HEY vs Spark Mail

HEY

• People ready to move to a new email address and a different inbox routine
• Anyone who wants to approve senders before they can reach the inbox
• Small teams that want email on their own domain with thread sharing

Spark Mail

• People juggling several email accounts across desktop and phone
• Individuals who want a free client with a unified inbox and send later
• Small teams that want to comment on emails and draft replies together

HEY

• HEY is its own email provider, not a client for Gmail or Outlook; existing mail history is not imported, only forwarded going forward.
• IMAP and POP are not supported, so HEY works only in its own apps.
• HEY for You is billed annually only, and HEY for Domains is billed monthly with no free trial.
• There is no free plan.

Spark Mail

• The vendor lists apps for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android only; there is no web or Linux version.
• Gatekeeper, Priority, Spark +AI and third-party integrations require Plus or higher.
• Shared inboxes, read statuses and the HubSpot integration are limited to Pro and Enterprise.
• The free plan's AI is a limited preview: 5 meeting notes in total and 1 month of email history for the AI Assistant.

HEY

The Screener

First-time senders land in the Screener, where you approve or block them before any of their email can reach your Imbox.

Imbox, The Feed and Paper Trail

Mail from approved senders goes to the Imbox, newsletters are shown in a feed-style reader, and receipts and confirmations are filed in the Paper Trail.

Reply Later and Set Aside

Move emails that need an answer into a Reply Later pile and work through them in Focus & Reply. Set Aside keeps messages on hand for reference.

HEY Calendar

A calendar is included with HEY for You and HEY for Domains and lives in the same apps as email.

Spy pixel blocker

Blocks tracking pixels in incoming email and identifies the companies trying to track whether you opened a message.

Workflows and Collections

Workflows track an email through stages you define, and Collections bring several related threads together on one page.

Spark Mail

Smart Inbox and unified inbox

Brings every connected account into one inbox and separates priority mail from newsletters and notifications. Included in the free plan.

Gatekeeper and Priority

Gatekeeper lets you accept or block new senders before they land in the inbox, and Priority highlights chosen senders. Both are part of Plus and above.

Spark +AI and AI Assistant

+AI drafts, proofreads, summarizes and translates email. The AI Assistant answers questions about your mail, reaching back 1 month on Free, 1 year on Plus and without limit on Pro.

Snooze, Send Later and reminders

Snooze a message, set it aside, schedule a send or get a follow-up reminder. These scheduling tools are in the free plan.

Team collaboration

Share a thread with teammates, discuss it in private comments and write drafts together in real time. Shared inboxes for addresses such as support@ need Pro.

Calendar and AI meeting notes

A built-in calendar can add Zoom, GoTo or Microsoft Teams call links. AI meeting notes are capped at 5 in total on Free and 40 a month on Plus, and unlimited on Pro.

HEY

• HEY for You$99

  per year

  A personal @hey.com address with HEY Calendar, 100GB of storage, apps on every platform and a HEY World blog.

• HEY for Domains$12

  per user / month, billed monthly ($10 for the first user)

  Email on your own domain for multiple users, with thread sharing, private team comments and email aliases.

• HEY for Families$179

  per year, in total

  Adds up to 4 additional people, each with their own @hey.com address, calendar and account.

Spark Mail

• Free$0

  Unlimited accounts, Smart Inbox, unified inbox, snooze, send later, reminders, calendar and 5 lifetime AI meeting notes.

• Plus$8.25

  per user / month, billed annually ($99); $10 billed monthly

  Adds Gatekeeper, Priority, Spark +AI, the AI Assistant with 1 year of history, 40 AI meeting notes a month, integrations and team collaboration.

• Pro$16.58

  per user / month, billed annually ($199); $20 billed monthly

  Everything in Plus, plus shared inboxes, read statuses, unlimited AI meeting notes, HubSpot integration and Spark CLI triage access.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Pro, plus security and controls, a dedicated success manager and 1:1 productivity coaching.

HEY

No public discounts listed.

Spark Mail

• Annual discount

  Save 17% with annual billing

  The pricing page shows Plus at $99 a year instead of $120 and Pro at $199 a year instead of $240 when billed annually, a 17% saving over paying monthly.