Clean Email vs SaneBox
We give Clean Email a 3.4 GPA and SaneBox a 3.0, out of 4.0. Clean Email grades higher on value for money and the free plan. SaneBox grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Clean Email
Inbox cleaner for bulk deleting, unsubscribing and auto rules
SaneBox
AI email filtering that works inside the email app you already use
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAClean EmailVery good | 3.0GPASaneBoxVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AOne account is $29.99 a year, far below what paid email tools usually cost, and every plan includes every feature. Ten accounts are $99.99 a year, and spare ones can be shared with family. Don't pay monthly, though: that's $9.99, so three months costs about the same as a year. | CSnack is $6.99 a month or $58.99 a year, which sounds fine until you see it covers 1 email account and any 2 features. Lunch is $11.99 for 2 accounts and 6 features. Only Dinner has the lot, at $35.99 a month or $299.99 a year. That's a steep climb for filtering. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free account cleans up to 1,000 emails, plus 100 more a week with Cleanup Reminders on. The 14-day trial of Premium needs no credit card and includes 25 unsubscribe actions. After that, Screener, Auto Clean and the Unsubscriber are paid. | CNo free plan. You get a 7-day free trial of any plan with no credit card required, then it's a paid subscription or nothing. We think a week is short for a filter that has to learn your habits. |
| Features | AIt does one job, cleaning, and goes deep on it. Group mail by sender, date or size and delete thousands at once. Add the Unsubscriber, a Screener for unknown senders, Auto Clean rules for new mail and a Privacy Monitor for data breaches. It isn't an email client, and doesn't pretend to be. | AIt learns from how you handle mail and moves the unimportant stuff to SaneLater, with a Daily Digest of what it filtered. SaneBlackHole keeps a sender out for good. Add snooze folders, reminders when a sent email gets no reply, and a do-not-disturb mode. For filtering, that's the full kit. |
| Ease of use | B4.5 from about 3,800 App Store ratings. It works alongside whatever email app you already use, so nothing about your routine changes, and Cleaning Suggestions point you at the mail people usually delete first. | A4.6 from about 650 App Store ratings. There's no new app to learn: its folders simply show up in whichever email client or device you already use. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, Mac and Android, and it connects to Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, Fastmail and other IMAP accounts. No Windows app is listed, so on a PC it's the web version. | BIt works with Gmail, Microsoft 365, iCloud, Yahoo, Fastmail and other IMAP or Exchange accounts, with a web account plus iPhone and Android companion apps. Those apps aren't email clients, though, and nothing beyond mail accounts is listed to connect to. |
| Best for | clearing thousands of old emails in one go | smarter filtering in the email app you already use |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Clean Email and SaneBox. How we grade
Where they differ
- Clean Email starts at $9.99 per month, or $29.99 per year (1 email account). SaneBox starts at $6.99 per month, or $58.99 per year (App Store in-app prices).
- Clean Email has a free plan. SaneBox does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Clean Email lists a macOS app.
At a glance
| Clean Email | SaneBox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month, or $29.99 per year (1 email account) | $6.99 per month, or $58.99 per year (App Store in-app prices) |
| Free plan | Free account: clean up to 1,000 emails, plus 100 more a week with Cleanup Reminders turned on. Screener, Auto Clean, sender settings and the Unsubscriber need Premium. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Premium features with 25 unsubscribe actions, no credit card required | 7-day free trial of any plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Clean Email, LLC | SaneBox, Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Clean Email
- Clearing a backlog of thousands of old emails
- Unsubscribing from many mailing lists in one sitting
- Families or small groups sharing a 5 or 10 account plan
SaneBox
- People who want to keep their current email app and add smarter filtering
- Inboxes crowded with newsletters and notifications
- Anyone who wants a reminder when a sent email gets no reply
Worth knowing
Clean Email
- A free account can clean 1,000 emails, plus 100 a week with reminders on. Screener, Auto Clean and the Unsubscriber need a paid plan.
- It is not an email client: it connects to your mailbox and works alongside the email app you already use.
- Prices here are US prices from the App Store listings and Clean Email's own pages. Its plans page shows local-currency prices that vary by region.
