Inbox Zero vs SaneBox

Inbox Zero

• Gmail and Outlook users who want mail sorted and replies drafted for them
• Teams that prefer open source software they can inspect or self-host
• Clearing newsletters and cold outreach out of a crowded inbox

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

Inbox Zero

• There is no free plan for the hosted service: every plan starts with a 7-day trial that needs a credit card.
• It supports Gmail, Google Workspace and Microsoft Outlook accounts only.
• The AI meeting notetaker, Slack and app integrations, email digests and auto-filed attachments start at Plus.
• The free Inbox Zero Tabs browser extension works with Gmail only, and the mobile apps leave some settings to the web app.

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.

Inbox Zero

AI labels and plain-English rules

Incoming mail is sorted into categories such as To Reply, Newsletter, Marketing and Cold Email. You can add categories of your own and describe in plain English how the assistant should handle mail.

Pre-drafted replies

Emails that need a response get a draft written in your tone, based on your email history and calendar, waiting in the inbox for you to review and send.

Bulk unsubscribe and archive

Shows which senders you never read so you can unsubscribe from and archive them in one click. A cold email blocker and email analytics are part of every plan.

Optional email client

A keyboard-first client for Gmail and Outlook on web, desktop and iPhone, with a split inbox, a command palette, several accounts in one inbox and team comments that are never sent as email.

Chat from Slack and Telegram

The assistant can be reached from Slack or Telegram to read mail, draft replies and manage the inbox. The pricing page lists the Slack integration from the Plus plan.

Open source and self-hosting

The code is public on GitHub, with the web and desktop email client under the AGPL license. The docs cover self-hosting with Docker, on Vercel, AWS or Kubernetes.

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.

Inbox Zero

• Starter$18

  per user / month, billed annually; $20 billed monthly

  Sorts and labels every email, drafts replies in your voice, blocks cold emails, bulk unsubscribe and archive, email analytics and pre-meeting briefings.

• Plus$28

  per user / month, billed annually; $35 billed monthly

  Adds 2 email accounts per user, the AI meeting notetaker, Slack and app integrations, email digests, auto-filed attachments and an unlimited knowledge base.

• Professional$42

  per user / month, billed annually; $50 billed monthly

  Everything in Plus, plus team-wide analytics, priority support and a dedicated onboarding manager.

• EnterpriseCustom

  SSO, SCIM, on-premise deployment and a dedicated account manager, arranged with the sales team.

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.

Inbox Zero

• Annual discount

  Save up to 20% with annual billing

  Annual billing lowers Starter from $20 to $18, Plus from $35 to $28 and Professional from $50 to $42 per user a month. The pricing FAQ puts the saving at up to 20%.

• Education

  Student discount on request

  The pricing FAQ says students can email the company to have a discounted plan set up. The size of the discount is not published.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit and open-source project discounts

  The same FAQ answer covers nonprofits and open-source projects, which can email for a discounted plan. No rate is published.

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.