HEY: a fresh take on email plus calendar

    official · Observed October 11, 2026

    Homepage positioning, trial terms, edition lineup, and Gmail-switcher framing observed October 2026.

  2. HEY features: email, unexpected

    official · Observed October 11, 2026

    Named workflows and objects for all eight feature claims observed October 2026.

  3. HEY pricing: two flavors, two prices

    official · Observed October 11, 2026

    Edition prices, billing terms, storage, and app platforms observed October 2026.

  4. HEY FAQs

    official · Observed October 11, 2026

    App exclusivity, import and export limits, security model, and domain options observed October 2026.

  5. Moving from Gmail to HEY

    official · Observed October 11, 2026

    First-party Gmail forwarding, send-as, and contacts-import path supporting the competitor relationship.

About HEY

HEY is a paid email and calendar service from 37signals that screens new senders, sorts mail into a focused Imbox, and blocks tracking pixels.

37signals · HEY for You $99/year; HEY for Domains $12/user/month; 30-day trial, annual billing only (observed 2026-10-11). · Checked October 11, 2026

Official website
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