HEY alternatives · Email
Free alternatives to HEY
HEY has no free plan. 30 of the 51 other email apps in this directory are free or have a free plan.
HEY is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only). 4 of them have no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.
30 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 9, 2026 · Where the facts come from
The 12 closest to HEY
- Free plan · from $3.99/mo
Proton Mail
End-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland
What is free: Proton Free: 1 email address, up to 1 GB of mail storage (500 MB until the setup steps are completed), a limit of 150 sent messages a day and 3 personal calendars.
- Proton Mail starts at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly. HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Proton Mail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Proton Mail is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- HEY also covers templates.
- Free plan · from $8.25/mo
Spark Mail
Email client with a unified smart inbox, AI tools and team features
What is free: Unlimited email accounts in a unified Smart Inbox with snooze, send later, reminders and calendar, plus 5 AI meeting notes in total and an AI Assistant preview limited to 1 month of email history.
- Spark Mail starts at $8.25 per user / month, billed annually ($99 / year). HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Spark Mail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a web app.
- Only HEY lists a Linux app.
- Free plan · from $18/mo
Shortwave
AI email client for Gmail with an assistant, filters and split inbox
What is free: Basic AI with a limited usage quota, 90 days of search history, up to 15 threads per AI search and a "Sent with Shortwave" email signature.
- Shortwave starts at $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan). HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Shortwave has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a Linux app.
- Shortwave also covers chat assistant and AI search.
- Free plan · from $36/yr
Canary Mail
AI email client with PGP encryption for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android
What is free: Free forever on up to 2 devices: unified inbox, unlimited mail accounts, snooze and pin, email templates, Inbox Zero tools and lite read receipts.
- Canary Mail starts at $36 per year (Growth), shown as $3 per month billed yearly. HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Canary Mail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a web app.
- Only HEY lists a Linux app.
- Free plan · from $35.99/yr
BlueMail
Cross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI
What is free: Personal plan, free for individual use: unlimited email accounts, unified inbox, Clusters, MagicSync and PGP encryption on every platform. GemAI and desktop email backup are not included.
- BlueMail starts at $35.99 per year (Plus, shown as $3 per month billed annually). HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- BlueMail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a web app.
- BlueMail is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Free plan · from $5/mo
Newton Mail
Cross-platform email app with read receipts, snooze and send later
What is free: 2 email accounts with a unified inbox, snooze, send later and signatures, plus 3 templates, 15 read receipts a month and 20 AI actions a day, on every app.
- Newton Mail starts at $5 per month, billed annually ($6.99 billed monthly). HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Newton Mail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a web app.
- Newton Mail also covers shared inbox.
- Free plan
Wino Mail
Free, open source mail and calendar app for Windows
What is free: Wino Mail is always free with no Wino Account needed: Mail, Calendar, Contacts and To Do, all core customization options and up to 3 email accounts.
- Wino Mail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a web app.
- Only HEY lists macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Wino Mail is open source, according to its own site.
- Free plan · from $1.99/mo
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web
What is free: Free Outlook for 1 person: email and calendar on the web, desktop and mobile apps, 15 GB of mailbox storage, 5 GB of cloud storage and core spam filtering. The free inbox shows ads.
- Microsoft Outlook starts at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic). HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Microsoft Outlook has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a Linux app.
- Microsoft Outlook also covers tasks and inbox filtering.
- Free
Thunderbird
Free, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- Thunderbird is free. HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Thunderbird has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a web app.
- Only HEY lists an iOS app.
- Free plan · from $1/mo
Zoho Mail
Ad-free business email hosting with calendar, tasks and notes
What is free: Forever Free Plan: email hosting for one domain and up to 5 users, with 5 GB of mail storage each. IMAP, POP and ActiveSync are not included, and it is available only in select data centers.
- Zoho Mail starts at $1 per user / month, billed annually (Mail Lite, 5 GB). HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Zoho Mail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Zoho Mail also covers tasks.
- HEY also covers templates.
- Free plan · from €3/mo
Tuta Mail
End-to-end encrypted email and calendar from Germany
What is free: 1 GB of storage, one calendar and 3 labels, with end-to-end encryption. Free accounts are deleted after more than six months without a login.
- Tuta Mail starts at €3 per month, paid yearly (lowest paid personal plan). HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Tuta Mail has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Tuta Mail is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- HEY also covers templates.
- Free plan · from $4/mo
Spike
Chat-style email app with team chat, notes, tasks and video calls
What is free: Email App Free: 1 email address, 60 days of search history and 1 GB of notes storage. Teamspace Starter: free for up to 3 members with 15 GB each. Both get 10 queries per AI feature.
- Spike starts at $4 per member / month, billed annually (Teamspace Team); Email App Pro is $6. HEY starts at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
- Spike has a free plan. HEY does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only HEY lists a Linux app.
- Spike also covers tasks, shared inbox, team chat and video calls.
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to HEY?
Yes. Proton Mail, Spark Mail, Shortwave, Canary Mail, BlueMail, Newton Mail, Wino Mail, Microsoft Outlook and 22 more are free or have a free plan.
Does HEY have a free plan?
HEY has no free plan. HEY is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $99 per year (HEY for You, annual billing only).
When was this checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Oct 9, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to HEY: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.