- The US App Store lists 5-account purchases at several prices without a billing period, so that plan's price is given as a range.
SaneBox
- There is no free plan; a paid subscription is needed once the free trial ends.
- Snack covers 1 email account and 2 features, and Lunch covers 2 accounts and 6 features. Only Dinner includes everything.
- It is not an email client: the iOS and Android apps are companions for digests, snoozing and blocking senders.
- Prices here are the US App Store's in-app prices. SaneBox's own pricing page can show different figures and also sells a two-year term.
Key features
Clean Email
- Unsubscriber
- Lists every subscription and newsletter in one place and unsubscribes for you. If a list ignores the request, its messages are moved to the trash automatically.
- Bulk cleaning
- Groups mail by sender, date or size so that thousands of messages can be deleted, archived, labelled or moved in a single action.
- Smart Folders and Cleaning Suggestions
- Predefined filters gather mail such as social notifications, rideshare receipts and online shopping, and suggestions point to messages people usually delete or archive.
- Screener
- Holds messages from senders who have never emailed you before, so you can allow or block each one before it reaches the inbox.
- Auto Clean rules
- Rules based on sender, domain, status or age automatically move, star, mark, delete or archive messages as they arrive or once they get old.
- Privacy Monitor
- Checks your email address against known data breaches on a regular basis and alerts you if it has been compromised.
SaneBox
- SaneLater filtering
- Analyzes how you handle email to judge what matters, then moves unimportant messages out of the inbox into a separate SaneLater folder.
- SaneBlackHole
- Send a sender to the BlackHole and their future messages are kept out of your inbox for good.
- Daily Digest
- A daily summary of the unimportant, unopened email that was filtered. Digests can also be processed in the iOS and Android companion apps.
- Snooze and follow-up reminders
- Snooze folders bring a message back to the inbox later, and SaneReminders flags sent emails that have not received a reply.
- SaneDoNotDisturb
- Holds incoming email during quiet time set aside for focused work and delivers it afterwards.
- Works with your current email
- Connects to Gmail, Microsoft 365, iCloud, Yahoo, Fastmail, IMAP and Exchange accounts, so its folders show up in whichever email client or device you use.
Plans
Clean Email
Free$0
Clean up to 1,000 emails, plus 100 a week with Cleanup Reminders on. Premium tools are available only during the 14-day trial.
1 account$9.99
per month, or $29.99 per year
All features and unlimited cleaning for one email account.
5 accounts$19.99–$69.99
US App Store in-app prices; billing period not shown
All features for five email accounts, sold monthly or yearly on the plans page. Unused accounts can be shared with friends and family.
10 accounts$29.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
All features for ten email accounts. Unused accounts can be shared with friends and family.
SaneBox
Snack$6.99
per month, or $58.99 per year (App Store in-app prices)
1 email account and any 2 SaneBox features of your choice.
Lunch$11.99
per month, or $98.99 per year (App Store in-app prices)
2 email accounts and any 6 features, which can be toggled on and off from the account.
Dinner$35.99
per month, or $299.99 per year (App Store in-app prices)
4 email accounts and access to every SaneBox feature.
Ways to pay less
Clean Email
- Annual discount
Yearly plans cost about 75% less than monthly
For one account the yearly plan is $29.99 against $9.99 a month, which Clean Email's App Store listings describe as saving 75% on the monthly rate.
- Education
Education discounts on request
The plans page says Clean Email offers discounts for education, with quotes handled by email. The size of the discount is not published.
- Nonprofit
Non-profit discounts and bulk pricing
The plans page also offers discounts for non-profits and special bulk pricing for organizations, quoted by email.
SaneBox
- Annual discount
About 30% less with yearly billing
On the App Store listing, Snack is $58.99 a year against $6.99 a month, Lunch $98.99 against $11.99 and Dinner $299.99 against $35.99, roughly 30% less than paying monthly.
- Education
25% off for educational institutions
SaneBox states that educational, non-profit and government agencies can get a 25% discount on any plan.
- Nonprofit
25% off for non-profits and government
The same 25% discount on any plan is offered to non-profit organizations and government agencies.
