Mailbrew vs Spike (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Spike grades higher than Mailbrew: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Spike grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mailbrew
Daily email digest of feeds, newsletters and saved links
Spike
Chat-style email app with team chat, notes, tasks and video calls
Which one is for you
Pick Mailbrew if
- Fits if you'd like one email with your feeds and newsletters instead of ten
- Works for people who save links and want them back in a digest
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: one digest, 26 sources and ads
- Skip it if you want a mailbox, as it doesn't host addresses
- Skip it if you want phone or desktop apps, as none are listed
- Watch out: the pricing page we read does not show a monthly-billed price
Pick Spike if
- Fits if long email threads drive you mad and you'd rather read them like a chat
- Works for a team of 3 or fewer starting out on the free Teamspace Starter plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free with more than 1 email address, as the free Email App takes only one
- Not for you if you search old mail a lot and won't pay, since free plans only go back 60 days
- Skip it if you like email to look like email, because the chat layout is the whole idea
- Watch out: free plans allow 10 queries per AI feature, and the AI Feed needs a paid plan
- Pricey if you have more than 3 addresses, since that's Email App Ultimate at $12 yearly, $16 monthly
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAMailbrewFair | 2.6GPASpikeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $4.92 a month, billed yearly, between the cheaper quarter and the middle of what email tools charge. | BTeamspace Team is $4 a member a month billed annually, the cheapest quarter of a category whose middle is $8, and it brings your own domain, 100 GB each, a Shared Inbox and unlimited AI. Email App Pro is $6 for 3 addresses, and unlimited addresses means Ultimate at $12. |
| Free plan and trial | COne digest, 26 sources and ads. You will want a second digest quickly. | CTwo free options, both with caps you'll meet: the Email App takes 1 email address with 60 days of search history and 1 GB for notes, and Teamspace Starter covers 3 members. Each AI feature stops at 10 queries, and the AI Feed needs paying for. |
| Features | CDigests by email or browser, RSS to email, a newsletter reader and saved links. It's a reading tool, not a mailbox, and apps beyond the web aren't listed. | BChat-style threads with normal email going out the other end, a Priority Inbox, AI that drafts, summarises and translates, shared notes and tasks, a unified calendar, and calls people join by link. Teamspace adds channels, groups and a Shared Inbox, so the job is covered twice over. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You pick sources and build each digest yourself. | C4.49 from about 4,200 App Store ratings, a shade under our bar for a B and middling for a mail app. The Email App does sit on the Gmail or Microsoft account you already have, and the people you write to needn't change a thing. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with Hacker News and YouTube as sources. No phone or desktop apps listed. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, which covers everything but Linux. The connecting side is thin, though: Gmail accounts and a WhatsApp integration from the Teamspace Team plan up, and nothing else on record. |
| Best for | a daily digest of feeds and newsletters | email that reads like a chat |
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: Mailbrew and Spike. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mailbrew starts at $4.92 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Spike starts at $4 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Spike scores higher and starts $0.92 a month lower. Of the other email apps on the chart, 40 score higher than Mailbrew for less, and 6 score higher than Spike for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Mailbrew also covers read later and rSS reader.
- Spike also covers tasks, calendar, email client, shared inbox, team chat and video calls.
At a glance
| Mailbrew | Spike | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.92 per month, billed yearly ($59) | $4 per member / month, billed annually (Teamspace Team); Email App Pro is $6 |
| Free plan | 1 email digest, access to 26 sources and the newsletter reader, with ads included. | 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. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Evernomic | Spike, Inc. |
| Price read from | app.mailbrew.com | spikenow.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mailbrew
- The free plan allows one email digest, 26 sources and shows ads.
- Pro is shown as billed yearly; the pricing page read does not display a monthly-billed price.
- Mailbrew is a reading and digest service, not a mailbox: it does not host email addresses.
- Apps beyond the web app are not listed on the pages read.
Spike
- The free Email App plan handles 1 email address and searches only the last 60 days.
- Free plans allow 10 queries per AI feature, and the AI Feed of unread-mail summaries needs a paid plan.
- Shared Inbox, connecting your own domain and the WhatsApp integration need the Teamspace Team plan or higher.
- Apps are listed for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac, plus a web app. No Linux app is listed.
Key features
Mailbrew
- Digests by email or in the browser
- Each brew can arrive as an email or be read in the web app.
- RSS to email
- Any feed can be added to a digest, alongside sample sources such as news sites and YouTube channels.
- Newsletter reader
- Newsletters collect in a single place instead of the main inbox.
- Saved links
- A Saved tab keeps links to read later, and they can appear in digests.
- Public digests
- Pro lets you share a digest publicly.
Spike
- Conversational email
- Threads are shown as chat-like conversations grouped by person. People who do not use Spike receive a regular email.
- Unified and Priority Inbox
- Connect several email accounts to one inbox, with important messages sorted first. The free Email App plan takes 1 address, Pro takes 3 and Ultimate is unlimited.
- Spike AI
- Generates messages and replies with context, summarizes long threads and translates. Free plans get 10 queries per AI feature, and paid plans are unlimited.
- Channels, groups and Shared Inbox
- Teamspace adds public channels, private groups that outside guests can join, and from the Team plan a Shared Inbox for handling team email together.
- Notes, tasks and calendar
- Collaborative notes and tasks live in the inbox and can be shared with guests, next to a unified calendar that syncs work and business calendars.
- Video and audio calls
- Calls start from a conversation, and people without Spike can join by link with no app to install. Free plans are limited to 1:1 calls.
Plans
Mailbrew
Free$0
1 email digest, the newsletter reader, 26 sources and private digests, with ads included.
Pro$4.92
per month, billed yearly ($59)
Unlimited email digests, all sources, public sharing of digests and no ads.
Spike
Email App Free$0
Smart Inbox for 1 email address, 1:1 video calls, 60 days of search history, 1 GB of storage in notes and tasks, and 10 queries per AI feature.
Teamspace Starter$0
Up to 3 members with @spike.team addresses, 1 teamspace, 15 GB of storage per member and 60 days of search history.
Teamspace Team$4
per member / month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly)
Custom email domain, unlimited search history, 100 GB of storage per member, Shared Inbox and unlimited Spike AI.
Email App Pro$6
per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
Unified inbox for up to 3 email addresses, unlimited search history, 5-person video calls, 5 GB of storage and unlimited Spike AI.
Teamspace Business$8
per member / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
Everything in Team with 1 TB of storage per member, 500 MB file uploads, calls for up to 50 people and VIP support.
Email App Ultimate$12
per user / month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly)
Unlimited email addresses, 10-person video calls, 20 GB of storage, 1 GB file uploads and VIP support.
Ways to pay less
Mailbrew
No public discounts listed.
Spike
- Annual discount
Save 20% to 25% with yearly billing
Teamspace Team is $4 per member / month billed annually against $5 monthly, a 20% saving. Email App Pro is $6 against $8 and Ultimate $12 against $16, which the page labels as 25% off.
- Other savings
Free custom domain for a year on annual plans
An annual Teamspace Team or Business subscription includes a new custom email domain free for 1 year, on extensions such as .net, .org and .co.uk.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mailbrew or Spike?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mailbrew starts at $4.92 per month, billed yearly ($59), and Spike starts at $4 per member / month, billed annually (Teamspace Team); Email App Pro is $6. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Mailbrew or Spike?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Mailbrew and Spike have a free plan.
Which platforms do Mailbrew and Spike run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Spike lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.