HEY Email vs Spark Mail
A source-aware comparison of pricing, documented capabilities and workflow fit.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — HEY Email is from $8/user/mo, Spark Mail is free tier available.
- How to start: HEY Email is from $8/user/mo, Spark Mail is free tier available.
- Where they differ: on what we checked they match — both offer mobile app.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. How we score tools.
What HEY Email is
HEY is a revolutionary email service from the creators of Basecamp that aims to fix everything wrong with modern email. It replaces the traditional inbox with the 'Imbox'—a place for things that actually matter. With its unique 'Screening' feature, YOU decide who is allowed to email you. HEY blocks all spy trackers, protects your privacy, and offers innovative features like 'The Feed' for newsletters and 'The Paper Trail' for receipts. It's a premium, opinionated take on email for people who want to reclaim their focus and sanity.
What Spark Mail is
Spark is an email client with smart inbox grouping and features for discussing emails inside a team. Discussing an email privately with colleagues before replying is the feature teams actually adopt it for. The smart inbox grouping helps volume, but the client is heavier than minimal alternatives. The desktop and mobile clients share the same rules.
Side by side
| HEY Email | Spark Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Productivity |
| How to start | $8/user/moverified | Free tiernot a monthly price |
| Public API | No | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Open source / self-hostable | No | No |
| SSO (SAML) | No | No |
| Visit | HEY Email ↗ | Spark Mail ↗ |
What HEY Email is built to do
- The Screener
- Thumbs up or down on every new sender before they ever enter your inbox.
- The Feed
- Read your newsletters like a social media feed instead of individual emails.
- The Paper Trail
- Keep all your receipts and confirmations in one quiet place out of the way.
- Spy Tracker Blocking
- Stops companies from knowing when or where you opened their emails.
What Spark Mail is built to do
- Smart inbox
- Groups newsletters, notifications and personal mail separately.
- Team discussions
- Comments on an email thread privately with colleagues.
- Shared drafts
- Composes a reply together before it is sent.
Choose HEY Email if
- Privacy Seekers and Busy Professionals who hate email.
Choose Spark Mail if
- Teams that share responsibility for an inbox but do not want a helpdesk.
Evidence and freshness
Where a claim on this page comes from a vendor page, it is linked here.
HEY Email: pros & cons
- Total Privacy: Automatically blocks all tracking pixels used by marketers.
- Screening: No more spam or unwanted emails ever—you approve every new sender.
- Aesthetic UI: A completely fresh, modern take on what an email app looks like.
- Productivity: Features like 'Reply Later' and 'Set Aside' keep your inbox clean.
- Subscription Only: There is no free version of HEY; it is a premium service.
- No Folders: It uses a specific organization system that might be jarring at first.
- Locked Domain: Requires using an @hey.com address (unless you use the more expensive custom domain plan).
Spark Mail: pros & cons
- Team discussion attached to emails
- Smart inbox reduces clutter
- Free tier is usable
- Emails pass through their servers for some features
- Interface changes have upset long-time users
- Team features need a paid plan
Our verdict on HEY Email
The most innovative and peaceful way to handle email in the 21st century.
Our verdict on Spark Mail
Good middle ground between a mail client and a shared inbox. Check the data handling if privacy matters.